Breaking Ground
What did you do for Halloween? Did you dress up? If so, what did you dress up as & why?
The Dig
This Sunday, we continued our series Jesus the Christ by exploring Jesus’ interaction with a “sinful woman.”
Begin by reading Luke 7:36-50. In this story, Jesus is invited to eat dinner at the home of a respected religious leader. During the meal, a woman who’s known to be “sinful” in this town approaches Jesus, washes his feet with her tears, & pours perfume on him. At this time, perfume was wildly expensive (likely this jar was passed down in her family as a financial safety net) & it came in jars that had to be broken to be opened (meaning that, afterwards, it could never be used again). With this in mind, consider the major interactions of this scene.
What does this woman’s actions reveal about her internal world & her understanding of Jesus?
How does the Pharisee respond to this woman? What does this reveal about his internal world, biases, & understanding of God?
Consider the parable that Jesus tells in response to the Pharisee’s judgmentalism. What does it reveal about how Jesus understands this interaction? How does it reveal an entirely upside-down vision of God & religion from that of the Pharisee?
Critically, as with many Jesus stories, this interaction reveals that Jesus is most understood & appreciated by those at either the bottom of society OR who’ve been through great suffering/failure. These people, it seems, both understand & embrace the upside-down Kingdom of God more than the powerful insiders & those who’ve never fallen down.
What is the connection between falling down, failing, or experiencing rejection & being more open to Christ’s message? What about these experiences makes one more open to what Jesus wants to do in our lives & world?
Where have you experienced this truth in your own life? What happened to you & how did that transform your understanding of yourself, your life, & God?
Where do you relate to the sinful woman? How about the Pharisee? Can you identify experiences in your life where you’ve modeled both of these characters in your attitudes or actions towards another person?
How might this story reorient how you understand & respond to both yourself & those you judge in this next season of your life?
Getting Out of the Hole
In this series, take time each week to reflect upon the story from the story & how you can find yourself within it during this season of your life.
- Read Luke Luke 7:36-50. First, break this story down into pieces. What is Jesus doing in this story? How are people responding to him? What changes by the end of the story?
- Next, close your eyes & reflect upon the story. Imagine yourself in it. Put yourself into the space of the various characters & imagine what it would be like to encounter Jesus in the story.
- What images, teachings, or ideas speak to you the most in this story? What intrigues or confuses you? What feelings arose as you thought about being in the story? How can this story impact your life & your relationship with Jesus in this next season?
Journal, reflect, & pray on how God might be speaking to you through each week’s teaching. Share your experience with your growth group next week!
Additional Resources*
TheBibleProject.com
Simply Jesus by NT Wright
The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning
Coming Up This Week:*
Sunday, November 10th: Join us next Sunday as we continue our series Jesus the Christ!
* Please see mye3.org for details.