Easter Story from "The Living Christ"

Here is a sample of the Easter story adapted from GRN's "Lessons from The Living Christ". The simple text is designed to be translated and recorded in many languages while the brightly coloured pictures attract and add to the message. Maybe a gift from you or your Church could make these materials available to those who cannot afford them. Please remember to pray for the effective ministry of the recordings, players and pictures charts, and those who use them, so that people can hear (and see) the Gospel Message in their own language.

Introduction. Is there life after death?

Some people say that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, but is it really true? Listen carefully and look at the pictures while I tell you what happened.

Look at Picture 108.

About two thousand years ago Jesus lived in the land of Israel. Jesus said He was the Son of God and the Christ who would save the world. He taught the people about God and He worked many miracles, but the leaders of Israel would not believe in Him. Instead they sentenced Him to death. They crucified Him on a cross as you see in this picture. Two other men were crucified with Jesus. They were criminals. They died as punishment for their own sins but Jesus had done nothing wrong. He died as the sacrifice to pay for the sin of everyone in the world.

Picture 109.

There was a disciple of Jesus named Joseph who came from Arimathea. He was a rich man. He had made a new tomb in a garden near the place where Jesus died. Nicodemus (the man who came to Jesus at night) helped Joseph. They took the dead body of Jesus down from the cross and they laid the body in the new tomb. Some men rolled a great stone across the entrance. Then Pilate sent soldiers to guard the tomb.

Picture 110.

On the third day after Jesus died an amazing thing happened. Early that morning an angel appeared at the tomb of Jesus. There was a great earthquake. The angel rolled back the stone at the entrance to the tomb and he sat upon it. The soldiers were so afraid that they fell down like dead men. Two of the women who followed Jesus went to see the tomb. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid. Jesus is not here. Go and tell His disciples He has risen from the dead."

Picture 111.

The women ran and told the disciples but they did not believe them. So Peter and John ran to the tomb. They saw that the body of Jesus was not there. The grave clothes were still in the tomb. Nobody had touched the grave clothes but the body had gone. Then John believed. He knew that Jesus was no longer dead. He had come back to life again (as He had promised)!

Picture 112.

One of the women called Mary Magdalene stayed at the tomb. She was crying. Then she looked into the tomb and saw two angels. They said to her, "Why are you crying?" Suddenly, Jesus Himself appeared. Mary did not know who He was. She thought He was the gardener who had taken the body of Jesus so she said, "Tell me where you have put Him." Then Jesus said to her, "Mary!" Immediately she knew His voice. It was true! ...

Jesus had risen from the dead!