NOTE: 1] Jesus relates to a tax agent, a synagogue official & his daughter, & a woman haemorrhaging & therefore 'unclean'.

WARMING UP: Have we ever experienced some sense of being 'left out in the cold'? Does it still rankle?

TREASURES OLD & NEW: Identify God at work in anything this week?

EXPLORING GOSPEL:

9-10      Can we pin down our own call to follow Jesus to a particular place, or event in our life? Has anyone else ever shared such an experience with us? If so, did we believe it just as it was  told, or a little sceptical? Are we / have we been similarly sceptical of any specific call by Jesus in our own life? Does MT's call have any particular relevance to our own discipleship? Do we ever feel guilty in any way because we haven't had such a calling, or made such a response?

             Does offering hospitality play any major role in our home group or congregation? Does the 'cup of tea & a biscuit' commonly offered at church gatherings tend to cover up the fact that inviting people to a meal is too inconvenient, too hard, that sort of thing? Do we find sharing a meal a hard-to-beat experience of fellowship in the biblical sense? What is the biblical sense?  How naturally are we able to / want to relate to 'outsiders'? Outside what? Do we ever feel we're outside with them?

11-13    Why is it that Jesus eats with outsiders? What kind of people do we think of as 'sinners'? How have we come to 'define' them that way? How does God define a 'sinner'? Who has the broader definition - we, or God? Who gives people more room to manoeuvre - we, or God?
             Do we consider ourself among those 'needing a doctor' that Jesus refers to, or are we quite sure we don't need one? Are we better at acting mercifully towards others, or sacrificing them for some reason?

18-22    Do we find it easy to approach Jesus about our own illnesses? Only when we're desperate? Have we sorted out the relationship between 'faith' healing & the healing that the medical & allied professions aim at? Are they compatible, or competing? Do we ever feel guilty or inadequate as a Christian for seeking medical help instead of seeking prayer for our healing? Is prayer usually a first port of call, or a last one for us? How available are we to respond to other people's needs?

23-26     How are we likely to feel & react in situations we feel we can't control? Even if we feel raising the physically dead is beyond us, do we have enough confidence in God's power acting through us to 'raise people up' in other ways? How much does it matter if we fail? Matter to whom?