VERSES: Matthew 28:1-20; Mark 16:1-20; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-10
MEMORY VERSE: Luke 24:6 "He is not here, but is risen..."
BOOK TO REMEMBER: Habakkuk. Write "Habakkuk" on small slips of paper and hand out at the end of class, so the students may memorize another Old Testament book at home.
PRAYER: Thank God for His plan for saving us from our sins.
SPECIAL SONG: Jesus Loves Me ( see February 2014 - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #2 on this blog. Click on the orange circle to hear tune.) Jesus Loves The Little Children (see February 2014 - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #2 on this blog. Click on orange circle to hear tune.)
VISUAL AID: Large Activity (see below)
LESSON POINTS:
- At the end of the Sabbath, two days after Jesus had died on the cross, the sun was coming up. Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome went to the tomb as the dawn began to break. It was the first day of the week and they had brought sweet spices, so they could anoint Jesus. As they were going to the tomb, they remembered the great stone and wondered aloud to each other how they were going to move the stone, so they could anoint Jesus. They did not know that there had been an earthquake! The angel of the Lord had come down from heaven, rolled back the great stone in front of the door of the tomb, and had sat on it. The soldiers who were watching the tomb shook with fear when they saw the the bright and shining angel who had clothes that were white as snow. They had fallen to the ground and then had run away. The women saw the stone was rolled away and there were no soldiers there.
- When Mary Magdalene saw that the stone was rolled away, she ran back to tell the disciples. But the other women went into the tomb and saw that the body of Jesus was gone! They saw an angel clothed in a long white garment and they were afraid!
- The angel said to the women, "Don't be afraid! I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here. He is risen. Remember how Jesus said that He would be delivered into the hands of sinful men, He would be crucified, and He would rise again on the third day. Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead! He goes before you into Galilee and you will see Him there." The women remembered Jesus' words and ran from the tomb with great joy to tell Jesus' disciples about the things that had just happened!
- As they ran to tell the disciples, Jesus met them and said, "All hail!" They fell down at His feet, held on to His feet, and worshiped Him. Jesus said not to be afraid and then He told them to tell His disciples that they should go into Galilee and they would see Him there.
- The women returned to the eleven disciples and told the things that had happened, but they did not believe them. Then Peter and John got up and ran to the tomb. John arrived at the tomb first, but did not go in. He looked in and saw the linen clothes folded up, But when Peter arrived at the tomb, he ran in and saw the clothes and the napkin that had been around Jesus' face sitting apart from the rest of the cloth. Then, John also went into the tomb, saw the linen cloth and how Jesus' body was not there, and he believed. Before this, they had not fully understood what Jesus had said about rising on the third day while He was with them.
- Meanwhile, some of the soldiers who were watching the tomb went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. When the Jewish elders came to the chief priests and soldiers, they had talked about Jesus not being in the tomb. They also gave the soldiers a large amount of money and told them to say that Jesus' disciples had come in the middle of the night and took Jesus away while they slept. Then they promised the soldiers that if the governor heard about it, then they would protect them. So, the soldiers took the money and did as they were told. The Jews today still believe that is what happened, but we know differently! We know that the elders and chief priests and the soldiers lied because the angel said that Jesus had risen from the dead!
- Then the eleven disciples traveled to Galilee and went up into a mountain where Jesus was. When they saw Jesus, they worshiped Him, but some doubted. Jesus came and spoke to them. He said the He had ALL power on heaven and on earth. He told them that they had a job to do. They were to go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, then teach them again to do all the things that Jesus had commanded them. Jesus said that he would be with them, even to the end of the world.
- What a happy ending! Jesus did not stay dead! Their master, their teacher, their Savior, and their friend was alive! He had risen from the dead!
- The Sabbath was the last day of the week which was Saturday, but the first day of the week was--and still is--Sunday.
- There were only eleven disciples during this time. Why? Because Judas had tried to return the thirty pieces of silver he had received from betraying Jesus; but the chief priests did not want it. They had received what they had wanted--Jesus! Matthew 27:3-10 tells us what happened to Judas.He realized that he had betrayed innocent blood and that he was condemned. He was sorry for what he had done, but instead of asking for forgiveness from God and living again in a godly way, he threw down the silver in the temple and went and hanged himself. The money was used to purchase a cemetery plot for poor people.
- Read Colossians 1:23 to see if the disciples accomplished what Jesus had instructed them to do.
- Read Matthew 28:13. How could the soldiers testify that the disciples had taken Jesus away when they were asleep? They lied and gave false reports.
Material needed: 12" x 18" brown construction paper, small piece of paper towel or paper napkin, scraps of orange, blue, tan, and dark brown construction paper, crayons, marker, glue, scissors.
- Hand out brown paper.
- Fold paper in half.
- With fold at top, draw a great stone at right, three rounded corners, and a curved line.
- Cut on lines.
- Open folded paper.
- Cut out a 2.5" x 6" rectangle. Round two corners. This is where they laid Jesus.
- Glue this rectangle on right side and bottom edge of brown paper.
- Hand out paper towel or napkin.
- Cut a long strip and a small square out of paper towel or napkin. This the linen cloth and linen napkin.
- Fold each.
- Glue folded napkin and folded towel on top of brown rectangle. Label each.
- Cut two 1" circles. These are Peter and John's heads.
- Cut out blue and orange triangles.These are their clothes.
- Cut out one orange arm and two blue arms.
- Cut out three tiny hands out of scraps of tan.
- Assemble Peter and John.
- Glue and color..
- Glue Peter inside tomb.
- Glue John on the outside of the stone.
- Write "Peter" and "John" on the two men.
- Write "Great Stone" on the rounded stone.
- Write "Jesus Rises From The Grave On The Third Day" and "Luke 24:7" on the outside of the tomb.
- Open brown paper.
- On the inside of the stone, write "On the first day of the week" and "John 20:1."
- On the right side of the tomb, write "He is not here!" , "He is Risen!" and "Matthew 28:6."
- Between napkin and linen clothing, write "John 20:7."
