An LGBT+ friendly Bible study for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, focusing on Jesus's healing of a woman who had been afflicted for eighteen years, and subsequent conflict with a synagogue leader, in Luke 13:10 - 17.

To get the most out of this Bible study, download the sheet (First Look Sheet 20220816.pdf) from here: http://tiny.cc/29pysz

Questions to ponder:

1) Why do you think some in the crowds who followed Jesus linked suffering with sinfulness? Is this something you have encountered yourself?

2) How has your experience of what is and is not ‘acceptable’ on a Sunday or Sabbath changed over time? How has this impacted on church life?

3) Looking at the story from the standpoint of the woman who was healed, how do you imagine her being healed changed her life?

4) Looking at the story from the standpoint of the synagogue leader, why do you think he objected? Can we tell his story without vilifying him?

5) How might this text be good news for today?