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Christ and CreationUnit 2: The Dawn ofNew Life

(Lessons 6-9)

HE Is RISEN!--------1_--INTRODUCTIONA. REMEMBERING TO REMEMBERIt is funny how the human mind remembers. Friends and family willsometimes tell us stories of events we participated in firsthand only a fewyears back, but we may have absolutely no recollection of them. Then wemay hear an old song on the radio that we haven't heard in years and, instantly, every word of the lyrics comes back to mind. I imagine some of thishas to do with the level at which the original context affected us.Forgetfulness takes several fonns. Some forgetfulness is hannless and someis hannful. Some is accidental and some is intentional. Does it surprise usthat jesus' followers all seemed to have forgotten that he foretold his suffering, death, and resurrection? How could they forget something so crucial?And what do we learn from the different ways they responded to the news ofthis life-changing event when reminded?B. LESSON BACKGROUNDIn Luke 9:20, Peter was the first disciple to confess jesus as Messiah (orChrist). jesus responded by warning that he was to suffer, die, and rise on thethird day Shortly thereafter, following a crowd-dazzling healing display, jesusimpressed upon his followers that he would be betrayed. But they didn't understand (9:44, 45). jesus later alluded to being killed in jerusalem (13:33).He also said that he had to suffer and face rejection (17:25).

As the time of his death drew closer, jesus repeated these predictions. Hewas to be handed over, mocked, beaten, and killed, but would rise on thethird day (18:31-33). Still his disciples did not grasp what he was saying.jesus gave his disciples several opportunities to expect his death and recognize it for what it was: a temporary stop on the path to resurrection. Butthey did not comprehend. Indeed, they could not because it had been concealed from them (Luke 9:45; 18:34). God planted a seed within them thatwas to bear fruit only after Christ's resurrection. Our text today records howjesus' closest followers first responded to the news of that resurrection.The events that transpired before it are familiar to long-time Christians.jesus was betrayed and handed over to jewish authorities. They handed himover to Roman authorities. Pilate gave in to the crowd's wish that the innocent man jesus be crucified. Since it was the day before the Sabbath,jesus'body was removed quickly from the cross and placed in the tomb of]osephof Arimathea. Then on the third day the unbelievable happened.

I. EMPTY TOMB (LUKE 24:1-3)A. ROUTINE PREPARATIONS (v. 1)1. On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took thespices they had prepared and went to the tomb.

DEVOTIONAL READING:1 CORINTHIANS 15:12-26BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE:LUKE 24:1-12PRINTED TEXT:LUKE 24:1-12

LESSON AIMSAfter participating in thislesson, each student willbe able to:1. Retell Luke's ac-count of the women'sexperience on resurrectionmorning.2. Compare and contrastthe various levels ofbeliefofthose first told of the resurretion with the varying levelsfaith expressed.3. Plan to discuss with anunbeliever the facts ofJesus'resurrection.

KEY VERSES\Vhy do you look for theliving among the dead? Henot here; he has risen!-Luke 24:5,

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APRIL 12, 2009 308 HE Is RLESSON 7 NOTES

WHAT Do You THINK?How do you prepare tohonor Christ on the first dayofeach week?

WHAT Do You THINK?What was a time whenyou didn't find Christ as you

expected to find him? How doyou remain open to admittingand adjustingyour wrong ex-pectations?

