Aim to be familiar with the main facts of the Easter story

Aim:
* To be familiar with the main facts of the Easter story, and be able to rewrite it in your own words.

Materials:
* large pictures of the Easter story
* Bible story
* Children’s worksheet

Lesson Outline
1. The Easter Story
2. Questions
3. Complete Worksheet
4. Conclusion
5. Prayer

1) The Easter Story
* Ask the children what they know about the Easter story. Tell the story. Show large pictures as you tell it. After reading, get the children to put the pictures in the correct order and tell the story in
their own words.

1. The Crucifixion. Mark 15:25-39; Luke 23:33-46; Matthew 27:35-50; John 16:19-30.
The soldiers took Jesus’ clothes. They nailed Him to the cross and left Him there to die. Two other criminals were crucified beside Him. For three hours, a great darkness covered the land. After six hours on the cross, Jesus called out, “It is finished”. Then He gave up His spirit and died. The Roman officer was amazed and said, “This man was really the Son of God”.

2. The Burial of Jesus. Mark 15:42-47; Matthew 27:57-66; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42.
There was a disciple of Jesus named Joseph who came from Arimathea. He was a rich man. He had made a new tomb in a garden near that place called Golgotha. Nicodemus (the man who came to Jesus at night) helped Joseph and they took the dead body of Jesus down from the cross. They laid the body in the new tomb. They rolled a great stone across the entrance. Then Pilate sent soldiers to guard the tomb. He did not want anyone to steal the body.

3. The Women at the Tomb. Matthew 28:1-7.
On the third day after Jesus died, an amazing thing happened. An angel appeared at the tomb of Jesus. There was a great earthquake. The angel rolled back the stone at the entrance to the tomb and he sat upon it. The soldiers were so afraid that they fell down like dead men. Two of the women who followed Jesus went to look at the tomb. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid. Jesus is not here. Go and tell His disciples He has risen from the dead.”

4. Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene. John 20:10-18.
One of the women called Mary Magdalene stayed at the tomb. She was crying. Then she looked into the tomb and saw two angels. They said to her, “Why are you crying?” Suddenly Jesus Himself
appeared. Mary did not know it was Jesus. She thought He was the gardener who had taken the body of Jesus. She said, “Tell me where you have put Him”. Then Jesus said to her, “Mary”! Immediately she knew His voice. She knew it really was Jesus.

5. Jesus on the Road to Emmaus. Luke 24:13-35; Mark 16:12-13.
That same day two disciples left Jerusalem to walk to a place called Emmaus. They were very sad. They talked about the death of Jesus. Suddenly Jesus was walking beside them. Jesus walked with them but they did not know who He was. He talked with them and explained why the Christ had to die. Suddenly they realized that the stranger was Jesus Himself. Then He disappeared out of their sight.

6. Jesus Appears to His Disciples. John 20:19-23; Mark 16:14; Luke.24:36-43.
The two disciples ran back to Jerusalem. They told the other disciples “We have seen Jesus!” While they were talking, Jesus suddenly stood among them. They were all amazed and very afraid. He
said, “Peace be to you.” He showed them the nail marks in His hands and feet. They knew for certain that this man was Jesus and they could all see that He was alive again.

2) Questions
1) Why did Jesus have to die?
* The chosen people failed to recognize Jesus, so a condition was made for Satan to invade and take his body.

* The way of the cross was the secondary path, not the original way.

* He completely followed God’s direction. By giving his life willingly, with no hatred towards the people, he demonstrated he could love his enemy. Satan had no condition to accuse him. His spirit
was free from Satan’s attack. This meant he could open up a new realm in spirit world, called paradise

2) How could Jesus come back to life?
*His spirit manifested like a physical body, but only for 40 days. It was not his physical body, because he could in locked rooms

3) Complete Worksheet
Children retell the story in their words, using the list of words

4) Conclusion
Review the aims of the lesson
* To be familiar with the main facts of the Easter story, and be able to rewrite it in your own words. 
What have they learnt from the story. Ask each child

5) End with a prayer