The DoubTer LeaDer GuiDe unit 6 Lesson 1

Transcription

1 The Doubter Leader Guide Unit 6 lesson 1

2 Scripture John 14:3-4 John 20:24-28 Lesson Overview: Relational Dimension Walt Mueller spends some time talking about teenage pain and depression in his book, Youth Culture 101. The increasing change in our culture has caused great strain on teenagers. As a result, the depression and suicide rates have increased. It will not be uncommon for one of your students to have experienced the death of a friend. They are getting pushed to grow up faster. Worldviews are changing and causing confusion for our teens. There is a devaluation to human life, and kids are feeling more and more angst. All of this can cause a great sense of grief. Thomas is no stranger to grief. His close friend has been crucified. He is sad and alone and doubts any good news that comes with this experience. He is in complete disbelief in the resurrection until he sees Jesus. In this study, your students will discuss loss, grief, and hope. Biblical Commentary Thomas is one of the twelve disciples. He is nicknamed Doubting Thomas because he doubts Jesus has risen from the dead. Thomas is also called Didymus, which means the twin. Apparently Thomas has a twin, but there is no mention of this sibling anywhere in the Scriptures. Thomas is not mentioned frequently in the gospels. He is known as a pessimistic, somewhat negative person. However, Thomas is a person of great love as well. We see this in his relationship with Jesus, which will be addressed shortly. Matthew, Mark, and Luke do not mention him. The only account of Thomas is that written in John. Through John s account, it appears that Thomas looks on the dark side of most everything. Despite this, John also gives us a look into the real character of Thomas. We first see this in John 11:16. Thomas is willing to risk his own life to go with Jesus to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead. Let us also go, that we may die with him (v. 16). And, though this appears a pessimistic way to approach it to assume death Thomas actually shows courage and devotion; if Jesus is going to go and walk into a landmine, so to speak, Thomas wants to go with him. He loves Jesus enough to lay his own life down with him. It is this deep love that causes Thomas to doubt Jesus s resurrection. Thomas loves Jesus greatly. When Jesus informs them of his nearing departure, Thomas wants to know how to go with him. In my Father s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you (v. 14:2). Thomas responds quickly, Lord, we don t know where you are going, so how can we know the way (v. 5)? Thomas not only show his lack of understanding, but you can almost sense a fear: How can we be with Jesus and not have this tie severed? There is a sense of urgency to understand what Jesus is saying so he can go with him. And then, it happens. Jesus is crucified, and Thomas is heartbroken. In fact, Thomas is so brokenhearted, we can assume he went somewhere to be alone and grieve. We don t see Thomas with any of the other disciples after Jesus s death. By the tomb it is only Peter and John. Later, when the disciples are all together and Jesus approaches them, Thomas is still not there. Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, We have seen the Lord (John 20:24-25a). This is the place where Thomas earns his nickname Doubting Thomas. He replies, Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it (v. 25b). The very next verse tells us that it is a week later before Jesus presents himself to Thomas. We can assume that Thomas is still mourning the loss of Jesus during this time and hasn t socialized much with the other disciples. When Jesus approaches him and Thomas sees him, he then believes. My Lord and my God (v. 28b)! Thomas s faith is restored to the highest level. While Thomas gets a bad rap for doubting that Jesus has risen, we don t give him much credit. Most all who believe that Jesus is Lord and has indeed risen have seen him after the resurrection. Before they saw him, they doubted too. When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it (Mark 16:9-11). Thomas loves Jesus so much he is willing to die with him. Imagine that kind of love. Whom would you be willing to die with? Most likely only your closest friends and family. If you were to lose one of those people, your grief surely would overtake you. 2

