Grow Guide | Feb 23. 2025
Text Study for Sunday, February 23, 2025
Series Theme: Unexpected
Reading: Luke 7:36-39, 44-50
Connecting Question
What is one assumption someone made about you? What was that like?
Prayer for Illumination
Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest; let these gifts to us be blest. Amen.
CONTEXT
This week continues our sermon series that will bring us to Lent. Along the way we’ll learn the ways Jesus and his followers did the UNEXPECTED. They often didn’t do the lawful or typical thing. Jesus’ followers often went the wrong direction, yet they were never lost. It took them multiple tries to get it right! How can we learn from their missteps? Continue to follow even when we mess up! Even Jesus doesn’t always act as we expect, which can sometimes challenge us. No matter what, we expect the unexpected and watch for what God does among us.
From Dr Matt Skinner at EntertheBible.org:
As the Gospel’s opening verses declare, the author of Luke wrote to reinforce a Christian audience’s confidence about what it knew concerning the good news of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Luke aims to instruct and reassure its readers by telling the story of Jesus in an “orderly” manner, meaning that Luke’s account is arranged and narrated in a way that attempts to express Jesus’ significance. Instead of preaching a long sermon, the book tells a story about Jesus to describe God’s faithfulness, God’s salvation, and God’s purposes for the world.
Look at the Book
Open to Luke 1:1. What’s was Luke’s purpose again?
Who are the main “characters” in this story? What assumptions do we make about them?
The woman is called a sinner, although we don’t get more description than that. She’s a contrast to someone who’s meant to be seen as sinless. Is being sinless a goal? Why or why not?
Jesus does not reject us for our sin. We get to come to him, to be right next to him. We get to love him! Why is this scandalous?
The point keeps getting made in Luke and all these stories: the ones who are unexpected are the ones who Jesus welcomes. How is this good news?
Jesus pronounces forgiveness without her even asking for it (v47). Her actions are a response to Jesus already having forgiven her. What do you think about this?
What would you like to talk about that we have not yet?
Taking it Home
How would you help someone who likes to make assumptions about others see God’s grace more clearly?
God of the promise, you call your people together into your one mission in Christ’s name. Make us brave, grant us peace, challenge our expectations, and empower us to truly follow your Spirit’s lead. You are our one God who calls us together as one people, and we thank you in Jesus’ name. Amen.