Opening Activity

• Remind the child of what has happened so far and allow them to share what they remember, for example, how Jesus was betrayed by Judas and taken to Pilate, how Pilate questioned Him and then handed Him over to the Jews to be crucified.
• Jesus died on the cross. Ask the child if they remember why he had to die.

Bible Story

• Jesus had died on the cross. That very evening a rich man, called Joseph, went to speak with Pilate. Joseph believed in Jesus and he asked Pilate if he could have Jesus’ body so that he could give it a proper burial (Matthew 27: 57- 58).
• Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean, linen cloth, and put it in his own new tomb. The tomb was like a little cave cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone across the entrance and walked away. Some of the women who followed Jesus stayed at the tomb. Ask the child how they think Joseph and these women were feeling (Matthew 27: 59- 61).
• Explain to the child that many years before this the prophet Isaiah had prophesied that Jesus would be buried in a rich man’s tomb (Isaiah 53: 9). This prophecy had now come true because Jesus had been buried in Joseph’s tomb.
• The Jews were worried that Jesus’ disciples might come at night, steal His body and make up a story that Jesus had risen from the dead. They asked Pilate if he could send some soldiers to seal the tomb and guard it (Matthew 27: 62-66).
• The soldiers guarded the tomb, but they could not stop an angel of the Lord coming down from Heaven. He rolled the stone away and sat on it. Jesus was not in the tomb anymore! The angel said, ‘He is not here, for He is risen as He said’ (Matthew 28: 1 – 6).
• The Bible teaches that God, by His great power, raised Jesus from the dead. His body was not stolen. It did not rot. God brought Him out of the tomb alive! For Christians, this proves how pleased God was with what Jesus had done, when He died for sins and that He really is the Son of God.