Luke 6:39-45
Lead in: Matthew’s Gospel is written for the Jewish community so Jesus is depicted as the new Moses. Luke’s Gospel is addressed to the Gentile world so Jesus is depicted more as a philosopher. In Luke’s Gospel, this “philosopher” Jesus makes a strong connection between faith and integrity. Authentic faith in God leads to a life of integrity. And authentic integrity leads to a life of faith.
Prompt: What does it mean for you to live with integrity?
Prompt: There are pitfalls in life that tempt us to compromise our integrity. Where would that be for you?
Lead in: Jesus uses the image of wood to teach us. He asks, “How can you say, ‘Brother, let me remove the splinter in your eye,’ when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye?” It’s true. It’s easy to point out in others what we ourselves are blind to. So, the question can be asked of us, “How can you point out a shortcoming in another when you are blind to the judgmental log in your own eye?”
Prompt: Where is it that you are quick to see the splinter in another’s eye while you are apt to gloss over the judgmental log that blinds you?
Lead in: Referring to the wooden beam in our own eye, Jesus warns against the holier than thou attitude that says, I know better than you do. Underneath, that kind of hardened attitude is filled with contempt. As author Eugene Peterson suggests, the arrogant person must first wipe the sneer off their face before they can offer a washcloth for their neighbor’s face.
Prompt: What do you believe is the best way to handle the holier than thou person who comes across with the, I know better than you do, attitude?
Prompt: If there were any tendency in you to have the I know better than you attitude, where would that be?
Lead in: In Luke 6:39 we hear Jesus say, “Can a blind person guide a blind person?” It would seem that Jesus’ words lack sensitivity to the visually impaired. But in this context, blind means uninformed. When we are uninformed about a person’s situation, we can jump to conclusions and say insensitive or hurtful things about them.
Prompt: Can you think of a time when you were uninformed about a person’s situation and you said or did something that you later regretted? What did you learn from that?
