The God Who Seeks--Luke 15:1-7 (Discussion questions for March 23

Discussion starter:

Share about a time when you got lost. How did it happen? How did it feel? How did you find your way again?

Questions for reflection:

1.      Read Luke 15:1-2. Consider the scene, with tax collectors and sinners as well as Pharisees and teachers of the Law. Why do you think the Pharisees and Law experts were muttering? What do you think they would have liked Jesus to do or say about the tax collectors and sinners who were coming to him?

2.      Read Luke 15:3-7. Jesus’ story about the person seeking a lost sheep is given as a response to the religious leaders’ hostility and frustration. What do you imagine Jesus hoped for those leaders to begin to see as he told this story that they hadn’t previously understood?

3.      Read the parable again. Listen for the sentence or phrase that speaks to you in the most personal way. Why does that piece of the story resonate with you?

4.      Jesus speaks of sheep partly because they are animals who are known for wandering off. What do you think it means for someone to “lose their way” in life? Have you ever felt that this was true in your own life?

5.      When Jesus speaks of the shepherd putting the sheep on his shoulders, he may have in mind the possibility of a sheep become weak or even wounded after being separated from the rest of the flock.

a.      What are some of the ways people can be wounded by life? How do you think Jesus would reach out to try to help these “sheep”?

b.      Have you experienced hurts in life that have made it hard for you to see or be close to God? Are you open to Jesus picking you up and leaving the hurts behind?

c.      Have you known people who defined themselves by their wounds and struggled to get past them?

6.      Jesus says that this parable is about sinners being turned back to God (repenting). Wrongdoing is a form of lostness in life.

a.      What is Jesus’ attitude toward sinners? What does he desire for their lives?

b.      Consider a person in the Bible who committed a notable sin but received God’s mercy (you might think of Jacob, Moses, David, Peter, Paul, or someone else…). Do you think you would have showed mercy to that person if you were in God’s position? What would have made it difficult?

7.      Consider again the attitude of the Pharisees and Law experts in contrast with the “rejoicing in heaven” about which Jesus speaks.

a.      Do you think we all have a tendency or temptation to give up on certain kinds of people rather than hope for their lives to be turned around? Why do you think that is?

b.      Is there someone in your life you struggle to accept in the way that Jesus presents in this parable? How might you make steps toward getting in on the heavenly joy?