SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON 01 September 20, 2009

      Who do you say that I am?
      The Resurrection of Jesus
Theme Verse: "Who do you say that I am?" Matthew 16:15
Readings: Luke 24: 1-12 and John 20: 19-31
Optional: Matthew 16:13-16
Memory Verse: "Why do you look for the living among the dead. He is not here, he is risen! Remember how he told you while he was still with you." (Pre-K to grade 3) Luke 24:5b-6
      This year we are starting off by looking at the answer to Jesus' question, "Who do you say that I am?" Jesus had just asked his disciples, "Who do men say that I am?" There were many answers, even among God's people the Jews. There is so much confusion these days about this, even in the church, so we need to be clear about the foundations stones of our faith.
      We are going to start with Jesus' resurrection. Why that? Because it is basic. Paul calls it "of first importance"! Read 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 & 12-20. "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins, according to the scripture, that he was buried, that he was raised on the 3rd day according to the scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter and then to the 12. After that he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living….and last of all he appeared to me also… (vs.3-7)"And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith…"(vs.17) "you are still in your sins."
      Jesus compared himself to the cornerstone (or keystone) (Mark 12:10-11) mentioned in Psalm 118:22-23. The whole building rests on a cornerstone and the whole arch is held together by the keystone. The resurrection of Jesus is a necessary foundation for our faith in him and our salvation. The resurrection shows who Jesus is. It demonstrates that "through the Spirit of Holiness (Holy Spirit) he was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 1:3-4) (He received his human nature as a descendent of King David.) The resurrection demonstrates who Jesus is and proves the meaning of his cross and death. This was all promised long before in the Hebrew scriptures. (Old Testament).. Remember how we say week by week: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. The tombs of the founders of other religions are still full. Jesus' tomb is empty!

      Now read Luke 24:1-12. In spite of Jesus telling the disciples several times about his coming death and resurrection--they couldn't hear it. They all had difficulty believing it even when they saw angels, or an empty tomb and Jesus himself! Look at the Memory Verse. What did the angel say? The women had come to prepare the body of their friend for burial (no undertakers). (Remember that the women were the last ones at the cross and the first at the tomb although they were not qualified by law to be legal witnesses.)
      When the women went and told the disciples what had happened they didn't believe them and thought the women were imagining things. (Don't worry about slight differences in the four accounts. There are many experiments and examples of people reporting on a major surprise event and reporting slightly different details about what they experienced.)
      When Jesus appeared to the disciples that night, (Luke 24:33f) and in spite of telling others that Jesus was risen, when he appeared they thought he was a ghost! Jesus asks them to touch him, see his hands and feet and even ate a piece of fish to show them he was real (even though he also came through locked doors!)
      The religious leaders went to Pilate and asked for a guard of soldiers to make the tomb secure because they remembered that Jesus had said he would rise again after three days---even though the disciples didn't remember! Pilate gave them the guard of soldiers. (Matthew 27:62-66) When the angel rolled away the stone and there was an earthquake the soldiers fainted. Later when the women had seen and heard the angel and left to tell the disciples, some of the guards went and told the chief priests and elders what had happened. The authorities paid the soldiers and promised to protect the soldiers and told them to say the disciples had stolen the body at night while they were asleep. There was a death penalty for that! (Matthew 28:11-15). You can be sure that if they could have produced Jesus' body they would have!!! (Note at end about other evidences.)
      Jesus wants us to know for sure he is risen and alive for us now. Word received: I want the children and the adults to know that I am alive and I live forever. Word received: You can turn to me now, whatever your need or trouble. ("Knowing" in a Biblical sense is both about knowing a fact in your mind and also experiencing it, as in knowing a person.)

      Now read John 20: 19-31 and reflect on some of the ways Jesus' resurrection can make a difference in our lives now. How can we personally experience the risen Jesus, who wants to be your Savior and King and who is one God with the Father and Holy Spirit? He wants us to follow him, just as his first disciples and Paul did. We begin by believing in him and asking him into our hearts, but there is more. (NOTE about grave clothes of Jesus'; and Lazarus.)

"Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, 'Peace be with you.'" (John 20:19) A word received: I can give you my peace now because I am alive now.

"When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord." (John 20:20) A word received: I will show myself to you by giving you my Holy Spirit. I will give you joy through my Spirit.

"So Jesus said to them again, 'Peace to you! As the Father has sent me, I also send you.'" (John 20:21) A word received: I want you to go forth with my joy and peace.

"And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'" (John 20:22) A word received: I want you to receive my Holy Spirit.

"'If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.'" (John 20:23) A word received: I want my life, my resurrection life, to be displayed in your life.

"Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came." (John 20:24) A word received: You were not there when I first spoke to my disciples, neither was Thomas. Just as I met him later, I can meet you now.

"The other disciples therefore said to him, 'We have seen the Lord.' So he said to them, 'Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.'" (John 20:25) A word received: Bring your unbelief to me. Don't be afraid to tell me.

"And after eight days his disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, 'Peace to you!'" (John 20:26) A word received: I say that to you as well: Peace to you!

"Then he said to Thomas, 'Reach your finger here, and look at my hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.'" (John 20:27) A word received: Do not harden your hearts when I come to meet you; let your heart be ready to believe.

"And Thomas answered and said to him, 'My Lord and my God!'" (John 20:28 ) A word received: I want you to join with Thomas in saying, "My Lord and my God."

"Jesus said to him, 'Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'" (John 20:29) A word received: You have believed because of the witness of my Holy Spirit and the witness of faithful people. I want you to be a faithful witness as well.

"And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:30-31) A word received: I want you to receive my word. It is written so that you may believe.

NOTE- Evidence of the grave clothes: Luke 24:12 reports that Peter ran to the tomb and "saw the strips of linen lying by themselves". John 20: 5-7 reports that Peter and John saw the strips of linen lying there as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. Jesus' grave cloths were not tossed around. They had just collapsed in place. Compare what Lazarus needed when Jesus raised him from the dead (John 11:44). He was all wrapped up and had to be helped out of his grave clothes even though he was alive!

      "he was buried" The point of this is that Jesus was really dead. The Roman soldiers saw to that! The idea that Jesus didn't really die is nonsense.

      The doors were locked in the upper room where the disciples were because of fear. (John 20:19) Jesus could appear and disappear from sight yet he could be touched and ate food! He also knew what Thomas had said the week before he came and spoke to Thomas. Jesus' resurrection body was the same yet different.