The story of a private jet frozen by its tail to an airport apron travelled the world and drew hundreds of thousands of views, except that it never happened. This modern fake news opens a reflection on the first false report in Christian history: the paid rumour that was set loose on the very morning of the resurrection (Matthew 28). The sermon shows why the evangelists’ accounts, with their awkward, unpolished details, proved stronger than everything set against them. Listen and see what really underpins the faith of eleven ordinary people who simply went.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- The chief priests pay the guards to spread the story that the disciples stole Jesus' body (Matthew 28:11-15). Why do you think Matthew, writing to a Jewish audience, thought it important to record this detail?
- The first witnesses of the empty tomb are women, whose testimony carried no weight at the time, and the disciples are shown as frightened and doubting. What do these inconvenient details tell you about the reliability of the Gospel accounts?
- The pastor quoted the idea that the resurrection is not a belief that grew up in the church, but the belief around which the church grew. How do you understand that difference, and what does it change about your faith?
- On the mountain the disciples worship Jesus, though some doubt, and yet they are given a huge task. What encourages you about Jesus entrusting His mission to people with wavering faith?
- Jesus gives the disciples just two things: His authority and the promise, "I am with you always." How do these two truths shape the way you approach tasks that seem beyond your strength?
- The disciples had only their own story of meeting Jesus, and they told others what they had seen and heard. Who could you tell this week about what the risen Jesus has changed in your life?