3 Thomas doesn t believe because he is so grief stricken. He is truly saddened, as are the others, that Jesus is dead. But Thomas has gone away to grieve by himself. He is alone to wallow in his grief. When Thomas sees Jesus and believes, Jesus is gentle with him. He doesn t condemn him for his lack of faith. Thomas had erred because he was more or less wired to be a pessimist. But it was the error of a profound love. It was provoked by grief, broken-heartedness, uncertainty, and the pain of loneliness. No one could feel the way Thomas felt unless he loved Jesus the way Thomas loved him (Twelve Ordinary Men, John MacArthur, 164). Reflect on these themes: Grief: Grief can be stifling. When have you been paralyzed by grief? Did it change your view of God? Was it harder to believe? Spend some time in prayer, praying for those you know who are grieving. Think about your students: Do you know any students who are grieving? How can you help them turn to their faith during this time? Resources Poster board, markers ipod and speakers or CD player Computer, speakers, projector (if possible) Messages to Parents and Teens For Teens: The following are a couple messages to Tweet, Facebook, text, or post to teens to promote your meeting and get them thinking about the lesson ahead of time. We know Thomas as the doubter. But there is so much more to his story. Come this week and check out the complexity of his character. Thomas was in such grief when his friend Jesus was killed. Can you relate to what Thomas was feeling? Have you ever lost someone you loved? For Parents: Here are some messages you can send to parents to help get the dialogue going at home. Encourage parents to talk to their kids about being continually caught up in the mission of God. Thomas gets a bad rap for doubting Jesus s resurrection. When we examine how much grief he was in, though, we can understand why it was so hard for him to believe. Has grief ever paralyzed you? Read John 20: Put yourself in Thomas s place. What feelings would be running through your mind? How would you react? Dear Parents, How many times have you called someone a doubting Thomas? We often think of someone who earns this title as a pessimist, someone of little faith. And, that would fit. Thomas was a pessimist. It was hard for him to operate under faith alone. However, when we study the character of Thomas, there is so much more to him than just doubt. Thomas was deeply in love with Jesus; he was in such grief when Jesus died. As a pessimist, it was hard for him to see the good in the death of his closest friend. Anyone who has lost a close friend can probably relate: In the moment of sadness and grief, it is hard to see the bigger picture. It s hard to have faith that God is going to shed light on what happened or to find good in the situation. Thomas was so grief stricken that he went away to be alone. He couldn t even bear to stay with the other disciples. Can you relate? How do you grieve with others or alone, in solitude? Think about someone close to you whom you have lost. If someone told you that person had risen from the dead, would you believe it? Of course not. Especially not in the midst of your deep grief. It would seem like a cruel joke. And even though Jesus wasn t just anyone, the grief masked the truth for Thomas. Has your student faced deep grief over anything? Take this opportunity to really ask your children about what is going on in their lives. Can you sense any deep hurt? Spend some time praying over the pain in your students lives. (Don t assume there is none; every teenager hurts, one way or another.) 3

4 Lesson Guide Explore Open in prayer. Play the song Never Let Me Go, by Florence and the Machine SAY something like: The person in this song is grieving. In fact, so deeply, she feels helpless. ASK: Have you ever felt that way? What caused you to feel pain so deep you felt helpless? Encounter SAY something like: Thomas was one of Jesus s disciples. When Jesus died, Thomas was so grief stricken, it appears he went somewhere alone to grieve. He was in such despair, nothing would pull him out, not even the idea that Jesus was alive. In fact, that kind of made him feel more pain, reminding him that his friend and Savior was killed. Jesus tells Thomas and the other disciples before he dies that he will see them again. Read John 14:3-4. Here, Jesus is telling them he will come back for his friends, but after the fact, Thomas is so sad, he can t believe this. ASK: Can you relate to what Thomas was feeling? Have any of you lost someone you love? If someone told you that you would see that person again someday, would that bring you comfort? How do you think it would change your relationship with God for better or for worse? Read 20: SAY something like: At the beginning of this passage, we learn that Thomas is alone and not with his friends, the disciples. ASK: Why do you think Thomas was alone? When you grieve, do you need to be around people or by yourself? Why? How do you deal with grief and sadness? (Do you joke, do you listen to music, do you paint, do you write?) SAY something like: So Thomas would not believe his friends when they told him they had seen Jesus. Why do you think he didn t believe? Put yourself in Thomas s shoes. What feelings would be running through your mind? How would you react? ASK: Have you ever felt so broken in your own life that it felt like nothing would heal you? Play the David Crowder Band s You re Everything. SAY something like: In this song, David Crowder sings: To raise me up from this grave Touch my tongue and then I ll sing, Heal my limbs then joyfully I ll run to You I love this song because, to me, it starts with someone who is grieving and searching for God. And then, it s like they get it Jesus heals. He doesn t take away the pain. He doesn t keep bad from happening, but he heals. He helps our hearts heal. He helps us move on. ASK: Do you believe this? Do you think Jesus can heal our pain? Do you find comfort in Christ during your grief, or do you feel anger? Why? Activity: Spend some time at the close of this session in prayer. Ask students to write down something they are going through that makes them sad. Collect the notecards and pray over each one together. Allow some time for silent prayer, encouraging each student to spend some time talking to God about what is bothering them. Note: If conversation gets to a point where a student is obviously suffering from great pain and grief, have grief counseling information to hand out. Search for local grief counseling centers ahead of time to be prepared. Engage ASK: How can the church at large be better about helping those who are grieving? Find a local hospice center and plan to cook food for a night to take up there so family members can eat. Plan what you will cook. Also, read through the Psalms and find one that may provide comfort to those mourning the recent death of a loved one. Print it out and place it on notecards so they may take them and keep them with them. Closing In closing, ask your students what areas they need prayer over. Close in prayer. Suggested closing prayer: The Lord s Prayer. 4

5 Human Grief EXPLORE: Play clip from Not Easily Broken Music Makes the World Go Round ENCOUNTER: A lot of people use music to help them through a certain mood. Ask your students to bring their favorite song to listen to when they are feeling down and out. Spend some time listening to the music, and ask each student to share what it is about the song that helps them. Remind them it doesn t have to be Christian music whatever helps them in sad times. *Remind them it must be church appropriate, however. A New Outlook Creative Options ENGAGE: Ask a student to share a situation where they lost someone they loved. It can be a pet, a parent, a friend. How did they cope? What helped them get through? What emotions did they experience? Where is God in their story? 5