Don’t look for a living person in a grave! – April 1, 2024

Read: Mark 16-1-8

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
Mark 16:1-6,8

Don’t look for a living person in a grave!

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Where would you look for a spoon in your house? You wouldn’t look for a spoon in your bedroom closet or on a shelf in the living room. That would be silly. Those aren’t places you would find a spoon.

Where would you look for a person you thought had died and been buried? On the first Easter Sunday, there was a group of women who thought they knew. After all, they knew Jesus had died. They knew where Jesus had been buried. They thought they would find him where you would normally find a dead person—in a grave. In a cemetery.

But were they shocked! Instead of a dead Jesus, they found an angel with the most amazing news. “He is risen!” Jesus wasn’t in the grave anymore because Jesus wasn’t dead anymore. He was alive! And you wouldn’t look for living person in a grave!

That was really good news. The women didn’t quite understand it all that first Easter morning. After all, dead people normally don’t come back to life. But Jesus did! And because Jesus was alive, God had good news for all people. God has good news for you!

Jesus died on the cross because he had to take all of our sins from us. And God said that the punishment for sin was death. But he didn’t stay dead. God raised Jesus from the dead so that he was alive again. Here’s what it means for us: Because Jesus is alive, we can be sure that all of our sins, all the times we messed up, all the times we did the wrong thing—ALL of them have been forgiven. Our enemy, the devil, has been defeated. Death has been robbed of its power. Jesus is alive, and because he is alive, you too will live with him forever!

That is all really good news! All because Jesus isn’t dead, but alive. He is risen!

Closing Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank you for rising from the dead. Thank you for defeating the devil. Thank you for paying for my sins. Thank you for giving me eternal life in heaven. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• The women went to the Jesus’ grave because they thought he was dead. But what did they find?
• Name one good thing that happened because Jesus rose from the dead. Then name another good thing that will happen.

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• Why were the women going to the tomb? What were they expecting?
• Why was it so hard for the women to believe what the angel told them?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Why were the women concerned about the stone that sealed the tomb? What does this tell us about their expectations on that morning?
• Jesus died as the punishment for our sin. Why is his rising from the dead so important to us as Christians?