Life Group Questions :: For Further Consideration
“But God…” | November 14, 2010 | Beth Cossin
Before you get into this study, please take a few moments to share with the group some more of your “But God…” moments. What stuck out to you from the “But God…” video we showed today?
Read John 4:4-42 – Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman
Why did Jesus sit down by Jacob’s well?
Jesus said, “I can give you living water.” What was so significant about this?
Why would the Samaritan woman be surprised that Jesus spoke to her?
What do we know about the woman at the well? Take time to discuss this, as well as reflect on some of the comments/insights Beth offered about these descriptions...
-Samaritan
-Woman
-Alone
-Adulteress
-Shamed
What else do we know about her, and why are these descriptors so important to helping us better understand her and her story?
Read John 4:10 – Why is this statement so important?
Beth talked about the “living water” – the gift of God
dorea (Greek) – “free gift”
Used in conjunction with God, Christ, Holy Spirit, righteousness
Why would this be so important to understand?
Notice that the woman deflected the conversation, attempting to turn it into a spiritual/theological discussion. Why is this important to notice? What does it suggest about the woman’s state of mind? And just as importantly, how did Jesus handle her deflecting comments?
Take a moment and compare the conversation of Jesus in John 3 with Nicodemus (go ahead, read it!) to that of the conversation of Jesus in John 4 with the Samaritan Woman. What does this revelation of grace communicate to the woman at the well?
What does the woman do in response to Jesus’ words to her? Read John 4:29, “Come see a man who knew all about the things I did, who knows me inside and out…” Why is this statement so significant?
Beth said that – when it comes to God – to “be known is to be loved, and to be loved is to be known.” How has this reality transformed and/or impacted your life?
Read John 4:39, “Many of the Samaritans from that village committed themselves to Him (Jesus) because of the woman’s witness.” Consider her witness – what was her witness? “He knew all about the things I did. He knows me inside and out.” If people already knew so much bad stuff about her (and they most likely did), why do you think this made such an impact on the people?
Read 1st Corinthians 1:27-29, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
Before you close your group time with prayer, reflect on these questions: Does your life reflect the gift? Are you willing to 'go and tell'? Have you bought into the lie of the Enemy that because you’re not perfect, you have no story to tell? Are there people you could lean into – just like Jesus did – that need to know they’re still significant and salvageable because of God’s love? Do YOU need to know that for yourself?
Pray as a group – for each other and for our church – that God will help us both know grace and also be agents of grace.
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