Introduction
Jesus Lives—and You Can Too
Easter means many things to people around the world. As with Santa Claus at Christmas, many of the symbols usually associated with Easter, such as the Easter bunny and colored eggs, have a variety of legends regarding their beginnings. Unfortunately, these secular symbols for springtime often overshadow what the church celebrates: the resurrection of Christ.
The events in today’s Scripture may seem unbelievable, but it is the truth of God’s victory over sin and death. That victory, accomplished by Jesus’ resurrection from the grave, translates into the victory every person can experience by receiving the forgiveness of sin that Jesus purchased through His death on the cross. This eternal truth must stand alone, untarnished by the distractions and dilutions of secularism.
Jim Gantenbein
Jim has been married to Cathy and in the ministry since 1974, living and serving in Oklahoma, Texas, and currently at Kitsap Lake Baptist Church in Bremerton, Wash. Read more from Jim at jimgantenbein.blogspot.com.
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Jesus Lives—and You Can Too

Question 1:
When have you been surprised to run into someone unexpectedly?
THE POINT
Rest confidently in the resurrection of Christ.
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
One Christmas Eve a few years ago, we enjoyed a phone call from our son who was a Journeyman missionary in Amsterdam.
The next morning after the family had opened their gifts, my wife realized one gift was missing. All I could tell her was, “The man said it would be ready to pick up early this evening.” Later that day, after returning from picking up the package, I invited my wife and daughter to come downstairs. The gift was here. As my wife removed the wrapping, her anticipation changed to shock, then joyous surprise. Her ears heard, “Hi, Mom!” and her eyes saw our son sitting in front of her—instead of 5,000 miles away as she had assumed. Her reality—what she “knew” to be true—had been completely obliterated. Our son was not an ocean away; he was home!
Matthew closed his Gospel with the account of two women who had watched Jesus suffer and die. It had been difficult to accept this harsh reality, but that was their reality. It was in that frame of mind that they went to the tomb and experienced their own joyous surprise.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Matthew 28:1-5
1 After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to view the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and approached the tomb. He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. 4 The guards were so shaken by fear of him that they became like dead men. 5 The angel told the women, “Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.”
The Jewish law required that those who had been executed were to be buried immediately (Deut. 21:22-23). However, because the death of Jesus occurred on Friday afternoon, there was no time for the burial process to be completed before the Sabbath—the Jewish day of rest—began at sundown. But now the Sabbath was over, and several women arrived at the tomb of Jesus to complete the burial process (Luke 24:1,10). Matthew chose to focus on two of these women: “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary,” whom he previously identified as “the mother of James and Joseph” (Matt. 27:56).
We all know what stress and challenges feel like. Much disruption has been occurring in our world on all levels: a global pandemic, political upheaval in our nation, violence in our cities, and so forth. People have many reasons for concern, even alarm. The Jews living under Roman oppression in the first century also were no strangers to distress; these disruptions would set them on edge just as it does for many today. These women were no exception. In addition to the hardships most Jews faced in the first century, though, these women carried the anguish of having watched their Messiah endure arrest, torture, and crucifixion. Furthermore, now they were mournfully going to Jesus’ tomb with spices to anoint His corpse (Mark 16:1; Luke 24:1).

Question 2:

What especially captures your attention in these verses?

Emotions already had to be running high when they suddenly experienced “a violent earthquake” and encountered a brightly glowing angel sitting on the rolled-away stone that was supposed to keep the tomb tightly closed. Even the guards—men toughened from their experiences in the Roman army—shook from fear. The soldiers “became like dead men” (v. 4).
Christians since that morning have had 2,000 years to ponder the significance of all these events, but in that moment, the women had little time to consider what or who could be causing all of this. What they saw was from the hand of God because these were events that only God could accomplish. Today we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection with songs of triumph. Celebration and songs of triumph would come later for these women, but in that moment their reality was confusion, despair, and sorrow.
We can take encouragement from this: the women had not yet reached unshakeable or mature faith. They believed Jesus was dead even though He had foretold His resurrection on multiple occasions (Matt. 16:21; 17:23; 20:19). Yet, these women clearly loved Him, and although they initially misunderstood, it was to them that God first revealed the truth that Jesus had been resurrected from the dead. It’s encouraging to know that God doesn’t simply reveal Himself and His truth to only the most learned among us. It’s as we seek Him and embrace the truth we find in His Word that our faith is strengthened and our understanding grows.
Matthew 28:6-7
6 “He is not here. For he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see him there.’ Listen, I have told you.”
God does not waste time. Immediately, after the angel calmed the women’s fears, He gave them needed assurance, an invitation, a commission, and authority.

The assurance. “He is not here. For he has risen, just as he said.” With these words, the angel informed the women that their original reason for coming to the tomb no longer was relevant. These words brought the women’s focus back to the trust they had in everything Jesus said and did. This assurance would help the women as they encountered other explanations that were certain to come.

