Tips for Teaching This Week’s Session of The Gospel Project for Adults

Listen to this week’s leader training podcast with Y Bonesteele, team leader for The Gospel Project for Adults, for a summary and guidance in leading your group.

This week’s additional resources for study and preparation:

• Article: “The Voice That Raises the Dead” by Tim Counts 
• Sermon: “The Visible Presence of Compassion” by Josh Smith

Transcript of Leader Training Podcast:

Hi, this is Y Bonesteele, team leader of The Gospel Project for Adults. Welcome to another Leader Training podcast. Today we are in Unit 24, Session 2, He Resurrects Life, with the core passage of: Luke 7:11-17; and with the key concept of: Jesus gives new life because He is compassionate and good.

Continuing through Jesus’s ministry, we find Jesus on his way to Nain, a small town in Galilee. And of course, Jesus was with His disciples, and a crowd was also following Him. And “just as he neared the gate of the town, a dead man was being carried out.” Jesus was just about to enter the town, and a funeral procession was exiting, possibly heading for the burial site. The deceased man “was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow.” That description is a big deal. What we know from that is that this woman’s future well-being and hope for security and life is now up in the air with her son gone. Her husband was dead and the only son who could take care of her was now dead too. “A large crowd from the town was also with her” in verse12 and “When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said, ‘Don’t weep.’” Jesus reminds us that God is a God of compassion. He feels for people in their distress and mourns with those who mourn. His compassion goes hand in hand with His love for His people. And being God, we know He could do something about a dire situation. He is more than able to change things around for the good of His people and for His glory. Jesus said, “Don’t weep,” not because He didn’t want to see the woman cry but because He was about to do something miraculous.

How should knowing that Jesus is compassionate toward our pain change the way we approach our struggles? When pain comes, we can be assured that we are not alone. Jesus is always with us, knowing our pain. We also know that Jesus is able to do something about it. We can cry out in pain and ask for a different outcome. But just because He might not do something at that moment, doesn’t mean He’s not able. No one knows the mind of God, and no one knows how He would orchestrate all things in His perfect plan. But we can trust that He knows, He is with us, He has compassion for us, and He is good and powerful.

How might you need to reevaluate the circumstances in your life that lead you to mourning and weeping? Life happens in positive and negative ways in our broken world because of original sin and the ongoing struggle between good and evil. It’s good to remind ourselves that we can’t always see the big picture so when hard times come, we are not jaded, but continue to trust in an almighty God, one that has already sent His Son to save us, rescue us from sin and death. Our circumstances might be difficult, but we can always turn to God for strength and hope.

After telling the woman not to weep, Jesus “came up and touched the open coffin,” probably more like an open frame or plank. And despite the fact that it was ceremonially unclean to touch a dead body, Jesus did it anyway, and the pallbearers, those carrying the body stopped. Jesus said, “Young man, I tell you, get up!” And as commanded, “the dead man sat up and began to speak,” showing that he obeyed and was alive. So Jesus “gave him to his mother” to be reunited. It’s interesting to note that these are the exact words in 1 Kings 17:23 in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament during that time, where Elijah raised the son of a widow, to which these two stories parallel each other. So we find that not only was a son returned to his mother and a relationship restored, but her hope and security was also restored, no longer being alone, and no longer having no one to support her. Jesus could have responded in a number of ways to give hope to the widow, but this is the way He chose to do so at the moment. By doing so, though, He pointed to the fact that He is in the work of making that which is dead come alive again, also pointing to His own future resurrection (whether the crowds understood that or not), and bringing hope to a hopeless situation. That’s what Jesus does in trying situations.

Luke tells us next that “fear came over everyone, and they glorified God.” Of course, even today, a raising of the dead would be frightful. But knowing it was Jesus, the people glorified God and said, “A great prophet has risen among us.” They surely would have recognized that parallel with the prophet Elijah. They also said, “God has visited his people,” a common saying recognizing God at work at the time. Though this incident and the events in 1 Kings have parallels of a raising of the dead, it’s good to note that Elijah prayed to God for Him to heal and raise the son of the widow in 1 Kings 17:20, whereas Jesus only had to command the young man to get up. Jesus is definitely the better Elijah, God Himself, visiting His people.

