Guide for Sunday, August 24, 2025

For the last several weeks, we’ve been tracing Jesus’ journey from town to town teaching, healing and unveiling how things work in God’s Kingdom en route to his defining moment on the cross. Some of what that defining moment will reveal is foreshadowed in this story. Let’s figure it out together!

• What is your relationship to rules? Are you one who strictly obeys to the very letter of the law or do you have a broader take on right vs wrong? As you read Jesus’ encounter with Sabbath law, what feelings about the drama unfolding in the synagogue are evoked in you?
• How do you think Jesus feels about rules? What is Jesus’ intention behind acting against the scruples of the synagogue leader? Do you even think Jesus is breaking Sabbath law? If he isn’t, then what is he doing?
• The discussion moves quickly from the question the synagogue leader raises about the Sabbath to a broader understanding of how people are regarded in the kingdom. What role does the woman play in this story? What lessons about God’s priorities are illustrated by Jesus’ treatment of her?

Next Step: Jesus calls us to notice people we might not naturally notice and to treat people differently than we might initially be inclined. This week, be intentional in your actions toward others, keeping in mind what motivates you to treat others with kindness and compassion.