Luke 7 shows Jesus healing a centurion’s servant at a distance, raising a widow’s son at Nain, answering John the Baptist’s doubts, and welcoming a sinful woman at a Pharisee’s table. These questions are built for a small group, a Sunday class, or personal study. Each one names the verses it covers, and each comes with a leader’s note to guide the discussion.
Luke 7 at a Glance
The chapter moves through four scenes. First, a Roman officer, an outsider to Israel’s covenant, asks Jesus to heal a servant he values, and his faith astonishes Jesus. Next, Jesus raises a dead young man at the town of Nain, and the crowd begins to recognize God at work among them.
The middle of the chapter turns to John the Baptist, who sends messengers asking whether Jesus is the expected one, and to the crowd’s mixed response to both men. The final scene is a meal at a Pharisee’s house, where a woman known as a sinner honors Jesus and receives forgiveness, prompting the question of who he really is.
Observation Questions
Use these questions first, before anyone offers an interpretation. Ask the group to point to the exact words in the text, and let them answer from what is written rather than from what they already believe about the passage.
Luke 7:9
When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turned and said to the multitude who followed him, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith, no, not in Israel.”
(WEB)
Read this verse slowly so the group hears Jesus’ surprise at the centurion’s trust. Pause afterward and ask what it reveals about the kind of faith that moves Jesus.
Luke 7:13-15
13 When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said to her, “Don’t cry.” 14 He came near and touched the coffin, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” 15 He who was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother.
(WEB)
This passage shows Jesus’ compassion followed by his action, and it closes with the restored son given back to his mother. Let the room sit with the image before you discuss it.
Luke 7:22-23
22 Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John the things which you have seen and heard: that the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 23 Blessed is he who finds no occasion for stumbling in me.”
(WEB)
Jesus’ answer to John’s messengers is a list of what God is doing, and the blessing at the end invites every listener to trust him. Read it aloud so the group hears the full answer.
Luke 7:37-38
37 Behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that he was reclining in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. 38 Standing behind at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head, kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
(WEB)
The woman’s act of devotion is the heart of the chapter’s second half. Reading the scene aloud helps the group notice details they may have missed on a quick reading.
Luke 7:47
Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
(WEB)
This verse links forgiveness and love in a single sentence, and it is worth reading twice. Ask the group which comes first in their own experience, and whether that order changes how they think about grace.
Memory Verse for Luke 7
Luke 7:50
He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
(WEB)
Jesus’ words to the woman sum up the chapter’s invitation: faith brings salvation and leads to peace. Encourage the group to memorize it together and repeat it during the week as a reminder of where true peace comes from.
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you that you hear our requests even when we feel unworthy to bring them. Give us the faith of the centurion, who trusted your word without demanding a visit. Open our eyes to see the compassion you showed at Nain and the grace you extended to the woman who wept at Jesus’ feet. Help us love much because we have been forgiven much. Let us carry your peace into our homes and our conversations this week. Amen.
