Wisdom of the Saints:
“Treat this body with care, I pray you, and understand that with this body you will rise from the dead to be judged.” – St. Cyril of Jerusalem
“Born as a son and led forth as a lamb, sacrificed as a sheep, buried as a man, he rose from the dead as God, being by nature both God and man.” – St. Melito of Sardis
“The root of all good works is the hope of the resurrection…” – St. Cyril of Jerusalem
“God will repair what has been shattered, but not by mending it with something else. Rather, out of the old and very same material of its origin, He will impart to it an appearance of beauty pleasing to Himself.” – St. Hilary of Poitiers
Relevant Points:
- The tomb was empty. Yes, it is a simple point, but sometimes it’s the simplest points that we have a hard
time believing to be true. - The resurrection of Jesus is the greatest moment in our life, even thousands of years later, because it gives us a shot at eternal life.
- If Jesus did not rise from the dead, the Bible is a lie and our faith is a sham.
- If Jesus did not rise from the dead, tens of thousands of first century Jews abandoned their faith and their
salvation when they began worshipping a Trinitarian God and on Sunday (rather than Saturday). That is quite a departure from thousands of years of religious tradition for a “lie”. - If Jesus did not rise from the dead, the apostles died martyrs deaths to protect a lie.
- The resurrection fulfills our hope of Heaven and opens the door for us.
- Because Jesus rose from the dead and now sits at the right hand, we can put faith in every single word He
said and every promise He made, including that He went to prepare a place for us (John 14:3).
Things to Remember When Discussing this Topic:
- The Resurrection is a necessary teaching within the deposit of faith. It is not possible to truly believe in Christ
without believing in the totality of the Gospel. The resurrection shatters the mistruths teens have sometimes heard (or learned) that paint Christ as a mere moral philosopher. Be sure they are left with the proper picture of Christ by dismantling alternate “images” they may have been given. - The “conspiracy theory” that Christ was stolen and did not rise was advanced by small groups of people in different times of history and was, each time, shot down by truth. If the teens stumble across such a theory in their own minds, acknowledge it and acknowledge that they’re not the first to think of it.
- Some teens don’t really understand (or have never thought through) the severity of this truth. Be cautious as you unpack it as it will occasionally stir up emotions and questions in them that they are ill equipped to handle (i.e. their own mortality).