OPENING VIDEO
My Justice Journey. Meet Rasool(10min)
Rasool grew up in Philedelphia, seeing a world of injustice that affected his family. In college, Rasool’s view of justice began to change.
VIDEO REACTION: Let’s go around and talk about our emotional reactions to what we just watched. If possible, try to name at least one emotion we felt as we watched the video and the scene(s) in the video that evoked that feeling?
Discussion Questions:
What injustices stood out to you from the video? It could be something that Rasool shared from his own history and life, from the history of our country or about Jesus.
Rasool talked about how Jesus’s message and mission is different from how some people who claim to follow him live. He also mentioned that Jesus was often most critical of religious people.
As a reminder, here are a couple things Rasool mentioned learning about Jesus in the Bible:
In Luke 4:18-19, Jesus begins his ministry by saying:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
In Matthew 5:3-9, Jesus shares a vision for society saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
When speaking to religious leaders, in Matthew 23:23, Jesus says: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”
3. Let’s talk about today. Jesus’ name is still misused and misrepresented. Where have you seen this happen? Alternatively, where have you seen Jesus’ mission and message lived out well?
Note to host: Consider bringing in a recent story or event from your community or country.
4. Rasool shares about one moment where he wrestled with injustice in his own heart –. {Rasool shares about a “shattering moment” when he is forgiven by his girlfriend despite his unfaithfulness to her.
“You’re no better than other guys,” (his girlfriend) said. “In fact, you are worse because you think you are better than them.” But then she looked at Rasool with eyes of compassion and said, “I forgive you.”}
What role do you think forgiveness and mercy play in the effort to bring justice to the world?
5. Rasool talks about how Jesus establishing a kingdom of justice and mercy involves both change in the world around us and in our own hearts - that “the problem of injustice wasn’t just out there, it was in here.” What do you think is the connection, if any, between our lives and hearts and our efforts to seek justice?
Closing Comments by Host:
Come back next week as we look at a group of people who are following Jesus into the hard places—using power to restore those who have lost their freedom because of injustice.