Jesus lives!

Matthew 28:1-20.

To help students learn that Jesus was resurrected from the dead.

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die’” (John 11:25-26a, NIV*).

It is likely that some of your students have not yet experienced the death of a relative or close friend. However, most know that losing a loved one is a painful experience.

Today’s lesson not only tells us about the suffering of the disciples and the women who followed Jesus, but also about the joy they felt when they learned that their Lord had conquered death and was alive.

A distinctive feature of the Christian faith is that our leader lives, while the leaders of other major religions died a long time ago. God raised Jesus from the grave. Now he is seated at the right hand of the Father, ready to help Christians live happy, victorious, and full of hope.

Tell your students about your joy of knowing that we believe in a living God who did not stay in the grave, but rose from the dead and will one day return for his people.

Read Matthew 28:1-20. Very early in the morning, before the sun came out on the first day of the week, the story began a new chapter. For the women who went to the grave, everything changed. Upon learning their Master was alive, the suffering because of the death of Jesus became an indescribable joy.

The angel gave news of joy and hope, not only for those women and disciples, but also for all who now believe in him.

These women received a great reward for their faithfulness during the crucifixion of Jesus: they were the first to know and tell the good news to the disciples.

However, they were not the only ones who spoke about the resurrection of Jesus. The soldiers reported the event to their superiors. After a quick meeting, the Sanhedrin agreed to offer them money to tell them that the disciples had stolen Jesus’ body while they slept.

For Roman soldiers, sleeping during work time was a crime punishable by death. However, the religious leaders promised to intercede for them with the government officials if a problem arose. In addition, they were offered a large amount of money if they spread the rumor about the theft of Jesus’ body.

But that did not intimidate the disciples. From that moment, they announced the good news of the resurrection of the Savior.

Receive your students with joy, and tell them that in today’s session, you will tell them Good News. After praying to start the class, ask some volunteers to briefly tell what they learned about Jesus in the previous lessons.

Tombs or cemeteries?

Explain to your students the difference between the cemeteries we know now and the tombs of the Old Testament. Tell them that the custom of Bible times was to prepare the body of the deceased with aromatic herbs, such as myrrh and aloe, for its preservation. Then, they would wrap it in cloth and place it in a tomb carved in a rock or stone.

Jesus’ tomb was special because it was new and in a garden. After placing the Master’s body there, they sealed the entrance with a very large stone to prevent anyone from entering.

Prior to this session select and prepare students to act as characters from the Bible story they want to represent.

If you wish, ask them to dramatize the story, or just read the script, changing their voice to make it more real. If your class is large, divide it into two groups. One will represent the biblical story first and the other will be the audience. Then they will exchange places so that everyone participates.

If possible, get robes or costumes. If your students feel sufficiently prepared, invite other small children to see the drama. (You will to coordinate this with the other teachers in advance.)

SCENE 1: In the tomb

Characters: narrator, angel, two women, Jesus.

Narrator: At dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the tomb. As they were walking, the earth began to tremble and there was a great earthquake. Then an angel came down from heaven, rolled the stone away and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were as white as snow. Upon seeing him, the guards began to tremble and they became like dead men.

Angel: (Talking to the women) Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus, the one who was crucified. He is not here, he has risen. Come and see the place where he lay. (The two women look inside the tomb.) Now go and tell the disciples, “He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.”

Narrator: The women, full of joy, ran to give the good news to the disciples. Suddenly they saw someone.

Jesus: Greetings!

Narrator: The two women knelt to worship him.

Jesus: Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee. There you will see me. (Matthew 28:1-8)

SCENE 2: The guards talk to the priests

Characters: narrator, chief priests, guards

Narrator: Some of the guards went to tell the priests what had happened.

Chief Priests: (They talk to each other and then give a bag of coins to each guard.) Listen well. Tell everyone that the disciples came during the night and stole the body of Jesus while you were sleeping. Don’t worry; we know that you could be killed if you had fallen asleep while on duty, but we will protect you.

Narrator: The guards took the money and said everything as the Chief Priests had indicated. The story that the disciples stole the body of Jesus still circulates among the Jews. (Matthew 28:11-15)

SCENE 3: Jesus speaks with his disciples

Characters: narrator, 11 disciples, Jesus

Narrator: The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus told them they would find him. When they saw him, they fell to their knees to worship him. However, some still doubted that it was really Jesus.

Jesus: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20)

Messenger rocks

During the week, get a small smooth stone for each member of your class. You will also need markers.

Give the materials to your students and ask them to write on their stone, JESUS LIVES! Then, let them decorate it with the markers. Tell them that it will serve as a reminder of Jesus’ victory over death and what he represents for them as Christians. Also give them Student Activity Sheet #331 and ask them to share this good news with their family and friends.