Small Group Leader's Guide
March 22nd, 2009
Series: Rewind
Message: Tell Me All Your Thoughts on God
March 22nd, 2009
Series: Rewind
Message: Tell Me All Your Thoughts on God
1) What does this tell us about Jesus?
• What does the story of the woman caught in Adultery teach us about how Jesus deals with sin?
• What conclusions should we not draw from this story?
2) Are some sins worse than others? The Pharisees caught this woman breaking one of the ten commandments. Clearly she sinned. But Jesus points out in verse 7 (via a question) that everyone in that crowd had sinned. The Bible says that we all sin, but is some sin worse than others? For example, murder and overeating are both sins in the Bible, is one worse than the other?
3) The Christian and the Law of Moses - Verse 5 mentions that the punishment for adultery was death.
• As Christians, what part of the law should we still observe and what parts no longer apply? For example, we all agree that the commandment not to commit adultery (one of the ten commandments) is still a good one, why not the commandment to punish adultery?
• Look specifically at verse 5 it says that Moses “commanded” us to stone such a woman, were they being disobedient to God by not carrying out God’s command to stone the adulterer?
4) Trying to Trap Jesus – The religious leaders of the day attempted to trap Jesus. They often used questions to try to put Him on the spot. It seems that the hope was to box Jesus into an unpopular position. In many cases, Jesus responds to their question, by posing a question of his own. Let’s look at another case where this happens. Read Matthew 22:15-22. Why would their question trap Jesus? Why might a “yes” response cause problems for Christ, why might a “no” response cause problems for Christ?
If Christ said not to pay taxes –He would be undermining the Roman government. On the other hand, the Romans were an occupying force in Israel, and many Israelites were opposed to paying taxes. If Jesus was for taxes, many would see him on the side of the enemy – Rome
5) Did she get off easy? Read verse 11 – Did this lady get off easy? Adultery is a serious sin that destroys families, under the law of Moses, people were literally killed for it. How come Jesus doesn’t come out stronger with this lady?
6) Jesus the High Priest - Read Hebrews 4:14-16 and think through the following questions.
• This passage says that Christ is a high priest. In what ways is Jesus a high priest?
• In the old testament, the priest would offer sacrifices to atone for the people’s sins. Did Christ offer a sacrifice? What was the sacrifice?
o Read Hebrews 10:10-11
• Verse 16 says to approach the throne of grace with confidence, what in verses 14-15 would give us this confidence that we can approach Jesus in our time of need?
• Read Hebrews 2:17-18, what comparisons do you see with the verse in Hebrews 4:14-16.
• Both Hebrews 2 and Hebrews 4 emphasize the fact that Christ was tempted and because of that, is able to help us in our time of need. How might Christ’s temptations make him better able to help us?
Putting it into practice
In verse 11 Jesus tells the woman to leave her life of sin. Is there a sin you need to get up and walk away from?
• What does the story of the woman caught in Adultery teach us about how Jesus deals with sin?
• What conclusions should we not draw from this story?
2) Are some sins worse than others? The Pharisees caught this woman breaking one of the ten commandments. Clearly she sinned. But Jesus points out in verse 7 (via a question) that everyone in that crowd had sinned. The Bible says that we all sin, but is some sin worse than others? For example, murder and overeating are both sins in the Bible, is one worse than the other?
3) The Christian and the Law of Moses - Verse 5 mentions that the punishment for adultery was death.
• As Christians, what part of the law should we still observe and what parts no longer apply? For example, we all agree that the commandment not to commit adultery (one of the ten commandments) is still a good one, why not the commandment to punish adultery?
• Look specifically at verse 5 it says that Moses “commanded” us to stone such a woman, were they being disobedient to God by not carrying out God’s command to stone the adulterer?
4) Trying to Trap Jesus – The religious leaders of the day attempted to trap Jesus. They often used questions to try to put Him on the spot. It seems that the hope was to box Jesus into an unpopular position. In many cases, Jesus responds to their question, by posing a question of his own. Let’s look at another case where this happens. Read Matthew 22:15-22. Why would their question trap Jesus? Why might a “yes” response cause problems for Christ, why might a “no” response cause problems for Christ?
If Christ said not to pay taxes –He would be undermining the Roman government. On the other hand, the Romans were an occupying force in Israel, and many Israelites were opposed to paying taxes. If Jesus was for taxes, many would see him on the side of the enemy – Rome
5) Did she get off easy? Read verse 11 – Did this lady get off easy? Adultery is a serious sin that destroys families, under the law of Moses, people were literally killed for it. How come Jesus doesn’t come out stronger with this lady?
6) Jesus the High Priest - Read Hebrews 4:14-16 and think through the following questions.
• This passage says that Christ is a high priest. In what ways is Jesus a high priest?
• In the old testament, the priest would offer sacrifices to atone for the people’s sins. Did Christ offer a sacrifice? What was the sacrifice?
o Read Hebrews 10:10-11
• Verse 16 says to approach the throne of grace with confidence, what in verses 14-15 would give us this confidence that we can approach Jesus in our time of need?
• Read Hebrews 2:17-18, what comparisons do you see with the verse in Hebrews 4:14-16.
• Both Hebrews 2 and Hebrews 4 emphasize the fact that Christ was tempted and because of that, is able to help us in our time of need. How might Christ’s temptations make him better able to help us?
Putting it into practice
In verse 11 Jesus tells the woman to leave her life of sin. Is there a sin you need to get up and walk away from?
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