After this, “this report about him went throughout Judea and all the vicinity.” Again, good news spreads quickly. Luke highlighted the news being spread but also implied that many witnesses accounted to the truth of the matter.

Why do you think Jesus was willing to touch the open coffin? Whether He touched it to stop the procession or to make a moment of the matter, Jesus technically by law, made Himself ceremonially unclean to show compassion for the widow and for those mourning with her. Under the Mosaic law, contact with a dead body ordinarily brought ceremonial uncleanness. But Jesus was not defiled by death. Instead, His holiness and life-giving power overcame death. By touching the coffin, Jesus showed compassion for the widow and revealed that He has authority over death itself.

When have you experienced Jesus’s compassion and power, and how did you share the experience with others? Let your group share personal examples here of God’s provision and presence.

Like the Gospel Connection states, Jesus can bring new life in our own lives. As we trust in him and submit to Him, we are given new life in Jesus, and He will give us resurrected bodies at His return as well.

On to the Group Experience, start with the icebreaker of describing an act of compassion that you’ve witnessed that changed someone’s situation. It could be a personal story or one of many reels or stories on social media about helping out a humble employee at a particular company, or people establishing GoFundMe’s for elderly delivery folks. Show how people act motivated by compassion.

Transition by passing out Pack Item 6: Jesus’s Compassion, reviewing the various ways Jesus’s compassion spurred Him toward action. Continue through the Context and then to the Recap, going over the passage, and asking what stood out to your group after. Transition to the Group Activity, recreating the chart on a board.

Have someone read Luke 7:11-12. Highlight how the widow’s life, like ours, can be seen as ‘before Jesus’ and ‘after Jesus’ seasons of life. Although there will be some conjecture here, we can make some informed guesses about the widow’s life. Talk through with your group what the widow may have been feeling before Jesus entered the picture. Some answers are at the bottom of page 125 in the Leader Guide. In the Before column for the Widow then, write down words or phrases of what the widow might have felt. Add the fact that many of us have felt this way in moments of loss or hardship or sorrow.

Then have someone read Luke 7:13-17. Pass out Pack Item 11: Jesus Is Clean to understand the differences between being ceremonially clean, sacrificially clean, and spiritually clean, highlighting how Jesus was clean in every sense of the word.

Then in the After column, write down words and phrases, guessing what the woman might have felt after her encounter with Jesus.

Then have each person fill out the before and after of an encounter with Jesus. It doesn’t have to be the moment when they accepted Him as Lord and Savior although that is one option. Other options could include moments of when Christ met them in a time of struggle or doubt. After giving your group some time to write and reflect, ask if anyone would like to share.

Debrief with: How does remembering your own “before” and “after” story encourage you to trust in Jesus’s compassion and to share His life with others? Sometimes in our busy lives, we forget to remember all the times Jesus has been there for us, at salvation, and beyond. Remembering our before and afters remind us that Jesus is with us and He still does work and perform miracles in our lives. He is present and active and able to truly do more than we ask or think, as seen in Ephesians 3:20.

Remind your group that their testimony can be used to glorify God. That words about how God works can bring someone to Christ. Like the reports that went throughout the land, our reports and testimony can have a significant impact on our neighborhoods and communities.

Summarize and continue with the Head, Heart, Hands section, focusing on the Hand question if time is limited: How can you show someone in need that compassion spurs action instead of just empathetic feelings? We are not Jesus, and we do not have His divine authority over death. But we can still show compassion in tangible ways when others suffer: by being present, bringing a meal, giving, serving, and drawing on the power of the Holy Spirit to love others well.

Go through Next Steps and end with prayer requests and praises. And if time permits, pray through Psalm 88:9-13, “9 My eyes are worn out from crying. Lord, I cry out to you all day long; I spread out my hands to you.10 Do you work wonders for the dead? Do departed spirits rise up to praise you? Selah 11 Will your faithful love be declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Abaddon? 12 Will your wonders be known in the darkness or your righteousness in the land of oblivion? 13 But I call to you for help, Lord; in the morning my prayer meets you.”

Hey, thanks for joining me on another Leader Training podcast. Reach me at [email protected] and hope you have a great group time!