A Walk with Jesus: Lesson 27

Dead and buried, but unlike the rest of humanity, our Lord was not long for the grave.  Remember His promise?  The first Easter is here.  Listen to the words of St. Paul in the great resurrection chapter, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. . .” (1 Corinthians 15:3b-4).

Yes, Christ was victorious.  And as St. Paul continues in his letter to the church at Corinth, he reminds us that Christ appeared to many over the next few days and weeks prior to His ascension.  Listen to the words by the authors of the Life Application Bible: “The truth of Christianity rests heavily on the resurrection.  If Jesus rose from the grave, who saw Him?  How trustworthy were the witnesses?  Those who claimed to have seen the risen Jesus went on to turn the world upside down.  Most of them also died for being followers of Christ.  People rarely die for halfhearted belief.”

Our Lord was seen five times on Easter and five or six times following Easter.  The table below lists the events and Scripture references.

Source: Life Application Bible, p. 1929

Let’s remember that even before Jesus rose from the dead, there were those who remembered His promise, even though they did not believe.  Matthew tells us that the Jewish leaders went to Pilate to ask for a guard detail.  Go to Matthew 27:62-66.  How secure was the grave?  Why is that important?

The Tomb: (Matthew 28:1-15, Mark 16:1-15, Luke 24:1-12, and John 20:1-18)

Matthew’s Account:

• What women does Matthew tell us went to the tomb?  Who is the “other” Mary? 
• Describe the event at the tomb. According to verse four, what does Matthew tell us about the state of the guards? The guards reported what they had seen and heard.
  • Why did the guards (Roman) go to the chief priests instead of Pilate?
  • How was their story silenced?
• The angel of the Lord told the women not to be afraid.
  • What were the angel’s instructions?________________________________

Mark’s Account:

• What women does Mark tell us went to the tomb? Who is Salome?
• How does this account about the tomb differ from Matthew’s account?
• How many resurrection appearances does Mark list here?
  • ____________________________
  • ____________________________
  • ____________________________

Luke’s Account:

• What women does Luke record going to the tomb? (See verse ten)
• What was the disciples’ response to their story?
• What word does Luke use to describe their feeling (verse eleven) ________________________
• Luke tells us that impetuous Peter went to the tomb to see for himself.
  • What was his reaction? (verse twelve) ____________________________

John’s Account:

• What women does John record going to the tomb?
• John and Peter went back to the tomb with Mary Magdalene. John arrived first and went into the tomb. Verse eight tells us “he saw and believed.” Now it make sense, he must have said to himself.
• Verse nine admits their lack of understanding prior to Easter Sunday.  Do we fully understand and believe today?
• Mary stayed back at the grace, still grieving over her Lord’s disappearance. When Jesus said, “Mary,” she knew it was her Lord!
• John is the only writer who tells us about Jesus’ two appearances to His disciples – one without Thomas and the other one with him. Why is the Thomas story so important to you and me today?

Jesus and the Emmaus Disciples (Luke 24:13-49)

• Two disciples were enroute from Jerusalem to Emmaus.  What were they talking about?
• Jesus joined them and asked what they were talking about. Without recognizing Jesus, they began to explain the recent happenings. What was their dilemma? 
• After the two described the report from the women and Peter, Jesus said, “how foolish you are.” What did Jesus do to help them understand?
• What acts are described here to prove that He was not a ghost?
  • _______________________
  • _______________________
• What “really” opened their eyes? How would you have reacted if you were in their place?

Emmaus: Three score furlongs is 60 furlongs. Multiply 60 times 606 feet, then divide by 5280 feet and it is 6.8888 miles from Emmaus to Jerusalem.

Jesus Appears with His Disciples in Galilee (Mark 16:7, John 21:1-14)

• Mark tells us that Jesus told the women to have the disciples go to Galilee to meet Him there.
• John 21 records the story.
  • How many disciples are listed as present at the Sea of Galilee? ____________
  • While waiting for Jesus, they decided to go fishing. Having fished all night their catch was zero. Jesus said, “cast your net out on the right side of the boat.”
    • What was the result? ___________________
  • John was the first to recognize the Lord. Good ole impetuous Peter jumped out and waded to the shore.
  • What did Jesus do with the disciples again to prove that He was not a ghost? ____________________

Peter’s Reinstatement: (John 21:15-19)

• This section is important since Peter had denied his Lord three times as Jesus said he would.
• How many times did Jesus ask Peter if he loved Him? _____________. Sound familiar?
• Each time Jesus told Peter to take care of His sheep. As disciples of Jesus, how do we feed His lambs?

The Ascension: (Luke 24:50ff)

• Luke tells us that Jesus led His disciples out to Bethany prior to His departure.
• Luke says, “Jesus lifted up His hands and blessed them.” What transpired during His blessing?
• The last words in Luke’s gospel are important.
  • Then they (disciples) ___________________Him.
  • They returned to _____________ with great ________.
  • And they stayed continually at the Temple ______________God.

Mark’s final words tell us that the disciples went out and preached everywhere.

• How can we see that the Lord with still with them, even though He had already ascended?
  • __________________________
  • __________________________

The Great Commission: Matthew 28:18-20

Matthew concludes his gospel with oft-quoted statement by Jesus for His church.  List the key words that appear in His commissioning.

• ___________________
• ___________________
• ___________________
• ___________________

Jesus works with His church today and still confirms His word by signs.  Be comforted, knowing that your Lord and your God is with you in all that you do.  And He continues to confirm His word by signs.  By what signs do we see the fruit of our labors?

Heavenly Father, you have guided us in our walk with the Christ.  We have a better understanding of the road that you traveled.  You endured shame, humiliation, trials, scorn, and yes, the painful death on Calvary.  Help me to be a better witness for You knowing that You have promised to be with us to the close of the age.  In your precious name. Amen.

Tracing our Steps.  Let’s use this time to trace our walk with Jesus.  Think about this time in His life and remembering what He did for you and me.  Use this space to jot down your feelings about your walk today