Earthquakes or Easter Eggs? (April 20 Discussion Questions) Matthew 28:1-10

I.                    The Women’s Testimony (Matthew 28:1)

All four gospels tell us that women were the first ones to find the tomb of Jesus empty on Easter morning. Women were always much more welcomed in Jesus’ circle than was customary in his day, and early Christians like Paul made it a central belief that in Christ, distinctions like those between Jew and Gentile, slave and free, men and women lost their power to divide. The women’s testimony is also a testament to the truthfulness of the claim that Jesus was raised from the dead: if the early Christians were making up stories about Jesus being alive, they would not have made the first witnesses be women (whose testimony was held in very low esteem in the first century world).

What significance do you find personally in the fact that the first witnesses of the resurrection (and the first human proclaimers of it) were women?

II.                  “There was a violent earthquake.”

In its context, it appears that the earthquake in Matthew 28:2 is meant to signify the arrival of the angel of the Lord, but it also suggests the earth-shaking event of the resurrection itself. (Remember that “quaking” has been a recurring motif in Matthew’s gospel: Herod and Jerusalem “quaked” at Jesus’ birth; the city again “quaked” when Jesus entered it on Palm Sunday; and another earthquake took place at Jesus’ death, according to Matthew 27:51.) In all of these instances, Jesus is shown to have a powerful impact on the people around him. It is no different with the resurrection. In this event, the world is shaken, and so are the lives of those who will respond appropriately to it.

The resurrection of Jesus conveys several key messages:

God’s approval of Jesus’ self-offering:

-          Philippians 2:6-9

-          Acts 2:32-36; 3:14-15; 17:29-31

How do each of these passages demonstrate that the resurrection was God’s decisive action in response to Jesus’ death on the cross?

The annihilation of death:

-          Acts 2:22-24

-          1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 54-57

-          Colossians 1:18

-          Romans 6:4-6

How do these passages lead us to take courage in the face of death?

The arrival of the new creation:

-          Acts 3:21

-          Romans 8:18-25

-          Colossians 1:15-20

-          Revelation 1:17-18; 21:5-6

How might the resurrection of Jesus give us hope or motivate us to action in relation to the creation as a whole (especially earth, use of resources, and climate concerns)?

III.                 “Afraid yet filled with joy.”

The women listened to a message from the angel at the tomb, telling them that Jesus was not dead but alive. They were immediately commissioned to do things on Jesus’ behalf. Try to put yourself in the position of the women at the empty tomb. Listen to the words the angel says to them in verses 5-7.

What might be the causes for either fear or joy in their hearts as they listened?

How do the resurrection realities change our everyday perspectives? What is God inviting us into when he calls us to believe in Jesus?

IV.                “He is going ahead of you…There you will see him.”

The angel gave the women a message to deliver to the disciples of Jesus. They were to tell the disciples to return to Galilee and to assure them that Jesus was going to be there already, so he would meet them there. The risen Jesus was calling them to new assignments, but he was not leaving them on their own. At his ascension, he would again assure his followers that they would not be alone. (See also John 14:18 for Jesus’ promise of continued presence.) As people who live after the resurrection of Jesus, we too can be sure that there is nowhere we can go for Jesus where he won’t already be there ahead of us.

What encouragement can you take from the promise that Jesus goes “ahead of” his disciples?

To what have you sensed God calling you recently? What fears does this raise in you? What difference does it make to know that Jesus will be with you?