The first day of the week is of course Sunday. Jesus was crucified and two days previously, on Friday. Since Saturday was the Sabbath, it wounot have been appropriate to anoint Christ's body with spices on that dPious Jews are careful to avoid all fonns of work on the Sabbath (Luke23:56). Coming into contact with a dead body, especially on a "specialSabbath Qohn 19:31), creates problems of ceremonial uncleanness (Nubers 19:11).So Friday evening the body had been taken off the cross and hastily pin a tomb to await final burial preparations. Luke 23:54-56 tells us that thwomen who followed Jesus from Galilee take it upon themselves to prepathe spices the day of Christ's death and then wait until the first day of thweek, after the Sabbath, to administer them.The time of day (very early in the morning) shows us how eager the woare to complete this task. Psalm 30:5 says "weeping may remain for a nigbut rejoicing comes in the morning." God is about to dry the tears of allJesus' followers and change the course of world history.B. UNEXPECTED FINDINGS (w. 2, 3)2. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,Mark 16:3 tells us that the women wonder who will roll the stone awathey can gain entrance to the tomb. When they see that the stone is alreadmoved, they may be both relieved and startled. Who has done this, andPerhaps the women think thatJoseph of Arimathea has courteously sparthem the burden of trying to roll back the heavy stone. After all, the gravdoes belong to him, and he has taken a keen interest in providing for Jesburial (Luke 23:50-53).One mental image of this gravestone is that of a giant sphere that rollsdownhill into the cave mouth, thus securing it from intruders. This is onpossibility, but there is at least one other. The stone may be a flat, roundthat rolls side to side in a track running in front of and parallel to the cavopening. Such stones may thus be rolled to the left or right to gain accessthe interior.3. . . . but when they entered, they did not find the body of the LordJesus.If the women are not disturbed by the moved stone, the fact that the bis missing certainly alanns them! What thoughts flash through their minHave they come to the wrong tomb? Not a chance! These same women psonally had followed Joseph to the grave and witnessed the location of]elifeless body (Luke 23:55).Have Jesus' enemies stolen his body in order to subject it to further digrace? One can only imagine the rush of mixed thoughts that come overwomen. But they do not wonder for long.II. HEAVENLY MESSENGERS (LUKE 24:4-8)A. ANGELS ApPE4.R TO THE WOMEN (w. 4, 5)4. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes thagleamed like lightning stood beside them.God supplies an answer through two men clad in clothes that gleam liklightning. They are later identified as angels (Luke 24:23). This event parathe appearance of two men to the disciples to interpretjesus' ascension

i Heaven (Acts 1: 10). Perhaps God chooses two angelic messengers to sati

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LESSON 7 . _ ~ _ _ _ 309 APRiL 12, 20the requirement that weighty claims be confirmed by two witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6; 2 Corinthians 13:1; Hebrews 10:28; Revelation 11:3).5. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but themen said to them, "Why do you look for the living anlOng the dead?Apparently the appearance of the angels is more startling than verse 4would imply! The women respond to the awe-inspiring presence of angels asany of us would if approached by heavenly messengers: the women are terrified, bo\\ing their faces to the ground in respect. The angels respond just as inActs 1: 11: they greetJesus' followers with a question. In Acts, angels ask whyhis followers are staring up into Heaven; here, angels ask why these womenare looking for their living Savior among the dead.

CEMETERIESI have an abnormal interest in cemeteries. Perhaps it is because of my interestin history, but I find cemeteries fascinating. Sometimes I like to wander throughold cemeteries just to see what I can find.One day when I was in Baltimore, I was walking through a section near downtown and discovered an old church with a small cemetery Included was the graveof Edgar Allan Poe. I have visited the grave sites of Washington, Uncoln, RobenFrost, and several other famous people. I have visited the cemetery in Salzburg,Austria, that was used for some of the footage near the end of the movie The Sound~ f M u s i c . In all these visits Iwas keenly aware that the graves held the mortal remains onlyof people who were dead. If a person is alive, we do not expect to find him or herin a cemetery except for brief visits. The Wall StreetJournal ofjuly 23, 2007 carrieda front-page story entitled "Uberia's Tombs Shelter Much More Than the Dead."The story was about children, criminals, and poor people who live subsistencelives in a cemetery after being displaced by war. This grates against our sensibilities (compare Mark 5:3). The location ofjesus' tomb is irrelevant today preciselybecause we don't seek the living among the dead. -j. B. N.

