Bible ReadingLuke 7:36-50 “One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.’ And Jesus answering said to him, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ And he answered, ‘Say it, Teacher.’ ‘A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?’ Simon answered, ‘The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.’ And he said to him, ‘You have judged rightly.’ Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.’ And he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this, who even forgives sins?’ And he said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’”
[05:07]Genesis 1:26-27 “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
Mark 10:46-52 “And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ And Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.’ And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ And the blind man said to him, ‘Rabbi, let me recover my sight.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your faith has made you well.’ And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.”
Observation questions- In Luke 7, what specific things does Simon notice about the woman, and what specific things does Jesus point out about her? [14:36]
- What does Simon call the woman in his mind, and what details about her story does he never ask for? [09:12]
- In the parable of the two debtors, what are the two different debts, and what does Simon say about who will love more?
- In the story of Bartimaeus, what question does Jesus ask him instead of making assumptions about what he needs? [04:26]
Interpretation questions- Jesus asks Simon, “Do you see this woman?” What does that question reveal about the difference between looking at someone and truly seeing them? [15:19]
- Genesis says every person is made in the image of God. How does that truth challenge the habit of reducing people to labels like sinner, outsider, or “that kind of person”? [12:35]
- Jesus does not deny that sin is real, yet he still reads the woman’s actions as love and gratitude. What does that show about the difference between moral clarity and moral pride? [21:42]
- Curiosity is described as a form of humility. Why might “tell me more” be harder to practice when a person feels certain they already understand someone else? [23:32]
Application questions- When has a label become the main way of seeing someone: a political label, a church label, a family label, or a label from their past? What effect did that have on the way that person was treated? [10:52]
- Who is one person right now that may have already been quietly sorted into a category? What would it look like this week to slow down and ask a sincere question instead of assuming the whole story? [25:40]
- Convictions matter, but convictions must not become a reason to stop listening. Where is the temptation strongest to stop listening because the mind already feels made up? [22:40]
- “There’s a why behind everyone’s what.” Is there a recent situation where someone’s behavior was judged quickly without knowing the deeper story? How might the response have changed if there had been more patience and curiosity? [26:52]
- Jesus saw the woman’s tears as part of a story of grace, not just a scene of scandal. Is there anyone whose visible actions are easy to judge, but whose pain, repentance, or hunger for grace may be getting missed? [20:16]
- Sometimes the person most reduced by a label is not somebody else but oneself. Are there old names, failures, or categories that still feel louder than grace? What might it mean to hear Jesus say, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace”? [27:41]
- What would change in this group, in a family, or in everyday conversations if the habit of “tell me more” became normal before reacting, arguing, or drawing conclusions? [24:18]
