He Is Risen! Lesson7

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April12 He Is Risen! Lesson7

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Dtvorror.rAr REeprNc: L Corinthians L5: 5 He is not here, but is risen: remember t2-26. how he spake unto you when he was yet in Bn cxcnouNn Scnlprunn: Luke 24:l-12. Galilee, 7 Saying, The Son of man must be deliv- Pnnrnn TExr: Luke 242'1.-12. ered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise Luke24:1-72 again. 8 And they remembered his words, 1 Now upon the first day of the week, very 9 And returned from the sepulchre, and early in the morning, they came unto the sep- told all these things unto the eleven, and to ulchte, bringing the spices which they hid all the rest. prepared, and certain others with them. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, and ]oanna, and 2 And they found the stone rolled away Mary the mother of James, and other women from the sepulchre. that were with them, which told these things 3 And they entered in, and found not the unto the apostles. body of the Lord Jesus. 11 And their words seemedto them as idle 4 And it came to pass, as they were much tales, and they believed them not. perplexed thereabout,behold, two men stood 12 Then arose Pete1,and ran - unto the sep- by them in shining garments: ulchre; and stooping down, he beheld tlie 5 And as they were afraid and bowed down linen clothes laid by themselves, and depart- their faces to the earth, they said unto them, ed, wondering in himself at that which was Why seek ye the living among the dead? cometo pass.

Gor,onirTexr: Why seekye the living amongthe dead? He is not here,but is risen.-Luke 24:b,6. APRIL 12 274 Hn Is RrsEN!

prise us that Jesus'followers aII seemedto have forgottenthat He foretold His suffering,death, and Christand Creation resurrection?How could they forget something so The Dawn of New Life crucial? And what do we learn from the different ways they responded to the news of this life- Lessons6-9 changing event when reminded?

B. Lesson Background LessonAims In Luke 9:20, Peterwas the first disciple to con- fessJesus as Messiah(or Christ).Jesus responded After participatingin this lesson,each student by warning that He was to suffer, die, and rise will be able to: on the third day. Shortly thereafter, following a 1. Retell Luke's account of the women's experi- crowd-dazzlinghealing display,Jesus impressed enceon resurrectionmorning. upon His followers that He would be betrayed. 2. Compareand contrastthe various levels of But they didn't graspwhat He was saying (9:44, belief of those first told of the resurrectionwith 45). Jesuslater alluded to being killed in |erusa- the varying levels of faith expressed, lem (13:33).He alsotold the disciplesthat He had 3. PIan to discuss with an unbeliever the facts to suffer and face rejection (17:25). of Jesus'resurrection. As the time of His death drew closer, |esus repeatedthese predictions. He was to be handed LessonOutline over, mocked, beaten, and killed, but would rise on the third day i1B:31-33).Still His disciplesdid INtRoluctlou not graspwhat He was saying. A, Rememberingto Remember Jesusgave His disciples severalopportunities to B. LessonBackground expect His death and recognizeit for what it was: I. Evprv Tovn (Luke 24:L-3) a temporary stop on the path to resurrection. But A. Routine Freparations (v. 1) they did not comprehend.Indeed, they could not B. UnexpectedFindings (w. 2, 3) becauseit had been concealedfrom them (Luke II. Hsa\,TNryMnssnNcsRs (Luke 24:4-8) 9:45;18:34). In God'sinfinite wisdom,He planted A. AngelsAppear to the Women(w. 4, 5) a seedwithin them that was to bear fruit only after Cemeteries Christ's resurrection. Our text today records how B. Angels Remind the Women (w. 6-8) Jesus'closest followers first respondedto the news IIL RU-+vnnMnssacs (Lrtke 24:9-1,2) of that resurrection. A. WomenTell the Apostles(w, 9, 10) The eventsthat transpired before it are famil- B. ApostlesDoubt the Women (vv. 1L,1,2) iar to long-timeChristians. |esus was betrayedby Tall Tales Judasand handed over to ]ewish authorities. They CoNcrusroN subsequentlyhanded Him over to Roman author- A. SecondhandTestimony ities. Pilate gavein to the crowd's wish that the B. Prayer innocentman fesusbe crucified.Since it was the C. Thought to Remember day beforethe Sabbath,Jesus'body was removed quickly from the cross and placed in the tomb of Introduction Josephof Arimathea. Then on the third day the unbelievablehappened. A. Remembering to Remember It is funny how the humanmind remembers. I. Empty Tomb Friendsand family will sometimestell us stories (Luke 24:1-31 of events we participated in firsthand only a few years back, but we may have absolutely no recol- A. Routine Preparations (v. 1) Iection of