By Benjamin Kendrick

This season iLeadYouth.com will provide a free Bible study for each episode of the popular TV drama Lost. In this first installment we look at last week's season premiere.

Episode Information
Jack is convinced that the freighter people are there to rescue them, while Locke is not. A division occurs among the survivors. The band of friends, family, enemies and strangers must continue to work together against the cruel weather and harsh terrain if they want to stay alive. But as they have discovered during their 90-plus days on the island, danger and mystery loom behind every corner, and those they thought could be trusted may turn against them. Even heroes have secrets.

Overall Episode Discussion Theme
“The Beginning of the End” deals primarily with Hurley’s unrealized expectations of life after rescue. In this particular lesson we will be focusing on him, how expectation can leave us unfulfilled, and how setting goals is one way to actively respond to God's call.

New Characters

• Matthew Abbadon: Details unknown, appears in an off-island flash-forward


• Lewis: mental patient, appears in an off-island flash-forward

Key Show Facts

• Jack and the other flight 815 survivors make their way to the beach in preparation for rescue.


• Naomi, still wounded, disappears into the jungle. Kate, Jack, Rousseau, and Ben follow her trail.


• Attempting to warn Jack of Charlie’s final warning, “Not Penny’s Boat,” Sayid, Bernard, Hurley, Sawyer, and Juliet make their way inland.


• Hurley, lost in the jungle, stumbles upon Jacob’s cabin. Locke discovers Hurley and, hearing of Charlie’s warning, vows to confront Jack.


• Flash-forwards provide insight into Hurley’s difficulties following his return from the island.

The Lesson

Opening Debrief
To begin the study, use the bullet points above to give an overview of the episode. Ask the youth to talk about their favorite moments and anything that let them down. Then use these questions to prompt discussion:

• Are the flash-forwards true outcomes or potential outcomes?


• Why can’t Hurley afford a “nicer” mental institution?


• What happened to Hurley’s fortune?


• If you were to plan a lesson based on last week's show, what would you focus on?

Scripture Intersection
Matthew Abbadon is the man who visited Hurley in the mental institution. The name Abbadon is, according to Revelation 9:11, the Hebrew name for “Destroyer”: "They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon."

Read James 4:1-3
Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.

Ask:

• What is the main point of this Scripture?


• What advice does it give?


• How does this teaching relate to what happened in this week’s episode of Lost?

Clip 1: "When I get off this island I’m going to be free."
8:50–11:20 (See note.)

Section Topic: Defining expectation and recognizing expectations in culture.

Ask:

• What words come to mind when you hear the word expectation?

From Dictionary.com:
ex·pec·ta·tion—noun
1. the act or the state of expecting. to wait in expectation.
2. the act or state of looking forward or anticipating.
3. an expectant mental attitude. a high pitch of expectation.
4. something expected; a thing looked forward to.
5. Often, expectations. a prospect of future good or profit: to have great expectations.

Say: "The survivors are on the verge of rescue and they have a lot of expectations. Imagine for a second you are one of the characters on Lost, expecting that rescue is on the way":

• What are you thinking about?


• What person or thing have you been missing the most?


• What are you most excited about?

Then ask:

Clip 2: "Are you fine Mr. Reyes?"
15:06–17:22

Section Topic: Expectation alone cannot bring about change.

Ask:

• What is the condition of Hurley’s life after the island?


• Hurley said, “When I get off this island I’m going to be free.” What is Hurley hoping to be free from? The island? The money? What else?


• Is Hurley free? If not, what is still holding him back? Has anything in his life actually changed (with exception to his physical location)?

Clip 3: "The people on that boat are not who they say they are."
32:05–37:19

Section Topic: Setting attainable goals is an active way to respond to God's call and bring about change.

Ask:

• What is a goal?

From Dictionary.com:
goal—noun
1. the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end.

Ask:

• What is the difference between an expectation and a goal? (An expectation involves a detached perspective of waiting; A goal involves directed effort.)


• What makes a goal effective?

Choose goals that are worth your time:

• Challenging goals that are genuinely attainable most often present a stronger payoff.


• Empty goals, while attainable, are not valuable. Assure the goal is worth pursuing.


• Ensure that you have a way of tracking your progress. A goal doesn’t have to be measured concretely, in pounds or dollars, but assessing your progress is important.


• Make sure that your goals do not conflict. If the pursuit of one goal directly impedes the progress of another it will be difficult to achieve either.


• As Christians being faithful to Christ's teaching and God's call should be our chief goals.


• Many goals that our culture encourages conflict with the essential goals of our faith.

Read Proverbs 16:8-9
Better is a little with righteousness
than large income with injustice.
The human mind plans the way,
but the Lord directs the steps.

Ask:

• When have you pursued a goal that conflicted with your faith? What did you do?


• How can we be sure that our goals are in line with God's path for us?


• What can we take away from this episode of Lost in light of the Scriptures we’ve read and the discussion we’ve had?

Devotional Activity
Materials needed: Paper, pens

In this episode we watched as Hurley struggled with unfulfilled expectations. Instead of actively pursuing goals, he was overwhelmed by an attitude of passive waiting. In this activity we will briefly explore setting goals.

Have everyone gather in a circle. Give each person a pen and sheet of paper. When everyone is settled and ready, ask the youth to write “Three goals for my life” at the top of their sheets of paper. Briefly review what makes an effective goal as well as the unrealistic cultural expectations discussed earlier. Then say, “I’d like you all to choose three goals for your life. If you could only focus on three goals, what would they be?” Give the group a few minutes to silently select their goals. Make sure to select three of your own!

When everyone is finished, ask them to silently consider their lists: Allowing a few moments of reflection following each question, ask:

• Are the goals you listed attainable?


• Can you track your progress?


• Do they conflict with one another?


• Do they conflict with God’s hopes for your life?


• Is there one goal that overshadows the others?

Invite volunteers to select one goal to share with the group.

Close by having someone reread Proverbs 16:8-9.

Further Speculation:

• Who is Matthew Abbadon (the man that visited Hurley in the mental institution)?


• In addition to the biblical reference discussed earlier, Matthew Abbadon is an anagram for “What Bad Boatmen.” What might this mean?


• Why was Christian Shepherd in Jacob’s cabin? (He can be clearly seen sitting in the chair.)


• Why are Naomi’s people coming to the island?

Lost Season Four Bible Studies: Introduction

Curriculum written and prepared by Benjamin Kendrick and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

Note: Clip times refer to episodes presented without commercials, such as those purchase on iTunes or on DVD.