(15–20 minutes, easy setup)
Learners will study Luke 24:1-12, 36-49 to examine the evidence that Jesus was no longer in the tomb, but was alive.
Provide a copy of the Learner Worksheet and a pen for each learner. Also provide a dry erase board and marker.
Ask: If you had been at the crucifixion and was a follower of Christ, what might you have experienced as you watched His death? (sadness, anger, frustration, humiliation, hopelessness) State that those who had loved Jesus had watched Him face an excruciatingly painful and humiliating death. Say: They watched and cried, but could do nothing. The women who had been with Jesus in Galilee even followed along as His body was carried to a burial chamber and placed inside. And, because of the lateness of the hour and the approaching Sabbath, they again could do nothing. Share that, at sunrise, when the Sabbath had ended, the women rushed to the tomb to do the one thing they knew how to do for Him . . . to prepare His body in death. Distribute copies of the Learner Worksheet and pens to learners.
1. Because Jesus was alive, His tomb was empty (Luke 24:1-12).
Ask: What feelings would the women have approached the tomb with? (grief, sadness, deep resolve) Call on a volunteer to read verses 1-5. Ask: What did the women who came to the tomb with burial spices find? (the entrance open and Jesus’ body missing; two angels who asked why they were looking for Jesus’ dead body)
Call on a second volunteer to read verses 6-8. Ask: What was the most important part of the angels’ explanation of where Jesus was? (Responses can vary, but should be divided between the fact that Jesus had risen from the dead, and that Jesus had fulfilled what He had promised He would do.) Point out that the fact that Jesus had been risen from the dead, just as He had promised them, demonstrates that Jesus is God and Savior. Encourage learners to complete the first statement on their worksheets with “empty.” Share this quote from preacher Daniel Bennett: “The women who loved Jesus were eager to express that love through caring for His body. But they found that their eagerness was outmatched by that of their Lord; arriving at the tomb ‘at early dawn’ was simply too late” (available online). Say: Jesus had already left the tomb––alive!
Call on a third volunteer to read verses 9-12. Suggest learners put themselves in the place of the women who had just received the news of Jesus’ resurrection and lead them to suggest how their message to the disciples would have sounded (such as breathless, excitable, passionate, joyful). Ask: How did the disciples respond to their news? (They didn’t believe it; they thought it was “an idle tale.”) Ask: What did Peter’s response indicate? (He must have believed them, or he wanted to believe them, because he ran to the tomb to see the evidence for himself.) Ask: What did Peter do after he found the empty tomb? (He went away marveling at what he had seen.) Share that in verses 13-35, Jesus appeared before two of His followers, who shared with Him the news the women had shared and that some of the group had gone to the tomb to find it empty. Say: Even though many of the disciples didn’t believe the news the women brought, they continued to talk about it and share it with others.
2. Because Jesus was not in the tomb, He appeared before His disciples (Luke 24:36-43).
Share that after Jesus appeared before two disciples on the road to Emmaus, they returned to Jerusalem to share with the other disciples about Jesus’ appearance. Read verses 36-37. Ask: What would have made the disciples frightened at Jesus’ sudden appearance? (shock, disbelief, confusion, questions) Read verse 38 and point out that Jesus identified their reactions as coming from a place of disbelief. Read verses 39-43 and ask: Why did Jesus encourage them to touch His physical body? (Possibly to help them understand that He was not there as a spirit but as flesh and blood; by eating, He showed that He still needed sustenance.) How does this encounter show that Jesus is both fully divine and fully human? (His resurrection speaks to His divinity; His physical presence points to His humanity.) How did the disciples respond to confirming Jesus’ physical presence? (The disciples responded with joy and wonder.) Encourage learners to complete the second statement on their worksheets with “appeared.” Share that, when Larson and Ogilvie wrote of this encounter, they stated: “We are not asked to believe the doctrine of the Resurrection. We are asked to meet this person raised from the dead” (p. 349).
3. Because Jesus was about to ascend into heaven, He explained what was to come (Luke 24:44-49).
Call on another volunteer to read verses 44-48. Then, lead learners to discuss:
Encourage learners to complete the third statement on their worksheets with “ascend.” Conclude by sharing Steven Cole’s questions about Jesus’ resurrection: “If Jesus Christ is not risen from the dead, then He Himself was a liar, since He predicted His own death and resurrection on numerous occasions. Why believe in and follow a liar? If Christ is not risen from the dead, then His death on the cross did not secure the forgiveness of our sins. Jesus’ resurrection was God’s seal of approval on the sacrifice that Christ offered for all people so that Paul could rightly say, ‘If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless, you are still in your sins’” (1 Cor. 15:17).