Monday 1 Corinthians 15:3-20.
Paul was absolutely confident in Christ’s resurrection. He saw it as a physical fact, but also as a reality that shaped his own life, inevitable death and ultimate resurrection as well. Would Christianity mean anything without Christ’s death and resurrection? How would your life be different if there was no resurrection? How would you feel? Paul knew how significant he was to the rise of Christianity. Where did Paul think that his ability to fill his role came from? Why didn’t Paul become more puffed up over his role? Where does our faith come from?
Tuesday John 20:1-18.
Mary was devastated when she thought that Jesus’ body was missing. What might she have thought? Then she turned around and, at the same time, her life was turned around. Hope and joy filled her heart. What are your emotions about Easter Sunday? Does a springtime Easter Sunday fill you with renewed hope and joy for your life? Why? Are there questions about the resurrection you wish John had answered, but he didn’t? What was the central fact to the story’s entire testimony?
Wednesday Luke 24:1-35.
Is it amazing to you that people who had known Jesus well and who had heard all of his teachings first hand would still not have understood or believed that he was more than a mere prophet? Would you have been any different? How are we like those apostles? Why do we now believe? The disciples had preconceived ideas about the messiah they had expected. How do our own preconceived ideas about Christ block or twist our vision about his true nature and power in our own lives? Are there any limits to the power of God? Does God still exercise his power in the world, or does he take a more “hands off” approach to dealing with the lives of mankind?
Thursday Matthew 28:1-20.
Why do you suppose women were the first to discover Jesus’ missing body? Was it, perhaps, because women are better at “doing what needs to be done”? Why didn’t Jesus make sure the disciples were the first witnesses? Even after having seen Christ die on the cross and even with the resurrected Christ standing before them, some still doubted! What does this tell you about faith? What did it take for you to believe? Did Christ seem to be “mad at” those who doubted? What does this tell you about times when we fail in our faith?
Friday John 20:19-31.
There are at least two great messages in these passages. First, Christ fully and completely empowered his followers to do his work in the world. Does this have any implications for us today? Do today’s believers fully embrace God’s power? What might prevent us from embracing God’s power in us? Second, one disciple, Thomas, doubted that the Jesus he knew had been resurrected. Do you feel any resonance with Thomas’s experience? Does the verse “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” speak in any particular way to you? Even though we read, “these things are written so that you will believe…”, are there limits to your belief? If so, what are those limits?
Saturday John 21:1-19. Why would Jesus have asked Peter three times, “Do you love me”? What does this tell us about the depth of the forgiving love of God? What significance does this have for all of us today? Based on these passages, does God want us to feel guilt after we have welcomed him into our flawed lives? How can we go about minimizing or even eliminating our guilt for our old lives? How is Easter Sunday like a drink of “living waters”? How much impact can Easter Sunday services have on people who might go to church only occasionally?