* LESSON
* HANDOUT
* RESURRECTION PLAY
Bible Memory Verse:
“…You are looking for Jesus…who was ccified. He is risen!” Mark 16:6
“That if you confess 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
After Jesus was crucified, Joseph, from the town of Arimathea, who was a good and upright man, asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut out in a rock, one in which no one had yet been laid.
The women who had been with Jesus followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. They went home and prepared spices and perfumes to put on the body. But they rested on the Sabbath day in obedience to the commandment.
The day after Jesus was crucified was the Sabbath. No one could do any work on that day or go to the tomb to anoint His body with oil as was the custom in those days. However, the day after the Sabbath day exciting events would happen.
On the first day of the week, the day after the Sabbath, which would be our Sunday, very early in the morning, there was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The men that Pilate had appointed to guard the tomb were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
Also, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb?” Mark 16:3 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.
As they entered the tomb, suddenly two men in clothes that gleaned like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground. One angel said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he is risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” Luke 24:5-7 Then they remembered Jesus’ words when He told them He would rise from the dead.
When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the eleven disciples and to the others. But they did not believe the women. Two of the disciples, Peter and John ran to the tomb and found the burial clothes lying there.
Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary Magdalene 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?"
“They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don’t know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).
Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, `I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ "
Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her. John 20:10-18.
There was a wicked lie that was started by the devil that has kept many Jews from believing in Jesus. “While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, "You are to say, `His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews…” Matthew 28:11-15
Two of the followers of Jesus were going to the village called Emmaus. Jesus joined them, but they didn’t recognize Him. He showed them from the Old Testament of the Bible all the Scriptures that spoke about Himself. When they were going to stop for the night, they urged Him strongly to join them. When He was seated at the table with them he took the bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to ggive it to them. Suddenly their eyes were opned and they recognized Him and He disappeared from their sight. They asked to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us as he talked with us o the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"
They got up at once and found the disciples in Jerusalem.
While they were talking about this, Jesus Himself stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."
They were frightened thinking they were seeing a ghost. He told them not to be troubled, but to touch Him and see that it was really Him. He asked for some of the fish they were eating.
He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."
Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things." (Luke 24: 13-48)
When Jesus appeared to His disciples, Thomas was not with the other disciples. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." John 20:24-29
Jesus appeared later to five hundred of the believers at the same time. (1 Corinthians 15:6)
He told His followers, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” Mark 16:15 Jesus knew He was going back to heaven soon.
Then Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
QUESTIONS:
1. Who rolled back the stone from the tomb?
2. What lie did the chief priests and elders have the guards tell everyone?
3. Who thought Jesus was the gardener?
4. How many men did Jesus appear to on the road to Emmaus?
5. What disciple wouldn’t believe in Jesus until he saw the nail prints in His hands?
6. Which disciple did Jesus ask to feed His sheep?
7. What did Jesus command His disciples to do after He went back to heaven?
RESURRECTION
Bible Memory Verse:
“…You are looking for Jesus…who was crucified. He is risen!” Mark 16:6
Words to choose from: DISCIPLES, EARTHQUAKE, GARDENER, RISE, NAIL, SABBATH, RISEN, LIGHTENING, LIE, STONE
1. The woman went to the tomb the day after the __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
2. There was a violent __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ and an angel came from heaven.
3. The appearance of the angel was like __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
4. The guards told a wicked __ __ __ so they would not be put to death.
5. The women wondered who would roll about the __ __ __ __ __ from the tomb.
6. The angels told the women that Jesus had __ __ __ __ __.
7. The women ran to tell the __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
8. The disciples did not believe even though Jesus had clearly told them He would __ __ __ __ from the dead.
9. Mary of Magdala thought Jesus was the __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
10. After Jesus had risen from the dead, He still had the __ __ __ __ marks in His hands.
Bible Memory Verse:
“…You are looking for Jesus…who was crucified. He is risen!” Mark 16:6
CHARACTERS: Jolly the Giraffe, Polly the Polar Bear, Leo the Lion
JOLLY & POLLY & LEO: (enter singing)
Up from the grave he arose;
with a mighty triumph o’er his foes;
he arose a victor from the dark domain,
and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!
JOLLY & POLLY & LEO: Hi, Kids!
POLLY: Wouldn’t it have been exciting to have been one of these women who went to Jesus’ tomb the Sunday morning He was raised from the dead?
JOLLY: It sure would have. They were sad, thinking they were doing all they could for Jesus by putting spices on His body.
LEO: And not even knowing how they were going to move the stone in front of the cave where He was buried.
JOLLY: Imagine, coming to do that and not finding Him. Instead, having an angel tell you that He is not there. He has risen from the dead!
JOLLY: The fact that Jesus rose from the dead is the most important event in history.
POLLY: Why is that?
JOLLY: Adam and Eve chose to sin and death came into the world. Because Jesus rose from the dead, all men can now be made alive. All who belong to Jesus will someday go to be with Him.
POLLY: That means no one who believes in Jesus has to fear death.
JOLLY: That’s right. Of course, we are sad when someone we love dies. We will miss them. But if they know Jesus, we’ll see them again in heaven.
LEO: Kids, that means that if you know Jesus, we’ll see other again in heaven, and then we’ll all live there forever!
JOLLY: Because Jesus rose again, we will rise again!
POLLY: Thank you, Jesus!
LEO: The devil thought he had won when Jesus was crucified. What a surprise it must have been for him when Jesus rose from the dead.
POLLY: It’s sure good to be on Jesus’ side. He always turns bad things into good things for those who love Him. The Bible says, "…in all things God works for the good of those who love him…" Romans 8:28
LEO: Sometimes what happens to us doesn’t seem good, but we know it will work for good because God says so.
JOLLY: The Bible says, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 I guess when we remember Jesus’ rising from the dead, and see how much smarter God is then the devil it helps us be joyful always and give thanks all the time.
LEO: It also helps to be joyful and give thanks if we know Jesus loves us and is taking care of us all the time. We just need to trust and obey.
JOLLY: Good point, Leo! Well, it’s time to go so good-bye Kids! Next week, we’ll talk about what Jesus is doing now.
POLLY: I can’t wait. Bye Kids!
LEO: Good-bye till next week, God bless You!
(Puppets exit)