Adventurers with Jesus: April- June 2023

By R.H. Boyd Publishing Corp.

Adventurers with Jesus (Ages 9-11) is an age-appropriate Christian quarterly lesson guide. Lesson presentations are easily taught and understood and show students how to find salvation through Jesus Christ. It follows the International Uniform Sunday School Lesson Outline from the National Council of Churches.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
• Release date: Mar 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798886350692

Book preview

Lesson #1

April 2, 2023

He Is Alive!

Lesson Passage:

Luke 24:1–12

NRSV

BUT on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared.

2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,

3 but when they went in, they did not find the body.

4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them.

5 The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.

6 Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,

7 that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again."

8 Then they remembered his words,

9 and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest.

10 Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles.

11 But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.

12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

Today’s Lesson Story

In today’s lesson, we will discuss Jesus’ resurrection, in preparation for next Sunday, which is the day that we actually celebrate Easter. Today, we will learn about the women’s reaction to the empty tomb, and in next week’s lesson, the male disciples’ reaction to the resurrection. According to Luke, it was the women who had no trouble believing! It is later, only after Jesus appears to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, that these men will understand the truth that Jesus had tried to reveal to them.

Early, on the first day of the week (Sunday), when the sun was barely peeking up over the horizon, the women went to the tomb. They carried with them spices that they would use to prepare Jesus’ body for burial. But when they arrived, the stone was already rolled away, and the body of Jesus was not there! Two questions arose: (1) Who could have moved such a heavy stone? and (2) Where had they taken Jesus’ body? Sad and confused, the women must have worried that the Romans had stolen Jesus.

Suddenly, two men in brilliant white robes stood before the women. They were so afraid that they fell to the ground, burying their faces in the dirt. The men in white were angels, and they promptly asked the women why they would look for the living [Jesus] among the dead. Had the women not been so startled, they may have remembered what Jesus had told them in Galilee. Jesus had warned them that He would be handed over to those who wanted to kill Him; He would be crucified on a cross on Golgotha; but on the third day, He would rise again. The angels said to the women, He is not here, but has risen!

Notice the word remember in verses 6–8. The women were reminded in verse 6 to remember (or bring to mind) what Jesus had previously told them. Then, in verse 8, the women remembered His words (and believed) what He had told them! In Luke’s account, the angels didn’t command the women to go and tell the others what they had experienced, but they did so, out of excitement and duty. Remember that Jesus had healed both Mary Magdalene and Joanna of evil spirits (demons), after which time they devoted their lives to the support of Jesus’ ministry. Among others, the third woman present at the tomb was Mary (the mother of James), who was also Jesus’ mother, who had borne our Savior into the world. It was a humble responsibility that the women were given. They were to spread the Good News that Jesus had risen, as He said that He would!

Yet, when the women told the disciples what they had seen and heard, they did not believe them! They thought the women were speaking nonsense, that they had missed something or even imagined the whole thing. The women were perceived by the men as making up some idle tale or rumor that had no truth to it! But Peter believed the women just enough to be curious. He got up and ran to the tomb, and when he looked inside, he saw it just as the women had explained. The linen cloths that had been wrapped around Jesus’ body were laying empty, as was the tomb.

Why did the disciples doubt? It was probably not so much doubt that the disciples experienced as it was wonderment. First of all, they were very sad that Jesus had died. They didn’t want Jesus to leave them and were grieving the death of their precious Lord and Teacher. Second, although they had listened to Jesus when He told them what would happen, they may have refused to believe it because the story was too painful to imagine. When they heard from the women that the tomb was empty, they certainly remembered Jesus’ words, but not until later did they understand the full significance of what had happened.

Think About It!

The women loved Jesus so much that they got up very early that Resurrection Day to care for His body. However, during this time in history, women were considered less important than men. Women were there simply to prepare food for the men and care for the children. Today, we must cherish and value our women! Think of all the important tasks that your mothers and grandmothers perform, simply to take good