Did Jesus Really Die?
Month 7: He Is Risen! — Why We Believe · Why We Believe
Today's Scripture
Read together: John 19:31–37
31 It was the day of Preparation, and the next day was a High Sabbath. In order that the bodies would not remain on the cross during the Sabbath, the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies removed. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. 35 The one who saw it has testified to this, and his testimony is true. He knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe. 36 Now these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of His bones will be broken.” 37 And, as another Scripture says: “They will look on the One they have pierced.”
Memory Verse
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,”— 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: 2 Kings 12–13; 2 Chronicles 21–23
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 183 of 365 — kings rise and fall, but God keeps His promise to David's line.)The Heart of It
The empty tomb only matters if the grave was real. So John gives us careful details. He was an eyewitness who stood at the cross. The Roman soldiers came to break the legs of the men being crucified to speed up their deaths. But when they reached Jesus, He was already dead. So they didn't break His legs. Instead, one soldier thrust a spear into His side, and "immediately blood and water flowed out." John stops and underlines it. He says, "The one who saw it has testified to this, and his testimony is true." He wants us to know that Jesus was genuinely, certainly dead.
Why does John care so much? Because the entire Christian faith stands or falls right here. If Jesus only fainted and later woke up, there is no resurrection. There is only a survival story. But Roman soldiers were experts at killing. Their own lives were on the line if a prisoner escaped death. And John adds that even this fulfilled Scripture written long before. One verse says, "Not one of His bones will be broken" (; ). Another says, "They will look on the One they have pierced" (). The death of Jesus was real. It was witnessed. And it was exactly what God had said would happen. A real death sets the stage for a real resurrection.
Around the Table
Jesus really, truly died. He wasn't just sleeping. The soldiers knew He was gone. But that's not the end of the story!
Let's do it: Whisper, "Jesus really died for me," then smile big because Sunday is coming.
The soldiers checked, and a spear proved Jesus was dead. John saw it with his own eyes. Then he wrote it down so we would know it's true.
Let's talk: Why is it important to know that Jesus really died and didn't just faint?
A spear made "blood and water" flow out. Doctors say that is a sign of real death. John records it as an eyewitness, and it fulfilled prophecies written centuries earlier.
Let's go deeper: How does a real death make the resurrection more amazing, not less believable?
💬 Conversation Starter
If you were a reporter at the cross, what one detail would you write down to prove what really happened? John picked the spear. That was solid eyewitness evidence.
🛡️ Defending the Faith
When someone says, "Maybe Jesus just fainted on the cross and woke up in the tomb," you can kindly answer. Roman soldiers executed people for a living. They would be killed themselves if a prisoner survived. So they confirmed His death with a spear. And even doctors who study the account agree the "blood and water" shows real death. A barely-alive man who clawed out of a sealed tomb wouldn't convince anyone He had conquered death. As reminds us, we give this answer "with gentleness and respect." We answer kindly. We are not trying to win an argument. We are trying to point a friend to Jesus.
For Dad · Go Deeper
The "swoon theory" sounds clever until you examine it. And that pattern holds for most objections to the resurrection: they collapse under honest scrutiny. This is good news for you as a dad. You are not asking your children to believe in spite of the evidence. You are asking them to believe because of it. Christianity has nothing to fear from hard questions. Model that confidence. When your kids raise doubts in the teen years, and they will, let them find a father who leans in calmly rather than panics. Faith that has been allowed to ask "did this really happen?" grows roots that hold in the storm.
Draws on: Josh & Sean McDowell, Evidence That Demands a Verdict.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You that Jesus truly died for us. He really died, fully, in our place. We don't have to be afraid of hard questions. The truth is on Your side. Help us trust what You have shown us. In Jesus' name, amen."
Jesus truly died. And because the death was real, the resurrection is the greatest victory ever won.