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Series: Gospel of John
Title: Aha!
1 Timothy 2:4
...who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
John 20:1-9
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
John 20:11-18
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). 17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
John 20:19-23
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
John 20:26-29
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Mark 12:30
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
John 20:30-31
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
1 in a 100,000,000,000,000,000

SHARE
What is your favorite short-cut or “hack” that you have discovered? How has it made your life better? What are some examples of “A-ha moments” in everyday life that suddenly changed how you see someone or something?
LOVE DEEPLY
Read John 20:1-10.... Q: How do you express appreciation when someone blesses you? How was Mary Magdalene going to the tomb “while it was still dark” demonstrating her awareness of all that Jesus had done for her? Would you be more like you Peter or John upon arriving at the tomb where they had laid Jesus body? What is the difference between believing a fact and understanding its meaning?
KNOWN BY NAME
Read John 20:11-18....Q: Can you remember a time when you encountered someone (Dr., teacher, pastor, mechanic) out of their familiar context and it caught you off guard? Jesus reveals Himself to Mary by calling her by name, who can get your attention no matter what? What does Mary’s response reveal about her relationship with Jesus? Why do you think God often reveals Himself personally rather than only through information or arguments? How does Mary’s story challenge the idea that someone’s past disqualifies them from being used by God?
STOP DOUBTING
Read John 20:19-31....Q: Jesus says, “Peace be with you,” multiple times. Why do you think peace was His first message to fearful disciples? How are we sent the “same way” as Jesus was sent? How is the mission of Jesus bigger than simply sharing information about salvation? Thomas wanted personal evidence before believing. How does Jesus meet him in his doubt?
PRAYER
Pray together to trust Jesus more and more. Pray that we would walk in the freedom and joy of our assignment as “Sent Ones!”