The resurrections prior to Jesus’ own death and resurrection were not limited to any specific ethnic group or social class. Moses was perhaps the greatest human leader of God’s people ever (Deuteronomy 34:10-12). By contrast, the poor Phoenician widow was not even an Israelite (1 Kings 17:9). The Shunammite woman was prominent in her community (2 Kings 4:8). The widow of Nain had only one son, upon whom she was probably dependent (Luke 7:12). In contrast, Jairus was a ruler of the synagogue, probably in Capernaum (Mark 5:22). Regardless of their different cultural backgrounds or social status, all of them were blessed by God’s life-giving power.

Read Mark 5:21-24, Mark 5:35-43. What can we learn about death from Christ’s words, “The child is not dead, but sleeping”? (Mark 5:39, NKJV).

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Jairus’s 12-year-old daughter was lying deathly sick at home. So, he went to Jesus and begged Him to come to his home and lay His healing hands on her. But before they could get there, someone already brought the sad news, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” (Mark 5:35, NKJV). Then Jesus said to the grieving father, “Do not fear, only believe” (Mark 5:36, NRSV). Indeed, all the father could do was trust totally in God’s intervention.

Arriving at the house, Jesus said to those who gathered there, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping” (Mark 5:39, NRSV). They ridiculed Him because 1. they knew that she was dead, and 2. they did not grasp the meaning of His words. “The comforting metaphor by which ‘sleep’ stands for ‘death’ seems to have been Christ’s favorite way of referring to this experience ([Matthew 9:24; Luke 8:52;] see on John 11:11-15). Death is a sleep, but it is a deep sleep from which only the great Life-giver can awaken one, for He alone has the keys to the tomb (see Revelation 1:18; cf. John 3:16; Romans 6:23).” — The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 609.

After the resurrection of this girl, those who saw it were “overcome with amazement” (Mark 5:42, NRSV). No wonder. For now death is final, absolute, and seemingly irreversible. To have seen something like this with their own eyes surely must have been an amazing, life-changing experience.

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

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Join the discussion to discover how meaningful Resurrections Before the Cross can be to all of us. Our keyword explains it all.

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The Bible says that Jesus “went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (Acts 10:38, NASB). Indeed, all the Gospels are full of accounts of Jesus ministering to many needy and hurting souls, which is why later many Jews came to believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah.

“There were whole villages where there was not a moan of sickness in any house, for He had passed through them and healed all their sick. His work gave evidence of His divine anointing. Love, mercy, and compassion were revealed in every act of His life; His heart went out in tender sympathy to the children of men. He took man’s nature, that He might reach man’s wants. The poorest and humblest were not afraid to approach Him. Even little children were attracted to Him.” — Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, Pages 11, 12.

Read Luke 7:11-17. What important difference is there between what happened in this resurrection and the ones we looked at yesterday?

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During His ministry in Galilee, Jesus healed the sick and expelled demons. One time He and His followers were approaching the gates of Nain when a funeral procession was going through those gates. In the open coffin was the only son of a widow, who was weeping inconsolably. Full of compassion for the grieving mother, Jesus said to her, “Do not weep.” Then Jesus turned to the dead son in the coffin and ordered him, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” The son came to life and Jesus “presented him to his mother” (Luke 7:13-15, NKJV). The presence of Jesus completely changed the whole scenario, and many people who had witnessed the miracle knew not only that something astonishing had happened, but that someone special (they called him “a great prophet”) was among them.

Both the Phoenician widow (1 Kings 17:8-24) and the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:18-37) had asked for help — from Elijah and Elisha, respectively. But the widow of Nain was helped without her even asking for it. This means that God cares for us even when we are unable or feel unworthy to ask Him for help. Jesus saw the problem and dealt with it — so typical of Jesus through all His ministry.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

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Read 1 Kings 17:8-24 and 2 Kings 4:18-37. What similarities and differences do you see in these two resurrections?

In Hebrews 11:1-40, we read that by faith “women received back their dead by resurrection” (Hebrews 11:35, NASB). This was the case in the two resurrections depicted in the texts for today.

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The first one (see 1 Kings 17:8-24) occurred during the great apostasy in Israel, which happened under the influence of king Ahab and his pagan wife Jezebel. As a severe drought was ravaging the land, God commanded Elijah to go to Zarephath, a town outside of Israel. There he met a poor Phoenician widow who was about to cook a last paltry meal for herself and her son, and then die. But their lives were spared through the miracle of the flour and the oil, which didn’t run out until the drought was over. Sometime later her son became sick and died. In despair, the mother pled with Elijah, who cried out to the Lord. “The LORD listened to the voice of Elijah, and the life of the boy returned to him and he revived” (1 Kings 17:22, NASB).

The second resurrection (see 2 Kings 4:18-37) took place in Shunem, a small village south of Mount Gilboa. Elisha had helped a poor widow to pay her debts through the miracle of filling many vessels with oil (2 Kings 4:1-7). Later, in Shunem, he met a prominent married woman who had no children. The prophet told her that she would have a son, and it happened as predicted. The child grew and was healthy, but one day got sick and died. The Shunammite woman went to Mount Carmel and asked Elisha to come with her to see her son. Elisha prayed persistently to the Lord, and finally the child was alive again.

These women had different backgrounds but the same saving faith. The Phoenician widow hosted the prophet Elijah in an extremely difficult time when there was no safe place for him in Israel. The Shunammite woman and her husband built a special room where the prophet Elisha could stay while passing through their region. When the two children died, their faithful mothers appealed to those prophets of God and had the joy of seeing their children come to life again.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Key Thought: There are several instances of resurrections before Christ died on the cross, and we want to take a closer look at these this week.
October 29, 2022

1. Have a volunteer read Luke 9:28-36. Jude 9..

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. What evidence do these texts show about the bodily resurrection of Jesus?
3. Personal Application: Why did Michael have to dispute with the devil in order to raise Moses from the dead? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states, “Why didn’t God allow Moses to enter the earthly Canaan, but was allowed to enter heaven? Somehow it doesn’t make sense to Moses that disobedience kept him from the earthly, when the heavenly was more important anyway. How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read I Kings 1&:22, 2 Kings 4:1-7.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What similarities and differences do you see in these resurrections?
3. Personal Application: Why would God allow a promised child to die after a few years in the first place? Share your thoughts
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “Why doesn’t God raise people from the dead through His people today? It seems like there would be more than in the Old Testament because of the appearance of Jesus and the power He gave His people than before He came.” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Luke 7:12-15.

1. Ask class members to share a short
2. What differences do you see in this resurrection compared to the two we just looked at?
3. Personal Application: What can we do to help the widowed and orphans and elderly around us to give them peace and comfort? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your neighbors states: “Was Jesus’ resurrection of this child a random act, or did He do it purposely for a reason, or did He just have compassion for the woman at that moment?” How would you respond to your relative?

4. Have a volunteer read John 11:43.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. In what sense was Jesus glorified by the resurrection of Lazarus?
3. Personal Application: Did Lazarus die again after he was resurrected? Why did Jesus say His followers would never die? Share your thoughts?
4. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).

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