The invitation. The angel’s invitation—“Come and see the place where he lay”—carries transparency. This transparent invitation is quite different from what others did in their attempt to cover up the resurrection. The religious leaders would bribe the guards and instruct them to spread a lie about what had happened (See 28:11-15). The openness of the angel’s invitation to the women to examine the empty tomb for themselves stood in stark contrast to the chief priests’ lack of transparency.

The commission. “Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see him there.’ ” Jesus had previously said to His disciples, “But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you to Galilee” (26:32). The disciples would surely remember what Jesus had said, once the women shared the angel’s words. The angel charged them to go quickly and report to the disciples what they’d witnessed.

The authority. In Scripture, angels were messengers from God. When the angel said, “Listen, I have told you,” it was a reminder that he was speaking with the authority of God behind him; therefore, what the women heard came with the full authority of God Himself. Jesus’ “Great Commission” (Matt. 28:18-20) begins with “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.” Even as we’ve been authorized to share the gospel, the women were authorized to go with the message given by God.

Question 3:

How did you become sure of Jesus’ resurrection?

Matthew 28:8-10
8 So, departing quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, they ran to tell his disciples the news. 9 Just then Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came up, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus told them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.”
Most of us understand the tendency to freeze or flee when experiencing fear. However, despite their fear, the women obeyed and experienced “great joy.” Heeding instructions is critical. Had the women taken the angel’s instructions lightly or hesitated, they may have missed Jesus, who met them on the way. Like the angel, He reassured the women, telling them, “Do not be afraid.” Then He repeated the angel’s commission to go and tell His disciples to go to Galilee.
One thing seems to be certain: The women had a healthy spiritual “learning curve.” They went from totally believing their Messiah was dead to joyfully worshiping a very alive Jesus all in the same morning! The radical changes in their lives on that resurrection morning are clear evidence that the presence of Jesus is transformational. It should not be lost on us that this all took place as part of their journey of obedience to carry out what the angel told them to do.

Question 4:

Why does the good news of Jesus’ resurrection include a sense of urgency?

The rest of these women’s plans for that day were most likely set aside to quickly carry out the task of taking the news of Jesus’ resurrection to His disciples and the reminder for them to meet Him in Galilee, as Jesus had promised before His crucifixion (Matt. 26:32). Did the disciples need this reminder? Probably. After all, like the women, they expected Jesus to be in the tomb.
This reminder would give the devastated disciples much needed hope. The last words of Jesus’ message offered that hope: “They will see me there.” Their hope of seeing Jesus was fulfilled, and it was followed with the sure hope that they, too, can live. For the disciples, that was an unshakeable hope that drove them forward as they shared the resurrection with others. Jesus is alive, and we can express that through our words and the evidence of the risen Savior and Lord living in us also.

Question 5:

What can our group do to help one another share the good news effectively?

Engage
EVIDENCE WORTH CONSIDERING
The angels invited the women to “come and see” for themselves that the tomb was empty. If you were one of these early witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection, how would you describe what you saw? List some of the evidence from this scene that supports Jesus’ resurrection:
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2.
3.
4.
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Choose one of these pieces of evidence and explain how you would defend this truth if questioned by an unbeliever:
“There is more evidence that Jesus rose from the dead than there is that Julius Caesar ever lived or that Alexander the Great died at the age of thirty-three.”
BILLY GRAHAM
LIVE IT OUT
We can rest confidently in the resurrection of Christ. Choose one of the following applications:

Pray. If you have never experienced victory over your own sin, you can right now by trusting your life to the resurrected Christ. You can find more information on the inside of the front cover of this book or you can talk to your group leader. If you are a Christian, take some time to pray for someone else in your group.

Write. Write down a brief testimony of your faith in Christ. Practice sharing this testimony with another believer. If you have not yet trusted in Christ, write down questions you still have about following Him, and share these with your group leader.

Witness. List two or three people you encounter who may not have a relationship with Jesus. Next to each name, write a time and location that you will plan to share your testimony with each of them this week. Ask members of your class to pray for you as you share.
Gifts come in all different sizes and packaging. Some are more surprising than others. But there’s no greater gift you could receive than resting in the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