B. ANGELS REMIND THE WOMEN (w. 6-8)6, 7. "He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he wasstill with you in Galilee: 'The Son ofMan must be delivered into the hands ofsinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again. '"The prospect thatJesus could be alive is certainly inviting. But what dothe messengers mean by their question in verse 5? Those words can be interpreted in more than one way. So the messengers quickly clarify. They remindthe women of Christ's prediction of both his death and resurrection (Luke9:22; 18:31-33).Jesus had known all along what would take place, and he had told hisfollowers as much. Yet his followers do not remember. It is as if God wantedJesus' followers to hear the predictions for the purpose of later recollection asa testimony of God's control over these events.It is also important to note the language the angels use to describe whathappened to Jesus. He has risen is the language of resurrection. The kind ofresurrection at issue is not just any kind of postmortem existence. It certainlydoes not mean thatJesus' spirit mystically departed his body to take on anew bodiless form (Luke 24:39). It does not mean merely that the discipleswill feel Jesus to be alive in their hearts. Rather, it means that God has raisedJesus bodily.

DAILY BIBLE READINGSMonday, Apr. 6--GodRaised Him from the Dead(Acts 13:26-33)Tuesday, Apr. 7-God'sPower for Us (Ephesians 1:

15-23)\Vednesday, Apr. 8 -First Fruits of the Dead (lC011nthians 15: 12-26)Thursday, Apr. 9-Buriand Raised with Christ(Colossians 2:6-15)Friday, Apr. 10-Walkin Newness ofLife (Romans6:3-11)Saturday, Apr. II-Seethe Things Above (Colossia3:1-11)Sunday, Apr. 12-C1111S. Has Risen (Luke 24:1-12)

WHAT Do You THINK?What are some ways youcan remind yourselfof thefact of the resurrection? Whand when do you need thisreminder?

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APRIL_il , 2 0 0 ~ ~ _ 110 HE Is R; 8. Then they remembered his words.With the angel's words of clarification, it all begins to make sense. Wthe disciples had never caught on to duringJesus' ministry, the women fnally begin to grasp. Jesus' suffering and death have been intentional, asresurrection. These are deliberate parts of God's plan.This passage teaches us an important lesson about instruction and m

ory. Words don't always hit home when first heard. They may be recalledrecognized as being true only after being fulfilled. Parents know this all towell! Although they are not divinely inspired prophets, parents know froexperience how a certain course of action their child is about to take is bto turn out. The parent warns the child, but the warning "goes in one eaout the other." The child goes ahead, suffers, and then hears the parent stold you that would happen. You should have listened."But one cannot recall what one has not heard. So it is important that Ctians continually proclaim the good news of Christ to the lost. They mayimmediately respond favorably to our message, but as life deals its ups andowns they may be able to discern God's hand at work, if they have beenalready of a God who loves them enough to work in their lives. For similasons, parents continue to raise even their most rebellious children in theThey hope with tears that later in life their own prodigals will someday renize and submit to the gospel truths that they heard long before.III. RELAYED MESSAGE (LUKE 24:9-12)A. WOMEN TELL THE ApOSTLES (w. 9,10)9. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the El

i and to all the others.The Eleven disciples are the first to hear the relayed news. There are on. eleven becauseJudas has taken his own life (Matthew 27:3-10). In his Gpel, Luke does not tell us ofjudas's suicide, but he alludes to it in Acts wthe apostles select another to take his place (Acts 1:12-26).The eleven are not alone. There are other followers with them or very cby. One wonders what they are all doing together (seeJohn 20: 19). Are thtrying to regroup, trying to figure out how to put their hves back in order,ing previously turned them upside down to follow Jesus? Or are they pray, to God for some bit of guidance about what to do next? Jesus' ministry hbeen too powerful among them simply to believe it could end just like thaWhatever their thoughts and activities, one suspects that they shouldthe most receptive group to the women's testimony. Jesus had told the dciples personally that he was to die and rise again. But like a good storyteLuke holds us in suspense before reporting their response. He does thispausing to name the women who bring the good news.10. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother ofJames, and the owith them who told this to the apostles.Here we are given the names of the first witnesses to Christ's resurrection. We don't know if they are simply in the right place at the right timeGod intentionally chooses to entrust the message of Christ's resurrectionwomen first. The latter idea is in keeping with Luke's presentation of Gohigh regard for those whom the first-century world does not esteem high

