The Crucifixion & Resurrection of Jesus: Christian Easter Lesson for Kids

This free Easter Sunday Bible lesson, Jesus’s Crucifixion & Resurrection, will teach preschool and elementary students about the true story of Easter when Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected.

FOCUS BIBLE PASSAGE: Matthew 27:11-28:10; Mark 15-16:14; Luke 23-24:12; John 19-20:29

This lesson comes from the Seeds of Truth Elementary Bible Curriculum that is free to anyone looking for ideas to "plant seeds" into the hearts of children as they are learning about Jesus. Find more details HERE.

Transcript

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Welcome to the Seeds of Truth podcast, where seeds of biblical truth are planted into the hearts and minds of listeners so they can grow into a relationship with Jesus. I'm your host, Miss Dana. Thank you for joining me today. Let's get started. Hello, friends, and welcome. I want to let you know that today's story is going to be a little bit longer than normal. Today we are learning about the Easter story. So when we celebrate Easter, we are celebrating Jesus' resurrection from the dead. So Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins. He was buried and he rose again on the third day. And Easter is the day that we celebrate Jesus' resurrection or his raising back to life. Before we read the Easter story in the Bible, we are going to talk about some symbols. So a symbol is a picture or an object or a sign that represents something else. So I'm going to say a symbol, and I want you to think about what that symbol represents or stands for. So the symbol of a heart, what does a heart stand for? A heart is a symbol for love. How about a dove? What is a dove a symbol for? A dove is a symbol of peace or hope. And in Christianity, the dove is also a symbol of the Holy Spirit. What about an owl? What is an owl a symbol for? An owl is a symbol for wisdom or intelligence. What is a rose a symbol for? A rose is a symbol for romance or love. What is an arrow a symbol for? An arrow is a symbol for direction or movement. What is a cross a symbol for? A cross is a symbol for Christianity or sacrifice. What are eggs a symbol for? Eggs are a symbol for new life. Did you know that? Eggs are a symbol for new life, the new life that is inside of an egg. So we are celebrating Easter. We're learning about the Easter story. So why do you think that we have Easter eggs as part of our traditions when we celebrate Easter? Eggs are a symbol of new life, and we celebrate the new life that Jesus offers us on Easter. So remember, Jesus came to earth to live a sinless life. And he rose from the dead on the third day. And Jesus' resurrection is why we celebrate Easter. Resurrection is another way to say raise up from the dead. So when we say Easter story, we actually mean the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus. The world wants us to think that Easter is about bunnies and eggs and candy. And those things are great, but we have to be careful and not let those things cover up the true reason that we celebrate Easter. And the true reason that we celebrate Easter is Jesus and the sacrifice that he made for us when he died on the cross for our sins. So the Easter story is recorded in all four Gospels of the New Testament of the Bible. So the four Gospels are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The Gospels tell us about Jesus' life on earth, his ministry of loving, teaching, and serving others, and his death, burial, and resurrection. So you can read the Easter story in all four of the Gospel books. And that's what we're going to do today. Okay, so before we start reading the Easter story, we need to look back at a time in history that we can learn about in the Old Testament of the Bible called Passover. So remember, our Bible is divided into two big parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament teaches about the time before Jesus came to earth, and the New Testament teaches about the time Jesus lived on earth and after. So a few episodes ago, we talked about a system of sacrifices that God set up for the people so they could be forgiven for their sins. So if you haven't listened to that episode, I would like for you to pause right here and go back and listen to the episode called Jesus as the Spotless Lamb. And that will teach you about that system of sacrifices. So the price for sin is death and separation from God. The people at that time were commanded by God to offer or sacrifice or give up animals that had no flaws and were completely healthy to cover up their own sins. So the death of the animal paid the price for the sin of that person. Now, the Israelites, which are God's chosen people, spent over 400 years in slavery in Egypt. God sent Moses to bring them out of Egypt. And after many failed attempts at asking Pharaoh, who is the leader of the Egyptians, God finally told the Israelites that he was going to do something that would make Pharaoh release the people. He told each Israelite family to choose a spotless male lamb from their flock to sacrifice. God told them to take some of the blood from the lamb and put it on the sides and tops of the door frames of the houses where they were eating the lamb. He called this Passover because that night he passed through Egypt and killed all of the firstborn among the people and animals. But the Israelite people who had blood on their houses were passed over. The blood was a sign to God that they were his people, so he did not kill the firstborn in any house that had the lamb's blood on the doorframe. Then God told the people, Always remember this day. You and your children after you must celebrate this day as a feast to honor the Lord. You must do this for all time