Watch
Before you watch the episode, ask folks to offer up highlights from Episode Four. Be sure they remember the stories of Veronica (the woman suffering from an issue of bleeding) and Jairus (the religious leader whose daughter is gravely ill).
Discuss
To start your time of discussion, take a moment to read the Gospel passage at the heart of this episode: Luke 8:40-56.
Veronica waited in physical and spiritual pain for 12 years. When have you suffered in a prolonged way, and what did it make you think about God?
2. When you waited in physical and spiritual pain for an extended time, what did it make you think about yourself?
3. We’ve talked about what your prolonged suffering made you think about God and about yourself. How did it impact the way you viewed others—and even how you treated or interacted with them?
4. While there's an edginess to Veronica—which is certainly understandable—there is far much more to respect about the way she carries herself as she awaits healing. What did you notice about her that you’d like to see in yourself whenever you face times of suffering?
5. Jairus hasn't suffered for 12 years, but he’s losing a 12-year-old daughter. What did you notice about him that you’d like to see in yourself when you suffer?
6. The men and women who had gathered to mourn the death of Jairus’s daughter laugh in Jesus’s face when he says she is merely asleep. Even today people laugh in the face of Jesus and the power he holds. How do we often respond? How does Jesus respond in the episode you watched (and past episodes)?
Pray
See the Discussion Guide for Season 3, Episode One for notes on our suggested approach to group prayer.
Closing Question #1
If you were to offer a word of thanks to God for something that comforted you in this episode, what would it be?
Closing Question #2
If you were to ask God’s help in living life in a new way in light of this episode, how would you sum up this new way of life?