them. Then we may hear an old song 1. Now upon the first day of the week, very on the radio that we haven't heard in years and, early in the morning, they came unto the sep- instantly, every word of the lyrics comes back to ulchre, bringing the spices which they had pre- mind. I imagine some of this has to do with the pared, and certain others with them. Ievel at which the original context affectedus. The first day of the week is of course Sunday. Forgetfulnesstakes several forms. Some forget- |esus was crucified and died two days previ- fulnessis harmlessand someis harmful. Someis ously, on Friday. Since Saturday was the Sabbatn, accidental and some is intentional. Does it sur- it would not have been appropriate to anoint LnssoN7 275 APRIL 12

Christ's body with spiceson that day. Pious fews side in a track running in front of and parallel to are careful to avoid all forms of work on the Sab- the cave opening. Such stonesmay thus be rolled bath (Luke 23:56). Coming into contact with a to the left or right to gain accessto the interior. dead body, especially on a "high" Sabbath (John 3. And they entered in, and found not the body 19:31),creates problems of ceremonialunclean- ofthe Lord fesus. ness(Numbers 19:1L). If the women are not disturbedby the moved So Friday evening the body had been taken off stone, the fact that the body is missing certainly the crossand hastily placedin a tomb to await final alarms them! What thoughts flash through their burial preparations. Luke 23:54-56tells us that the minds? Have they come to the wrong tomb? Not women who followed fesus from Galilee (referred a chance!These same women personallyhad fol- to as they) take it upon themselvesto prepare the lowed Josephto the grave and witnessed the loca- spicesthe day of Christ's death and then wait until tion ofJesus'Iifeless body (Luke23:55). the first day of the week, after the Sabbath,to Have]esus' enemiesstolen His body in order to administer them. [Seequestion #1, page280.] subject it to further disgrace?One can only imag- The time of day (very early in the moming) ine the rush of mixed thoughts that come over the shows us how eagerthe women are to complete women. But they do not wonder for long. [See this task. Psalm 30:5 says"weeping may endure question #2, page280.1 for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." God is about to dry the tears of all |esus' followers and II. Heavenly Messengers changethe course of world history. fl,uke 24:4-8) B. Unexpected Findings (w. 2, 3) A. Angels Appear to the Women (w. 4, 5) 2. And they found the stone rolled away from 4. And it came to pass, as they were much per- the sepulchre. plexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by Mark 16:3 tells us that the women wonder who them in shining garments. will roll the stone away so they can gain entrance God quickly supplies an answer through fwo to the sepulchre. When they see that the stone is men who are clad in shining garments.They are already moved, they may be both relieved and later identified as angels(Luke 24:23).This event startled.Who has done this, and why? Perhapsthe parallels the appearanceof two men to the dis- women think that Josephof Arimathea has cour- ciples to interpret ]esus' ascensioninto Heaven teously sparedthem the burden of trying to roll (Acts1:10). Perhaps God choosestwo angelicmes- back the healy stone.After all, the gravesite does sengersto satisfy the requirement that weighty belong to him, and he has taken a keen interest in claims be confirmed by two witnesses (Deuteron- providing for Jesus'burial (Luke23:50-53). omy'1,7i6; 2 Corinthians 13 : L ; Hebrews 10 :28; Rev- One mental image of this gravestoneis that of elation11:3). a giant spherethat rolls downhill into the cave 5. And as they were afraid, and bowed down mouth, thus securing it from intruders. This is their facesto the earth, they said unto them, Why one possibility, but there is at least one other. The seek ye the living among the dead? stone may be a flat, round disc that rolls side to Apparently the appearanceof the angelsis more startling than verse 4 would imply! The women respondto the awe-inspiring presenceof angelsas How to Say It any of us would if approachedby heavenlymes- Arumrrna./ri-uh-muh-fhee-uh (fft asin sengers:the women are terrified, bowing ffielr fftin; strongaccent on fhee). faces to the ground in respect.The angelsrespond Crnopuas.Klee-o-fus. just as in Acts 1:11: they greet Jesus'followers ConnnuaNs. I(o-nn-thee-unz(tft as in tluh). with a question. In Acts, angels ask why His fol- DntnrRoNovry.Due-ter-aftn-uh-me. lowers are staringup into Heaven;here, angelsask GRtnnr. Gal-uh-lee. why these women are looking for their living Sav- Josns.,Io-sez. ior among the dead. fuons./oo-dus. Macoala. Mog-duh-luh. CsN4nrnRIns Macom"nNs.Mog-duh-leen or Mag-duh- I have an abnormal interest in cemeteries.Per- 1ee-nee. haps it is becauseof my interest in history, but I Pnqru. Ple-lut. find cemeteriesfascinating. Sometimes I like to sEPUr,cHRE.sep-ul-kur. wander through old cemeteriesjust to seewhat I can find. APRIL 12 276 Hs Is RlsnN!

