Resurrection Day

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April 20, 2003 - Mark 16:1-20

Open It

  1. What is the most extraordinary event you have ever witnessed?

  2. What does the saying mean, "Truth is stranger than fiction"?

Explore It

  1. Why did the women go to Jesus' tomb? (16:1)

  2. What did the women see when they got to the tomb? (16:4)

  3. How did the women react to the man dressed in white? (16:6, 8)

  4. What did the angel tell the women to do? (16:6-7)

  5. To whom did the angel want the women to tell his message? (16:7)

  6. Why did the women flee from the tomb and not tell anyone what they had witnessed? (16:8)

  7. To whom did the resurrected Jesus appear first? (16:9)

  8. How did Jesus' disciples respond each time someone told them that He had risen from the dead? (16:11-12)

  9. What instructions did Jesus give to His followers? (16:15-18)

Get It

  1. What would you have thought and felt if you had entered Jesus' empty tomb?

  2. How does the Lord "confirm His word" through Christians today?

  3. What causes us to have a lack of faith in God or a "stubborn refusal to believe"?

  4. How do you celebrate Easter?

Apply It

  1. What is one concrete step of faith you can take this week in your life at work, among your family, or in your personal life?

  2. How can you honor the resurrected Christ next Easter?

NOTES

The women purchased the spices on Saturday evening after the Sabbath had ended so they could go to the tomb early the next morning and anoint Jesus' body as a sign of love, devotion, and respect. Bringing spices to the tomb was like bringing flowers to a grave today.

The angels did not roll away the stone so Jesus could get out, but so others could get in and see for themselves that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead, just as he said.

The resurrection is vitally important for many reasons: (1) Jesus kept his promise to rise from the dead, so we can believe he will keep all his other promises. (2) The resurrection ensures that the ruler of God's eternal kingdom will be the living Christ, not just an idea, hope, or dream. (3) Christ's resurrection gives us the assurance that we also will be resurrected. (4) The power of God that brought Christ's body back from the dead is available to us to bring our morally and spiritually dead selves back to life so that we can change and grow (1 Cor. 15:12-19). (5) The resurrection provides the substance of the church's witness to the world. We do not merely tell lessons from the life of a good teacher; we proclaim the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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