Welcome to week six of our summer series, Dinner with Jesus. By looking at three characters, this week we discuss our priorities and our relationship with Jesus.
SHARE LIFE
Building healthy and life-giving relationships.
Updates
What has been new or challenging in your life since last time the group met? Spend 20–30 minutes checking in with each other.
Share Part of Your Story
What is your favorite way to cool down during a heat wave?
Prayer
How can the group pray for you this month?
PURSUE GOD
Taking next steps toward Christ together.
Have someone read Luke 10:38-42. Then have someone else read it in a different translation. Discuss any differences you see in the word choices. What jumps out at you?
Mary
In our story, Mary is “sitting at Jesus’ feet.” What are some things this would convey in their culture? What do you think was the relationship between Jesus, Mary and Martha?
Jesus’ interaction with Mary and Martha was atypical for that culture. Do you think that the Christian faith has elevated the value of women in Western culture? Why or why not?
Jesus followers ought to be the most welcoming and inclusive people on the planet. How do you think we are doing in that area? Where do you feel like you struggle? Where do you feel like you succeed?
Sitting at Jesus’s feet means to humbly listen to the voice of Jesus not just for information, but for transformation. What are some things that get in the way of transformation in your life? What’s one thing you can do this week to spend more time with Jesus?
Martha
Read Luke 10:40 again. What might Martha’s preparations have been in the first century? What kinds of hospitality were expected? How might this story look like in our culture?
Martha is literally serving Jesus and doing important, good work. Where do you think her story went wrong? What are some options for what she could have said or done instead?
It looks like Martha chose the right priority but got distracted. How can our priorities get derailed? What is a distraction in your life right now that you feel like might be keeping you from what is better?
Jesus
Read Luke 10:41-42 one more time. How do you imagine Jesus’ tone in this passage?
How do you think Martha would have felt after Jesus’ comments? How do his words invite her into the conversation rather than rebuke her?
Often, we choose wrong priorities not because we are nasty and mean-spirited, but because we allow our pressures and anxieties to drive us instead of our love for Jesus. What kinds of worries do people let get in the way of their faith?
What is a pressure or fear that is currently motivating your thinking, feeling or actions? How can the group pray for you about that? Brainstorm ways your group can encourage each other in those areas.
This week we discussed the three characters in this story. What is one thing that stuck out to you in the sermon or conversation? What is one step you need to take this week in choosing what is better?
INVEST IN OTHERS
Valuing people outside the group and outside the faith.
Discuss how you and your group can better engage the people in your life outside your small group.
Serve
Discuss how your group can serve someone else this summer. Maybe it is a group project, or maybe it is filling a need at church. Talk about summer serving options and think through how you can work together to meet a need. For some ideas, visit adabible.org/serving.
Download a printable PDF here.