Wonderfalls Bible Study Weeks 3 & 4

Episode 3- Karma Chameleon

1 Samuel 17:12-31

 David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse from Bethlehem in Judah who had eight sons. In the days of Saul Jesse was old and well on in years. ¹³ The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to war; the names of these three sons who had gone off to war were Eliab the firstborn; Abinadab the second; and Shammah the third. ¹⁴ David was the youngest. While the three oldest had joined Saul, ¹⁵ David would come and go from Saul’s presence to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

¹⁶ Meanwhile the Philistine came forward and took his stand morning and evening for forty days.

¹⁷ Now Jesse said to his son David: “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves for your brothers, and bring them quickly to your brothers in the camp. ¹⁸ Also take these ten cheeses for the field officer. Greet your brothers and bring home some token from them. ¹⁹ Saul and your brothers, together with all Israel, are at war with the Philistines in the valley of the Elah.” ²⁰ Early the next morning, having left the flock with a shepherd, David packed up and set out, as Jesse had commanded him. He reached the barricade of the camp just as the army, on their way to the battleground, were shouting their battle cry. ²¹ The Israelites and the Philistines drew up opposite each other in battle array. ²² David entrusted what he had brought to the keeper of the baggage and hastened to the battle line, where he greeted his brothers. ²³ While he was talking with them, the Philistine champion, by name Goliath of Gath, came up from the ranks of the Philistines and spoke as before, and David listened. ²⁴ When the Israelites saw the man, they all retreated before him, terrified. ²⁵ The Israelites had been saying: “Do you see this man coming up? He comes up to insult Israel. The king will make whoever kills him a very wealthy man. He will give his daughter to him and declare his father’s family exempt from taxes in Israel.” ²⁶ David now said to the men standing near him: “How will the man who kills this Philistine and frees Israel from disgrace be rewarded? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should insult the armies of the living God?” ²⁷ They repeated the same words to him and said, “That is how the man who kills him will be rewarded.” ²⁸ When Eliab, his oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he grew angry with David and said: “Why did you come down? With whom have you left those sheep in the wilderness? I know your arrogance and dishonest heart. You came down to enjoy the battle!” ²⁹ David protested, “What have I done now? I was only talking.” ³⁰ He turned from him to another and asked the same question; and everyone gave him the same answer as before. ³¹ The words that David had spoken were overheard and reported to Saul, who sent for him.

2 Corinthians 10:7-11

Look at what confronts you. Whoever is confident of belonging to Christ should consider that as he belongs to Christ, so do we. ⁸ And even if I should boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for tearing you down, I shall not be put to shame. ⁹ May I not seem as one frightening you through letters. ¹⁰ For someone will say, “His letters are severe and forceful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.” ¹¹ Such a person must understand that what we are in word through letters when absent, that we also are in action when present.

Mark 7:31-36

³¹ Again he left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. ³² And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. ³³ He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; ³⁴ then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”) ³⁵ And [immediately] the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. ^36 [He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. ³⁷ They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and [the] mute speak.”

1 Corinthians 4:15-17

Even if you should have countless guides to Christ, yet you do not have many fathers, for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. ¹⁶ Therefore, I urge you, be imitators of me. ¹⁷ For this reason I am sending you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord; he will remind you of my ways in Christ [Jesus], just as I teach them everywhere in every church.

Reflect on the Bible passages in light of the episode.

What kind of family is Jaye a part of?

Why does her mother’s blurb bother her?

What do you think of how Jaye’s family treats her?

What is David’s relationship like with his brothers and why do you think it is like this?

What do you think of the way they treat David?

What is the irony in Jaye’s rather unsuccessful life?

What is the irony in David’s brothers attitude towards their brother?

Reflect on this quote: “get her words out.”

Reflect on this quote: “or by then it will say ‘her youngest daughter was confined to a mental 

institution.’”

What do you think it would be like to suffer from a stutter like Bianca?

What problem did Paul face in regards to the people he is reaching out to, in 2 Corinthians 10?

How did Paul ‘get his words out’?

Reflect on this quote: “it is like you’ve been at it your whole life and managed not to get your soul 

crushed.”

What do you think of Jaye taking Bianca in like she does?

What do you think of Bianca imitating Jaye like she does?

What do you think of Paul seeking to have people imitate him?

How does Jaye ‘heal’ Bianca’s speech problems?

Reflect on this quote: “she’s a better you than you are.”

What do you think it would be like to be the man in the Mark passage, whom Jesus healed?

Compare his experience to Paul’s and to Bianca’s.

What did Jaye find in Bianca’s van?

How would you react to something like this?

What is the substance of Bianca’s study and paper on Jaye?

Do you agree that Jaye is a ‘victim’? Why or why not?

Do you agree that Jaye is not contributing to society in ‘any significant way’?

Reflect on this quote: “people need to know what it is like to be me.”

