Reel Luke

Jesus Meets a Soldier & a Widow

Luke 7:1-17

Helpful Stuff to Know

Rome was the occupying power in Jesus’ day. They’d been ruling over all Palestine (including Galilee, Samaria, and Judea, the areas where Jesus lived and taught) for over 60 years. Many Jewish people viewed Roman soldiers and rulers as oppressors and enemies.

Jewish laws and traditions said it wasn’t OK to touch a dead person.

It would have taken one or two days to walk from Capernaum to Nain.

Be Sure Not to Miss

The Roman soldier had built good relationships with Jewish elders, which said something about his character.

Jesus usually healed people in person, face-to-face. Healing the Roman soldier’s servant from afar showed how powerful he really was.

These stories have many details that are parallel but different that Luke probably wanted readers to notice and learn from, like:

  • Roman soldier vs. a Jewish widow
  • a sick servant vs. a dead son
  • healed from a distance vs. raised to life in person.

The Jewish woman's husband was dead, and now her only son was dead too. She'd lost all the people who would have watched out for her.

There were two different crowds in the beginning of the widow’s story. At the end, there was just one crowd.

Reel Questions

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Reel Setting (place)

  • Where did this story happen? (Describe the setting — in a house, on a road, by a lake, in a city, etc.)
  • What do you think that place looked like? smelled like? sounded like?
  • Do you think it matters that this story happened in that specific place? Why?
  • What about the place in this story feels familiar? What feels strange?

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Reel People (characters)

  • Make a list of all the people in this story and give a one-word description of each (include “crowd” if there is one). Why did you choose that word?
  • What does Jesus say and do in this story? List all the things. Does anything surprise you? Why?
  • Which person (besides Jesus) is most interesting to you? Why?
  • What details about the characters do you wish were included or explained in the story? Why?
  • Why do you think [choose a specific character or the crowd] spoke or acted the way they did?
  • What are some different things that [the person from previous question] could have said or done? How would that have changed the story?
  • What do you think the onlookers were thinking and feeling as things were happening in this story? Why?
  • How do you think the main characters might have changed after this story? Why? (Sometimes it tells us, like with Zacchaeus, but other times it doesn’t.)
  • How do you think the crowd or onlookers might have changed after this story? Why?
  • If you’d been there, where would you have been standing or sitting? What would you have been thinking or feeling? Why?

 

Reel Events (plot)

  • List all the events in the story.
  • List some details that aren't included but are assumed in the story.
  • What do you think are the two or three most important moments in this story? Why?
  • If this story were a film, when would the music be scary or tense? When would it be joyful or upbeat? Why?
  • What do you think maybe happened right before this story? What do you think maybe happened right after this story?
  • Does the biblical story before or after this one matter to this story? How? Why do you think that?
  • What are some different ways things could have happened or ended in this story?
  • If this story were happening today in your school or town, what are ways Jesus might have acted or explained things for your context?
  • What would you call this story if it were a full-length book or movie? Why?

 

Real Faith

  • What’s a way people could misunderstand or misuse this story?
  • Why do you think this story is in the Bible? Why would God want us to read and learn from it?
  • What are you learning about Jesus (or his Father or the Spirit) from this story?
  • What are you learning about following Jesus (living for Jesus and living like Jesus) from this story?
  • After reading this story, what are some questions you have about Jesus and following him?

 

Story-Specific Questions

Make a list of all the story details that are parallel but different (see examples in Be Sure Not to Miss). What do you notice? Why do you think Luke put these stories next to each other?

The good relationship between the Roman soldier and the Jewish elders probably wasn’t the norm back then. How do you think that relationship was built?

Why do you think Jesus healed the Roman soldier’s servant from a distance instead of going to his house?

Why do you think Jesus helped the widow even thought she didn’t ask him to?

Verse 16 says the crowd felt great fear and praised God. How can both of those things both be true?