Jesus lives!
key words
biblical reference
Luke 24:36-49
lesson objective
To help the students understand that Jesus’ appearances to his disciples is evidence that he was alive; death couldn’t rule over him. He lives today
memory verse
“That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord ... (Philippians 2:10-11, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
As the preadolescents grow, they begin to be more aware of what death is, and that it’s a forever transition. However, it’s important that they know that death isn’t a forever “end”. God raised Jesus, his Son, so that he would never die again. He is alive today! This is our “guarantee” that we’ll also be resurrected after death.
In telling them about Jesus’ appearances to his disciples, strengthen the students’ faith in the resurrection of Jesus. He was not a ghost or a figure that the disciples imagined. He was their Lord, he was alive, he breathed, and he was someone they could touch. Jesus appeared to many people before returning to heaven. He wanted them to know that he is real and he is alive. That’s why the disciples of the early Church courageously gave their lives, even to death, at the hands of their persecutors. They knew that the resurrection had been real and that death was not the end. The disciples had the hope of the resurrection, just as we Christians do today.
Jesus didn’t physically stay with his followers forever. He told them that he needed to leave. Your students need to recognize that when Jesus ascended and disappeared from the view of the disciples, he didn’t cease to exist. He lives today and is our Lord, and sits at the right hand of God the Father, interceding for us.
biblical commentary
The feeling of a terrible chill ran down the backs of those in the room. They had been informed that two people who were traveling on the road to Emmaus were joined by a third person, and that person was Jesus. With great enthusiasm, the two Emmaus travelers told the story to those who gathered around them. They all whispered as they tried to understand how those two had seen Jesus.
Those who were there that day thought that they had seen a ghost, spirit or apparition. The spread of the story that they had seen the Lord multiplied. The disciples asked themselves: “What can this mean?”
Suddenly, there he was, standing in front of them. Was it a ghost or someone real?
Jesus’ followers were frightened by the violent events that had occurred days ago. When Jesus realized the fear that overwhelmed them, he consoled them and assured them that he is truly alive:
First. He greeted them saying: “Peace to you!” (Shalom, in Hebrew). This was a common greeting in Jewish society, wishing well-being. In Luke, the word “peace” also carries the idea of salvation, so Jesus’ greeting also expressed that broader meaning.
Second. He calmed their fears and doubts by showing them his feet and hands. By inviting them to touch the places where he had been wounded, he allowed them to feel that he was real.
That physical evidence still left the disciples with doubts, who felt that what they saw was “too good to be true.” Suddenly, Jesus asked them for something to eat! Although his resurrected body didn’t need food, Jesus, when eating with his disciples, wanted to communicate that his presence was real.
Jesus’ bodily resurrection is an important fact. Although Jesus’ resurrected body was different from the one he had before, it was a real body. The Jesus who died was truly the Christ who was resurrected. As Christians, our hope shouldn’t be founded on dimmed dreams, but on the actual experience of the One who faced death and conquered it in his resurrection.
Third. Jesus reviewed with them the biblical evidence of the need for a suffering Savior. The cross was not God’s emergency measure when everything else failed and when circumstances went wrong. The cross was part of God’s plan. It is where the eternal love of God is shown.
In conclusion. The evidences that Jesus offered to his disciples were convincing. They only needed something else before adopting his mission to share the good news with the world: the filling of the Holy Spirit. This would happen very soon.
Reflect on the following questions as you prepare for this session:
What scared you most as a child? What helped you overcome that fear?
What is it that you fear most today? How can Christ help you deal with your fears?
Jesus showed those who were gathered that he was truly alive and that he was real. How did you feel when you understood that Jesus is alive and that he is a reality in your life?
During this week, pray for the students, naming each one so that they can meet the living Christ during the lesson.
introduce the lesson
The message of good news
Have the students work on this from Student Activity Sheet #381-A (Message of Good News). A volunteer can read the instructions. Allow time for them to complete the sentences with the appropriate words. When they finish, they can read the sentences with the answers they chose. Then, allow a volunteer to read the message that was formed by writing the first letter of each word in the spaces at the bottom of the page.
1. The name of the disciple who betrayed Jesus was __________.
2. Jesus died, rose again and now lives forever. That’s why we have __________ life.
3. Mary Magdalene was the first to see the empty tomb. But __________ __________ was the first disciple who entered the tomb to see if the body of Jesus had really disappeared.
4. Jesus loves _____ all, that is why He died on the cross for our sins.
5. The crowd that waved palm branches believed that Jesus had come to __________ __________ from the Romans.
6. The tomb of Jesus was covered with an __________ stone so that no one would steal the body of Jesus.
7. Hosanna means: “__________ _____.”
8. The Pharisees were very __________ with Jesus, so they decided to kill him.
9. Those of us who accept Jesus in our hearts have ____________ eternal!
10. The love of God was so _______________ that he gave his only Son to save us.
11. Jesus won the __________ over death when he rose from the grave.
12. In Philippians 2:10 it says, “...that at the name of Jesus __________ knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ...”
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
Answers: (1) Judas (2) eternal (3) Simon Peter (4) us (5) save them (6) immense (7) save us, (8) angry (9) life (10) immeasurable (11) victory (12) every
(The phrase that will be formed with the first letters of each word is: “Jesus is alive.”)
Say: “Mary told the disciples that she had seen Jesus, but still they doubted. In today’s lesson, we’re going to see what happened.”
