Mark 16:1-8
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This is the seventh week in our series Questions Jesus Asked. This sermon is called "Who will roll the stone away?"
Questions and going deeper resources
Small group questions
Connect Who is one person you can actively pray for and point to the merciful (and saving love) of Jesus?
Warm-Up
- When did you first hear the claim that Jesus was raised from the dead?
- What did you understand this to mean?
Read Mark 16:1-8
- Before coming to the tomb, what have Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Joseph, and Salome witnessed on Friday? (Read Mark 15:37-48).
- What are they coming to the tomb to do? What would they be expecting to find?
- What question do they ask each other on the way? Why might this be an issue?
- What do the women find instead? What is surprising and unexpected about this scene?
- What is the message of the young man in white? What does “He is risen” mean? How does it mean that Jesus is physically alive? Why is it important that Jesus was physically resurrected?
- Did the Romans and Greeks expect resurrection? When did some Jews expect resurrection to occur? How was what happened on that Sunday morning different to what everyone expected?
- Looking at other accounts (e.g., Matthew 28, 1 Corinthians 15:1-7), who else saw Jesus resurrected?
- Why does Mark’s Gospel seem to end abruptly at verse 8? (You might have verses 9-20 italicised in your Bible to note that these verses are not found in the earliest manuscripts.)
- Why is the claim that Jesus is alive central to Christianity?
- Why does the truth that Jesus is alive make it possible to have a relationship with him? When did you first come to believe that Jesus is alive? What difference has it made to your life?
- How does your relationship with Jesus shape your day-to-day life? Are there times in which knowing Jesus has been raised from the dead most significantly affects you?
- What is Jesus’ resurrection a victory over? Read 1 Corinthians 15:54-57
- How does Jesus’ resurrection secure our forgiveness and life?
- Are you confident in the forgiveness Jesus brings through his resurrection? What helps you to recall the effects of Jesus’ resurrection (forgiveness and life) when your confidence feels shaky?
- How should we respond to the news Jesus is alive and he is victorious? Who have you shared this news with? Who would you like to share this news with?
- What difference does Jesus’ resurrection make for our future? What type of bodies will we have?
- How should our eternal future with Jesus in new creation transform our lives? How would you like it to transform your life?
Apply How does Jesus’ resurrection transform who you worship, the purpose you have, and the hope you hold?
Prayer
Loving God, how we thank you that we can not only know that Christ is risen, but that we can know the Risen Christ along with the life that he brings. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Going deeper resources
On Your Frontline this Week
Who can you chat with about the news of Easter?
For Families
- Download: some of the family resources to use at home: stbartskids.org
Listen, Watch, and Read
- Listen (sermon): “It happened and it’s important” by Andrew Sach:
https://www.st-helens.org.uk/resources/talk/51663/audio/ - Listen (sermon): “Who will roll the stone away?” by Paul Williams:
https://www.allsouls.org/Media/AllMedia.aspx?show_media=50879&show_file=53064 - Listen (sermon): “Buried, risen!!” by Pete Wilkinson:
https://stebbes.org/sermons/buried-risen/ - Watch (video): “The Resurrection of Jesus: Fact or Ancient Fiction?” by N.T. Wright:
https://ntwrightpage.com/2016/07/12/christian-origins-and-the-resurrection-of-jesus-the-resurrection-of-jesus-as-a-historical-problem/ - Read (book): “Is Easter Unbelievable?” by Rebecca McLaughlin 📚
- Read (book): “Surprised by Hope” by Tom Wright 📚
Series Resources
- Read (book): “Lent” by Esau McCaulley 📚
- Read (book): “Lent for Everyone (Mark)” by Tom Wright
- Read (children’s book): “The Friend and the Traveller” by Sam Brewster & Hannah Green 📚
- Read (devotional): Daily Lenten Devotional by Gospel in Life (Keller)
gospelinlife.com/devotional/lent/ - Pray (prayer guide): “For the Persecuted Church” by Open Doors
www.opendoors.org.au/get-involved/prayer/
📚 Available to borrow in the Church library
