Leader packs · Defend the Faith · The lesson itself
Teach: Did Jesus rise from the dead?
The Christian faith stands or falls here, and Paul says so himself. Learn the answer at three depths: hallway, coffee, and the long evening.
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
1 Corinthians 15:20 (BSB)
In plain words
But. Paul's whole argument turns on that word. Christ has been raised, and 'firstfruits' means he is the first of a harvest, not a one-off: what happened to him will happen to those who belong to him.
The original word · Firstfruits: aparchē
The Greek word is aparchē, the first portion of the harvest, offered to God before the rest was gathered. Thayer's lexicon notes that, said of Christ here, it carries a pledge: the firstfruits come first and guarantee that the rest of the harvest follows.
Context · The first sheaf
In Israel's worship, the first sheaf of the harvest was brought to God as an offering before the crop was gathered in (Leviticus 23:10). Paul's readers knew the picture: one sheaf first, the whole field after it.
Teaching outline
- 1Thirty secondsRead the 30-second layer aloud twice. Ask the group to retell it in their own words to a partner, once each.
- 2Three minutesWalk the 3-minute layer, reading 1 Corinthians 15:3 to 4 and Acts 2:32 at their points. Name the four facts: died, buried, raised, appeared.
- 3The deep diveTake the deep dive's five sections at pace. Linger on the early creed and on Thomas: sceptics are the strongest witnesses.
- 4Close: the mannerClose with 1 Peter 3:15 read aloud. The manner is part of the message.
Discussion questions
- Paul says the faith is worthless if Christ is not raised. Why does he refuse to soften that?
- Which alternative explanation (stolen body, swoon, legend) do you hear most often? What fact does it fail to explain?
- Why is it significant that the first witnesses were women?
- Read 1 Peter 3:15. What would gentleness and respect sound like in an actual argument about this?
Pushback you will meet
“Weren't the appearances just grief and wishful thinking?”
Grief explains a glimpse by one mourner, not repeated appearances to groups, sceptics and an enemy, over forty days, ending abruptly at the Ascension. And a vision does not leave an empty tomb behind it.
After His suffering, He presented Himself to them with many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a span of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
Acts 1:3 (BSB)
In plain words
For forty days after his suffering, Jesus kept appearing to his followers, giving them many convincing proofs that he was alive, and teaching them about the kingdom of God.
Context · Luke's second book
Acts opens by tying itself to Luke's Gospel, 'my first book' (Acts 1:1). The forty days run from the resurrection to the day Jesus was taken up (Acts 1:9).
“undefined”
Paul quotes a summary he received, and says most of the five hundred witnesses were still alive to be asked. Legends grow in the dark, over generations. This was proclaimed in the city where it happened, within weeks, in front of hostile hearers.
that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
1 Corinthians 15:4 (BSB)
In plain words
Because he truly died, he was buried. And he truly rose, on the third day, as the Scriptures said he would.
See also · On the third day
Paul does not name the passages here. Jesus himself spoke of the three days by the sign of Jonah (Matthew 12:40), and Hosea 6:2 speaks of being raised up on the third day.
Before the session
Bibles open at 1 Corinthians 15. The lesson's three layers are the teaching; leaders should resist adding a fourth.
Downloads
The full set of downloads (Kahoot .xlsx, CSV, printable quiz) is generated from the lesson page; the printable quiz is here.