PARENT RESOURCES
We want to partner with you by providing resources that give you the chance to connect with your student and help them grow in their faith. For weekly conversation starters regarding our current series, start here!
Current Series
CROSS-EXAMINED
Every year around Easter, controversy is stirred up asking the question “what really happened at the Cross?” You will see specials on TV looking at the theories surrounding it. However, if we really want to know what happened in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, why don’t we ask the people who were there? In the court of law one of the most trustworthy forms of proof is an eyewitness testimony. In this series, we will be examining the eye witness perspectives of the people who surrounded Jesus during his life, death, and resurrection to answer questions about what really happened at the cross and what that means for us!
WEEKLY CONVERSATION STARTERS
Week 1 | Judas
Read: John 12:1-8; Luke 6:12-16; Psalm 41:9; Mark 14:43-50
Examine: Why did Jesus choose Judas when He knew Judas was going to betray Him? Jesus' choices for followers is often a point of confusion. However Jesus' choice of Judas as one of the 12 disciples takes it a step further. As we put Judas on the stand and examine his life and relationship with Jesus as He heads to the cross, we get an insight into the why. Jesus loved Judas even when Judas loved other things more. The thing we learn most from the life of Judas is that Jesus’ love for us is greater than our sin against Him
Apply: What are some things that we can love more than Jesus? What are some rhythms we can create as a family that put Jesus first?
Pray: Pray that we don’t let our sin keep us from running to God.
Week 2 | Pilate
Read: John 18:28-40, 19:10-16; Mark 15:9-15; Matthew 27:19-26
Examine: Why did Jesus still go to the cross even though Pilate found Him innocent? The trail of Jesus shows us beyond a shadow of a doubt that not only was he legally innocent, but he was innocent in God’s eyes as well. Yet Jesus still went to the cross. In the courtroom of today someone who was punished for crimes they didn’t commit would be a huge injustice. Yet the greatest act of injustice in history is the greatest act of grace for us. The injustice of the cross lets us know that Jesus wasn’t pardoned so you could be.
Apply: Have you thought about the injustice of the cross recently? Discuss with your family how the Cross of Christ impacts you.
Pray: Pray that we never stop being overwhelmed by what Jesus did on the cross.
Week 3 | John
Read: John 19:25-27; John 21:20-22; Acts 1:8
Examine: If Jesus was actually loved by His followers, why didn’t any die with Him on the cross? Witnesses are powerful pieces of evidence in a courtroom. They can literally make the difference in whether someone is declared guilty or not guilty, or determining if something is true or untrue. When Jesus was being crucified, there were many witnesses to His death, including John. These witnesses were given responsibilities to carry out after Jesus’ death and resurrection. They could have objected to these responsibilities that they were given. After all, they weren’t ones they chose for themselves. However, they accepted them and God used their testimonies to benefit the entire world, even 2000 years later. John’s faithfulness shows us that your witness is determined by how you respond to your responsibility.
Apply: How do people witness Christ in your own life? How can we, as a family, be better witnesses for Christ?
Pray: Pray that God will allow your family to be better witnesses and not object to the responsibilities we have been given.
Week 4 | Thief on the Cross
Read: Luke 23:39-43; Matthew 27:44
Examine: Why did Jesus tell the thief on the cross that he would be with Him in Paradise? Approaching the bench in a courtroom is where a lawyer will come toward the judge. This act is usually treated with great reverence because of the position of honor that the judge holds. Regardless of the charge or guilty party, the judge holds the power to forgive. Jesus wasn’t alone on the cross, but He was alone in the unique punishment that He bore. One thief on the cross was able to see the difference between him and Jesus. Because of this acknowledgement of who Jesus was, the thief was forgiven. Jesus promises us that same forgiveness. We deserve to be on the cross. But even though we are guilty, when we approach the throne WITH Jesus, we are declared guiltless.
Apply: How do you normally approach the topic of God or your faith in conversations with others? How can our family treat Christ more like the criminal who acknowledged Jesus when we are around others?
Pray: Pray that God will give your family boldness in your faith and not shy away from difficult conversations or decisions.
Week 5 | Mary Magdalene
Read: Mark 16:1-8, 9-11; Luke 8:1-2; John 19:25; Mark 15:40
Examine: How could Jesus have raised himself from the dead? Jesus’ resurrection is the hinge that all of Christianity is based on. If He didn’t rise from the dead, then He couldn’t be God’s Son, and the Messiah still has yet to come and fulfill the law. This would mean that our sentence (what we deserve) is still death. This is what makes the discovery that Mary Magdalene and the women with her made at the tomb the most incredible discovery in human history! The empty tomb proves Jesus’ power over death and His position as God’s Son. Mary Magdalene may not have fully understood in the moment, but she got to see first hand that Jesus is more powerful than the sentence of sin.
Apply: What does it mean to you that Jesus was able to raise Himself from the dead? What could He do in your life knowing His power?
Pray: Pray for Jesus’ power to be evident in your family’s life.