' ' Women, children, foreigners, and social outcasts often play important roLuke's Gospel account.

Visual for Lesson 7. Askyour class, "Why does themessage on this visual bearcontinuous repeating?"

WfL4.T Do You THINK?'V'hat lessons do you learnfrom the first telling of themessage of the resunection?

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LESSON 7 311 APRIL 12, 20Luke first introduced Mary Magdalene andJoanna back in 8:2,3. We learnthere thatJesus cured these women of various evil spirits and infirmities.They then began traveling with him and providing for his financial needs.The word Magdalene is not a surname as we think of such today; rather, it refers to the fact that this particular Mary is the one who comes from Magdala,which is near the Sea of Galilee. An amazing thing aboutJoanna is that her

husband is the manager of Herod's household.Identifying Mary the mother ofJames is more difficult since there are several women named Mary in the New Testament. This particular Mary is alsoidentified as the mother oEjoses (Matthew 27:56, 61; 28: 1), and we knowthatJesus had brothers namedJames andJoseph (Matthew 13:55), althoughsome Greek manuscripts spellJoseph's name as Joses. Thus one logical guessis that this Mary isJesus' mother.It would be odd, however, thatJesus' mother would not be called as suchat this point rather than by two of his half-brothers. In Acts 1: 14, Luke referstoJesus' mother as "Mary the mother oEjesus," not the mother oEjames andJoses;Joseph. So Luke has no problem identifyingJesus, mother in this wayJohn's Gospel does not help us resolve this issue. He mentions only MaryMagdalene as discovering and relating the story of the empty tomb Oohn20:1, 2). John locates three different women named Mary atJesus' crucifixion: Mary Magdalene,Jesus' mother, and Mary the wife of Clopas Oohn19:25). This latter Mary could also possibly be the mother of men namedJames andJoses;Joseph.

B. ApOSTLES DOUBT THE WOMEN (w. 11, 12)11. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to themlike nonsense.Firsthand testimony is what the angels have given to the women. Secondhand testimony is what the women pass along to the disciples, and thisresults in disbelief. Jesus had told the disciples firsthand of his impendingdeath and resurrection, but they do not accept the women's secondhand testimony regarding fulfillment. They go so far in their disbelief as to think thatthe women have fabricated tales-pure nonsense!We should not assume that the disciples reject this testimony because thewitnesses are women. The resurrection is an extraordinary event that requiresgreat faith to accept. Even whenJesus later reveals himself to disciples in person, they express doubt, wondering if he is a ghost (Luke 24:36-43). It is notuntil they touch him with their hands that they truly believe. Even so, Jesuswill pronounce blessing on all who believe reliable testimony about him, although that testimony be secondhand Oohn 20:29).

TALL TALESThere is a genre in American literature called the tall tale. It consists of a "herostory," featuring a larger-than-life character. The character is bigger and srrongerthan most people, even if the story is based on an actual person. Exaggeration andhyperbole are major ingredients in these stories. The hero usually faces a particular task and then resolves it in an unusual and humorous way. Exaggerated detailsflesh out the story, adding to the humor and the novelty of the tale.Well-known examples of tall tale are the ones told about Paul Bunyan and hisBlue Ox, Pecos Bill,]ohn Henry the Steel-Driving Man, and]ohnny Appleseed. Atypical exaggeration is the story of Paul Bunyan pulling a ship through the English

How TO SAY ITArimathea. AIR-uh-muhTHEE-uh (th as in thin)Clopas. KLO-pus.Corinthians. Ko-RIN-theeunz (th as in thin).Deuteronomy. Due-ter-AHNuh-me.Galilee. GAL-uh-lee.Joses. JO-sez.Judas. JOO-dus.Magdala. MAG-duh-luh.Magdalene. MAG-duh-leenor Mag-duh-LEE-nee.Pilate. PIE-lut.

