The night after the crucifixion of Jesus there were no Christians. No Jesus followers. No disciples. If you had asked Peter, James, or John who Jesus was they would have responded, “a dead man.” The events of that Friday left those who had spent their last three years with Jesus feeling hopeless and defeated. But then something happened.
The cross, the universal symbol of Roman oppression and cruelty, would become a symbol of hope, love, and life. The followers of Jesus who left the fold on that Friday would soon be preaching boldly in the streets. A situation that felt final, irreversible, and hopeless was transformed. Now, nothing is final. Because of Jesus, nothing is irreversible. Something happened that weekend and nothing seemed hopeless.
1. Peter and the disciples were in a bad place after the crucifixion. It’s difficult for us to place ourselves in their shoes. It’s difficult for us to understand what they were going through. Have you ever faced or been in a situation that seemed final, irreversible, and hopeless? What was the situation?
2. When we read the story of Easter we often read it from our current perspective. How does reading it from the perspective of the disciples change the way we think about faith?
3. "No reasonable person with a good grasp on reality would ever believe that a man had come back to life." Had you ever considered that the disciples were skeptical of the resurrection too, even after all the miracles they had already seen? Does that make a difference in your personal faith or make you view others' skepticism differently?
4. What happened Easter weekend changed everything: the meaning of the cross, Peter, and the trajectory of life for the disciples, to name a few. Out of all the things it changed, which has the most meaning for you? How does that change impact you?
5. Peter was holding on to guilt and shame from past mistakes, until the resurrection gave him an opportunity to make those wrong things right. Can you relate to Peter’s story? Are there any things in your life you’re holding onto when you don’t have to be?
