Jesus is alive!
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SERMON NOTES:
John 20:1-18
A shocked Mary runs to tell Peter and John about the empty tomb. (1-2)
Do you recognize God’s handiwork all around you?
Peter and John run to see for themselves, and John believes. (3-10)
Do you trust God even when you don’t understand?
Mary gets to be the first to see the risen Jesus face-to-face. (11-18)
Do you testify that Jesus is alive?
Do you believe?
study questions:
1. Warm-up. Have you ever been surprised by something or someone? What was the occasion and what happened? How did it feel? Do you like being surprised? Why or why not?
2. Read verses 1-2. When did Mary come to the tomb and what did she find? How did Mary react? What do you think was going through Mary’s mind? What do you think was going through the minds of Simon Peter and the “other disciple” when they heard this news?
3. Read verses 3-10. What did the two disciples do after they received this startling news from Mary? What did they find in the tomb, and why did it make such an impact on them? In verse 8, how did the “other disciple” respond and why? What is the significance of verse 9 in helping us understand verse 8? Why do you think the disciples simply went home?
4. Read verses 11-18. Why do you think Mary stood outside the tomb weeping? What do you think prevents Mary from recognizing that the two men in the tomb were angels and that Jesus was not the gardener? How would you describe Mary’s feelings as she recognized that the “gardener” was Jesus? How would you summarize what Jesus told her? How did she respond?
5. So what. How do you respond to the reality of Jesus being resurrected from the dead? Do you respond like Peter and the “other disciple” who went home, or do you respond like Mary who excitedly told others about Jesus? Which way should we respond and why? What is one thing that God is teaching you through the study of this passage?