Death

Scripture Reading: John 11:1-44

Opening Question:

What does Jesus say or do in this passage that most surprises you?

Core Question 1:

What healing does Jesus offer Lazarus and his sisters? What, if anything, does it require of them?

Core Question 2:

What attitudes or beliefs is Jesus challenging in this scripture?

Core Question 3:

What does Henri Nouwen, author of The Life of the Beloved, believe about death? Do you agree?

[Death is] the final ‘Yes’ and the great return to where we can most fully become children of God.  I don’t think that many people look at death this way.  Instead of seeing it as a moment of fulfillment, they fear it as the great failure to be kept at bay for a long as possible.  All that our society has to say suggests that death is the great enemy who will finally get the better of us against our will and desire.  But thus perceived, life is little more than a losing battle, a hopeless struggle, a journey of despair.  My own vision and yours too, I hope, is radically different.

Concluding Question:

As a follower of Jesus, how do we view death differently than others?