to come. It is a law that will last forever. That is in Exodus chapter 12, verse 14. At the time of the Easter story, Jesus and his disciples were in Jerusalem celebrating the Passover feast. The Jewish people celebrate Passover every year, just like God told them to, all the way back in the book of Exodus, to remember what he did for them that night to help them escape from Egypt. God told them to use the blood of a spotless lamb as a sign, and he passed over their houses. The judgment that he sent on the Egyptians by not passing over their houses was the reason that Pharaoh finally freed the Israelites from slavery. So the Passover feast is celebrated to remember the blessing by God when he freed the people from slavery in Egypt. So let's think about a connection between the spotless Passover lamb and Jesus. Jesus is the ultimate spotless lamb who died on the cross as the Passover lamb. Isn't that amazing? So many years ago, a yearly celebration was started, and Jesus died on the cross on the exact day of Passover as our Passover lamb to take away our sins. But you can find the entire story in all four of the books. So Jesus said to his disciples, as you know, the Passover feast is two days away. The Son of Man will be handed over to be nailed to a cross. Then the chief priests met with the elders of the people. They met in the palace of Caiaphas, the high priest. They made plans to arrest Jesus secretly. They wanted to kill him, but not during the feast, they said, the people may stir up trouble. So they wanted to kill Jesus because they were afraid of him, and they didn't believe that he was the promised king and savior. They wanted to kill Jesus, but not during the celebration of the Passover feast, because the city of Jerusalem was filled with Jewish people who had traveled there to celebrate, and the religious leaders were afraid the people would cause a riot and then make the Roman leaders angry. So one of the twelve disciples went to the chief priests. His name was Judas Iscariot. He asked, What will you give me if I hand Jesus over to you? So they counted out thirty silver coins for him. From then on, Judas watched for the right time to hand Jesus over to them. Judas is the disciple of Jesus who betrayed him. He followed Jesus during most of Jesus' ministry, and then he decided that money was worth more to him than Jesus. When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles took their places at the table. He said to them, I have really looked forward to eating this Passover meal with you. I wanted to do this before I suffer. I tell you, I will not eat the Passover meal again until it is celebrated in God's kingdom. This passage is showing Jesus and his disciples at the beginning of their Passover meal. They were getting ready to celebrate, but Jesus knew that it was going to be his last Passover celebration until those who believe in him celebrate with him in heaven. He knew that he was going to be crucified on the cross very soon. Jesus told them, This very night you will all turn away because of me, but after I rise from the dead, I will go ahead of you into Galilee. Peter replied, All the others may turn away because of you, but I never will. What I'm about to tell you is true, Jesus answered. Before the rooster crows, you will say three times that you don't know me. So before the rooster crows is another way of saying before the sun rises. So Jesus was telling Peter that even though Peter said that he would not deny Jesus, that he would not ever leave him and say that he didn't know him, he would, and he did. So Jesus predicted that Peter was going to tell the people that he did not know Jesus. And that was because Peter was afraid. Peter was afraid, and so he denied Jesus. Then Jesus took the bread, he gave thanks and broke it, he handed it to them and said, This is my body, it is given for you. Every time you eat it, do this in memory of me. In the same way, after the supper, he took the cup. He said, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, it is poured out for you. So the bread and the wine in the cup are symbols for Jesus' body and blood that he sacrificed for our sins when he died on the cross. And that is why we still celebrate and give thanks to him by taking communion. And it's also called the Lord's Supper. So these are other symbols. So the bread is a symbol for Jesus' body, and the wine is a symbol for Jesus' blood that he sacrificed when he died on the cross. Jesus looked toward heaven and prayed. He said, Father, the time has come. Bring glory to your son. Then your son will bring glory to you. You gave him authority over all people. It is knowing you, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth. I have finished the work you gave me to do. So now, Father, give glory to me in heaven where your throne is. Give me the glory I had with you before the world began. So right here, Jesus prayed and spoke to God the Father. He knew that it was time for him to finish the work that he was sent to do. And the work that he was sent to do by God was to teach us to love and serve others, and he was sent to die on the cross for the sins of humanity. Jesus said in his prayer that he gives eternal life. Eternal life is life forever with Jesus. So after we die, after our bodies die on this earth, if we trust in Jesus, our spirits and our new bodies will live with Jesus forever. Just as Jesus was speaking, Judas appeared. He was one of the twelve disciples. A crowd was with him. They were carrying swords and clubs. The chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders had sent him. Now this is in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus went with his disciples to pray. The signal to the guards for which man they were to