Distribute Student Activity Sheet #381-B and #381-C.
teach the lesson
Special news report
If possible before the session, place the chairs in a semicircle in front of a desk where you have placed a microphone (either real or an object that simulates a microphone).
Place a chair behind the desk so that the person sitting there looks like a television commentator. Next to the desk place a chair for the guest to the program, which will be Simon Peter.
Ask two young people or young adults, or your teaching assistants, to play the roles of the interviewer and the interviewee (Simon Peter). A week in advance, make a copy of the reporter’s and Simon Peter’s dialogue from the students’ resources for this activity and give them to your helpers so that they have time to prepare.
Then, in group, develop the story through the activity.
Journalist: Good morning, listeners! This is Katie Clark, bringing you the latest news from Jerusalem. We are all hearing the rumors about Jesus, one of the men who was crucified last week. Some sources say that at least 16 people have seen him alive.
According to reports, Mary Magdalene, one of his followers, was the first to see him face to face. She reportedly saw him last Sunday when she went to visit his tomb. Peter and John, two of Jesus’ disciples, said that they saw the empty tomb and the linen clothes in which Jesus had been wrapped, in addition to the shroud that had been around his head.
A journalist from an Emmaus radio station interviewed two men from the city who claimed that Jesus appeared to them on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. However, they didn’t recognized him until they sat down to eat with him. “I realized it was Jesus when he blessed the food,” said Cleopas, one of the men.
Today one of Jesus’ disciples has agreed to meet with us. Welcome, Simon Peter!
Peter: Thank you for inviting me to speak about the risen Lord.
Journalist: I’m curious, tell us what it was like to see Jesus alive!
Peter: It was very exciting!
This is how it happened: Two of the disciples came running from Emmaus. They were excited because they had just seen Jesus. And they ran all the way to Jerusalem to tell us that what Mary had said was true. Jesus is alive!
We were sitting there talking about it when suddenly, Jesus appeared; he was there, standing in the room. We didn’t see him come in. He said, “Peace be with you!” You should have seen the confusion that broke out. Some disciples thought he was a ghost, and almost ran away. Others were too perplexed to move.
Jesus must have read our minds, because he said, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
Those of us who were a little braver examined his hands and feet. We could see the scars on his hands from the nails that held him to the cross.
I think Jesus knew that some of us were still unsure. Then he asked, “Do you have anything here to eat?” All we had was broiled fish, and he ate it. I think that was what convinced us all that he was real and not a ghost.
When he finished eating, Jesus explained to us that this is what he had tried to tell us when he was with us. The truth is that at that time, we didn’t understand. And then he said, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.” This is what Moses, the prophets and the Psalms had said would happen. As he explained the Scriptures to us, everything made sense.
Reporter: Well Peter, now that you’re convinced that Jesus rose from the dead and is alive, what will you do?
Peter: Jesus told us to wait until we receive the power of God. Then, we will tell everyone what we have seen and heard. That’s why I’m here today. I want to tell as many people as possible that Jesus is alive and that he is the Son of God.
Journalist: Well, esteemed audience, that’s all for today. It’s hard not to believe after hearing someone as convincing as Peter. I’m Katie Clark, and this was our special report for today. Now we will return you to our regular programming. Thank you.
(This Biblical account can be found in Luke 24:36-49.)
Share the “Good News”
Guide your students through the following questions as a share the Good News activity. Allow time for them to answer the questions and comment on their answers.
How can you use your hands, feet and lips this week to spread the Good News about the resurrection of Christ?
Who can you tell the Good News to this week?
connect the lesson
Mixed up message
Have the students sit in a circle. Begin the activity by softly passing on this message: “Listen to the good news: Jesus is alive!” Don’t say it out loud, rather, whisper it in the ear of the one next to you in the circle. Then that one should do the same to the next person, and pass the message until all the students have received the message. When the message arrives to the last person, he/ she will say it aloud to the whole group. See how correct or incorrect the message was transmitted by comparing it to the original.
Express: “When we hear good news, we want to tell someone; sometimes we tell many people. Do you remember what Good News Mary told the disciples (that she had seen Jesus, that he was alive and was going to meet them in Galilee.) In today’s lesson we saw how the disciples responded when they heard the good news of Jesus’ resurrection of Jesus.”
practice the memory verse
The students already have the text written on palm leaves. They can pick up the branches and repeat the activity of marching and reciting the memory verse: 1) That at the name of Jesus 2) every knee should bow, 3) in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 4) and every tongue acknowledge 5) that Jesus Christ is Lord. 6) Philippians 2:10-11.
Repeat the whole verse several times and then ask the students to march through the patio or garden as a procession, and while they’re doing it, sing the memory verse (everyone can make or pretend to have a musical instrument to play, or have a specific type of rhythm). Then, they can hang the palm trees on the room wall again, to repeat the verse next week.
Distribute Student Activity Sheet #381-D and help the group apply it to the memory verse.
wrap-up
Pray
Remind the preadolescents that prayer and daily reading of the Word of God are very good ways to be connected with God. Finally, pray for them. Ask God to help the students to fully trust that he loves them because he knows their concerns and needs. He also has all the power to help them and their families and friends.
Encourage
Sing a chorus or hymn with motions that you know about the resurrection with the group.
Ask the students to think of someone who needs to hear the Good News of the resurrection. Then, have them pray for God to give them the opportunity to tell the Good News of Jesus to that person during the week.
Make sure that all the students have their items to take home with them. Encourage them to pray each day of the week and have a time with God.
Invite
End the session by telling the students something of interest about the next session and encourage them to attend.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™