Click below to download the Cornerstone Connections leader’s guide and student lesson. This week’s resources also include two lesson plans and a discussion starter video which offer different ways of looking at the topic. Each lesson plan includes opening activities, scripture passages, discussion questions, and real-life applications.
Humble Hero (Desire of Ages)
Chapter 34 - His Yoke Is Easy and His Burden Light
Humble Hero (Desire of Ages)
Chapter 35 - The Stilling of the Storm
Even when the man’s best and only response to Jesus was spewed hate and hopelessness, Jesus could see the tiny part of his heart that demons did not occupy. And He set him free! He can do the same for us.
Scripture Passages
OVERVIEW
What a stinking mess! Everywhere one looked, over a vast area, the bloated carcasses of pigs bobbed up and down on the gentle waves of Galilee. It was a complete disaster for the owner of the pigs, but it was a miraculous restoration for the demon possessed man. How would the people known as Gerasenes react to what Jesus had just done? Only time would tell. Grab your Bible and dive into the passage to see what happens when King Jesus comes face to face with the king of darkness.
OPENING ACTIVITY:
PIG TRIVIA
Supplies: Google/Search Engine
Have your students Google to find the answers to these questions.
QUESTIONS
TRANSITION
Scripture is full of interesting stories. Today’s passage may have you scratching your head a little bit. You may even ask the question “why” about a couple of things, but hopefully you will get a glimpse of how much compassion Jesus has for His children, especially those in trouble.
BIBLE STUDY GUIDE
Read Luke 8:26-29.
26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.
QUESTIONS
Read Luke 8:30-31.
30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.
QUESTIONS
Read Luke 8:32-37.
32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35 and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.
QUESTIONS
Read Luke 8:38-39.
38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.
QUESTIONS
APPLICATION
In our passage today we see the impact Jesus had on the life of one person. How much impact has Jesus had in your life? When you tell your story, do people see the transformation that Jesus has made in your life? Your life may not seem to be in as big a mess as the man in this story was, but you have a story to tell. If you’ve invited Jesus into your life, there has been a transformation. Jesus wants all of you, and He wants to transform your life just as much as He did the life of the man in this week’s story.
FOLLOW UP
Find a couple of people who are older than you are, preferably people who are chronologically challenged (old), and ask them to tell you their story. Hearing the stories of how God has worked in the lives of others helps you to see that He wants to work in your life.
SCRIPTURE PASSAGE
LEADER’S NOTE
For a Relational Bible Study (RBS) you’ll want to get into the Scripture passage and encourage the youth to imagine participating in the story while it’s happening. Then you will be able to better apply it to your own situation today.
You will need to ask God for the Holy Spirit to be present as your small group discusses the questions (no more than 3-6 people in a group is recommended). Start with the opening question. It is a personal question and the answer is unique for each individual. There is no right answer and nobody is an expert here, so don’t be surprised when you hear different responses. You are depending on the Holy Spirit to be present and to speak through your group. Say what God prompts you to say, and listen to what others share.
Take turns reading the chapter out loud. Follow that with giving the students some time to individually mark their responses to the questions (a PDF version of the handout is available as a download). This gives each person a starting point for responding when you start to share as a group. Next, begin the discussion by asking the students to share what they marked and why on each question as you work your way through. Feel free to take more time on some questions than others as discussion warrants.
Encourage each person in the group to apply what is discussed to their personal lives and to share with the group what they believe God wants them to do. Then ask them to pray that God will help each of them to follow through in doing so. Remind them to expect that God will show them ways to live out the message of this passage in the coming week, and that they are free to ask others in the group to help hold them accountable.
Be sure everyone takes time for personal applications before you end your Sabbath School time together.
OVERVIEW
Whatever we think about the demons, they were intensely real to the people of Gerasa and to the man who was possessed. He was too dangerous to live among people and he lived among the tombs, which were believed to be the home and the haunt of demons—totally possessed by them. The man had a superhuman strength which enabled him to snap his fetters. People were so terrified of him that they would never try to do anything for him, but Jesus faced him calm and unafraid.
The exact location of this event is not central to our understanding. Whatever the precise place was, it was in the midst of a collection of Gentile cities beside the Sea of Galilee. In this region, pigs could be raised, sold, and eaten—something unimaginable in Jewish territory. For Gentile country this represented nothing unusual, just a standard way of making a living.
Everyone had to see what was happening. But this was a new type of crowd for Jesus. They demanded that Jesus leave their region immediately. The cured man had an entirely different attitude. He wanted to follow Jesus. But Jesus surprised him. “Following Jesus” for this man meant going back home and telling the fearful friends and neighbors what Jesus had done for him. The man obeyed instantly. He took the good news to a town that had expelled Jesus, telling everyone exactly what Jesus had done for him.
Changed by Jesus
Can you share an experience you have had with a person possessed by a demon?
Read Luke 8:26-39.
26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.
30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.
32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35 and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.
38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.
1. What did Jesus and His disciples encounter in Gerasa?
2. What was this man’s request of Jesus?
3. What was Jesus’ question to this man, and his response?
4. Where did the demons dread going?
5. Where did Jesus send the demons, and what did the people say?
6. What happened to the man who was released from the demons?
7. When have you seen Jesus make a big change in your life?
8. How do you tell people what Jesus has done for you?
SUMMARY
The demoniac lived in the tombs—his own identity had been lost, and many different demons were dividing him. He was lost and lonely, living on the outer edges of society. Jesus was the answer to his problems. The same Jesus who stilled the storm is also the One who can heal people possessed by demons. Jesus, God of gods, can save us from all of the situations that, however unwittingly, we get ourselves into. This Ultimate Being, God Himself, is our friend.
APPLICATION
Jesus was clearly pushing the boundaries; He appears to have been deliberately trying to become ritually unclean: He was meeting gentiles in a graveyard. Jesus has disturbed a community, He has disturbed the status quo, and He is about to change one man's life forever. Jesus has performed an extreme makeover and now the man who was owned by demons is at peace, wanting to follow Christ. Jesus, interestingly, sends him back, merely asking that he tell people about what has been done to save him. We are challenged to look at our own lives and to examine our habits and the powers that control us. As Christians, we are encouraged to have values and beliefs that give hope for the future.
Below, find some application activities with which to respond to this lesson. They are simply to provide ideas and to invite you to imagine and create some of your own, as you impact the lives of teens for God’s glory.
Challenge the youth class to plan a time when they can share this week’s lesson with younger children. They should prepare a creative way to tell the story, and also provide a craft in which they take some plain item (such as a used water bottle) and transform it to something beautiful and useful (such as a vase to hold wildflowers).
Share your door hangers with church members to put on neighbors’ doors, pass them out in your own neighborhood, and share with each neighbor why you created the door hangers, and the Bible story that prompted them in Luke 8:26-39. (Be sure to highlight Jesus’ courage relating to the man in this week’s lesson.)
