That Woman – Luke 7:36-50 

When have you thought, “What is _____________ doing here?”  What do you fear will happen if “they” join your group? What do you lose by excluding those you do not want in your group? 

If you could see Jesus face-to-face, what is the first way you would express gratitude for your salvation? What do you find most shocking about the woman’s actions?  When do expressions of passionate devotion make you uncomfortable? Why? How might our devotion to Jesus be different if we were more concerned about honoring Him than we were about what others think of us?  

How had Simon misunderstood the nature of Christ’s ministry? What decision did Jesus’ parable and questions help Simon to reach (v. 43)? In the story of the two debtors why does Jesus ask who would LOVE more, rather than who would be more GRATEFUL or RELIEVED?  What does love have to do with being forgiven a debt? 

It’s been said that the more we grow in our walk with Christ, the more we realize how sinful we are. Have you experienced this? How is such a realization vital to our spiritual growth? 

At the end of this encounter, Jesus tells the woman to “Go in peace:”.  In the very next verse, Luke 8:1, we see the words, “After this…..”  which tell us the following verses are connected to the preceding ones.  The next three verses describe how “a number of women who had been healed from evil spirits and illnesses” were travelling with Jesus and the Twelve disciples. It even mentions some of these women by name and tells how they drew on their own wealth to help Jesus.  How do you think the story of the woman who poured the oil on Jesus at Simon’s house may have impacted these women? Could this woman have been one of these women listed in Luke 8:1-3? Why or why not?   

This week, continue to be open to Holy Spirit’s movement in your life as he shows you areas where the attitude of Simon could take root and grow. To defeat that attitude, confess it quickly and spend some time worshipping Jesus as Saviour.

General question 

Proverbs 4:20-22 “My son, be attentive to my words…for they are life to those who find them… 

WHAT? (This is the ability to understand your reactions to the context of the Scripture and the content of the sermon) 

• What excites, inspires, or encourages you about the passage? About the sermon?  
• What challenges, jolts, confuses, or even offends you about the passage? About the sermon?  

SO WHAT? (This is an invitation to dig down deep into the heart of God whose words have endured for thousands of years in order to be specifically spoken into your life this week) 

• What does this tell you about God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, the principles of life, and/or sins to avoid? 
• Why does this passage matter to your relationship with God today?
• What other Scriptures do you know that support this passage and the ideas presented in it? 

NOW WHAT? (This is the discipline of bearing fruit {James 1:22} by bringing the life of Jesus to a faith-starved world through the power of Holy Spirit) 

• How can you personally apply what you have learned to your life and spheres of influence?  
• What one thing will you do (or stop doing) in the next seven days because of what you have learned and to whom will you be accountable for this? 
• How will this reinforce or change the way you pray for God’s guidance for yourself and others?