Christ is Risen

Leading up to the cross, Jesus had prepared His disciples to be ready for the sacrifice He was about to make. And He hadn’t just prepared them for His death—He also pointed them beyond that, to the new life He would see on the other side of the grave. But no matter how many times Jesus had told them death would not be the end of His story, this was a hard thing for His friends to wrap their minds around. Should they really expect a dead man to come back to life? Through His miraculous signs and wonders, Jesus had given them plenty of reason to take Him at His word, but after witnessing His agonizing death on Good Friday, Jesus’ followers were full of fear and doubt. They were being asked to believe the impossible, and it seems like they just weren’t up to it.

Thankfully, God specializes in the impossible—time and time again, He accomplishes marvelous works that are simply too good to be true, and then He grants us the faith to truly believe. That’s exactly what the women encountered on Sunday morning when they went to Jesus’ tomb to prepare His body for final burial. With a boom and a flash, they found themselves standing in front of an empty tomb and a shining man, who told them the most wonderful thing: “He is not here. For he has risen, just as he said.” Astonishing! Even better, as they rushed back to tell the others, the women came face to face with the Risen One Himself! As they fell down and worshipped Jesus, the pain of seeing Him suffer on the cross must have felt like an old memory. That pain wasn’t completely gone, but now on Easter morning they were seeing things in a new light—a cross declaring victory over sin, and an empty tomb proclaiming death itself had been defeated. God had kept His promise after all.

Connect with Kids 

• Why do you think the angel told the women not to be afraid? (Parents, help your children see how truly astounding this event must have been to experience. An open tomb, a missing body, a heavenly being—this was not a normal scene!) 
• After the angel reminded the women that this was exactly what Jesus had said would happen, what was their response? (They believed. They may not have understood everything going on yet, and they were still a little afraid, but they ran with “great joy” to tell the others.) 
• What was their immediate response when they met the Risen Jesus? (They worshipped Him.)

Further Reflection

How does the resurrection of Jesus Christ affect the way you live your life today?

Prayer Point

Praise God for the astounding truth that death has been defeated forever by the resurrection of Jesus. Thank God that, through faith in Jesus, we gain the reward of eternal life.

----------

We adapted this plan from another resource. Learn more at therisenonebook.com.