Community Group Questions: October 20th-26th

Luke 11:45-54

45 One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.” 46 And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. 48 So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. 49 Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ 50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation. 52 Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”

53 As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, 54 lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.

Questions: 
Doctrine - How we Think
  • How does Jesus' condemnation of the lawyers' legalism (adding burdens) reveal the true purpose of God's law?
  • How does an emphasis on external religiosity push people away? Is it also possible that an over-emphasis on private faith could have the same effect?
Worship - How we Feel
  • When you think about the contrast between the burdens placed by the religious leaders and Jesus’ call to rest in Matthew 11:28-30, what qualities/characteristics of Jesus stand out to you? 
  • In what ways does this passage cause you to reflect on your own response to God’s correction or conviction? Do you respond with humility or feel insulted?
Application - What we Do
  • How can we actively help others find freedom in Christ rather than placing unnecessary rules or expectations on them? What does it look like to offer encouragement rather than burdens?
  • In light of Jesus’ warning about obstructing the “key of knowledge,” how can we ensure that we are presenting the gospel in a way that is accessible and transformative for others?
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