(Click here for a detailed explanation of how to use the Discovery Bible Study.)
By Leigh Mackenzie
Study Questions for Groups
1. If you had the opportunity this past week to share Jesus’ miracle of feeding more than 5,000 people with someone, how did that go?
2. What challenges did you face last week? (Be specific!)
Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—for their help. Ask the first reader to read John 11:17-27 aloud. Then ask the second person to read it again, perhaps from a different version.
Ask the third person to retell the narrative in about 60 seconds as if telling the story to a preteen.
3. What especially fascinated or intrigued you in this passage?
4. Let’s look at more details in the narrative:
- What different emotions do you notice?
- How did the different people in the —Martha, Mary, and the —react to Jesus?
- How did Jesus respond to them?
- What statements of faith do you see?
- What promises do you notice, and how would you describe them overall?
5. What does this passage teach you about God?
6. What do you learn about how people respond to God in different ways?
7. Share a time when you faced a “Lord, if you had been here . . .” moment in your life. How did you handle it at the time?
- How could you respond to that kind of situation with an “I know” or “I believe” kind of faith?
8. Share a time when you sensed God telling you to do something, and you responded with a “But Lord . . .” line of reasoning.
9. With whom will you share the message and hope of Resurrection this week?
10. Based on this passage and our discussion, complete this sentence: This week, I will . . . (Challenge responders to stay away from ideals or superlatives such as “I will be a better person,” “I will trust God more,” “I will pray more,” or “I will read my Bible more.” If you receive such responses, follow up with, “How specifically will you do that” or “Give us a concrete, measurable way you will do that.”)
11. What is one challenge you expect to face this week?
For Next Week: Read and reflect on John 21:1-14, 24, 25 this upcoming week, as we continue to look at the miracles of Jesus. You can also read next week?s supplemental Bible texts as well as the Study and Application sections in Christian Standard as part of your own personal study.
Author: Michael C. Mack
Michael C. Mack is editor of Christian Standard. He has served in churches in Ohio, Indiana, Idaho, and Kentucky. He has written more than 25 books and discussion guides as well as hundreds of magazine, newspaper, and web-based articles.