One day when I was in Baltimore, I was walking never caught on to during fesus' ministry, the through a section near downtown and discovered women finally begin to grasp.]esus' suffering and an old church with a small cemetery. Included death havebeen intentional, as is His resurrection. was the grave of Edgar Allan Poe. I have visited These are deliberateparts of God's plan. the grave sites of Washington,Lincoln, Robert This passageteaches us an important lesson Frost,and severalother famous people. I have vis- about instruction and memory.Words dont always ited the cemetery in Salzburg, Austria, that was hit home when first heard. They may be recalled used for some of the footage near the end of the and recognized as being true only after being ful- movie Tfre Soundof Music. filled. krents know this all too well! Although they In all these visits I was keenly aware that the ile not divinely inspired prophets, parents know gravesheld the mortal remains only of people who from experience how a certain course of action were dead.If a person is alive, we do not expectto their child is about to take is bound to turn out. find him or her in a cemeteryexcept for brief vis- The parent warns the child, but the warning "goes its. Zfte Wall Streetlournol of July 23,2007 carried in one ear and out the other,"The child goesahead, a front-pagestory entitled "Liberia's TombsShelter suffers, and then hears the parent say,"I told you Much More Than the Dead." The story was about that would happen. You should have listened." children, criminals, and poor people who live sub- But one cannot recall what one has not heard. sistencelives in a cemetery after being displaced So it is important that Christians continually pro- by war. This gratesagainst our sensibilities (com- claim the good news of Christ to the lost. They pare Mark 5:3).The location of Jesus'tombis irrel- may not immediately respond favorably to our evant today precisely becausewe dont seek the message,but as life deals its ups and downs they living among the dead. _I.B.N. may be able to discern God's hand at work, if they have been told alreadyof a God who loves them B. Angels Remind the Women (vu 6-S) enough to work in their lives. For similar reasons, 6, 7. He is not here, but is risen: remember how parents continue to raise even their most rebel- he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, lious children in the Lord. They hope with tears saying, The Son of man must be delivered into that later in life their own prodigals will someday the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and recognize and strbmit to the gospel truths that they the third day rise again. heard long before. The prospect that fesus could be alive is certainly inviting. But what do the messengersmean III. RelayedMessage by their question in verse 5? Those words can be (Luke 2429-12) interpreted in more than one way. So the messengers quickly clarify. They remind the women of A. Women Tell the Apostles (w. 9, 10) Christ's prediction ofboth His death and resurrec- 9. And returned from the sepulchre, and told all tion (Luke9:22; 1B:31-33). these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. ]esus had known all along what would take The eleven disciples are the first to hear the place, and He had told His followers as much. relayed news. There are only eleven because Yet His followers do not remember.It is as if God |udas has taken his own life (Matthew 27:3-1.0). wanted |esus'followers to hear the predictions for In his Gospel,Luke does not tell us of Judas'ssui- the purpose of later recollection as a testimony of cide, but he alludes to it in Acts when the apostles God's control over these events. selectanother to take his place (Acts 1:12-26). It is also important to note the language the The eleven are not alone. There are other fol- angelsuse to describewhat happened to Jesus. Iowers (the rest)with them or very close by. One He . . . is risenis the languageof resurrection.The wonders what they are all doing together(see fohn kind of resurrection at issueis not just any kind of 20:19).Are they trying to regroup, trying to fig- postmortem existence.It certainly doesnot mean ure out how to put their lives back in order, hav- that |esus' spirit mystically departed His body to ing previously turned them upside dourn to follow take on a new bodiless form (Luke 24:39).It does |esus?Or are they praying to God for some bit of not mean merely that the disciples will feel Jesus guidance about what to do next? |esus' minis- to be alive in their hearts. Rather, it means that try has been too powerful among them simply to God has raised fesus bodily. [See question #3, believe it could end just like that. page280.1 Whatever their thoughts and activities, one sus- 8. And they remembered his words. pectsthat they should be the most receptivegroup With the angel's words of clarification, it all to the women's testimony.fesus had told the disci- begins to make sense.What the disciples had ples personally that He was to die and rise again. LESSON 7 277 APRIL 12

