Jesus Lives!
key words
bible reference
John 20:10-18
lesson objective
To help the children give thanks to God for the resurrection of Jesus.
memory verse
“He is not here; he has risen!” (Luke 24:6, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
The evidence of Jesus’ resurrection was right before Mary’s eyes, but she did not realize what had happened. She was overwhelmed by the pain. Her thoughts focused on one person. Even though the angels told her: “He is not here, but is risen” (Luke 24:6), Mary’s response shows her concern for what had happened to the body of Jesus her Lord was great.
However, she forgot her pain and believed that he was alive when she saw Jesus and heard him say her name. Jesus knew exactly what Mary needed at that moment.
Mary responded by calling Jesus, “Rabboni.” This word is different from “rabbi” which was generally used with respect to teachers. Rabboni was rarely used to refer to people, and only to a few special rabbis. It most often referred to God. Mary was so full of joy and praise that she did not want to leave the Lord. Even though he had died, he now lived and was right in front of her eyes.
However, Jesus had other plans for her. He told her to go and tell the brothers and sisters that he had risen. “Brothers” and “sisters” was a new title he had given to the disciples. It was the confirmation that those who believe in the Lord become sisters and brothers in the kingdom of God. Like his disciples, we are called children of God and are sent to announce the good news to others.
Rejoice! Full salvation is a reality through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
adaptation
Encourage your children to praise God because his Son, Jesus, lives. This is probably the first time they have heard this story in which Jesus speaks directly to Mary. Pray to create an environment of learning in which the Holy Spirit turns his teaching into a desire to know the Savior. Talk about your love for Jesus and God’s love for people.
Many preschoolers have a close and growing relationship with Jesus. They have no doubt that he lives. They fully accept his existence and talk to Him. When children pray, pay attention to the words they use to thank Jesus, the Son of God.
introduce the lesson
Use these activities to focus the attention of the children on the topic you are teaching. Modify or add activities that fit your class’ particular needs.
General review
Use the materials developed in the previous classes and the children’s activities to review with the children the most important events in the life of Jesus.
Remind them that Holy Week is the culmination of Jesus’ life and ministry on earth, but it is also the beginning of a story of victory and triumph.
What did you learn?
It is likely that most of your children have participated with their families in the special services of Holy Week. Prepare a special time for them to share their experiences and what they learned during those special days. If possible, they can make drawings.
Emphasize that during this week we remember the sacrifice of Jesus and celebrate his glorious resurrection.
teach the lesson
These activities will help you teach the Bible lesson.
What’s inside?
Before class, prepare a bag with a small stone inside.
Instruct children to sit in a circle. Show them the bag and tell them: “I’m going to give you this bag so you can pass it to each other. When I say ‘stop’, the person who has it will search inside to discover the hidden object.”
After several have participated, ask them what the contents of the bag is and what it means. Remind them that a large stone was placed at the entrance of Jesus’ tomb, but it was moved so that the women and the disciples could see that Jesus was not there.
Mary sees Jesus
Tears ran down Mary’s cheeks because she felt very sad. She went very early to Jesus’ tomb, but found it empty.
“Who could have taken away Jesus’ body?” she asked herself.
After Peter and John returned home, Mary stayed outside the grave. While she was crying, she went again to look inside the tomb and saw two angels, dressed in white, where Jesus had been before.
“Why are you crying?” the angels asked her.
“Because somebody has taken the body of my Lord and I do not know where they have put it,” she replied. Mary continued to cry, when suddenly she saw a man near the grave. It was Jesus, but Mary did not recognize him.
“Why are you crying?” Jesus asked. “Who are you looking for?”
Maybe this man is the garden keeper, Mary thought, and she said, “Do you know where they put Jesus? Please tell me so I can go find him.”
“Mary,” Jesus said tenderly.
As soon as she heard her name, Mary ran to Jesus and said, “Teacher, you are alive!”
“Go and tell my brothers and sisters that I am alive and I am going to heaven to be reunited with my Father,” Jesus said.
Mary hurried and ran to find the disciples to tell them the good news of the resurrection of Jesus.
connect the lesson
Attendance Control
Allow time for your children to post their attendance on the chart. Hand out the attendance (heart) stamps from Student Activity Sheet #69-A and ask the children to stick them in the appropriate place, while saying something they learned in the Bible story.
We suggest you give recognition to those who have completed all four hearts.
What happened next?
Hand out Student Activity Sheet #69-B. Provide pencils so that the children can trace the word of faith and write their name. Ask them: “What do we celebrate during Holy Week?” (Jesus, the Son of God, lives).
Instruct the children to circle the figure that shows what really happened in the Bible story. While they are working, review the content of the previous lessons and repeat the memory verse.
practice the memory verse
Since it is the last session of this unit, bring prizes for those who learned the memory verse. Give time for all those who wish, to be able to repeat the verse. You can hand out Bible cards or bookmarks with the verse written on them.
wrap-up
Pray
Cultivate in your children the discipline of prayer, interceding for them and their families in each class. If possible you can write the requests on a poster and keep it in plain sight. The you can mark the requests that have been answered. Thank God for the sacrifice and resurrection of his Son, Jesus.
Encourage
Thank those who faithfully attended the lessons and hand them the work they completed to take home. Encourage the children to share with their families and friends the Good News that Jesus is alive.
Invite
Remind the children that in the next session they will begin the study of a new unit. Create simple cards to send to children who were absent or visit them to invite them to the new series.
* 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.™