Small Group Study Questions

1)  How far back can you trace the names of your ancestors?

2)  Who is the most curious, successful, colossal failure, or otherwise interesting ancestor in your genealogy?

3)  Do you think genealogies define us? What do they tell us about ourselves?

4)  How would including these four “scandalous” women in Jesus’ genealogy define who Jesus is? How do you think early readers of Matthew’s Gospel responded to this?

5)  What does the inclusion of these women in Matthew’s genealogy mean for the church community today? Are we doing a good job of including the scandalous?

Small Group Questions

1)  Growing up, did you feel like there was a time when you felt people around you had expectations of you simply because you were a boy or girl – expectations that you thought were unfair?

2)  What are the roles in life you have assumed? Which ones do you enjoy the most? Which ones are more of a burden to you?

3)  Jesus seemed to indicate that the role of Disciple or Follower of Jesus is for both men and women which was not typical for religious disciples in his day. Does this make Jesus a culture-changer?

4)  You may think: “Well, this means I’m supposed to accept women as equal to men as disciples of Jesus. Ok. Not a problem.” Now, what else does this mean in terms of being a disciple and other social roles? How do we apply this more broadly today?

5)  Martha was “corrected” in a tender way by Jesus. Do you ever feel “corrected” by God? If so, how do you sense it?

Small Group Questions

1)  Who was the meanest kid in your elementary school?

2)  Have you ever sensed God speaking to you or otherwise communicating with you? How so?

3)  Has anyone ever been like Ananias to you – someone who bravely made peace with you?

4)  Can you think of a time when you were like Ananias to another person – reaching out to make peace with someone?

5)  Why do you think it takes so much effort, or revelations, for us to change?

Small Group Questions

1)   When you hurt yourself but it’s not serious, are you more likely to:

a.   Stop everything, take care of the hurt (e.g. band aid, etc), and tell those close to you how painful it is.

b.   Ignore it and stay busy.

c.    Somewhere in between those two.

2)   Can you think of a time when a boss, family member, friend, or colleague acted in a hypocritical manner? How so?

3)   Why do you think it is so easy to see the hypocritical behavior in others but not in ourselves?

4)   Nathan the prophet confronted David about his sin of adultery and murder. Do you have anyone in your life who challenges you when you go off course?

5)   To be a “Nathan” to another person seems so judgmental and confrontive and yet can help yank a person out of self-deception. Is there a way to be a Nathan without coming across harsh or superior?

Small Group Questions

1)   Have you gone to a high school or college reunion? If so, did people change much? Have you changed much?

2)   Share a time in the past when you went through a breakup (with a friend, spouse, company, etc.). Was the breakup:

a.    Like Paul and Mark: we just agreed to go our separate ways.

b.    It was super painful and I’m still trying to recover from it.

c.    I’m over it, but it was really hard at the time.

3)   Reflecting on #2, or another breakup in your past, do you feel you walked away from the breakup having learned something about yourself? Was it ultimately helpful in some ways?

4)   Sometimes people are so fiercely divided on issues they fight each other and people get hurt – even in church “splits.” How can breakups be less hurtful?

5)   Do you think people can change? Become better and improve over time? Can you think of an example?

BONUS QUESTION: Why do you think Pastor George used the title of Brad Paisley's song -- I’m Gonna Miss Her (But I Love to fish) -- for the title of this episode?

Small Group Questions

1)   What was your best Halloween costume growing up?

2)   What do you think Pastor George means when he says we disguise ourselves to get blessings (affirmations) from others?

3)   Have you ever worked for a company where someone took credit for something (s)he didn’t do? Do you think some people get promoted for work they didn’t do and didn’t credit those who did? How does that relate to this story in Genesis?

4)   Is there lingering pain in your life because you didn’t get a blessing from a parent, boss, or significant other?

5)   If we believe we get blessings (more salary, affirmations, etc.) because we earn them, does that affect our view of God’s grace?

Small Group Questions

1)   Do you remember a time when you were sad or greatly disappointed as a kid?

2)   These two disciples read the Bible (Old Testament) such that they believed the Messiah would come with great power and might to destroy Israel’s enemies. Jesus did a Bible study with them to show they were wrong. Can you think of ways you thought the Bible said one thing but later felt God was showing you a different way to interpret it?

3)   Have you ever experienced God walking with you through a sorrowful experience? What was that like?

4)   If you have experienced God walking with you in sadness, how has that affected the way you see other people in sorrow and depression?

5)   Isaiah predicted a savior who would be “a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.” How can a Messiah like that redeem you and the world?

Small Group Questions

1)   Who was the shortest kid in your 4th-grade class? Tallest? Where did you fall between them?

2)   What do you know about tax collectors in biblical times? (Google it if necessary). What kinds of people or occupations are the equivalent of tax collectors today?

3)   Why would Jesus go out of his way to go to a tax collector’s home for a meal? What do you think it cost him in reputation? Did he care about what others thought of him?

4)   Inspired by his time with Jesus, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord (as in prayer) and said he would give half his wealth to the poor and pay back four times those he defrauded. What in the world would cause a normal person to do that???

5)   What does it mean that “radical grace results in radical generosity’? Have you experienced the kind of radical grace that Zacchaeus did?

Small Group Questions

1)   When you were a kid, were you ever on a team or in a social group where you were aware of the top people versus those who were on the bottom of popularity? Describe your experience.

2)   Are there similar "hierarchies" in our adult relationships at work, church, or other social interactions? How can you tell?

3)   In the parable Jesus told in Luke 12, those of equivalent social ranking refused the invitation to the party, so the host invited those who would never get such an invitation and could not pay him back. How is this in contrast to your answers to #1 and #2, and do you think this is difficult to do?

4)   Pastor George suggests we do social ranking unconsciously and need to bring this up to awareness. Do you agree? What would it look like practically if we did away with social rankings in our minds?

5)   Have you ever thought of throwing a dinner party like the one in this parable?

Small Group Questions

1)  Have you ever said or thought something “stupid” that turned out to be the solution to a problem?

2)  Are there examples in industry or other walks of life where the unexpected even ridiculed idea saved the day?

3)  What’s the fear behind not living a generous life? How do you balance that fear with generosity?

4)  Jesus had very little and gave freely. The poor boy in this Bible passage had very little and offered what he had. Why do you think it is harder for people with more to give?

5)  Do you believe a giver gets joy and satisfaction from giving while a hoarder gets more miserable? Or, is that a lie to get people to give up some money? Have you experienced one or both of these feelings, the joy of giving and the misery of being a miser?

6)  Do you think the word misery comes from “miser”?