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The first Easter

The death and resurrection of Jesus.
Contributed by Didier Martin
Story also available on our translated websites: Spanish, Portuguese, German, French
1
On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus and some of His disciples went to a garden on the Mount of Olives, known as the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus knew He was going to be betrayed, arrested, and ultimately sentenced to death. So while He was at the garden, He asked His disciples to keep watch while He prayed to His Father in heaven. He asked His Father to take away this cup of suffering from Him, but ended His prayer by submitting to His Father’s will. <br/>'My Father!' Jesus prayed, 'if it is possible, take this cup of suffering away from Me. Yet not what I want, but what You want.' The willingness that Jesus displayed at the garden of Gethsemane to die on the cross in our place, to pay the price for our sins, is amazing! – Slide 1
2
People of authority accused Him unjustly of claiming to be God’s Son and condemned Him to be put to death. Under Roman law, the Jewish counsel didn’t have the authority to put someone to death. So they took Jesus to the Romans to be tried and executed. Jesus was next taken to the Roman governor, who turned Jesus over to the soldiers to beat and crucify Him. After the soldiers had beaten Jesus, they dressed Him in a purple robe and placed a crown of thorns on His head. – Slide 2
3
They then led Jesus to the top of a hill known Golgotha, where He was crucified on a cross. On the evening of Jesus’ death, a man named Joseph of Arimathea went to the Roman governor Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Then Joseph and a few others took Jesus’ body from the cross, wrapped it in a linen cloth and placed it in a tomb. A big stone was rolled across the entrance of the tomb. – Slide 3
4
Early on the first Sunday morning after Jesus was crucified, several women who were friends of Jesus went to the tomb. They were very surprised to find the stone had been rolled away and the tomb empty. Two angels were standing there and told them: 'Do not be afraid, Jesus isn’t here, but has risen!' – Slide 4
5
Three days after His crucifixion, Jesus had risen from the dead. – Slide 5
6
Jesus later appeared to His disciples and followers for forty days, teaching them about the Kingdom of Heaven. – Slide 6
7
At the end of the forty days, Jesus and His disciples gathered together on a hill near Jerusalem. Jesus told them that they should wait in Jerusalem to receive a special gift from God, the gift of the Holy Spirit to give them power to be His witnesses to all the world. While they were looking at Him, Jesus rose in the clouds to go to be with His Heavenly Father, and then two angels appeared to the disciples and said, 'Why are you looking up to Heaven? Jesus will come back again.' – Slide 7
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Slide 8