2026
An Unnamed Woman and Simon the Pharisee
Passage: Luke 7:36-50
“Justification in Christ is… not an individual miracle happening to this person or that person, which each person may seek or possess for himself. Rather, justification by grace is a joining together of this and that person, of the near and the far, of the good and the bad, of the high and the low, liberal and fundamentalist. It is a social event. No one is joined to Christ except together with a neighbor.”
—Marcus Barth, Jew and Gentiles: The Social Character of Justification in Paul
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
During the 2024 Olympics, Nike released a commercial featuring LeBron James saying, “Being a winner is a curse. It doesn’t matter how much you’ve won before, you’re not a winner until you win again. And again. And again. Nothing is enough.” In what ways have you experienced this feeling of “nothing is enough” in your life?
Read Luke 7:36-50. What does this passage show you about God’s character and about being his follower? What challenges, encourages, or sparks questions for you in this passage?
As you read through this passage including the parable, who do you identify with and why?
In light of who you identify with in this passage, how does that make you perceive the others in the passage? What challenges or encourages you in relating to others who seem similar or opposite from you in coming to Jesus?
As we see the full extent of our sin/debt, our gratitude overflows for what Jesus has done for us. What means of grace help you to remember what Jesus has accomplished for you? What impact does this remembering have on your love for others?
PRAYER
Share with your group how they can be praying for you: what is weighing on you from this past week? What are you praising God for from this past week?
Luke 3:22, “And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.'”