We celebrate Jesus’ resurrection
key words
biblical reference
John 20:1-18
lesson objective
That the children learn that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead.
memory verse
“If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
In many places, the celebration of Holy Week has lost its true meaning. Advertising, the media and consumerism divert children’s attention, causing them to easily forget that it is about commemorating the sacrifice of Jesus and celebrating his resurrection.
Through the resurrection, we better understand the great love that Christ showed in dying for us on the cross.
At the same time, God demonstrated his power in the resurrection. Both events proclaim the message of hope, love and salvation. Any other type of celebration is insignificant when compared to the great gift of God.
Be sensitive to the reactions of your children when they hear the story of the resurrection. The fact that Christ was resurrected will bring hope to their hearts and a new perspective on life. The message of Christ’s death and resurrection will help them to understand more deeply God’s love for them and for others.
biblical commentary
In John 20:1-18 Jesus’ enemies were satisfied, because they had planned to kill him many months ago. They had finally witnessed his execution on a Roman cross.
For many people, it meant the end. Some went crestfallen to their houses, while others walked away thinking that they had fulfilled their mission to kill Jesus.
Mary Magdalene came down from Golgotha with a broken heart. Jesus had forgiven her so much, and she had believed that he is the Christ, the Son of God. Maybe Mary’s hopes had died with her Master.
All the Gospels present the story of the resurrection of Jesus. Each emphasizes different details. However, here we can see that John remained firm in emphasizing faith.
In chapter 19, John points out that they quickly buried Jesus’ body because the Sabbath was about to begin.
He also says that the tomb was in a garden, near Golgotha, and that Joseph and Nicodemus placed Jesus in the tomb after preparing his body with about 45 kg of spices.
On the third day, when it was still dark, Mary went to the tomb. When she arrived, she saw the stone removed and Jesus’ body was not there. She assumed immediately that someone had stolen the body of her Master, and ran to warn Peter and John, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb and we do not know where they have put it.” Maybe she wondered who had done it, or if Jesus’ enemies were behind it all.
Peter and John ran to the grave. There they found the linens and the shroud. Then they returned to the other disciples to tell them what had happened.
It is interesting that John writes that the “other disciple” believed when he saw the empty tomb. John believed that Jesus had risen and not that someone had stolen his body.
Apparently, Mary did not think the same way because she was crying outside the grave. But when she looked inside, she saw two angels who asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” She replied, “Because they have taken my Lord and I do not know where they have placed him.”
Mary, blinded by her great sadness, did not recognize that it was Jesus, himself, who was with her. Then he called her by her name. In that instant, she recognized her beloved Master.
The resurrection was the final confirmation that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, who was resurrected and lives forever.
introduce the lesson
The crucifixion
For this activity you will use illustrations related to the crucifixion. If possible find some related resources, such nails, a cross, a thorny branch to help illustrate the activity. Be sure to supervise sharp objects with extreme attention to avoid accidents.
Tell the children: “Many religious leaders wanted to kill Jesus because his teachings were different from theirs. Some feared that Jesus would initiate a rebellion against the Roman Empire. That is why they arrested him and nailed him to a cross to kill him.”
Ask: “Why do you think they treated the Son of God that way?” Listen to their responses, and remind them of the importance of what they learned (in lesson 14) about forgiveness through the sacrifice of Jesus.
teach the lesson
Mary’s happiness
“Poor Jesus,” Mary thought as she walked towards the garden.
It was so early that the sun had not yet come out. “I miss him so much! The least we can do is bury him in an appropriate way. We did not have much time to finish everything before the Sabbath.”
Mary could not believe what had happened. She had placed all her hopes on Jesus, however, he had died. Now she feared he would no longer be with them.
When she continued walking through the garden, she saw something that filled her with amazement.
“It cannot be!” exclaimed Mary. “Someone moved the stone. Someone has taken Jesus’ body! Where is my Lord? I must go and tell Peter!”
When Peter and John heard what Mary told them, they ran to the garden. Their hearts were pounding, and they were confused.
John was the first to arrive. He approached and looked inside the cave, but only saw the cloak in which Jesus had been wrapped.
“Mary was right,” he thought. “Jesus is not here.”
As soon as Peter arrived, he entered the tomb and began searching everywhere, but he did not find Jesus.
“John, come here!” shouted Peter. “Look, the linens are here! But where is the Master’s body?”
The two disciples returned to tell the others what they had seen. However, Mary stayed there. “My Lord is gone,” she said crying.
Then she looked again into the grave and, to her surprise, the tomb was no longer empty. There were two angels in shining white robes!
“Woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her.
“It is that they have taken my Lord, and I do not know where they have put him,” said Mary sadly.
When Mary was about to leave, suddenly, she saw a man in the garden.
“Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who are you looking for?”
“Surely he’s the gardener,” Mary thought. “Maybe he took Jesus to another grave.”
“Sir, did you take Jesus’ body elsewhere? Do you know where it is? Please tell me where you put it and I’ll go find it,” Mary said.
“Mary!” said the man.
When Mary looked at him attentively, a deep happiness filled her heart and she exclaimed, “Honored Teacher!”
That man was not the gardener. It was Jesus! He was there, talking to her in the garden. Jesus was alive!
“Do not touch me yet, Mary,” Jesus said tenderly. “I have not returned to my Father yet. Go and tell our friends that I will go up to where they are.”
Mary ran down the road to tell the others the good news.
“I have seen the Lord!” she exclaimed excitedly. “I have seen him, he has risen!”
connect the lesson
Jesus lives!
Print Student Activity Sheet #173-A and #173-B back to back. Have the children color SAS #173-B. Then, have them fold SAS #173-A along the solid lines, begining with the longest line.
Ask your children: “How do you think Mary felt when she realized that the person she saw in the garden was Jesus?” (Happy, excited).
“What did Mary do when Jesus left?” (She went and told the others what she had seen.)
Tell the children: "Now we will do something to help us tell others about the exciting story of the resurrection."
Demonstrate how they can use the work they did to tell the story of Jesus’ resurrection to their friends and family.
practice the memory verse
Line your children up in a row. Tell them that when you say “up,” they should stretch as much as they can, like trying to touch the ceiling, and say the memory verse loudly. And when you say “down,” they should duck and repeat the memory verse in a low voice.
Repeat the game several times to reinforce memorization.
wrap-up
Pray
Ask your group to say their prayer requests. Then, ask if a volunteer wants to pray aloud. This will increase their confidence to pray in public. Conclude by thanking God for the resurrection of his Son Jesus.
Encourage
Encourage the children to tell the story of Jesus’ resurrection to their friends and family.
Invite
Invite the children to the next meeting, and to come with friends. Do not forget to visit or call those who are sick or missed the meeting.
* 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.™