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APRIL 12, 20Q9____ 312 HE Is RChannel-a ship so large that it scraped the sides, thus creating the white cliffDover. The tall tale format has been used in teaching creative writing to childrthey imagine a scenario in which they can improvise on a normal situationexaggerate it and develop it into a tall tale.

lt is always presumed that listeners can tell the difference between a talland a truthful account. But some tale-tellers can become very credible in thexaggerations, and some truthful accounts are hard to imagine. That's the dilema faced by the aposdes when they heard the women. Was it a tall tale? Or wtruth stranger than fiction? The answer became clear to them, and so must it to-JB.

WHAT Do You THINK?How does the testimony of 12. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the syour church cause others to of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himselfwhacome to it and check it out? happened.What do (or should) they find The action of Peter represents another kind of response to secondhanwhen they arrive? testimony: investigation. Peter will not accept the women's testimony bliUohn 13:35 will be impor- nor does he merely reject it without testing it for himself So he runs stra

tant in your answed way to the tomb. Peter, whose last recorded deed to this point has been toweep over denyingJesus, is more than mildly interested in his master's psible return!Peter's findings are inconclusive. The empty tomb and the pile of bodwrappings do not contradict the women's testimony. But there is no angsighting. Peter departs the cave wondering what has happened, wonderinwhere his Lord may be, and likely wondering whether he will get a seconchance to prove his love for Jesus.PRAYER i Peter will get all the proof he needs soon enough!]esus' resurrection

I means a new start for us still today. There are many who have heard of GFather in Heaven, may . offer of forgiveness and new life, but they are waiting on more evidence.we not keep your plan to are looking at the lives of Christians and evaluating whether we truly posourselves. May we offer it the new life we claim is possible. Unfortunately, when they don't see it inboldly to all whom we meet. they often assume it is not true. So God's people must not only talk of nLet us not be intimidated by life, we must diligently seek to embrace it fully and live it daily in the sigappearances or status. Let us nonbelievers.not be discouraged by rejec-tion or ridicule. Forsakingworldly praise let us do your CONCLUSIONwill, knowing that the Lord of T o ~ a y ' s l e ~ s ? n reveals.a critical time for "the ~ l e v e n " because they, asresurrection life is also Lord were m a poslUon of relymg on secondhand testImony. Of course, they gof the harvest. ThroughJesus to seeJesus firsthand, which placed them in a different position from ouChrist our risen Lord amen. During this brief but critical window-the time between getting secondh, and firsthand testimony-we see some variation in response to testimonof Christ's resurrection. Some thought others to be peddling tall tales. Sotested the claims. At least one believed after conducting a test without acally having seen the risenJesus (John 20:8). Another absolutely refusedbelieve without firsthand evidence (John 20:25).Despite the variety of initial responses, all oEjesus' followers ultimatelbelieved his resurrection. Today, Jesus does not stand among us physicalinvite us to touch his nail-scarred hands as he did with Thomas. But Goleft us with plenty of other evidence to create belief: So let us not be discouraged by the variety of responses we receive to

I gospel message. Let us not give up persistently proclaiming Christ to all

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LESSON 7 313 APRIL 12, 20pIe regardless of how they initially respond to us. Equally important, let us THOUGHT TO REMEMBERlive with integrity and joy the new life Christ's resurrection has made possible Live and proclaim Chrisfor us. For Christ is indeed risen! resutfection.