But like a good storyteller,Luke holds us in sus- pense before reporting their response.He does this by pausing to name the women who bring the goodnews, 10. It was Mary Magdalene, and foanna, and Mary the mother of fames, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. Visual for Here we are given the names of the first wit- Lesson7 nessesto Christ's resurrection. We don t know if they are simply in the right place at the right time or if God intentionally choosesto entrust the messageof Christ'sresurrection Io women first. [See question #+, page280.1 The latter idea is in keep- ing with Luke's presentation of God's high regard for those whom the first-century world does not esteemhighly. Women, children, foreigners, and social outcastsoften play important roles in Luke's Askyour class, "lVhy does the messageon this Gospel account. visual bear continuousrepeating? " Luke first introduced Mary Magdalene and loanna back in B:2, 3. We learn there that |esus Firsthand testimony is what the angelshave cured these women of various evil spirits and infir- given to the women. Secondhandtestimony is mities. They then began traveling with Him and what the women pass along to the disciples, and providing for His financial needs.The word Mag- this resultsin disbelief.]esus had told the disciples dalene is not a surnameas we think of such today; firsthand of His impending death and resurrection, rather, it refers to the fact that this particular Mary but they do not accept the womert's secondhand is the one who comesfrom Magdala,which is near testimony regardingfulfillment. They go so far in the Seaof Galilee.An amazingthing about Joanna their disbelief as to think that the women have is that her husband is the manager of Herod's fabricated toles-pure nonsense! household. We should not assumethat the disciples reject Identifying Mary the mother of lames is more dif- this testimony becausethe witnesses are women. ficult since there are severalwomen named Mary The resurrection is an extraordinary event that in the New Testament.This particular Mary is also requires great faith to accept.Even when Jesus identified as the mother of Joses(Matthew 27:56, later reveals himself to disciples in person, they 67; 2B:1.),and we know that fesus had brothers express doubt, wondering if He is a ghost (Luke namedfamesandJoses (Matthew 13:55). Thus one 2a36-43).It is not until they touch Him with their logical guessis that this Mary is Jesus'mother. hands that they truly believe. Even so, Jesuswill It would be odd, however, that fesus' mother pronounce blessing on all who believe reliable would not be called as such at this point rather testimony about Him, although that testimony be than by two of His half-brothers. In Acts 1.:1.4, secondhandfiohn 20:29). Luke refers to fesus' mother as "Mary the mother of fesus," not the mother of fames and Joses.So TaH Talss Luke has no problem identifying fesus'mother in There is a genre in American literature called this way. the tall tale. It consistsof a "hero storv." featur- John's Gospel does not help us resolve this ing a larger-thanlife character. The character is issue. He mentions only Mary Magdalene as dis- bigger and strongerthan most people, even if the covering and relating the story of the empty tomb story is based on an actual person. Exaggeration fiohn 20:1,2). John locates three different women and hyperbole are major ingredients in these sto- named Mary at Iesus' crucifixion: Mary Magda- ries. The hero usually faces a particular task and lene,fesus' mother, and Mary the wife of Cleophas then resolvesit in an unusual and humorous way. (fohn 19:25).This latter Mary could also possibly Exaggerateddetails flesh out the story, adding to be the mother of men namedJames and Joses. the humor and the novelty of the tale. Well-known examples of tall tale are the ones B. Apostles Doubt the Women (vv.17,l2'l told about Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox, Pecos 11. And their words seemed to them as idle Bill, |ohn Henry the Steel-Driving Man, and tales, and they believed them not. fohnny Appleseed.A typical exaggerationis the Apnn 12 278 Hn Is Rrsnu!

