41. God Raises Jesus from the Dead

What the Story Says

1. What were the Jewish leaders afraid the disciples would do with the body of Jesus?

   They were afraid the disciples would steal Jesus' body and say he had risen from the dead (#41-01).

2. How did Pilate make sure the disciples could not steal Jesus' body?

   Pilate let them placed a seal on the entrance of the tomb, and also to station some soliders there to guard it (#41-02).

3. When did the women come to the tomb?

   The women came to the tomb after the Sabbath day was over (#41-03).

4. What did the woman plan to do at the tomb?

   The women wanted to put more spices on Jesus' body (#41-03).

5. Who rolled the stone away from the tomb?

   An angel from heaven rolled the stone away from the tomb (#41-04).

6. What did the soldiers do when they saw the angel?

   The soldiers were so afraid that they fell to the ground like dead men (#41-04).

7. What did the angel tell the women had happened to Jesus?

   The angel told them that Jesus was not there, but that he had risen from the dead (#41-05).

8. What did the angel tell the women to say to the disciples?

   He told them to tell the disciples that Jesus had risen from the dead, and would go ahead of them to Galilee (#41-06).

9. What did the women do when Jesus appeared to them as they were on their way?

   The woman fell down and worshipped Jesus (#41-08).

What the Story Means to Us

1. Who was it that remembered Jesus' promise to rise from the dead in three days?

   It is surprising that the disciples did not remember the Jesus said he would rise from the dead in three days. Instead, it was the unbelieving Jewish leaders who remembered what he said. They did not believe him, but they did remember his words. The disciples should have remembered.

2. Were the soldiers able to prevent the tomb from opening?

   The Roman soldiers were the best soldiers of that time. However, they could not stand against the single angel that God sent to open the tomb. The strongest military force could not stop God from doing what he planned to do. When the angel appeared, they fell down like dead men.

3. How did the angel treat the women who came to the tomb?

   The angel knew that the women had come to honor Jesus by putting spices on his body. Therefore, the angel spoke kindly to them and told them not to be afraid. He showed them the empty tomb, and told them that Jesus would meet them in Galilee.

4. Why do you think Jesus met the women, when he told them the same thing as the angel?

   Jesus did not need to appear to the women. The angel had already told them that hye was alive and would meet the disciples in Galilee. But Jesus also knew that the women had come to honor him. Perhaps he appears to them for that reason, so he could honor them for coming to serve him. The women were therefore the first people to see Jesus after he became alive again.

Summary

Jesus had told the disciples and other people the he would become alive again after three days. Surprisingly, the disciples did not remember this, nor come to the tomb to see if he would rise again. Only the women came, and even they did not expect Jesus to be alive. The only people who seemed to remember that he promised to rise again were the unbelieving religious leaders. They remembered what Jesus said, and tried to stop people from believing that he would rise from the dead. They posted soldiers to make sure his body remained in the tomb. But they could not stop the plan of God. And angel struck down the soldiers, and Jesus rose with power.