Why the Resurrection Matters
This Week: Why the Resurrection Matters
Easter week provides an obvious opportunity to talk with teens about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Our cultural response to the holiday runs the gamut from ignoring it altogether, secularizing it for the sake of marketing and festivities, scorning it, and—perhaps—over-spiritualizing the day.
It may sound odd to say that we could over-spiritualize Easter, but it happens in two ways. When we place such a large spiritual emphasis on Easter that it makes our everyday walk with Christ seem meager by comparison, we can communicate to our kids and teens that it’s safe to keep Jesus on a special shelf instead of bringing Him into every moment of our “real lives.”
The other way some in our cultural over-spiritualize the day is by glossing over the very physical, bodily, blood-soaked death of Jesus—and His very physical, bodily, feet-on-the-grass resurrection. On Good Friday and Easter, we celebrate flesh-and-blood moments when a real heart stopped beating and actual lungs started processing oxygen again.
Our talking points this week come from Paul’s teaching on why the resurrection matters in 1 Corinthians 15. If you get a chance to read it carefully, you’ll find it helpful in talking over a few of the following questions with your child.
Talking Points:
- What are your favorite parts of what our family does for Easter every year? Anything you don’t like about how we celebrate the day?
- Do you like looking for hidden candy or eggs—or would you rather just go buy your own?
- In just a few sentences how would you explain to someone what’s involved in becoming a Christian? What are the must-believe parts of the Good News about Jesus? (See 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.)
- On Good Friday, we remember and celebrate the death of Jesus on the cross. Easter is all about His resurrection. Which one is more important? (Trick question; both are essential to our salvation.)
- Why do you think some people would want to believe that Jesus died for our sins without believing that He rose from the dead? Is it easier to believe in His death in our place on the cross than it is to believe in His coming back to life?
- What would you say could be called evidence that Jesus rose from the dead? [Parent: Might be worth reading this article on PlanetWisdom.com. Paul wrote about all the eyewitnesses who saw Jesus alive again in 1 Corinthians 15:5-8.]
- Would there be any point to being a Christian if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead? Would we really be forgiven from our sins? Would our beliefs mean anything at all? (See 1 Corinthians 5:12-19)
- Do you know anyone who is religious but doesn’t believe Jesus really came back to life physically after dying on the cross? There are people like that. Can you think of any real point to that kind of a religion? Would it really be Christian?
- Do you believe you will die and that your body will be made alive again one day, like Jesus? Why or why not? (See 1 Corinthians 15:20-22.)
- What is it worth to know that the physical death nearly every human being will experience doesn’t have to be the end—that our bodies can be resurrected just like Jesus’ was on the first Easter morning? That we can live forever? Could we put a value on that?
- Why would you say Jesus’ resurrection matters? What are we really celebrating on Easter Sunday?
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