EXPLORE THE TEXT
The empty tomb demands a response.
1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene,
Mary the mother of James, and Salome
bought spices, so that they could go and anoint him.
2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they went
to the tomb at sunrise.
3 They were saying to one another,
“Who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb for us?”
4 Looking up, they noticed that the stone—which was very large—
had been rolled away.
5 When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed
in a white robe sitting on the right side;
they were alarmed.6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he told them.
“You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.
&He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they put him.
7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee;
you will see him there just as he told you.’”
8 They went out and ran from the tomb, because trembling
and astonishment overwhelmed them. And they said nothing to anyone,
since they were afraid.
consider the statement on Jesus’s resurrection taken from the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.
Break the statement down into phrases, and lead the group to paraphrase each portion of the statement into words that express the deeper meaning of Jesus’s death on the cross and His resurrection.
God the Son
"Christ is the eternal Son of God.
In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will Of God.
taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities
and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin
He honored the divine law by His personal obedience,
and His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin.
He was raised from the dead with a glortfied body
and to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion.
He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand Of God
where He is the One Mediator, br /> fully God, fully man.
in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man.
He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission.
He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord."'
Review these points from Apply the Text on page 81 of the Personal Study Guide:
Guide the group to discuss the second set of questions on page 81 of the PSG. Lead a brief discussion on the connection between Jesus’s death and our responsibility to live in holiness. Encourage the group to be specific in their answers and leave the conversation with practical ways to share their belief about Jesus Christ.
Invite two or three volunteers to lead the group in prayer, thanking God for the gift of His Son and His plan of salvation for all who believe.
This would be a good week to call each person in the group individually. Thank each one for attending and participating in the session. Affirm the significance of the Easter session, and ask how you can be supportive in his or her faith journey. Encourage them to be a blessing to those around them and receive God’s rich blessings each day. Offer a brief prayer as appropriate.
Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. (See 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; Hebrews 9:12-15.)
Use other Scripture to help understand a Bible passage.
Compare and contrast Mark’s crucifixion and resurrection account with those of Matthew 27–28 and Luke 23–24. Make note of the similarities and differences. Using a study Bible, Bible dictionary, or commentary, discern some of the reasons behind the many variances. What impact did this exercise have on your trust in the Gospel accounts and the historicity of Jesus’s death and resurrection?