By Benjamin Kendrick

This season iLeadYouth.com will provide a free Bible study for each episode of the popular TV drama Lost. This week we look at the episode "Confirmed Dead," which aired on February 7.

Episode Information
The survivors begin to question the intentions of their supposed rescuers when four strangers arrive on the island.

Overall Episode Discussion Theme
“Confirmed Dead” deals with the individual motives behind the arrival of a team of supposed rescuers. In this lesson, we focus on these new characters as we discuss the danger of misrepresenting ourselves and affirm the old saying, “Honesty is the best policy.”

New Characters

• Daniel Faraday: physicist, on the island


• Miles Straume: spiritualist, on the island


• Charlotte Staples Lewis: cultural anthropologist, on the island


• Frank Lapidus: pilot, on the island

Key Show Facts

• Daniel Faraday lands on the island moments before Jack and Kate discover him. He informs them that rescuing the flight 815 survivors is not his team’s primary objective.


• Following a tracking beacon on a satellite phone Daniel, Jack, and Kate find Miles Straume near the water. Miles demands that he be lead to Naomi’s body. Once there he determines that Jack and Kate are not responsible for her death.


• Charlotte Lewis awakens upside down in a tree before dropping into a creek. She is promptly discovered by Locke’s group.


• Frank Lapidus climbs out of a bush before firing a signal flare. When Miles and Daniel arrive, they ask about the condition of the helicopter. Frank reveals that he landed it safely in a clearing.


• Charlotte, about to head toward Frank’s flare, is shot in the chest by Ben. She opens her shirt to reveal a bullet-proof vest.


• When Jack asks why the “freighter” team has come to the island, Miles claims they’re on the island to find Ben.


• In order to save his own life, Ben divulges personal information about Charlotte and reveals that he has “a man on [her] boat.”


• Flashbacks provide a glimpse into the lives of each member of the “freighter” team before arriving on the island.

The Lesson

Opening Debrief
To begin, use the bullet points above to give an overview of the episode. Ask youth who saw the episode to fill in the gaps for youth who may have missed all or part of last week’s show. Invite the youth to discuss their favorite moments and anything that let them down. Then use these questions to prompt discussion:

• Why is there plane wreckage in the Sunda Trench?


• Who are the people in the sunken plane?


• What happened to Hurley’s fortune?


• Why has the freighter team been hired to look for Ben?


• What do we know about Naomi’s “freighter” team?


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

Read Isaiah 5:7, 20
For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting;
he expected justice, but saw bloodshed;
righteousness, but heard a cry! . . .
Ah, to you who call evil good and good evil,
who put darkness for light and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

Ask:

• What does this Scripture say to you? What is the main theme or point of this passage?


• What advice does this Scripture give us?


• How do Isaiah’s words relate to what happened in this week’s episode of Lost?

Clip 1: “I’m here to rescue you.”
3:00–4:32; 9:32–10:45 (See note.)

Section Topic: defining misrepresentation and discussing the effects of lies

Ask:

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

From Dictionary.com:
mis·rep·re·sen·ta·tion—noun
1. a misleading falsehood
2. a willful perversion of facts

Ask:

• How does it feel to learn that someone important to you has misrepresented himself or herself?


• How does misrepresentation affect relationships? What is lost in a relationship when one person misrepresents herself or himself?

Clip 2: “We’re here for Benjamin Linus.”
36:55–39:35

Section Topic: examining the motivations behind misrepresentation

Say: “Daniel Faraday claims to have come to the island to rescue the survivors of flight 815. But he reveals that this statement is not entirely true.” Ask:

• What other characters have misrepresented themselves on the show? (Possible answers: Kate, Sun, Sawyer, Ben, Juliet, Jack)

Have each youth select a character on Lost who has misrepresented himself or herself. Then have the youth answer from their character’s point of view:

• When and how did you misrepresent yourself?


• What were your motives?


• Were your motives justifiable? Explain.

Challenge the youth to think of a time when they have misrepresented themselves. Ask:

• What was the situation?


• · What was your reason? Did you lie to protect yourself or someone else?

Clip 3: “Because I have a man on their boat.”
39:35–42:14

Section Topic: affirming the age-old saying “Honesty is the best policy”

Say: “Too often people misrepresent themselves to hide who they truly are.” Ask:

• Why do so many people have so much trouble being content with who they are?


• What characteristics, attributes, or abilities does our culture value the most? Which of these characteristics or abilities do you most wish that you had?

Say: “God created us an unique individuals. When we misrepresent ourselves, we hide part of God’s creation from the world.” Ask:

• What can your unique gifts and characteristics contribute to the world?

• Think of a situation in which you were dishonest. What would have happened if you had handled that situation honestly? How might things have turned out better in the long run?


• Think back to the character you selected earlier. What would have happened if your character had been honest?

• What does the saying, “Honesty is the best policy,” mean to you? Why is it the best policy?


• What are the benefits of being honest? (Possible answers: strengthening relationships, building trust)


• What are the dangers of being dishonest?


• When is being honest most difficult?

Read Proverbs 14: 2- 3, 5, 13, 25 (THE MESSAGE)
An honest life shows respect for God; a degenerate life is a slap in his face.
Frivolous talk provokes a derisive smile; wise speech evokes nothing but respect. . . .
A true witness never lies; a false witness makes a business of it. . . .
Sure, those people appear to be having a good time, but all that laughter will end in heartbreak. . . .
Souls are saved by truthful witness and betrayed by the spread of lies.

Ask:

• What does this Scripture add to our discussion about honesty?


• Think of a time when you were honest even though it would have been much easier to lie. What happened?

Discuss ways that you can be sure to live a life of honesty and what lessons about honesty you can take away from this episode of Lost.

Devotional Activity
In this episode we watched Naomi’s team arrive on the island. In order to achieve their objectives, they obscured their genuine purposes. In this activity we will take a moment to relish in the diversity God has created.

Have everyone gather in a circle. When everyone is seated, ask the group to take a moment and quietly think of at least three personality quirks that they are normally embarrassed to talk about. Examples might include odd hobbies or peculiar tastes. Or maybe they never wear socks or eat Peanut Butter and Pickle Sandwiches. The idea is to create a place where the strange diversity of being people can be celebrated. Go around the circle and have each person name aloud one or more of his or her peculiarities. Be sure to name some quirks of your own. After going around the circle say, “Thank you God for this group for each unique person,” and lead the group in an excited applause.

Give the youth a minute to reflect on the question: What would the world be like if everyone were the same?” Then ask:

• How can you be more honest about who you are and more intentional about sharing your gifts and quirks with the world?

Close in prayer, giving thanks for the diversity and individuality of the group.

Further Speculation:

• How did the polar bear get to Tunisia?


• Why was Daniel so troubled when he saw the news report about flight 815?

Lost Season Four Bible Studies: Introduction
Lost Season 4 Study: Episode 1, "The Beginning of the End"

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.