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Lesson OneA Public Execution Assured His Death5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson TwoA High Official Secured The Gravesite5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson ThreeIn Spite Of Guards, The Grave Was Found Empty5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson FourHis Apostles Were Dramatically Changed5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson FiveMany Claimed To Have Seen Him Alive5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson SixJewish Believers Changed Their Day Of Worship5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson SevenWitnesses Were Willing To Die For Their Claims5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson EightAlthough His Resurrection Was Unexpected, It Was Clearly Predicted5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson NineThe Resurrection Was A Fitting Climax To A Miraculous Life5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson TenThe Resurrection Fits The Experience Of Those Who Trust Him5 Activities1 Assessment
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Course Wrap-UpCourse Completion1 Activity1 Assessment
Participants 78
Discussion Questions
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What was happening in Jerusalem on that weekend? Of what value were the witnesses who could share testimony of what they had seen and heard?
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18 Replies
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The fact that the Passover was being celebrated the same weekend that Jesus and seen by so many had to give pause to think about the Passover lamb whose blood was placed on the door lintels to insure their safety from the angel of death. There may have been some who made the connection after the resurrection of Jesus.
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In the year 33 A.D. in Jerusalem, on this weekend, two things are taking place. In the evening in this land of the bible, the Jewish Passover and Jesus was crucified. His disciples were scattered. He was crucified and two others with Him. One on either side and Jesus in the center. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and the other who was crucified with him. Anyone who was in Jerusalem on this day would have seen him die. The value of these witnesses who could confirm what they had seen and heard was invaluable.
Joseph of Arimathea was a member of the Sanhedrin. He and his friend Nicodemus had asked for the body of Jesus. They were secret followers of Jesus. Joseph was willing to step up and claim Jesus’ body from the cross and bury him in a new tomb. He knew that Jesus was for sure truly dead because he was there at the burial. He could provide witness testimony to the resurrection as he could prove that Jesus was no longer in his family’s tomb.
There were a number of unbelievers who came to witness Jesus’ death on Calvary. Their testimony was important. They had an unbiased view of what had happened. Some of them were the Jewish people, High priests, roman soldiers and the Sanhedrin.
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On this weekend in Jerusalem, Jesus and two criminals were being crucified. The witnesses account helps to establish credibility. It also helps to encourage faith, and spread the word of Jesus Christ to his followers.
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The crucifixion of Jesus and two sinners were happening on that weekend. It was the start of Passover, and several witnesses saw Jesus dying on the cross and his side pierced when blood and water spilled out. This is significant because Jesus’ death is paramount to the Christian faith.
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Jesus was going to be crucified. People were turning against Him and listening to others that wanted Him crucified. There was a trial and even though Pilate didn’t agree with the crowd, he listened, and Jesus was sent to be put to death on the cross.
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Who was Joseph of Arimathea? How was he involved in Jesus’ death? What role does he play in establishing Jesus’ resurrection?
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10 Replies
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He was a member of the Sanhedrin, the very ones before whom Jesus was first taken after His arrest. Joseph requested the body of Jesus after His crucifixion to be buried in Joseph’s personal tomb and he could attest to the secure seal of the tomb when Jesus was buried.
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Joseph pf Arimathea was a wealthy man who gave a rich man’s tomb for Jesus to be buried in. Because the tomb had to have a stone rolled in front of it, the fact that the stone was rolled away (it would be impossible to do it from the inside and too heavy for the women to roll away) it confirms that something supernatural occured.
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Joseph of Arimathea was a member of the Sanhedrin, who also was not convinced of Jesus’ guilt. He the as an act of compassion, with the assistance of Nicodemus, requested the body of Christ, to bury Him in his own hewn grave.
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Joseph of Arimathea was a part of the Sanhedrin. He was willing to step forward and claim Jesus’ body from the cross and bury Him in a new tomb. This tomb would have been well known because Joseph was well known. The grave is now empty. This would have been easy to find out at that time! He was not a fictional character as we have Joseph’s “resume” within the Scripture.
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Joseph was part of the Sanhedrin and most likely a follower of Jesus. He asked Pilate for Jesus’ body in order to place it in his family’s tomb. He knew that Jesus was truly dead as he was there at the burial. He also could provide witness testimony to the resurrection as he could prove that Jesus was no longer in his family’s tomb.
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Who were some of the unbelievers who witnessed Jesus’ death on Calvary? Of what value is their testimony of what happened after Jesus’ death?
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11 Replies
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There were priests, townspeople, soldiers and the criminals on either side whose dialogue is written in scripture. Even the fact that the two criminals had their legs broken and Jesus did not testify to scripture.
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Chruch leaders, Roman soldiers, random town people who may not have heard or follwed Jesus but just showed up to witness the crucifixion. Their testimony is valuable, because they had no real vested interested in what happened. They had an unbiased view point.
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The Roman soldiers at the foot of the cross; the Centurion who attested to the fact that “truly this man was the Son of God”; the Sanhedrin members, scribes, Sadducees and general public who were disappointed with the Messiah they saw compared to what they were hoping for. The Centurion’s testimony is powerful. The soldiers would have experienced the nearby earthquakes, and must have realized that this was no ordinary death.
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There were numerous crowds of people in Jerusalem during the Passover. They would have observed Jesus coming into Jerusalem at the beginning of the week, watched His actions in the Temple, and seen how He had been placed on trial, and then crucified. (As I have thought through this, it would be like those who were first-hand viewers of what happened on 9/11. They may not have all seen the specific details, but they were a part of it and heard it from other witnesses. While I realize we are still in the time frame of people living to tell about it, it will be no different 100 years from now when all witnesses are gone, but the accounts remain.)
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The crowd in Jerusalem who had called for his crucifixion or were in the streets when he passed by and went to Golgotha to see the crucifixion. The guards who cast lots for his garment and were standing there while he died, witnessing the events and the earthquake. The guards who pierced his side and broke the legs of others. The religious leaders who had called for Jesus’ death. They would all certainly be able to speak to the fact that Jesus did die and was taken off the cross because he was dead to dispute any notion that he hadn’t really died. They had no reason to lie that Jesus hadn’t died…they wanted him dead.