Jesus lives!
key words
biblical reference
John 20:18
lesson objective
To help children joyfully celebrate Easter, and reinforce their knowledge of Jesus, the son of God.
memory verse
“You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16b, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
A few days after his triumphal entrance to Jerusalem, Jesus was crucified. Those who loved him felt a great pain when they saw him die.
His mother Mary, John, and Mary Magdalene, wept with the others when they saw him breathe his last breath after suffering terribly.
Joseph of Arimathea, a rich and godly man, asked to bury the body of the Lord. Since it was the evening before the Sabbath, Jesus was wrapped in linen cloths and placed in the tomb. Tradition forbade being in contact with dead bodies on this day.
When the Sabbath passed, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb of Jesus very early, before dawn, and realized that someone had removed the stone that covered the entrance. She thought Jesus’ body had been stolen, and she ran to warn the disciples. Peter and John discovered for themselves that Jesus was no longer in the tomb. In addition to the empty tomb, they found the cloths that had wrapped his body. The cloth that had wrapped his head was rolled up separately. It was evident that something supernatural had happened, and they decided to go and join the other disciples. Mary remained in the place, thinking that the body of Jesus was stolen, and she continued weeping.
While weeping, Jesus came to her and called her by name. As soon as she heard him, she knew he was alive. Her reply was: “Raboni,” which means “master teacher.” This woman was sure that Jesus, the Son of God, had risen from the dead.
Jesus suffered a cruel death to pay for the sins of the world. This is a sad and difficult story for preschoolers to understand. It is important that they understand that he died for us because he loves us. He arose on the third day because he is the Son of God, and his power is greater than all that exists.
The story of the resurrection is hard to understand, because we have not seen someone come back to life. However, we know that the resurrection is a central and important truth for the Christian faith. After three days in the grave Jesus arose. We cannot forget it, although we cannot understand it in its entirety. So it becomes even more complicated when it comes to explaining this concept to preschoolers. They learn by means of the senses and experiences, so an abstract idea like this is difficult to understand.
Although we cannot explain to the children how the resurrection occurred, we can emphasize the miracle that Jesus was resurrected and alive, although we do not know how.
Emphasize that Jesus does what we, as human beings, cannot do because he is God’s Son.
Through this lesson, the children will celebrate Easter and learn that Jesus, God’s Son, is alive.
introduce the lesson
Attention
Choose some or all of these activities to capture the attention of the children and help them learn today’s lesson.
The life of Jesus
Use the materials of the previous classes. Briefly review the stories of this unit. Ask the children to tell you what they remember most about Jesus. Hopefully, they will say that Jesus loves everyone.
Ask: “Why do you think Jesus healed people?” After the children respond, point out that he does not want anyone to be in pain. And, his healing and special actions brought many people to hear him tell about God and how he wants us to live. The story of Easter tells of one of the best days in the life of Jesus.
Experiences
Perhaps most of the members of your class participated together with their families in special Easter services. Allow time for some of the children to tell about their experiences and what they learned during those special days.
Emphasize the fact that this week is a time in which we remember how much Jesus loves us and recognize that he is God’s Son.
Teach the lesson
Use these activities to share the Bible story with your class.
Let’s talk about Easter
Gather your children to hear the Bible story. Have them sit in a circle. Tell them: “I have great news for you that has to do with the first Easter. This news is: ‘Jesus, the Son of God, is alive and loves you.’ We too can love him, know that he is our friend and speak to him at any time.”
Let the children repeat along with you the great news several times.
If you have visual material to illustrate the lesson, make use of it. It will be of great help to you.
Change your tone of voice, and emphasize the words to give the story more impact.
It was a sad time for the friends of Jesus. Three days had passed since Jesus died. Some of Jesus’ friends wrapped his body in white cloths and placed him in a tomb - which is like a cave in a hillside. Mary, one of his friends, got up very early, when it was still dark. She was sad because her friend Jesus had died.
Perhaps she walked slowly to the tomb where Jesus was buried. She thought she would never see him alive again, and her heart was very sad.
As she came to the tomb, she realized that something different had happened. Someone had removed the heavy stone that covered the entrance of the tomb. The tomb was open! Mary ran to Peter and John, two of Jesus’s disciples, and said to them, “They have taken Jesus from the tomb. Where could they have put him?” Mary cried.
Peter and John ran to the tomb and saw the cloths Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea had used to wrap Jesus’s body, but he was not there. The disciples returned to their homes, but Mary remained weeping near the tomb. Suddenly she saw two angels sitting inside the tomb.
“Why are you crying?” they asked.
“Because they have taken my Lord, and I do not know where they put him,” she replied.
At that moment, Mary realized that there was a man standing behind her. “Why are you crying?” The man asked Mary.
She thought it was the gardener who tended the tombs. “Have you taken my friend Jesus?” she asked him.
Suddenly, Mary’s eyes opened, and she could see that it was Jesus who was speaking to her. He was not dead; he was alive! She recognized Jesus when she heard him call her name. Now, she was no longer sad. Her heart was full of joy, because she knew Jesus is alive.
Review the story, saying: “Today we will know what happened in the first Holy Week. When I mention the words ‘jump’, ‘walk,’ or ‘run’ during the storytelling, you should jump, walk a few steps, or run a few steps, and then quickly sit down again to continue listening.”
connect the lesson
Christ lives!
Give the children Student Activity Sheet #17, pieces of dark paper to make the stones, scissors, glue, crayons or color pencils, and a sheet of paper to draw on. Let them trace the Word of Faith. Help the children glue the pieces of dark paper on the tomb to represent the stones in the activity sheet. As they work, review what they learned. Then, have the children draw and color the balloons that have the special message "Jesus is alive!" Remember that preschoolers usually need help with cutting paper. Be prepared to cut out the items for this activity ahead of time.
Encourage the children to take home their activities to share the lesson with their families and friends.
practice the memory verse
As this is the last lesson of this unit and Resurrection Sunday, ask permission for the children to say the memory verse in front of the congregation. Or they could sing it out like a choir. This will help children feel that their effort is recognized. Parents will also enjoy watching what their children have learned.
wrap-up
Pray
Encourage the children to express their prayer requests. Maybe a volunteer wants to pray out loud. This will help them increase their confidence of praying in public. Thank God for sending His Son, Jesus to earth. Thank Jesus for being alive and loving each person.
Encourage
Encourage the children to tell others the good news that Jesus is alive.
Invite
Thank the children for coming to your class. Let them know you want them to come each time the group meets. Ask them to invite friends to come with them.
This unit was a lot of learning for the children. It is likely that many of them have heard the plan of salvation for the first time. Invite them to attend regularly, and value their work and dedication.
* 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.™