story of PauI Bunyan pulling a ship through the Peter will get all the proof he needs soon English Channel-a ship so largethat it sclaped enough! lesus' resurrection means a new start for the sides,thus creatingihe whi"tecliffs of Dover, us still today. There are many who have heard of The tall tale format hasbeen used in teachingcre- God'soffer of forgivenessund o"* Iife, but they ative writing to children; they imagine a scenario are_wa-itingon more evidence.They are looking in which they can improvise on a normal situation at the lives of Christians and evaluating whether but exaggerateit and develop it into a tall tale. we truly possessthe new life we claim ii possible. It is always presumed that listeners can tell Unfortunately,when they don't seeit in us, they the difference between a tall tale and a truthful often assumeit is not true. So God'speople must account. But some tale-tellerscan becomevery not only talk of new life, we must dilgently seek credible in their exaggerations,and some truthfuj to embraceit fully and live it daily in the sight of accountsare hard to imagine. That's the dilemma nonbelievers. faced by the apostleswhen they heard the women. Was it a tall tale? Or was truth stranger than fic- Conclusion tion? The answer becameclear to them, and so must it to us. -I.B.N. A. Secondhand Testimony Today'slesson reveals a critical time for ,,the 12. Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepul- eleven'becausethey, as we, were in a position chre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen of relying on secondhandtestimony. Oi course. clothes laid by themselves,and departed,wonder. they go on [o seeJesus firsthand, which placed ing in himself at that which was come to pass. them in a differentposition from ours.Durine this The action of Peter representsanother kind brief but critical window-the time betweeir eet- of response to secondhandtestimony: investiga- ting secondhandand firsthand testimony-we Jee tion. peter [Seequestion #5, page280.] will not somevariation in responseto testimonybf Christ,s acceptthe women's testimony blindly, nor does resurrection.Some thought othersto be peddling he merely reject it without testing it ior himself. tall tales. Some tested the claims. At l-eastone So peter, he runs straightway to the tomb. whose believed after conducting a test without actually Iastrecorded deed to this point has beento weep having seenthe risen fesus (John20:S). Another over denying Jesus,is more than mildly intereste-cl absolutely refused to believe without firsthand in his master's possiblereturn! evidencefiohn 20:25). Peter's-findings are inconclusive. The empty Despitethe variety of initial responses,all of tomb - and the pile of body wrappings do not ion- fesus'followers ultimately believedHis resunec- tradict the women's testimony. But there is no tion. Today,lesus doesnot stand amongus phys- angelsighting. Petegdeparts the cave wondefing ically to invite us to touch His nail-scaried hands what has happened, wondering where his LorI as He did with Thomas. But God has left us with may be, and likely wonderingwhether he will get plenty of other evidenceto createbelief. a secondchance prove to his lovefor Jesus. So let us not be discouragedby the variety of responseswe receiveto the gospelmessage. Let Ls not give up persistently proclaiming Christ to Home Daily Bible Readings all peopleregardless of how thev initia[v respond to us. Equally important, let us live with intes- Monday, Apr. 6-God Raised Him from rity and foy the .t"tr lif" Christ's resurrection ha? the Dead (Acts 13:26-33) madepossible for us. For Christ is indeedrisen! Tiresday,Apr. 7-God's Powerfor Us (Ephe- sians1:15-23) B. Prayer Wednesday, Apr. B-First Fruits of the Fatherin Heaven,may we not keepyour plan to Dead (r Corinthiansi.B:'t2-26) ourselves.May we offer it boldly to-all whbm we Thursday, Apr. 9-Buried and Raisedwith meet.Let us not be intimidatedby appearancesor Christ (Colossians2:6-1b) status.Let us not be discouragedby rejection or Friday, Apr. 10-Walk in Newness of Life ridicule. Forsakingworldly priise, l-etus do your (Romans 6:3-11) will, knowing that the Lordbf resurrection life is Saturday, Apr. l1-Seek the Things Above also Lord of the harvest.Through JesusChrist our {Colossians3:1-i.1} risen Lord, amen. Sunday, Apr. 12-Christ Has Risen (Luke 24:7-1,21 C. Thought to Remember Live and proclaim Christ's resurrection. LESSON7 279 Apnrr 12 Learningby Doing This page contains an alternative lessonplan emphasizinglearning activities. Some of theseactivities are alsofound in the helpful student book, Adult Bible Class.