arrest was the one who Judas went up to and kissed. So a kiss on the cheek would have been a common greeting between friends in those days. Then the group of soldiers, their commander, and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They tied him up and brought him first to Annas. He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest at that time. Caiaphas had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people. So these Jewish leaders were really looking for any reason at all that they could find to sentence Jesus to die. The high priest asked Jesus if he is the Son of God. I am, said Jesus, and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the mighty one. You will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven. The high priest tore his clothes. Why do we need any more witnesses? He asked. So the high priest does not even realize that he is talking to God, asking him if he is God. Jesus quotes here from the Old Testament prophecies about himself when he says, the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the mighty one, and the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven. These were prophecies that were given in the Old Testament times through the prophets about Jesus. I am is also a name that God uses for himself throughout the Bible. So Jesus is claiming here that he is God because he is. And since the religious leaders didn't believe that Jesus is God, they did not like that he claimed to be God. They thought he was committing a crime by calling himself God. The high priest tearing his clothes in this passage meant that he was very upset. So Peter denied Jesus two times in Luke 22, 54 through 58, and then this passage. About an hour later, another person spoke up. This fellow must have been with Jesus, he said. He is from Galilee. Peter replied, Man, I don't know what you are talking about. Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. So remember, Jesus had told Peter that Peter would deny Jesus three times before the rooster crows. So Jesus was exactly right about what he knew Peter was going to do. So we don't really know exactly why Peter acted like he didn't know Jesus, but it was most likely because he was scared. He was scared that he was going to be arrested with Jesus. It was early in the morning. All the chief priests and the elders of the people planned how to put Jesus to death. So they tied him up and led him away. Then they handed him over to Pilate, who was the governor. So the leaders had decided the night before that they were going to kill Jesus, but they made the official decision the next morning because they weren't supposed to be voting on a death case at night. Pilate was the Roman governor in charge of the city of Jerusalem, and he had the authority to sentence Jesus to die. So Pilate asked Jesus, Are you the king of the Jews? You have said so, Jesus replied. Then Pilate spoke to the chief priests in the crowd. He announced, I find no basis for a charge against this man. Pilate didn't think there was any reason to kill Jesus, but the people wanted him dead. Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah? Pilate asked. They all answered, Crucify Him. Why? What wrong has he done? asked Pilate. The crowd shouted, Crucify Him, and that means kill him on the cross. Pilate did not think Jesus deserved to die. He didn't think Jesus had done anything wrong, but the people thought he was guilty of claiming to be God. He is God, but they didn't believe him. The soldiers twisted thorns together to make a crown. They put it on Jesus' head, then they put a purple robe on him. So let's think about why maybe they did this. They were mocking him, they were making fun of him because he said he was a king. They made him a crown made out of thorns, and they gave him a purple robe like a king would wear. So even though he was innocent, Jesus was sentenced to die on the cross. He knew that this had to happen so he could save us from our sins. There they nailed Jesus to the cross. Two other men were crucified with him. One was on each side of him. Jesus was in the middle. Jesus died on the cross as a criminal in the middle of two criminals, and he was innocent. So this is why we often will see three crosses as a symbol for the crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus was crucified on the middle cross in between two people who had committed crimes. But Jesus was innocent. Later, Jesus knew that everything had now been finished. He also knew that what Scripture said must come true. So he said, I am thirsty. A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it. They put the sponge on the stem of the hyssop plant, then they lifted it up to Jesus' lips. After Jesus drank, he said, It is finished. Then he bowed his head and died. When Jesus said, It is finished, he was declaring that the old sacrifice system was over. His sacrifice on the cross took away the need for animal sacrifices. He died one time for all sinners who believe in him. He was also saying that the payment for the sins of all people. People who choose to believe in him are paid in full. That is what it means when he says it is finished. The curtain in the temple tore in two from top to bottom when Jesus died. The curtain separated the most holy place, also called the Holy of Holies, from the rest of the temple. And it separated the people from the presence of God. So when Jesus died, the curtain tore, showing that he had made a way for us to have a relationship with God. We would no longer have to be separated from God if we believe in Jesus' sacrifice. As evening approached, a rich man came from the town of Arimathea. His name was Joseph. He had become a follower of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. He placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb. Then he went away. So this man named Joseph, and this is not the same Joseph who was Jesus' earthly dad. This is a different Joseph. This man, Joseph, had been following Jesus, and now he was honoring Jesus by giving him a proper burial. John's gospel also tells us that Nicodemus was with Joseph, helping to bury Jesus' body. Nicodemus is the man who came to Jesus at nighttime to ask him about his teaching. Jesus told Nicodemus to enter heaven, he needs to be born again, meaning he needed to ask Jesus for the new life that Jesus offers when we believe in him. John 3.16 comes from this conversation. That is John 3.16. Early on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. It was still dark. