Introduction // 10 minutes
What is your favorite underdog success story? What do you like about it?
Leader Notes: If the responses seem to be limited to sports scenarios, you might ask a follow up question, such as “What makes you root for the underdog in a movie?”
After you’ve given everyone in the group an opportunity to participate, transition to the next section by saying something like… “Psychologists believe we root for the underdogs because of our sense of fairness, which makes us celebrate the success of the underdog.”
Observation // 20 minutes
Read Luke 1:46-55.
How does the underdog fare in God’s plan in Luke 1:46-55?
Some responses may include:
- She is blessed (vs 48)
- She is used by God to do great things (vs 49)
- She receives mercy (vs 50)
- She is not only full but full of good things, such as love, peace, joy (vs 53)
Commentary: The word for blessed in verse 48 is the same word used for blessed or blessing in the Beatitudes.
Leader Note: Read Matthew 5:1-12 with your group or have the group read it to themselves.
How are Jesus’ teachings a reversal of our expectations in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12)?
Some responses may be focused on each specific blessing. Instead, ask your group to look at the entire passage as a whole, looking for the broader picture. Some responses may include:
- He blesses meekness, humility and righteousness.
- He values our hearts
- He rewards our humility
- He values heavenly rewards rather than earthly treasures.
- His rewards do not change our current circumstances, but rather our eternal ones.
- He rewards our attitude, hearts and love.
- He expects us to pay it forward – to be useful with the blessings/reversal He has given us.
Commentary: The people Jesus would have been addressing in Matthew 5 were the people who were poor in spirit, meek, and those who hungered for Christ. They had learned from being in the world that being a peacekeeper or meek got you killed and there was nothing about being poor in spirit that was rewarding. Jesus challenges the constructs of the system by flipping everything they know and expect on its head. He reverses their position in the world and promises heavenly rewards that the world still does not understand. But He ends with an expectation that they will, in fact, be useful – they will be persecuted because they were in the world doing good deeds in His name.
Even though we root for the underdog (for the nerd to get the girl rather than the wealthy, arrogant bully/for the poor small city team to beat the cocky bigger school), we rarely expect the underdog to win because that would require a reversal of the way the world works. We might want it to be different but we don’t hold our breath. That’s also how the people viewed the Messiah. They expected the Messiah to be a warrior who would defeat their earthly enemies in an earthly battle. They didn’t get that the bigger enemy was the darkness in the world and that Jesus’ fought and defeated a spiritual darkness by flipping the expected result on it’s head – reversing it. He defeated their enemy, only arriving on a donkey not a stallion and defeating the enemy once and for all through sacrificial love and surrender at the cross, not with armor and a sword.
What is Mary’s response to God’s promise to reverse her situation – by blessing her then and in future generations to come? What is Elizabeth’s response to the same?
Leader Note: This is an easy question geared to remind us of Mary’s gratitude, contentment, joy and humility. They should also be able to recall that Elizabeth passed on (or paid forward) the blessing she experienced by becoming pregnant in her old to Mary by blessing her.
Understanding // 10 minutes
Where have you seen the reversal of Jesus evidenced in the world? What does it look like to experience a reversal in a life?
Leader Note: This is not an easy question. Give them time to consider it. It may take an example to get them thinking practically. Mother Teresa is a good example of the reversal of Jesus in action. She was not only humble and meek, but was also generous in her response to the world.
Where do you see gratitude, generosity, repentance and joy in the person who has experienced the reversing power of Jesus?”
Leader tip: Give the group time to consider their response because the application requires us to consider our response to the power of Jesus to reverse our situations.
Application // 25 minutes
Where have you experienced a reversal (been the underdog and succeeded) in your life as a disciple?
Leader Note: Allow space for personal stories at this point. Most of us have had the experience at some level of God’s work in their life – of being the underdog and God coming through for them. Their responses to those situations are important.
What was your response to the reversal described above?
Where do you struggle in paying the blessing forward and where do you do it well? What makes it difficult? When is it easy?
Live It Out // 5 minutes
Who could you impact in your life if your response to the reversals God is orchestrating in your life was to use them to bless someone else?
Prayer: Father we thank you for being so personal that we learn by reversing our identities from lost to found and saved. We pray that You would fill us with Your Holy Spirit so that we might pay those blessings forward through generous compassion and love. We pray that you would continue to give us opportunities to experience the world turned on its head, and are grateful that we might be a part of your plans.