HE’S COMING AGAIN!
by M. Dean Register
The return of Christ is a compelling and captivating truth the New Testament frequently emphasized. Twenty-three of the twenty-seven New Testament books refer to this event. Jesus testified He would come again; and biblical writers proclaimed His personal, visible, and bodily return (Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 4:16; Heb. 9:28; 2 Pet. 3:10; 1 John 3:2).
Speculation about the second coming continues to be a topic of intense interest. We would do well to remember, however, that the biblical writers did not speak of the promise of Christ’s return to satisfy our curiosity about dates and events. Instead, they wrote of the promise to fortify the believer’s confidence regarding Jesus’ sovereignty and faithfulness.
Biblical writers communicated the Lord’s return by using vivid images and striking metaphors that painted graphic portraits of stunning significance. A truth is no less authentic and powerful when conveyed through simile and metaphor than when declared through proposition and imperative. Consequently our challenge is to explore some of the images New Testament writers used to describe Christ’s second coming. Specifically we can gain an overview by examining selected images in the Books of Matthew and Revelation.
Hatred and Persecution—An essential aspect of Jesus’ eschatological teaching is a “present and future” tension. His exhortation about mistreatment and violence toward those who followed Him carried specific relevance for first-century Christians and continued relevance for future generations (Matt. 24:9-10).
Although believers across the centuries have been the objects of hatred and persecution, Jesus stated that mistreatment would grow intense and excessive. Some believers today seem surprised they must face the peril of tribulation, but Jesus warned that His followers would be persecuted because of His name (v. 9). Such hostility will take a toll on some who will “take offense” 1 and “betray one another” because they cannot endure the harassment and cruelty (v. 10).
False Prophets—Deception and treachery will abound before Christ returns (v. 11). The early church battled distortions of the truth about Jesus. The church today must also stand valiantly against heresy. False prophets seek to extol an appealing theology contrary to the uncomfortable rigor of full devotion to Christ. Furthermore, false prophets personify the metaphor of wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matt. 7:15). They look authentic, but behind the exterior lies a deadly appetite intent upon

The road to Jerusalem’s Eastern or Golden Gate; view is from Gethsemane. At His triumphal entry, Jesus entered the city from the east through a Herodian gate over which this present gate is probably built. To prevent the Messiah from entering Jerusalem through this gate, Muslims sealed it during the mid-1500s.

EASTERN GATE: ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ GB HOWELL (35/68/96)

destruction. They pose as Jesus’ followers, but they neither teach the entire truth of God’s Word nor walk in Jesus’ steps. False prophets seek to draw others to themselves rather than to Jesus.
Lawlessness and Lovelessness—When people abandon absolute standards of holiness and truth, the depth of depravity becomes limitless. The corruption of virtue and the conscience will not only increase, it will also drain love from others’ hearts (Matt. 24:12). 2 The “cooling of love” is a somber image of a dwindling passion for Jesus that not only inflicted havoc upon the early church but that will persist until Jesus returns.
Endurance—Perseverance is a synonym for endurance and is an essential word picture in New Testament eschatology (v. 13). Endurance is not a merit for salvation but rather is a quality of those who are saved. Believers will endure because of God’s sustaining grace.
Gospel Goes to All the World—Jesus emphasized that the church’s mission was to preach the gospel as a “testimony to all nations” (v. 14). He instructed His disciples to engage in world-wide evangelism. The summary phrase in verse 14 “and then the end will come” is not intended to provide predictive power, but to underscore the significance of the mission. 3 The phrase is not a basis for pinpointing a precise time between the launching of the mission and the return of the Savior, but is a call for faithfulness in testifying about Jesus until His return.
The Days of Noah—Jesus compared the time of His return to what life was like during Noah’s day (vv. 37-38). 4 While Noah constructed the ark, social routines and family events continued unabated. The activities Jesus mentioned were not inherently sinful. 5 Eating, drinking, and marrying are references to normal community practices. Noah’s generation was so engrossed in the pleasures of the moment, however, that it neglected the priorities of eternity. The point Jesus highlighted was not so much the people’s licentiousness as it was the people’s lethargy toward God’s warning. 6 Consequently, when the flood arrived, the opportunity of deliverance had passed for the fickle and faithless individuals.
One Taken and One Left—Christ’s return will involve separation and interruption. An inescapable division between the saved and the lost will accompany the second coming (vv. 40-41). The Greek verb translated “taken” refers to a divine initiative pointing “to the salvation rather than the destruction of the one ‘taken’ ” 7 The metaphor of taking and leaving underscores the truth of vigilance for every individual in every generation.
The Thief—Jesus used the metaphor of a thief without its normal negative overtones (vv. 43-44). Typically a thief operates by stealth to take what is not his. When Jesus returns, however, He will claim what rightfully belongs to Him. Using contrast and comparison, Jesus declared His return would be as unannounced as a thief entering a home and at “an hour you do not expect” (v. 44). Consequently the second coming of Christ calls for a comprehensive directive to remain alert. 8 Since no one can predict a specific time for His appearing, believers are to heed the call to “wakefulness and preparation.” 9
He’s Coming Again—In contrast to the obscure and mostly humble first advent of Christ, His second advent will be stunning, surprising, and spectacular. He came first as the suffering Savior. He is coming again as the conquering Christ. We cannot coerce all the adjectives to describe the details of His return, but we can live in faith and confidence that He will keep His promise. All the symbols, metaphors, and similes paint a triumphant picture that shouts “Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!”