Some people think the story of Jesus rising from the grave is a made up story, like a UFO landing, but its not!
Lesson Snapshot
BOTTOM LINE:
Jesus is not dead; He is alive!
OBJECTIVE:
Kids will learn that Jesus truly rose from the dead, giving him power over death.
KEY PASSAGE:
Matthew 28:1-14, The Resurrection and The Guards Report
MEMORY VERSE:
“May you have power with all God’s people to understand Christ’s love. May you know how wide and long and high and deep it is.” Ephesians 3:18 (NIrV)
SUMMARY:
Many people wonder if the resurrection really happened or if it was just a story or hoax. Kids will learn that this hoax idea dates back to the resurrection itself, when the rulers bribed Roman soldiers to lie about Jesus coming back from the dead.
Story Short Version
“The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said….So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples….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.”
Object Lesson
ITEMS NEEDED:
An Amazon Echo (or similar device)
Do you know what a conspiracy theory is? A conspiracy theory is the belief that something dark or secret is going on, something someone doesn’t want us to know about.
Some people think that Amazon is actually listening to us, all the time, through devices like this Echo. They also think that Apple is listening to us through our iPhones and that Google is listening through the Google Dot. How many of you have one of these devices at home? How many of you have heard your mom or dad say, “I think they are listening to us?”
I don’t know if Amazon is listening to us or not, but I’m okay with them hearing this – the resurrection is no conspiracy. From the day Jesus rose from the grave, people have tried to say it was a lie, but the real lie was one of the soldiers made up when they were bribed to say the body was stolen. No one would die for a lie, and the fact that so many people saw Jesus alive and were willing to die for Him proves there was no conspiracy to hide Jesus’ body.
Did Jesus really rise from the grave? Yes, He did, and He has conquered sin and death. We can place our faith in Him knowing that we will live forever with Jesus.
Lets Move