The bright pink tractor was spinning around and around, and smoke and steam surrounded it. An angel came out of the smokestack! When the smoke and steam cleared away, M&M and Gummy Bear saw that they were in front of a hillside, and there was a big rock up against the hill. There was a group of soldiers guarding the big rock. Gummy Bear thought that it was so funny that the soldiers were guarding a rock, but M&M told him that this was where Jesus was buried after He had died on the cross. Behind that rock was a tomb cut into the rocky hillside. The soldiers were guarding the tomb because the people that had killed Jesus had heard Jesus say that He would rise from the dead in three days, and they did not want that to happen.
The soldiers were bored, they had been standing there all night guarding the tomb behind the stone. Two of the soldiers decided that they would spend the time practicing with their swords. So, they got out their swords and began to practice fighting against each other. It was lively and exciting to watch them, but Gummy Bear had another idea. Since he and M&M were invisible to everyone except angels and God, Gummy Bear carefully and quietly snuck up behind one of the fighting soldiers and tripped him! That soldier fell against the other soldier, and the two of them fell against the rest of the soldiers! They all fell to the ground in a heap! The soldiers had no idea what had just happened, but they all got back on their feet and looked embarrassed!
Just then something happened! A shining angel suddenly appeared! The angel rolled the big stone away from the tomb and sat on top of it! The soldiers saw the angel and they all fell down again! This time they did not get up; they had all fainted from fear! The angel looked at M&M and Gummy Bear and said, “Watch what happens next.”
Two women came to the tomb to put more spices on the body of Jesus. They saw that the stone was rolled away, and they saw the angel! The angel said to them:
“Don’t be afraid! I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as He said would happen. Come, see where His body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead, and He is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see Him there. Remember what I have told you.”
The women started running back to into the city to tell the disciples, and Jesus met them while they were on the way. The women wanted to hug Him and worship Him, but Jesus said:
“Don’t cling to me, for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
The women continued into the city. M&M and Gummy Bear waited by the tomb and soon something happened! The angel disappeared, and the soldiers one-by-one began to wake up! They saw the stone was rolled away and that the tomb was empty! They did not know what to think, but they remembered the angel and they did not want to see that angel again! They ran from the tomb and went into the city!
As the sound of the solder’s footsteps died away in the distance, M&M and Gummy Bear heard some other footsteps, and they were getting closer! Two men were running to the tomb from the city. They were both disciples of Jesus. John was running like a track star, and he arrived at the tomb and gracefully stopped at the entrance of the tomb. Peter was huffing and puffing and seemed like he was about to collapse! He yelled, “Help me I cannot stop!” He went past John and right into the tomb! In a minute Peter came out of the tomb and said, “I am so confused!”
John then went into the tomb and saw that the body of Jesus was not there, but the graveclothes were still lying there! It looked like the body of Jesus had disappeared and left the graveclothes lying there! John came out of the tomb and yelled, “I believe! Jesus has risen from the dead!”
M&M jumped up and down and cheered! His foot landed on the bright red button on the bright pink tractor! Instantly the bright pink tractor began spinning in circles, smoke and steam surrounded them, nothing came out of the smokestack!
When the smoke and steam cleared away, M&M and Gummy Bear saw that they were home, just in time to celebrate Easter!
What Gummy Bear, M&M and you can learn from this story:
This story about Jesus rising from the dead is found in the Bible in Matthew 28:1-15 & John 20:1-17
Jesus giving His life on the cross to pay for sin, and then rising from the dead are the most important events in history!
If Jesus had not given his life on the cross, we could never be forgiven for our sins.
If Jesus had not risen from the dead, and we would have no hope of spending eternity with God in heaven!
In the Bible in Colossians 1:15-19 it says:
Christ (Jesus) is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see – such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through Him and for Him. He existed before anything else, and He holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is His body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So He is first in everything.
In the Bible in I Corinthians 15:14-20 it says:
And if Christ (Jesus) has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God – for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.
Jesus did rise from the dead and all who believe and ask Him to forgive them and take control of their life will also rise from the dead and live forever with Him! This is the greatest news ever!