Conversation #1 – Considering the “Good News” passed down to us.
Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-8
Paul spoke about the importance of having the “message”, the good news of Easter passed onto him and how he was now passing it onto the church in Corinth.
Discussion Starter: Who were the people who passed on the Good News of Easter to you?
Marcus Borg was a NT scholar, who shared the story of how in his twenties he went back to re-read the gospels and discovered that there was a lot more to the gospel stories than he was taught about in Sunday School or youth groups.
Discussion Starter: What are some of the things that you have discovered about Easter in recent years that you did not know about when you were younger?
For example … the following are just a small collection of some interesting things about Easter. As a group you may like to choose a few to have a discussion about. You can listen to each other’s thoughts or look up some of the links below or even start googling yourself.
How much do you know about the where Easter came from? If the name “Easter” is connected with the season of Spring, what does this mean for us who live in the southern hemisphere?
Do you know what Jesus was charged with in the Easter Story? Read Mark 14:55-65 and Luke 23:1-24. Was Jesus charged with Blasphemy? Treason against the Romans for claiming he was the King? Or stirring up a rebellion? Or was the charge irrelevant to the story?
Do you know that there were two earthquakes in Matthew’s version of the Easter Story? (Matthew 27:51 and Matthew 28:2). Do you think that these earthquakes were literal or symbolic (ie they were world changing moments)
Do you know that that some people were resurrected at the moment of Jesus death? (Look up Matthew 27:51-52). What do you think is the message that God wants to communication through these Good Friday resurrections? Why do you think they waited until resurrection Sunday to come out of their tombs? What is this even about?
Back to Study #1 Menu
Got Questions
- What is the meaning of Easter?
- What are the origins of Easter? + VIDEO
- How many times did Jesus predict His death?
- What trials did Jesus face before His crucifixion?
- What is the meaning of those who were raised to life at Jesus’ death (Matthew 27:52-53)?
Other Links to more:
- VIDEO “History of the Holidays: Easter” – History Channel or History of Easter Webpage
- ABC Australia – the Origins of Easter
- Wikipedia – Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus
- Facts and Details – Trial of Jesus (A secular look at the historical evidence)
- Who killed Jesus? (BBC article looking at the case against Caiaphas vs Pilate vs Jesus himself)
- Sermon text – The Earthquake of Easter. Rev. Joseph H. Hensley, Jr., St. George’s Episcopal Church
- Academic Article – The Earthquakes of the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ
- The Politics of an Easter Earthquake – comparing the Easter Earthquakes to contemporary state violence
- LiveScience – Looking for modern scientific evidence for Easter Earthquakes and darkness
- Resurrected Saints and Matthew’s Weirdest Passage (The Gospel Coalition)
- Catholic Standard – How can we understand the passage about the death coming forth from their tombs
- People Came Out of Their Tombs After Jesus Died?
- Christianity.com – What Is the Meaning of Those Who Were Raised to Life at Jesus’ Death?
- Truth or Tradition – Context of Matthew 27:52-53