Intersection: "Exit and Encore"      April 05, 2026 

NOTE: Due to an unfortunate printing error, today's lesson in Intersection is found on April 19. We apologize for any confusion.

Every great story has a moment where everything seems lost. Think about how your students reacted to the end of a favorite show or movie where the hero appears defeated. Or consider how social media erupted when a beloved artist “retired,” only to announce a comeback tour months later. That narrative arc, the stunning exit followed by an unexpected encore, is woven into the very fabric of how we experience meaning. And it turns out, it’s at the heart of the Easter story.

This week’s lesson, “Exit and Encore,” pulls together two passages from Mark that no one would ever write into a hero’s story on purpose: the death of Jesus (Mark 15:33–39) and the empty tomb (Mark 16:1–8). Taken alone, each passage is incomplete. The crucifixion without the resurrection is just tragedy. The empty tomb without the cross is just a mystery. Together, they are the most consequential event in history.

Today’s teenagers are not sheltered from suffering. They scroll past war footage, school shooting alerts, and stories of injustice before breakfast. Many have experienced real personal loss, a grandparent, a classmate, sometimes someone even closer. They know, better than we might expect, that life is not always fair.

What they may not yet know is that the Christian faith does not pretend otherwise. Jesus was also a victim of profound injustice. He was abandoned, mocked, and killed. Mark does not soften this. The darkness at noon, the torn temple curtain, the cry of dereliction, these are raw and real. Your students need to see that their faith does not require them to fake optimism. It offers them something better: hope that is grounded in a resurrection that actually happened.

• When has something in your life felt like a “final word” that turned out not to be? What changed your perspective?
• Why do you think Mark describes darkness covering the land during the crucifixion? What does that image communicate emotionally?
• The women at the tomb were told Jesus had risen, but the text says they were afraid. Have you ever received good news that was hard to fully believe? What helped you accept it?
• How does knowing Jesus suffered unjustly change the way you think about your own experiences of pain or unfairness?