Click below to download the Cornerstone Connections leader’s guide and student lesson. This week’s resources also include two lesson plans and a discussion starter video which offer different ways of looking at the topic. Each lesson plan includes opening activities, scripture passages, discussion questions, and real-life applications.
Satan and his evil host engineered the dark events that led to the death of Christ. They thought Christ’s sinless life and perfect death would be rendered moot by the power of the grave. They were wrong!
Scripture Passages
OVERVIEW
The tomb was a prison and Jesus was a prisoner. What must it have been like when Jesus heard the voice of the angel call Him back to life? The voice Jesus heard summoned and restored Him back to His rightful place with the Father and restored mankind to their rightful place as well. No going back, no do-overs, no need to wonder if the sacrifice had been enough, but that’s what it’s like to be on Jesus’ side.
OPENING ACTIVITY:
MARSHMALLOW CHALLENGE
Supplies:
1 bag mini marshmallows for every 6 people
1 box of wooden toothpicks for every 6 people
Instructions:
Have the students build a replica of what the resurrection scene might have looked like if it had been built out of marshmallows.
QUESTIONS
TRANSITION
Have you ever wondered how effective blackmail or bribery is? Parents try to bribe their kids to do homework, dishes, chores, and many other things. Does it work long term? The adage, “The only way two people can keep a secret is if one is deaf and the other is blind” seems appropriate here. Let’s dive into the story to see what new insights can be gleaned.
BIBLE STUDY GUIDE
Read Matthew 28:2-4.
2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
QUESTIONS
Read Exodus 34:29-34.
29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.
30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.
33 When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever he entered the Lord’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded,
QUESTIONS
Read Matthew 28:11-15.
11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.
QUESTIONS
APPLICATION
Jesus was raised from the dead and restored to His rightful position with the Father. What difference does this fact make for you and me? Was it a big deal? How would our lives be different if the Resurrection hadn’t happened? Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to live your life with different parents? That’s exactly the point of the movie It’s a Wonderful Life. George Bailey gets a glimpse of what life would be like if things had been different for Him. Just look around at all the things that are happening in the world that aren’t pleasant, such as child pornography, starvation, sex trafficking, slavery, and so much more. Life would be very different if Jesus hadn’t been raised from the dead.
FOLLOW UP
Make a list of items that have changed in your life because Jesus conquered the grave. Over the next week, pray a prayer about this list each day as a reminder of how important Jesus’ victory over the grave has been in your life.
SCRIPTURE PASSAGES
LEADER’S NOTE
For a Relational Bible Study (RBS) you’ll want to get into the Scripture passage and encourage the youth to imagine participating in the story while it’s happening. Then you will be able to better apply it to your own situation today.
You will need to ask God for the Holy Spirit to be present as your small group discusses the questions (no more than 3-6 people in a group is recommended). Start with the opening question. It is a personal question and the answer is unique for each individual. There is no right answer and nobody is an expert here, so don’t be surprised when you hear different responses. You are depending on the Holy Spirit to be present and to speak through your group. Say what God prompts you to say, and listen to what others share.
Take turns reading the chapter out loud. Follow that with giving the students some time to individually mark their responses to the questions (a PDF version of the handout is available as a download). This gives each person a starting point for responding when you start to share as a group. Next, begin the discussion by asking the students to share what they marked and why on each question as you work your way through. Feel free to take more time on some questions than others as discussion warrants.
Encourage each person in the group to apply what is discussed to their personal lives and to share with the group what they believe God wants them to do. Then ask them to pray that God will help each of them to follow through in doing so. Remind them to expect that God will show them ways to live out the message of this passage in the coming week, and that they are free to ask others in the group to help hold them accountable.
OVERVIEW
As we read this story of the first two people in the world to be confronted with the fact of the empty tomb and the risen Christ, three imperatives seem to spring out. They are urged to believe. The resurrection is so staggering that it might seem beyond belief, too good to be true. The angel reminds them of the promise of Jesus and confronts them with the empty tomb; his every word is a summons to believe. There are still many who feel that Christ’s promises are too good to be true. That hesitation can be dispelled only by taking Him at His word. They are also urged to share. When they themselves have discovered the fact of the risen Christ, their first duty is to proclaim it to and to share it with others. “Go, tell!” is the first command which comes to the person who has discovered the wonder of Jesus Christ.
They are also challenged to rejoice. The word with which the risen Christ meets them is Chairete. It is the normal word of greeting, but its literal meaning is “Rejoice!” The person who has met the risen Lord will live in the joy of His presence.
After the fact that Jesus was alive came onto the streets, many were very concerned about the ramifications of this truth. When some of the guards came to the chief priests and told them the story of the empty tomb, the Jewish authorities were desperately worried. Was it possible that all their planning had come to nothing? So, they formed a simple plan; they bribed the members of the guard to say that Jesus’ disciples had come while they slept and had stolen His body.
It is interesting to note the means that the Jewish authorities used in their desperate attempts to eliminate Jesus. They used treachery to lay hold on Him. They used illegality to try Him. They used slander to charge Him to Pilate. And now they were using bribery to silence the truth about Him. And they failed. They brought to pass a Roman proverb; great is the truth and it will prevail. However, their evil plotting couldn’t stop the truth. The gospel of goodness is greater than the plots of wickedness.
“Real and Risen”
Have you ever seen something that seemed impossible, but turned out to be real?
Read Matthew 28:2-4.
2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
Read Matthew 28:11-15.
11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.
1. Why did the two Marys come to the tomb after the Sabbath?
2. What had happened when the angel of God appeared that morning?
3. What were the effects of the angel’s presence?
4. What did some of the guards do after recognizing the empty tomb?
5. What was the result of the consultation of the elders?
6. What did the soldiers do with the money collected?
7. Is the story of the resurrection real to you? Why or why not?
8. Is your life any different because of your relationship with Him?
SUMMARY
From the resurrection onward, the gospel that Jesus had preached became the gospel that was Jesus. The disciples now recognized that Jesus Christ came not only to preach a gospel but to be a gospel.
But no one witnessed the actual resurrection event. What happened was that various persons met the resurrected Christ. They told the story with reticence and awe. The disciples themselves had to be convinced of this awesome and stupendous fact. Their unbelief is evidence of the resurrection, for it deletes the idea that they hallucinated, or created a fiction to perpetuate the cause of their slain leader.
The Sanhedrin had seen to the crucifixion of Jesus, and now they were confronted with evidence of His resurrection. They dealt with the report in the one manner which they understood: the use of money. The account says that the Sanhedrin assembled, deliberated, and gave “a large sum of money” to the soldiers to buy their services. They then perpetuated the story that Jesus’ body was stolen by disciples who fabricated the resurrection report to keep their cause alive.
APPLICATION
This was a momentous occasion. One filled with deep emotions, and concerns about their Lord who had been crucified. The angel present knew what had brought this small group of women to the tomb – their love and devotion for the crucified Savior. However, there was no need for their ointments and spices. The angel said, “He is not here; he is risen, as he said.” There was something, perhaps, of gentle reproof in those words. The Lord had said again and again that He would rise again the third day. His disciples should have remembered His words; they should not have been hopeless and despairing; they should have looked forward, despite the agonies of the cross, despite the sealing of the tomb, to the glory of the resurrection.
Below, find some application activities to reinforce this lesson. These are simply to provide ideas for your use, or to invite you to imagine and create some of your own, as you impact the lives of teens for God’s glory.