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the entrance. So she ran to Simon Peter and another disciple, the one Jesus loved. She said, They have taken the Lord out of the tomb. We don't know where they have put him. So Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' close followers during his earthly ministry. And when she came to visit the tomb on Sunday morning after Jesus had been buried, she noticed that the heavy stone had been rolled away. So the two disciples discovered that Jesus' body wasn't in the tomb after Mary Magdalene told them. And John, the disciple John, is often, he often referred to himself as the one Jesus loved. So when you see that in that passage, he is referring to himself. So Peter and the other disciples started out for the tomb. Both of them were running. The other disciple ran faster than Peter. He reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him. He went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there. He also saw the funeral cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus' head. The cloth was still lying in its place. It was separate from the linen. The disciple who had reached the tomb first also went inside. He saw and believed. They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead. So these two disciples, Simon Peter, and John, and Simon Peter is Peter, were so confused about why Jesus' body wasn't in the tomb anymore. How do you think you would have felt if you were in their shoes? On the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were together. They had locked the doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Jesus came in and stood among them. He said, May peace be with you. Then he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were very happy when they saw the Lord. Think about this. Jesus appeared to the disciples after he had risen from the dead. The disciples thought that he was dead. He had been buried and placed in the tomb, but the tomb is empty. So Jesus came to the place where his disciples were staying to show them that he had come back to life. So he showed them his hands and his side so they could see the wounds from the nails and the spear and believe that it was really him. And also we notice that this verse says that all the doors were locked. The doors were locked, but Jesus was still able to come into the room. He has risen from the dead and he is alive, but he has a special glorified body that isn't the same as ours. When the Lord Jesus finished speaking to them, he was taken up into heaven. He sat down at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere. The Lord worked with them, and he backed up his word by the signs that went with it. So this verse is many weeks after Jesus' resurrection. Jesus appeared to many people over the next several weeks as the risen Savior. Then he went up to heaven as many of his followers watched. The Bible says that Jesus now sits at the right hand of God. This position is one of authority and honor, showing that he is God. Jesus' earthly ministry was complete the day he went to heaven. He defeated death and sin when he died and rose again. Now Jesus is in heaven preparing a place for the people who love him, the people who believe in him and follow him. Those people will live forever with him. Jesus sends his Holy Spirit to live inside the people who choose to follow him. The Holy Spirit guides us and helps us to know right from wrong and how to choose every day to live how Jesus wants us to live. Sin separates us from God, but when Jesus died and rose again, he paid the price for our sins. All we need to do to have a relationship with God is believe that Jesus lived a sinless life, that he died on the cross, he was buried in a tomb, and that he rose back to life again on the third day. When you believe all of these things and you ask Jesus to forgive you and save you from your sins, he will. Then you will have eternal life forever with God. That is what it means to be born again. Jesus died and rose from death to save us from our sins. This is the true story of the reason we celebrate Easter. Jesus' perfect, sinless life, his death, his burial, and his resurrection to save us from our sins. Let's pray. Dear God, thank you for sending your Son Jesus to die for the sins of the people. Please help us to understand what you have done for us, and please help us to be bold enough to ask questions if we don't understand. Thank you for the true meaning of Easter. We love you and we pray all of these things in Jesus' sweet name. Amen. I hope that hearing this Easter story, this true Easter story, helps you to understand the true meaning of Easter, that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and that he rose back to life. He is offering you a free gift of salvation. All you have to do is trust him. Until next time, God bless. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Seeds of Truth Podcast. For more free Bible resources, visit Seeds of Truth Ministries.com