7 Days of the Easter Story: A Family Experience Through the Feelings of Holy WeekSample

The Joy of the Resurrection

The day after the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene and other women went to the tomb early in the morning. But they found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. Full of great joy, the women ran to tell the others the good news—Jesus had risen from the dead!

Can you believe it? Early Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene and the other women, who remained very faithful to Jesus, went to His tomb while it was still dark. A violent earthquake rocked the area as an angel appeared and rolled the stone away from the entrance of the tomb. The angel told the women, “Don’t be afraid....[Jesus] is not here. For he has risen” (Matthew 28:5–6).

After seeing that the tomb was empty, the women ran with great joy to tell the disciples. But the Bible says, “These words seemed like nonsense to them, and they did not believe the women” (Luke 24:11). So Peter ran to the tomb as fast as he could to see it for himself. When Peter and John arrived at the tomb, they, too, saw that it was empty. Peter was amazed! Later, when Jesus showed Himself to the rest of the disciples, “they still were amazed and in disbelief because of their joy” (Luke 24:41). This was just too good to be true! To show that He was indeed alive again, Jesus asked for something to eat, and they gave Him fish. Everything the disciples had hoped for had come true. Jesus was alive, and He still is!

Joy: On Day 1 we learned that when life is going well, we feel happy, but when it’s not, we don’t. Well, joy is different. Life doesn’t need to be going well for you to have joy. Joy is what you feel and why you can celebrate when you know “God’s got this,” no matter what you’re going through. You remind yourself that you have victory over your circumstances. You have victory over the enemy. You have victory over death. But living from joy requires faith. Even the disciples needed to see Jesus alive. They needed to see how real He was. They needed to experience Him. And so do you.

Family Discussion Questions:

• Imagine you were there at the resurrection. Where do you most see yourself in the story? At the tomb in the dark with the women? Arriving with Peter and John? What are you feeling when you first discover the tomb is empty?
• Describe a time you were filled with joy. Have you felt the joy of Jesus and experienced His presence?