Small Group Discussion Guide
Jesus Resurrects Lazarus
Season 4 · Episode 7 - 8:16
How to introduce this clip
“Without question, one of the most powerful moments in all of the gospel accounts is when Jesus resurrects Lazarus from the dead. In John’s gospel, it is the seventh of seven signs that define the life and ministry of Jesus. (It’s also leads to one of the seven “I AM” statements of John’s gospel.) The Chosen brings the moment to life in all of its joy and—frankly—all of its terror, too, and I want us to watch it together…”
*If your church does not know about The Chosen, before you show the clip, you might also want to tell them the following: “The Chosen is a television show that tells the story of Jesus through the eyes of the people who knew him.”
Discussion Questions
1. If you had been there that day, how would you have responded?
2. In a side conversation between John and Mary Magdalene, she comments, “Not everyone [already believes] everything.” What is an area of your life where you have trouble believing in the power of Jesus?
3. Jesus shows a mix of emotions in response to Lazarus’s resurrection. What are they, and why are these emotions present?
4. What parts of this scene foreshadow Jesus’s own resurrection?
5. Some people appear to be upset with—even angered by—the resurrection of Lazarus. It might be due in part to witnessing someone receive an obvious answer to their prayer, which happens to be the same one you’ve been praying with no response. When was there a time in your life where you experienced that sort of anger? (Follow-up questions: What did you do with or about that anger? Why might Jesus be “waiting”?)
6. How do you cling to faith, hope, and love when you think your prayers aren’t being heard?