A Small Group Study
The Big Picture
Jesus is dead. His followers watched it happen. The movement is over — or so everyone thinks. Two women go to the tomb on Sunday morning to finish preparing a body. They are not expecting a miracle. They are expecting a corpse.
The tomb is open. The body is gone. And an angel says six words that changed everything:
"He is not here. He is risen."
Three Truths That Matter Most
The angel doesn't just announce the resurrection — he invites the women to look inside the tomb (v. 6). "Come, see the place where He lay." Christianity has never asked anyone to believe blindly. The empty tomb is an open invitation: examine the evidence.
Even the enemies of Jesus confirmed the tomb was empty. They didn't argue that the body was still there — they paid soldiers to make up a story about why it wasn't (vv. 11-15). Both sides agreed on the fact. They only disagreed on the explanation.
Why This Matters
The resurrection is not a fairy tale that requires you to turn off your brain. It's a historical event that holds up under scrutiny. Your faith has a foundation.
When Jesus appears to the women, He tells them to go tell "my brothers" (v. 10). These are the same men who abandoned Him, denied Him, and ran. He doesn't call them deserters. He doesn't call them failures. He calls them brothers — before they ever say sorry.
And when He meets the disciples in Galilee, some of them worship and some of them doubt (v. 17). Jesus commissions all of them anyway.
Grace doesn't wait for the apology. It runs ahead of it.
Why This Matters
You don't have to get your act together before Jesus will use you. He doesn't wait for perfect faith. He meets you in the middle of your doubt and says, "You're mine. Now let's go."
Jesus doesn't say, "I'm alive — go celebrate." He says, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (vv. 18-19). And then He closes with a promise: "I am with you always, to the end of the age" (v. 20).
Matthew's Gospel opens with the name Emmanuel — "God with us" (Matt. 1:23). It closes with the same promise. That's the whole story in two bookends: God is with you.
But notice — the promise of His presence is attached to a mission. He's with you as you go.
Why This Matters
The resurrection isn't just something to believe. It's something to respond to. Jesus is alive, He has all authority, and He's given you a job — make disciples. Not alone. With Him. Every day. Until the end.
For the Group
Where in your life are you living as if the story is over — as if God is done showing up?
Is there an area where you've been waiting to "get it together" before coming back to God? What does it mean that Jesus called His disciples "brothers" before they ever apologized?
What's the difference between believing Jesus is alive and actually living like He has all authority over your life?
Jesus said, "I am with you always." When have you most needed to hear that — and did you believe it?
"And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Matthew's Gospel opens with Emmanuel — "God with us." It closes with the same promise. That's the whole story.