Primary
Lesson 41: Jesus Christ Is Our Savior

“Lesson 41: Jesus Christ Is Our Savior,” Primary 2: Choose the Right A (1995), 223–28

“Lesson 41,” Primary 2, 223–28

Lesson 41

Jesus Christ Is Our Savior

Purpose

To help each child understand that because Jesus Christ was resurrected, everyone will be resurrected.

Preparation

  1. Prayerfully study Matthew 27:45–66, 28:1–8, Luke 24:13–46, and John 19:30, 20:11–18. See also Gospel Principles (31110), chapters 11 and 12.

  2. Cut a sheet of paper the same size as picture 2-65, The Resurrected Jesus Christ (Gospel Art Picture Kit 239; 62187), into eight pieces. Number the pieces from 1 to 8. Cover picture 2-65 as illustrated by carefully fastening the pieces to the picture with paper clips or small pieces of tape.

    1

    2

    3

    4

    5

    6

    7

    8

  3. Prepare to sing or say the words to the first verse of “He Is Risen!” (Hymns, no. 199), or bring a recording of this song.

  4. Materials needed:

    1. A Bible.

    2. Cutout 2-5, scene of the Crucifixion; cutout 2-6, wrapping Jesus’ body; cutout 2-7, tomb; cutout 2-8, large stone; cutout 2-9, guards; cutout 2-10, angel; cutout 2-11, women with ointments; cutout 2-12, Jesus resurrected. Stack these cutouts in the order they are to be used in the lesson.

    3. Picture 2-2, Family with a Baby (62307); picture 2-35, Christ and the Children (Gospel Art Picture Kit 216; 62467); picture 2-62, Mary and the Resurrected Lord (Gospel Art Picture Kit 233; 62186); picture 2-63, On the Road to Emmaus; picture 2-64, Jesus Shows His Wounds (Gospel Art Picture Kit 234; 62503).

  5. Make the necessary preparations for any enrichment activities you want to use.

Suggested Lesson Development

Invite a child to give the opening prayer.

Follow up with the children if you encouraged them to do something during the week.

Jesus Christ Did Something for Us That We Could Not Do

Attention activity

Show picture 2-2, Family with a Baby. