Eyewitnesses Saw the Risen Jesus
Month 10: Telling the Good News · Why We Believe
Today's Scripture
Read together: Acts 2:22-32
22 Men of Israel, listen to this message: Jesus of Nazareth was a man certified by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know. 23 He was delivered up by God’s set plan and foreknowledge, and you, by the hands of the lawless, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross. 24 But God raised Him from the dead, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep Him in its grip. 25 David says about Him: ‘I saw the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will dwell in hope, 27 because You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence.’ 29 Brothers, I can tell you with confidence that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that He would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Foreseeing this, David spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did His body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, to which we are all witnesses.
Memory Verse
“How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!””— Romans 10:14-15 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Isaiah 25-27
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 294 of 365 — Isaiah promises God will one day "swallow up death.")The Heart of It
When Peter preached at Pentecost, he didn't say, "I have a feeling Jesus is alive." He said, "This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses" (). A witness is someone who saw something happen and can tell you about it in court. The good news of Jesus isn't a fairy tale handed down by people who weren't there. It started with eyewitnesses. These were people who knew Jesus and watched Him die. Then they ate fish with Him after He rose. They weren't fooled, and they weren't faking. They were willing to suffer and even die rather than take back their story.
This is one of the strongest reasons we can believe. Think about it. People will sometimes die for something they wrongly believe is true. But almost no one will die for something they know is a lie. The apostles were in the perfect position to know whether Jesus really rose. And they spent the rest of their lives telling everyone He did, even when it got them beaten and killed. When we tell others the good news, we're not passing along a guess. We're passing along a true report. It was confirmed by people who saw it with their own eyes and signed it with their own blood. That's why we can speak with confidence. And that's why we can speak with kindness, because the truth doesn't need shouting to be true.
Around the Table
Peter and his friends really saw Jesus alive again. They told everybody because it really happened!
Let's do it: Cover your eyes, then open them wide: "I see! Jesus is really alive!"
A witness tells what they saw with their own eyes. The first Christians were witnesses of the risen Jesus.
Let's talk: Why is "I saw it happen" stronger than "I heard a rumor"?
The apostles suffered and died for saying Jesus rose. People die for what they believe is true, but not for what they know is a lie.
Let's go deeper: How would you kindly answer a friend who says, "The disciples just made it all up"?
💬 Conversation Starter
If you witnessed something amazing — like a meteor or a record being broken — would you keep quiet, or tell everyone? Why did the first Christians refuse to stay quiet?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
When someone says: "Nobody really knows if Jesus rose. It was a long time ago." You can kindly answer like this: "Actually, the people who started the church were eyewitnesses. They said they saw Him alive, and they kept saying it even when it cost them their lives. We can read their reports in writings dated within a generation of the events. Paul even listed over 500 witnesses (). That's not a legend that grew over centuries. It's testimony from people who were there." Say it with gentleness and respect (). You're offering good news, not winning an argument.
For Dad · Go Deeper
The earliest Christian preaching is recorded in Acts, and it is relentlessly evidential. It appeals to public events the hearers could check: "as you yourselves also know" (). This matters for how we disciple our kids. Faith in Scripture is never "believe even though there's no reason." It's "trust the One who has shown Himself trustworthy." Teach your children that Christianity is a faith you can examine, not one you have to switch your brain off for. One day they will hit university or the internet, and someone will sneer that believers are gullible. You want the soil already planted by then. The resurrection is the best explanation of the empty tomb, the transformed disciples, and the explosive birth of the church. So give them reasons now, gently, before the world hands them doubts later.
Draws on: J. Warner Wallace, Cold-Case Christianity.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You that the good news is true. Real people saw Jesus alive, and they told the world. Help us believe it and share it with confidence and kindness. In Jesus' name, amen."
I believe in a risen Jesus on the word of people who saw Him and died for it.