NOTES: 1] 'They' in v.1 refers to those suspicious, to say the least, of Jesus,  if not (yet) enemies. 2] Here is another 'sabbath healing' by (& initiated by) Jesus, this time in a home. 3] 'Dropsy' was (is) a condition where fluid is retained in bodily tissue.

WARMING UP: Might the practice of  using 'place cards' have derived from the kind of situation Jesus parodies here?

TREASURES OLD & NEW: Identify God at work in anything that's happened since last week's group?

EXPLORING GOSPEL:

1-6       How widespread is 'suspicion' of Jesus today? Enmity towards him? To what do we attribute either / both? What can be done about it?
           How alert are we to people's unspoken needs? If we run our eyes round those gathered here with us, how aware are we of any unspoken needs (as compared with any that are open & known)? How likely are we to do anything we discern as likely to contribute to their healing? Or is that no-go territory? Are we as silent about such things - telling them, or responding to someone else's telling - as those watching Jesus here?

7-11    Have we learned the lesson about humility Jesus gives here? In private, family, social life? In public life? Are we ever bored, embarrassed, puffed-up, angered, humiliated, etc., by 'protocol', or the lack of it,  in one situation or another? Have we ever been faced with a situation as embarrassing(?) as that of the person sitting 'higher' than they ought to have been in the story? Today, are we more likely, given the choice, to choose seating at a function taking into account how well we can hear, see, be warm, cool, be fed sooner, not be noticed, etc., rather than for its prominence? How important is prominence to us, & why?
           Have we ever experienced a public, private, social, church, or other situation where, for whatever reason, we've been 'promoted' above where we ourselves judged we ought to have been seated? Is our nose ever out of joint because of where someone else is positioned? If we are conscious of the importance of such 'positioning' to ourself or someone else, have we come to some conclusion about what our problem is, or their's?
           Can we think of examples of those who today 'exalt themselves' - in any scene, field? What does it do to us when we see that happening? What about examples of those who 'humble themselves'? Which category is it easier to find examples of? How do we feel about those in either category?
           What might it mean in our case that God would either exalt us or humble us according to the 'formula' Jesus spells out in this passage?

12-14  When we invite people to lunch, dinner, a party, etc., on what basis do we make up our list? Are we ever likely to include people outside our usual list? What signal(s) are we actually sending when we invite those on our 'in' list to something? What signal are we sending to others not on our list? What does it matter what signal(s) we send - to the 'ins'? to the 'outs'? to God? to anyone else? Are we conscious of having any responsibility to the 'have nots' in our family? church? the wider community? our country? the world? At what point does any responsibility for them become 'someone else's job? Have we learned anything from what Jesus says here that will ensure we are 'repaid at the resurrection of the righteous'?