Over the coming weeks, we’ll be looking at various ways that Jesus is restoring our lives with his intended joy. This week we will begin in Luke 17 with Jesus’ healing of the 10 lepers, as we consider how Jesus is restoring our gratitude.
Discussion Questions
What are one or two of your biggest dreams? Really go for it – what do you wish would happen?
Tommy John would have loved to win the Cy Young award, pitch a perfect game, or win a championship, but his hopes and dreams shifted and got bigger. When has a former dream been dwarfed by a new concern or deeper desire?
Cry for Mercy
Lepers were isolated, kept at a distance, and required both to declare and be declared, “UNCLEAN! UNCLEAN!” Quickly skim Leviticus 13 - can you imagine? What does it mean to be an outsider; how would you describe that experience? Talk about a time when you were made to feel like an outsider, or confess when you kept someone out.
Aside from physical disease, explain the symbolism here, in terms of our relationship with God. Would you say your relationship with God through Christ carries more tones of shame and distance or gratitude and closeness? Why do we go through those swings? Where are you now?
Is there something now in your life, from which you are crying to God for relief? Is there something you wish God would solve or take away?
Only One Returned
It’s hard to know - even harder to confess - how we are like the nine lepers who didn’t return to Jesus with gratitude. We more often see the glaring lack of gratitude in others, especially within children. As you look back on your life or survey your current blessings, do you have any restored gratitude that you can express and declare right now? In addition to eyebrows! for what else are you thankful?
Do you tilt more towards entitlement or gratitude? Where in your life does entitlement show up most in your life? When have you been that guy or that gal, who came off like you deserved more? Where is it easy for you to be grateful?
What Jesus Says
Humility is recognizing you are small and made big by others. Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less. How does this concern you? Do you have blind spots or shadow sides of you that God has exposed lately?
Your faith has made you well! Jesus makes a big deal of us, when in fact, we’re not a big deal, due to our uncleanness! Talk about an area of your life that God has saved you from; where you were prideful or had a misguided focus that was hurting you.
Gospel: You were the joy set before Jesus as He went to the cross, to suffer and die. (Hebrews 12:1-6) He was missing us because we were outsiders due to our sin-sickness. Our worth and acceptance come from His, which He earned.
