Questions for Reflection and Discussion
Bobby Warrenburg - March 31, 2024
A Disciple's Resurrection
Scripture References: Mark 15:42-49, Mark 16:1-8
From Series: "The Kingdom Through The Cross"
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Read Mark 15:42-16:8 (ESV):
And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. 45 And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. 46 And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.
16:1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
- What “little gifts from God” have you experienced in everyday life?
- What reminders of Jesus’s death are included in this text? Why would Mark mention these things here when he’s describing the resurrection?
- C.S. Lewis, in his book The Great Divorce, wrote, “We tend to say of some suffering, no future bliss can make up for it – as though it must be erased and replaced with something better. Not realizing that heaven will work backwards and turn even that agony into a glory…this process begins before death. A good man’s past begins to change so that his forgiven sins and sorrows take on the quality of Heaven. The Blessed will say, ‘We have never lived anywhere except in Heaven.’” Talk about what Lewis means and about how resurrection hope works backwards in our lives.
- Share an example of how God has repurposed bad or difficult things in your own past so that they brought about something good.
- How can your “tessera” (a small piece out of a mosaic representing your pain or difficulty) make God’s big-picture mosaic more beautiful?
- What do the word “his” in 16:7 and the words “and Peter” communicate?
- What do the words, “just as he told you” communicate?
- Why did Jesus choose Galilee as the place to meet the disciples rather than somewhere more impressive or spiritually significant? What does this say for our lives regarding where we can experience Jesus?
- How does Christianity differ from other religions and philosophies of the world?
- What did you sense God saying to you through this passage and this message?
