3. The Meaning of The Resurrection - (Episode 3)

[Upbeat Music] Are you the kind of person who likes surprises, or do you like to know the grand plan? I cannot cope with surprises. I’m sweating just thinking about it! When I first got married, we had one golden rule... no jumping out from behind walls! Come on... It’s not even funny, I just get angry. Like, the kind of anger when you bite into what you think is a chocolate muffin, but the chocolate chips turn out to be raisins! - There are other surprises that are much more enjoyable. Like birthday parties, snow days, and finding a great toy in a kinder egg!! [Upbeat Music] But there is one surprise that’s unlike any other, and it took place on that very first Easter. [Upbeat Music] - After Jesus died, He was taken down, wrapped in cloth and placed in a tomb. [Upbeat Music] Just to make sure no one could get in, a large rock was rolled in front of the tomb, ‘that is a nice boulder’. And out of fear that someone might steal the body, Roman soldiers were told to guard the tomb. [Upbeat Music] - A couple of days later, some women came to visit the tomb. But this is where things get really interesting! Because, just as they arrived, the Bible tells us that there was yet another earthquake just like when Jesus died on the cross! Except this time, angels came down from heaven, shining as white as snow, and rolled the large rock away from the front of the tomb. They could hardly believe their eyes! And as you can probably imagine, the guards who were looking after the tomb were so afraid that they just froze, not knowing what to say or what to do. [Upbeat Music] - This wasn't like opening a Kinder egg, It was the most incredibly surprising news anyone could ever hear! The angels turned to the women who were standing there and said: “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen...” (Luke 24:5-6 NLT). Jesus, the one who had come to rescue the world, the one who had been crucified and buried in the tomb was alive! - From that moment on, Jesus was seen in all kinds of places, He was eating and chatting with His friends. He turned up to a dinner party to the surprise of everyone, Mark would have lost it. We even read that Jesus showed up to over 500 people at one time! [Upbeat Music] - This isn’t just a really cool story, although it is pretty cool. The resurrection, Jesus rising from the dead, is a game changer! This shows us that Jesus is more powerful than death. And I believe this is incredible news because even when I experience difficult times in my life, Jesus shows me that suffering and death are not the end. Because of Jesus, there is hope that one day ‘there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain’. (Rev 21:4) - For me, this shows God’s extraordinary love for us. Even though people ignored God and turned their backs on him, He never gave up on his creation and did exactly what He said He would do. By dying and rising in this way, He dealt with the brokenness in the world and made it possible for the friendship between God and people to be restored, so that we can experience love and life in all its fullness, if we follow him. [Upbeat Music] This news has changed my life because I know that no matter what mistakes I’ve made or will make that I can turn to God knowing that He loves and forgives me. - After Jesus had risen from the dead and appeared to people, the Bible then tells us that He went up to heaven, and that his friends went on to start the Christian church as we know it today. Jesus’s friends were so impacted by what had happened on that very first Easter that they gave everything to share this good news. They wanted everyone to know the lengths that God would go to, to show his extraordinary love! [Upbeat Music]