Discussion questions:

1. God is on a mission to reclaim what’s his and isn’t bound by the boundaries we draw around him. For example, Israel’s idol-worshiping enemies to the north, the Sidonians, easily fit into the “God, please don’t save” and “God, can you save?” categories we place people in, yet that’s where God sends his prophet. Can you identify any people you place into these categories? Discuss.

2. There’s a general tendency within and outside the church to talk about care for the poor in a one-directional way: they have needs and we can meet them. In this story though, it is not only the widow who needs what Elijah has to offer; he also needs what she has to offer. What does Elijah get from the widow? Have you experienced the blessing of witnessing the faith of someone with little? Discuss.

3. Like Elijah, who pleaded for God to return life to the dead boy, Jesus pleaded for us with his own life. Through Jesus the mediator, God defeated death. We get to participate in Jesus’ ministry by interceding for the broken and lost, by bringing faces and names to God and asking him to work his life-giving power in their lives. Who in your life might God be calling you to intercede for? Discuss.