It’s All About Jesus: Bible Study #3 P a g e | 1

Bible Study # 3

Jesus Rose from the Grave – John 20:1-23

Items Needed:

 John 20:1-23 Bible sheets

 Colors or pencils
 Two nerf balls; paper plate
 “It’s All About Jesus” posters
 Cotton balls; vegetable oil

Create Interest:
Play “Roll Away”
Have the kids sit in a large circle with a nerf ball sitting on a paper plate in the center.

Say: Today you’ll hear in our Bible story how a stone was rolled away. From where you sit we will take
turns tossing a ball to roll a “stone” (another ball) off the plate. When someone causes the stone to be
rolled off the plate, everyone will say: “The stone was rolled away! Jesus is alive today!”
Let everyone have one chance at rolling the stone away. Tell them we can play some more at the end, if we
have time after our Bible Study.

Bible Study: Jesus rose from the grave. John 20:1-23.

SAY: In our second Bible study, we learned how Jesus demonstrated His love for us by dying on the cross to
save us from our sins. But that wasn’t the end of the story or the end of Jesus. Let’s read about what
happened on the third day after His crucifixion. This is what Easter is really all about and why we celebrate
Jesus!

Read the passage with a sense of suspense and excitement.

John 20:1-23 (from the New Living Translation)

1 Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the
stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 2 She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the
one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know
where they have put him!”

3 Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. 4 They were both running, but the other disciple
outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying
there, but he didn’t go in. 6 Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings
lying there, 7 while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other
wrappings. 8 Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed— 9
for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. 10 Then
they went home.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

11 Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. 12 She saw two
white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus
had been lying. 13 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her.
 It’s All About Jesus: Bible Study #3 P a g e | 2

“Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

14 She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. 15
“Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?”

She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put
him, and I will go and get him.”

16 “Mary!” Jesus said.

She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).

17 “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell
them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

18 Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his
message.

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

19 That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the
Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 20 As he
spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the
Lord! 21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he
breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you
do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

ASK: Lead a discussion by asking questions about the Bible Story. Encourage the children to raise their
hands and speak one at a time.

 vs 1-2. Why did Mary Magdalene think that someone had taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb?
 vs 3-7. What did Peter and John discover when they went into the tomb?
 vs 6-7. Jesus’ body had been wrapped in linen cloths and another cloth had covered His head. Why
do you think that John told us that the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying
apart from the other wrappings? (***NOTE FOR THE TEACHER: Explain that one of the ways the
Jewish leaders tried to deny the resurrection of Jesus was to say his disciples had stolen the body-
even though two Roman soldiers were guarding the tomb! If they had stolen Jesus’ body, they
would have left it wrapped up to not get His blood on themselves, so the cloths would have been
gone too. Also, if they had stolen the body, they would have been in a hurry, so they wouldn’t
have taken time to “fold up” the head covering and set it in a separate place!)
 vs 8-9. John himself was “the disciple who had reached the tomb first.” When he went into the
tomb, it says “he saw and believed.” What did he believe? (see vs 10)
 vs 11-13. After Peter and John left, what did Mary do next and what did she see?
 What do you think she felt when she saw the two angels in white robes? Why was she crying?
 vs 14-15. When she turned around, she saw someone but didn’t recognize Him. Why do you think
she didn’t recognize it was Jesus?
 vs 16. When did Mary recognize Jesus?
 vs 17-18. What did Jesus tell Mary to do and to say? Why?
 vs 19. Why were the disciple afraid of the Jewish leaders?
 How did Jesus suddenly get into a room where all the doors were locked? What does this say about
the power of Jesus? Why did he say: “Peace be with you.” (***NOTE FOR TEACHER: This was the
 It’s All About Jesus: Bible Study #3 P a g e | 3

common greeting among God’s people—“Shalom.” But bring out that the Bible tells us that Jesus
was the ONE who came to bring us true PEACE. In fact, the angels sang at His birth: “Glory to God
in the Highest, and on earth, PEACE, good will to men.”)
 vs 20. Why did Jesus show the disciples His wounds?
 vs 21-23. What did Jesus tell His disciples to do? Why is it important to “receive the Holy Spirit?”
Why is our message so important? (***NOTE FOR TEACHER: There is a lot that the Lord may lead
you to share about this, but be sure to explain that when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior,
He comes into our hearts through His Holy Spirit coming into us. Also point out, that only Jesus
can forgive sins, so when we tell others about Jesus, we get to participate in them getting their
sins forgiven. But if Christians don’t share about Jesus, then others won’t find out how to receive
forgiveness of their sins.)
 ***THIS MAY BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO SHARE YOUR TESTIMONY ABOUT WHEN
JESUS FORGAVE YOUR SINS AND GAVE YOU HIS HOLY SPIRIT. BE SURE TO EMPHASIZE THAT YOU
KNOW THAT JESUS ROSE FROM THE GRAVE AND IS ALIVE TODAY BECAUSE HE GIVES YOU PEACE.
SHARE WHAT A DIFFERENCE JESUS MAKES IN YOUR LIFE EVERY DAY.
 If time permits and the Lord leads, you might ask if any of the students would like to share their
testimony about Jesus.

Bringing It Home: Share an evangelistic tract about the Gospel.

Review Memory Verse: Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Close in Prayer: Thank God for bringing Jesus back to life on the third day.

It’s All About Jesus Poster: Allow children to complete the

Resurrection portion of their poster. Ask them why we “REJOICE”
about Jesus’ resurrection!
***For the younger children, you could just ask them
to answer out loud as they color that portion of the poster.

Extra Activity
Have the older children cut out page 15 of their Activity Book and color it. Put it on a Styrofoam plate, and
with a cotton ball, cover the sheet with a light coat of vegetable oil to give the appearance of stained glass.

Wrap-up Time: Beginning at about 2:10 pm, spend about five minutes allowing the children to gather their
crafts and papers into their bags, and getting their belongings together. Thank them for coming. Prepare
them for the closing by reminding them that they will be going to the Worship Center to practice their
songs. Then they will perform their songs for the parents as they come to pick them up. Take them for a
bathroom break before bringing them to the Worship Center by 2:20 pm.