Head: Know God's Word | Heart: Love God | Hands: Follow God's Way

Read Mark 15-16

Head

Yesterday, we read some stories about Jesus’ final days leading up to the cross. In today’s reading, we’re looking at what happened during Jesus’ crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection. You may have heard this story before, and it’s one we talk about a lot this time of year leading up to Easter. You may have heard this story called the Gospel, or “Good News.” In Mark 15, some awful things happened to Jesus. He was arrested even though He had never done anything wrong because there were people who didn’t like the things that He was saying or doing. The people who were against Jesus beat Him up and made Him carry a heavy cross for a long distance. Some people who study the Bible believe the cross could have even weighed up to 300 pounds! Imagine how hard that must have been! They then nailed Jesus to the cross where He died as the punishment for our sins. Jesus’ friends came and buried His body in a tomb and rolled a giant stone in front of it to close it up. They were very upset that their dear friend Jesus had died, and you probably feel sad as you read this story. Terrible things happened to Jesus unfairly, so why do we celebrate this at Easter? Why do we call it the Good News? Because the story doesn’t end there! Let’s keep reading in Mark 16 to see what happens!

Three days later, a friend of Jesus, Mary Magdalene went to visit His tomb and to her shock…it was EMPTY! An angel of the Lord appeared to her and told her that JESUS WAS ALIVE! He had risen from the grave just as He promised! This is called the Resurrection, and it’s the most amazing part of the story! Jesus is alive, and because of Him, we have an everlasting hope!

Heart

The stories written in these chapters happened a long, long time ago, but it is still the most important story ever told! Jesus’ love for you and for me (and for everyone!) was so big, that He died on the cross for us to take the punishment for our sins. Because of His great sacrifice, we can ask for forgiveness from our sins, have a relationship with God, and have eternal life through Him. Because Jesus rose again from the tomb, we can celebrate the fact that He is alive and is with us today! We can grow closer to Him through reading the Bible, praying, and asking for His help when we are going through hard times.

Hands

Can you think of some good news you’ve had lately? Maybe you won your soccer game, got a new pet, made straight A’s, or went on a really awesome vacation? Do you keep that good news to yourself? No, you tell everyone! The Good News of Jesus Christ is the same way! In Mark 16:15, Jesus tells His friends to share the Gospel with everyone, and He wants us to do the same thing! Who can you tell about Jesus this week?

Prayer: Dear God, thank You for sending Your son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. Thank You for loving me and forgiving me. Help me to share the Good News of Jesus’ love with a friend this week. Amen.