Encounter Christianity: In Words about Jesus lesson plan 12

12. The empty tomb (pages 24-25)

Text from the book

'Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He has been raised. He is not here.'

They found the tomb empty. They were astounded. Their world had been turned upside down and they realised that their lives would never be the same again. Being a follower of Jesus had changed them. A new life was about to begin.

Christians believe that Jesus' life, death and resurrection transform the world.

How can important events transform our lives?

Aims of the book

Pupils will:

explore some of the key sayings of Jesus;
be aware of what friends and enemies said about him;
reflect on the layers of meanings in the words.

Learning objectives

Pupils will:

explore the events described at the end of St Mark’s Gospel;
understand that Christians have different ways of understanding, and making sense of, ideas and beliefs about the resurrection of Jesus;
examine pupils’ own ideas about resurrection.

Background

The young man in white told the women ‘Jesus is risen’. They should go to tell the disciples and Jesus would meet them in Galilee. They were afraid. Who would believe them…? The empty tomb continues to be a powerful symbol for Christians. There were claims that Jesus’ body had been stolen but Christians do want to affirm that the empty tomb is proof of the resurrection. Jesus’ appearances afterwards depended upon the tomb being empty: his body had gone from there, so he could appear in bodily, not ghostly, form to his disciples and others.

Bible reference: Mark 16. 6

Ways of using the picture

The women were terrified. Why were they so surprised? Hadn’t Jesus told them he would rise from the dead? Why the emphasis on women? Were they closer to Jesus? Why didn’t Peter go with them? Would the women and the disciples be joyful, happy, worried or puzzled? What emotions would be going through their minds? How would you have felt in this situation?

Key words

Resurrection
Mystery
Transformation
Change
Faith

Activity

You will need:

a range of everyday objects
drawing paper and pencils

For early Christians, the Easter story made them look at life, and death, in a different way. It was as though they were seeing with new eyes; nothing would look quite the same to them again and things began to take on a different meaning.

Discuss the quotation on page 25 with the pupils. Encourage them to raise questions about the story as told at the end of Mark’s Gospel from which it is taken. You could introduce the discussion in this way… ‘For Christians, Resurrection is a very important aspect of their faith. When they worship they say "Christ is risen" but what can it mean? Is it literal? Is it true? What sort of evidence would be needed to prove it?’ Do Christians need proof in order to believe the story?

Remind the pupils that for Christians, this is an on-going debate too, and that there are no clear cut, easy answers to the questions. There is deep mystery within these Biblical accounts of the death and resurrection of Jesus and Christians will always continue to wonder about this apparently inexplicable series of events. But Christians are inspired by them to see life in a new way.

Explore the idea of ‘seeing things in a new way’. Ask the pupils to choose a familiar, everyday object. It could be something from the classroom, or it could be a natural object like a pebble or a shell. Ask them first to look at the object in great detail, then, working in pairs, describe it to their partner. Encourage them to look in such detail that they start to see the object in new ways. Making a close observation drawing can help this process. They can examine, reflect, compare their findings using words like, ‘I never noticed before that…’.

Assessment opportunities

Revisit the Encounter Christianity Key Stage 2 Big Book To Change the World.

Ask the pupils to describe any links between the idea of ‘seeing things in a new way’ and the examples of change/transformation pictured in the Big Book.

Learning outcomes

Pupils will have:

examined their own ideas, and the ideas of others about the account of the resurrection of Jesus in St Mark’s Gospel;
examined ideas about truth, belief, faith in the light of this Christian story;
experienced the way in which everyday objects can be seen in a new light when examined in greater detail.

Extension work

Having taken a close look at some familiar objects, ask similar questions of people well known to the pupils. For example, can our views of people change? How can we see them ‘in a different way’? How well do we know our friends, our teachers, our families? Are they so familiar that we take them for granted? Does familiarity make us blind to the needs of others?

Web sites

http://www.educate.org.uk

Another series of lesson plans from the 'Educate the Children' site. Designed specifically for Key Stage 2 pupils, there are seven lessons accompanied by downloadable worksheets. An excellent resource.

http://www.links4kids.co.uk/easter.htm

This is a very helpful web site, with some 18,500 links to 'safe sites' for children.

This page gives about 20 links to Easter sites where children can make Easter cards, download screensavers and learn some jokes.

http://www.ability.org.uk/easter.html

Another lengthy listing of web sites on Easter. Many of these are craft-centred ones, with games, songs and the inevitable bunnies and eggs.

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