EXPLORE THE TEXT
We can trust that Jesus is risen because the tomb was empty.
1 After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning,
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to view the tomb.
2 There was a violent earthquake,
because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven
and approached the tomb. He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it.
3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow.
4 The guards were so shaken by fear of him that they became like dead men.5 The angel told the women,
“Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.
6 He is not here. For he has risen, just as he said.
Come and see the place where he lay.
7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples,
‘He has risen from the dead and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee;
you will see him there.’ Listen, I have told you.”
What we know about Mary Magdalene and the other Mary.
Provide additional background:
In Matthew’s Gospel, the eyewitnesses to the resurrection included
the angels, the soldiers, and a group of women.
Specifically, Matthew identified two of the women as Mary Magdalene and the other Mary.
These two women plus several others were at the crucifixion
and had witnessed the burial of the body (see Matt. 27:61).
Mary Magdalene was the one whom Jesus delivered from demon possession(Luke 8:2).
The other Mary is identified in Mark’s Gospel as the mother of the disciple James,
known as James the younger to set him apart from James the brother of John (Mark 16:1). .These women had prepared spices to anoint the body of Jesus. (PSG, p. 56)
Group adults into three teams with the assignments below.
The encounter with the angel was shocking for the women.
But it was only a prelude to a more amazing encounter to come.