JESUS ROSE AGAIN

John 20:1-31

Key Verse: 20:17b

* THE EMPTY TOMB (1-9)

1. Which of the women who went to the tomb early Sunday morning does John's gospel tell us about? (Mt 28:1; Mk 16:1; Lk 24:10)

2. Where was Mary Magdalene at the time of Jesus' crucifixion? (19:25) How might she have spent the hours afterward? What was in her heart?

3. When she arrived, what did she see? What did she think had happened? What did she do?

4. Who did Peter race to the tomb? What does this race suggest about the characters of the two disciples? Why did the author refer to himself as "the one whom Jesus loved"?

5. What did the disciples notice about the clothes the body of Jesus had been wrapped with? Why is this significant? What did John think?

* JESUS APPEARS TO MARY OF MAGDALA (10-18)

6. What happened after the disciples left? What did the angels ask Mary and how did she respond? Why was she so sorrowful about the dead body being gone?

7. Why didn't she recognize Jesus? What did he ask her? What did he mean? How did she respond? What can we learn here about her sorrow problem? How was it a spiritual problem?

8. When and why did she recognize him? Why did she want to hold onto him, and why did he forbid it? What mission did he give her? What was the meaning of the message? What did she do?

* JESUS APPEARS TO HIS DISCIPLES (19-23)

9. Where were the disciples? Had they been moved by Mary's good news? Why? What was their problem? How did Jesus appear to them? What was his greeting? Why did he show them his hands and side? What was their response?

10. What mission did Jesus give them?- How did he equip them to carry out their mission? How is verse 23 related to the disciples' mission?

11. What was Thomas' spiritual problem? How did Jesus help him? What does this tell us about Jesus? What was Thomas' confession? Why was he so moved by Jesus' wounds?

12. How did Jesus bless Thomas and us? How can we believe in the Risen Christ?