Discovery LearningThe following is an alternative lesson plan emphasizing learning activities.Classes desiring such student involvement will find these suggestions helpful. At theback of this book are reproducible student pages to further enhance activity learning.INTO THE LESSONLead into a discussion of burial rituals by saying,"Death has always been mysterious to us. Variousexplanations have surfaced throughout the centuries to explain what happens at the point of deathand afterward. Humans naturally want to 'makesense' out of things. What are some of the differ-ent rituals and ceremonies surrounding death andburial that have been practiced by various civilizations? What customs do we observe today? How dothese ceremonies help people make sense of, or atleast cope with, the mystery of death?"

At some point in the discussion, have the classcontrast the Christian view of death with a nonChristian view. What makes the difference? Be sureto point out that the resurrection of]esus is thedefining point of belief and hope for the follower ofChrist.INTO THE WORDSelect class members to represent variouscharacters in a skit about the story in Luke 24.These include Mary Magdalene, Joanna, the second Mary, two men (angels), Peter, and someother apostles. As either you or another narratorreads verses 1-12, have the characters act out thescenes. Read slowly, pausing long enough for eachscene to be enacted.

When the skit is completed, divide the classinto two groups. Alternate in asking each groupthe follOwing questions. Ask them to answer frommemory, but allow them to use their Bibles ifnecessary.Group 1: "What was the day and time whenthe women came to the tomb?" (Very early Sun-day moming.) Group 2: "What had the womenbrought with them, and for what purpose?" (Theybrought spices they had prepared to place around

jesus' body.) Groups 1 and 2: "What surprised thwomen when they arrived?" (The stone was rolledaway, and jesus ,body was missing.) Group 1: "Hodid the women react to the angels?" (Fear andbowing down.) Group 2: "What did the angels telthem had happened to Jesus?" (He had risen fromthe dead.) Group 1: "What words ofJesus did theangels repeat?" ("The Son ofMan must be deliveredinto the hands ofsiriful men, be crucified and on thethird day be raised again.") Group 2: "What didthe women do after they heard the angels' message?" (Retumed and told what had happened to theapostles.) Group 1: "What were the names of somof the women who went to the tomb?" (Mary Madalene, joanna, Mary the mother ofjames.) Group2: "How did the apostles react to the women'sreport?" (They didn't believe them.) Group 1: "Whdid Peter do?" (He ran to the tomb to seefor himselGroup 2: "What did Peter find?" (The burial clothbut no body.)Conclude by saying, "The events in today's texcaused a turning point for all the people involvedand even for us today. Let's see how many thingswe can name that are different because of this dain history." Jot answers on the board. You can askthe two groups to alternate in answering.INTO LIFEThe application of these exercises is thatJesusresurrection changes lives. Write the followingwords across the top of the board: Home, Work/School, Community, and World. Have the studentsrelate ways thatJesus' resurrection has affectedthem in each area of life listed. Write answersunder each heading.Then say, '1\t first even Jesus' closest friends dnot believe that he had risen. They wanted proof.The same is true today. Many people do not belie

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APRIL 12, 2009 314 HE Is Rin the resurrection at all. They reject Christ's res- Ask if some would be willing to tell of a timurrection." Ask someone in class to represent the they doubted]esus' resurrection. Why did theypoint of view of a person who does not believe in doubt? Do they doubt now? What changed thethe resurrection. (Arrange for this before class time belief? Did another person's life have any effectso the person can be prepared.) Have students tell them, either causing doubt or causing faith? Hthe "unbeliever" of]esus' resurrection, trying to do we as Christians appear to those who do nopersuade him or her that it is true. Keep in mind follow Christ? Discuss how our lives can be a hthat perhaps someone in the class is not fully con- drance or an encouragement to those seeking tvinced of the resurrection and will be listening for truth. Distribute one or both of the reproducibanswers to his or her uncertainty. activities on page 377 as take-home work.