Into the Lesson Group 2: "What did the women do after they Leadinto a discussionofburial rituals by sayrng, heard the angels' message?"(Retumed and told "Death has always been mysterious to us. Various what had happened to the apostles.) explanations have surfaced throughout the centu- Group 1: "What were the names of some of the ries to explain what happens at the point of death women who went to the sepulchre?" (Mary Mag- and afterward. Humans naturally want to 'make dalene,loanna, Mary the mother of lames.) sense'out of things. What are some of the differ- Group 2: "How did the apostlesreact to the ent rituals and ceremoniessurrounding death and women's report?" (lhey didn't believe them.) burial that have been practicedby various civili- Group 1: "What did Peter do?" (He ran to the zations?What customsdo we observetoday? How sepulchrc to seefor himself.) do theseceremonies help people make senseof, or Group 2: "What did Peter find?" (lhe burial at least cope with, the mystery of death?" clothes,but no body.) At some point in the discussion,have the class Conclude by saying, "The eventsin today's text contrastthe Christian view of death with a non- causeda turning point for all the people involved Christian view. What makes the difference?Be and even for us today. Let's seehow many things sure to point out that the resurrection of Jesusis we can name that are different becauseof this day the defining point of belief and hope for the fol- in history." lot answerson the board. You can ask lower of Christ. the two groups to alternate in answering. Into the Word Into Life Selectclass membersto representvarious char- The applicationof theseexercises is that Jesus' acters in a skit about the story in Luke 24. These resurrection changeslives. Write the following include Mary Magdalene,Joanna, the secondMary, words acrossthe top of the board or on a poster: two men (angels),Peter, and some other apostles. Home, Work/School, Community, and World. Hav e As either you or anothernarrator readsverses 1-L2, the studentsrelate ways that Jesus'resurrection have the charactersact out the scenes.Read slowiv. has affectedthem in each areaof life listed. Write pausing long enough for each sceneto be enacted. answersunder each heading. When the skit is completed, divide the class Then say,'At first evenlesus' closestfriends did into two groups.Alternate in asking eachgroup not believe that He had risen. Thev wanted oroof. the following questions.Ask them to answer from The sameis true today.Many peopl-edo not believe memory if they can, but allow them to use their in the resurrectionat all. They reject Christ'sres- Biblesif necessary. urrection."Ask someonein classto representthe Group 1: "What was the day and time when the point of view of a person who does not believe women came to the sepulchre?" Aery early Sun- in the resurrection. (Arrange for this before class day moming.) time so the person can be prepared.)Have stu- Group 2: "What had the women brought with dents tell the "unbeliever" of Iesus'resurrection, them, and for what purpose?"(They brought spices trying to persuadehim or her that it is true. Keep they had prepared to place around lesus'body.) in mind that perhaps someonein the class is not Groups 1 and 2: "What surprised the women fully convinced of the resurrection and will be lis- when they arrived?" (lhe stone was rolled away, tening for answersto his or her uncertainty. and Jesus'body was missing.) Ask if somewould be willing to tell of a time Group 1: "How did the women react to the they doubted |esus'resurrection.Why did they angels?"(Fear and bowing down.) doubt?Do they doubt now? What changedtheir Group2: "What did the angelstell them had hap- belief? Did another person's life have any effect pened to ]esus?"(He had risen from the dead.) on them, either causingdoubt or causingfaith? Group 1: "What words of Jesusdid the angels How do we as Christians appear to those who do repeat?" ("The Son of man must be deliveredinto not follow Christ? Discuss how our lives can be the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the a hindrance or an encouraeementto those seek- third day rise again.") ing the truth. APRIL 12 280 Hs Is RlsaN! Let'sTalk It Over The questionson fhis page are designedto promote discussionof the lesson by the classand to encourageapplication ofthe lessonScriptures. The answerc provided are only discussionstarters. Let your classtalk it overfrom there.

