Picture from the Web Gallery of Art, where more information is available.

Albrecht Altdorfer, Resurrection of Christ Fra Angelico, Resurrection of Christ and Women at the Tomb Giovanni Bellini, Resurrection of Christ Giotto di Bondone, Resurrection (Noli me tangere) Miniaturist, Austrian, Resurrection of Christ

Hope - Resurrection

Mark 16 1-8; Matthew 28:1-8; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-10

'He is not here, he has been raised...'

After the Sabbath Mary Magdalene and two other of Jesus's friends went to the tomb with precious spices. They wanted to show their love and respect by anointing the body of Jesus. As they walked through the early morning sunlight, they wondered how they could move the enormous stone from the entrance to the grave. Then they saw, to their astonishment, that the stone had already been moved away. A young man in white was sitting there 'Do not be alarmed, I know you are looking for Jesus..he is not here...he has been raised. Go and tell the disciples that you will see him again in Galilee'. In their astonishment and terror, the three friends ran from the tomb.

Have you ever been in a situation where you were so sad and hopeless that it felt like the end of the world? What made you feel like that? Do things feel better now? If so, what happened in the end to make things change?

The gospels tell how Jesus had said to his disciples that he would not leave them alone, that he would be with them and that he would rise again from the dead. Why do you think the women were so scared by what they saw?

After this, the gospels tell of appearances by Jesus after his resurrection. Look up these stories (Matthew 28-11-20, Luke 24:13-53 and Mark 16:9-20). What do you make of these accounts? What do YOU think happened that caused people to follow Jesus after his death, in the earliest years of the Christian faith?