Jesus, the risen king!
key words
biblical reference
John 20: 1-18
lesson objective
To help children rejoice in knowing that Christ is our risen king
memory verse
“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (Philippians 2:10, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
In John 10:1-18, we find the precious story of the news of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Law of the Jews indicated that on the Sabbath, all Jews should remain in their homes remembering the Law of Moses. Jesus’ followers were very sad because they were remembering what happened to Jesus (his crucifixion).
At that time, it was very common for the tombs to be like caves and have huge round stones at their entrance. The authorities wanted to make sure that no one would take the body of Jesus, so they sealed the tomb with a stone, and declared that opening it would be a crime. Mary Magdalene was very surprised when she arrived at the tomb and saw that it was open. She thought someone had stolen the body of Jesus, so she ran to warn the disciples.
As soon as she broke the news to Peter and to “the other disciple” (who is believed to be John), they ran to the tomb to see what was happening; they could not understand the resurrection of Christ.
The resurrection of Christ is not a fairy tale, nor is it a simple “happy ending” after the crucifixion. Because Christ is risen, we have the hope of eternal life. Your children should learn the significance of the resurrection. He is alive and active in our world. He is with us.
introduce the lesson
Activity: Walking to the tomb
Give each of your group Student Activity Sheet #274-A for this activity. Ask them to draw an expression on the face describing how they would feel and to write in the bubble what they imagine they would think about on the way to the tomb.
teach the lesson
Ask your children to help narrate this lesson, with each one reading a section. Encourage your children to read it with the correct emphasis. As its read, explain little by little what is happening.
He lives!
Jesus’ disciples and their friends were very sad because they had seen him die on the cross. Let us see how they felt on Sunday morning when they made a discovery that changed history.
“They have stolen the body of Jesus, it is no longer in the tomb!” cried Mary Magdalene, hurrying out. She went to meet Simon Peter and the other disciple and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have put him!”
“Calm down, Mary, tell us, what has happened?” Peter said.
“I went to the tomb early this morning and when I arrived I saw that the huge stone which sealed the tomb had been moved and the tomb was open. I looked inside and the Master’s body was not there. Someone must have taken it.
• Ask, “How do you think Mary Magdalene felt?” (Scared)
Peter and the other disciple left and went to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and reached the first tomb. Then, Simon Peter came behind him, entered the tomb, and saw strips of linen lying there along with the shroud, which had covered Jesus’ head.
The two men were stunned, what had happened to the body of Christ? They had to decide what they were going to do. And the disciples returned to their homes.
• Ask, How do you think the disciples felt? (Frightened, sad and angry)
• Read verses 5-8 aloud and ask, “Do you think they understood what was happening?”(No, they did not.)
• Ask a child to read verses 11-14 and ask, “What did Mary think?” (That someone had stolen Jesus’ body.)
• Before explaining verses 15-18, ask your children to show the expressions they drew on the faces on their worksheets and have them tell how they think they would have reacted. Ask, “What would the disciples have thought if, when arriving at the tomb, they had found the body of Jesus?” (Accept multiple answers.)
• Continue with the Bible story (Italicized quotes from John 20):
“Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her,”
“Woman, why are you crying?”
She replied, “They have taken my Lord away, and I do not know where they have put him.”
Having said this, she turned and saw Jesus standing there; but she did not know it was Jesus.
Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Mary did not yet recognize Jesus, she thought he was the gardener, and she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I’ll get him.”
“Jesus said to her: ‘Mary!’ ”
“Is it true?” Mary wondered when she heard him call her name. “Yes it is him! He is alive!” “Teacher!” Mary cried.
Jesus said, “Go to my disciples and tell them that I live. Tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
Again, Mary ran to go and get the disciples.
“Jesus lives!” she said to herself. “They’ll all be happy when they hear the news. Jesus really lives!”
Then Mary Magdalene went to give the disciples the news that she had seen the Lord.
Ask a volunteer to read verses 15-16 and ask, “How do you think Mary Magdalene felt when she recognized Jesus and realized that he was alive?” (Very happy and glad)
connect the lesson
Review
Distribute Student Activity Sheet #274-B and #274-C to help the group review the lesson.
Activity: A reason to rejoice
Give each one Student Activity Sheet #274-D entitled “A Reason to Rejoice.” Have them draw a face representing their response to the good news of Jesus’ resurrection and then write in the balloon what they would have thought. Then ask:
• “If you had been in Jerusalem and had found out that Jesus was alive, how would you have felt?”
Encourage your children to rejoice over the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Sing a song related to the subject. Continue the lesson by asking:
• “Do you remember another character in the Bible who was resurrected?” (Lazarus)
• “What happened to Lazarus years later? (He died again.)
• What is the difference between the resurrection of Jesus and that of Lazarus? (Jesus was resurrected on the third day and is still alive today.)
Although many people try to hide the fact that Christ has risen, we believe that he lives and his resurrection has changed history for all people, everywhere.
Activity: Our risen king
Help your children complete the bottom of Student Activity Sheet #274-D. Make a list of how the disciples felt and what they believed about Jesus before the resurrection and after the resurrection of Jesus.
Before the resurrection, how did the disciples feel?
• They were sad.
• They felt alone.
• They believed that Jesus was like any man.
After the resurrection, how did the disciples feel?
• The disciples felt happy.
• They and other people believed that Jesus is the Son of God.
Explain that the most important thing is that the resurrection of Jesus is the proof of our salvation, and that we will have eternal life with him.
Read John 14:19 and find the promise that Jesus gave to those who believe in him: “Before long, the world wo not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.”
practice the memory verse
Do an activity with your children to help them memorize the memory verse.
Before finishing the session, ask your children to give reasons why the resurrection of Jesus makes us happy.
1. It gives us the opportunity to receive salvation.
2. We can have eternal life.
3. We have the promise that we will someday be resurrected with Christ.
Explain that these promises are for everyone who accepts that Jesus died in their place and receives him as their personal Savior.
wrap-up
Pray
Ask if any of your children want to accept Jesus as their Savior and lead them in prayer. To finish the session, have them share their prayer needs. Then pray for your children aloud.
Encourage
Encourage your children to share with their family and friends some reasons why the resurrection of Jesus makes us happy.
Invite
Thank your children for their attendance and announce something about the next lesson to increase their interest. Remind them to invite friends to also 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.™