1. How do you prepare to honor Christ on the at His second coming (L Corinthians L5:L2-L4). first day of each week? You can post the simple, two-word phrase/esus Christians may think that the only ones who Lives! in places where you will see it often. Dig- need to prepare for worship on Sunday are the ging deeper,you can remind yourself of the fact preacher,musicians, and those who will lead in of the resurrection as you study the evidence in prayers and meditations. But all Christians have Holy Scripture. a responsibility to seethat they are preparedto expressworship to the risen Christ. 4. What lessonsdo you learn from the first tell- This preparation includes getting a good night ing of the messageof the resurrection? of sleeo so that drowsinessdoes not becomea hin- The women could not keep silent-can we? drance to worship. Rising early enoughto allow Thesewomen were not the apostles,but they had adequate time for arriving for worship avoids a messagenonetheless. It is imperative that the frantic rushing around, which can impede effec- church not rely on an "elite few," such as those tive worship. We can consider our offering ahead who are paid as ministers or evangelists,to be the of time, having this ready. If the preacher has only onesto take the good news. That is a task for announced in advance his text for the sermon, a all who havebeen touched by the message. careful reading of this text is a proper way to pre- The women also went to thosewho would (or pare. We dont prepareburial spicesas the women should) be receptive to the information. It can be did; we prepareourselvesl a mistake to spend a lot of time trying to convince people who are very hardened againstthe mes- 2. What was a time when you didn't find Christ sage.Time may be better spent with thoseready as you expectedto find Him? How do you remain to hear.Jesus told both the TWelveand the Seventy open to admitting and adfusting your wrong to shakethe dust from their feet if people were not expectations? receptive(Luke 9:5;10:10, 11). Many desertedJesus during His earthly ministry becauseHe was not the kind of Messiahthey 5. How does the testimony of your church expectedfiohn 6:66).The women expectedto find causeothers to come to it and check it out? What the body of fesus, and when they did not, they do (or should) they find when they arrive? were confused.The apostlesdid not expectto find Just as Peterwanted to investigatethe testimony Jesusalive after the crucifixion, so they prepared he heard about Christ, so people today will want for a life without Him. Today people create their to check out the testimony of God's people if it is onrn expectationsabout /esus that don t match up somethingthat is sharedwith excitementand con- with the Bible. viction. Jesusstated that one of the ways the tes- We may be guilty of trying to forcelesus into our timony of Christianswould be seenwould be in ideas of what He should be doing in our lives or their love for one another [John 13:35). If we share in the world. When He does not fit those expecta- a testimony of the love of God with the unsaved,it tions, too often He is forsaken.Yet His ways are not is imperative that this be what they seewhen they our ways. We naturally expect to find Him in our attend a gathering of the church. church gatherings, but surprisingly we also may Sadly, in some churches the unbelievers find find Him in our workplace as we have opportuni- hypocrisy and legalism,which drives them further ties to live out our faith in everydaylife. from Christ. The worship testimony that Chris- tians presentshould focus on glorifying God. A 3. What are some ways you can remind your- polished worship service may accomplish this if self of the fact of the resurrection? Whv and when sincerity and love are evident. If those are not evi- do you need this reminder? dent, a polished worship servicewill be seenas The resurrection of fesus is the capstone of so much superficial glitz. It is through relation- Christian faith. Becauseof the resurrection we ships and not empty rituals that people will be have hope of our own resurrection with Christ drawn to Christ.