How did this sentiment permeate Paul’s own project?

What does Jaye say about choosing friends?

Reflect on this quote: ‘surprisingly, I’m getting tired of talking about myself.’

What ‘saves’ Paul from narcissism?

Why does Bianca sell out on Jaye? What do you think of this?

What ‘way’ did Bianca find from Jaye?

What ‘way’ did Paul want to teach those he wrote to?

How does Jaye end up getting Bianca’s words out?

Why does Jaye write the article and what does this prove?

Compare this to Paul’s solution.

Why doesn’t Jaye want to take the opportunity this represents and instead chooses her old life?

What is the substance of the part of the article that Jaye’s father reads? Reflect on this.

Episode 4: Wound Up Penguin

Jeremiah 20:7-9

You seduced me, Lord, and I let myself be seduced;
    you were too strong for me, and you prevailed.
All day long I am an object of laughter;
    everyone mocks me.
⁸ Whenever I speak, I must cry out,
    violence and outrage I proclaim;
The word of the Lord has brought me
    reproach and derision all day long.
⁹ I say I will not mention him,
    I will no longer speak in his name.
But then it is as if fire is burning in my heart,
    imprisoned in my bones;
I grow weary holding back,
    I cannot!

Psalm 121

 A song of ascents.

I raise my eyes toward the mountains.
    From whence shall come my help?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    the maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not allow your foot to slip;
    or your guardian to sleep.
⁴ Behold, the guardian of Israel
    never slumbers nor sleeps.
⁵ The Lord is your guardian;
    the Lord is your shade
    at your right hand.
⁶ By day the sun will not strike you,
    nor the moon by night.
⁷ The Lord will guard you from all evil;
    he will guard your soul.
⁸ The Lord will guard your coming and going
    both now and forever.

John 21:15-19

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” ¹⁶ He then said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” ¹⁷ He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” [Jesus] said to him, “Feed my sheep. ¹⁸ Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

Mark 9:38-40

John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.” ³⁹ Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. ⁴⁰ For whoever is not against us is for us. ⁴¹ Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.

Reflect on the Bible passages in light of the episode.

What do you think of the totems keeping Jaye up to get her to do what they want?

Does Jaye have free will in this situation? Why or why not?

How is Jeremiah in a similar situation?

Is Jeremiah free? Why or why not?

Reflect on this quote: “this is what cults do.”

Reflect on this quote: “One bad day, and everything changes.”

Reflect on this quote: “you’re like a saint.”

How do the totems affect the situation by telling Jaye to ‘bring her back’?

Who does God want Jeremiah to ‘bring back’?

What does Eric realize about his situation?

What was Eric’s wife’s attitude about ‘getting involved’?

 What do you think of this?

Is Jaye responsible for the good she does if she is tricked and forced into it?

Reflect on Peter and Jeremiah’s situation. Are they responsible for the good they do if they are 

dragged into it?

What other figure from the Bible have we encountered who was ‘forced’ into goodness against his 

nature?

How have the people who have encountered the homeless girl treated her, so far?

Reflect on the janitor ‘looking over’ her in light of the Bible passage.

How have you experienced God as this kind of ‘guardian’?

Do you agree with Jaye that what is passing and transitional can’t really trap you? Why or why not?

How was Peter’s experience with Jesus ‘passing and transitional’?

Reflect on this quote: “you’re going to hell.”

What do you think of the priest trying to push so hard for the return of the nun?

How does Jesus ‘reclaim’ Peter?

What is the sister’s reflection on ‘cheese’ all about?

What does the sister want from God?

What is her doubt all about?

How does Jaye feel about hearing God’s voice?

How might Peter and Jeremiah feel about the nun’s request?

Reflect on this quote: “how am I supposed to commit my life to something I’m not sure is real.”

Reflect on this quote: “He has to be real to me, He has to show me, or else I’m just praising some 

phantom bully in the sky.”

Reflect on this quote: “we have to squash that doubt.”

What does Aaron say about hearing God’s voice?

What do you think of this?

What does it mean to hear the Word of God?

What did it mean for Jeremiah?

Why does Jaye come clean with the nun?

What is her reaction and why does she react this way?

Would you suspect God or the devil behind Jaye’s experience? Explain your answer.

Why were the disciples suspicious of the other exorcist? How does Jesus identify the work of God?

Reflect on this.

What do you think of the practice of exorcism? What do you think of its application to Jaye’s 

situation?

What is the priest’s attitude about exorcism? What do you think of this?

What do you think of the prominence of exorcism in the New Testament?

Why is Eric so dead set against Jaye’s course of action?

Reflect on this quote: “maybe it is for God’s sake.”

What do you think of Jaye’s family deciding to go to church all of a sudden?

What do you think of their attitude about Catholicism?

What is the conversation between Eric and the priest in the bathroom all about?

What do you think of this?

What did ‘bring her back to him’, end up meaning? Reflect on this.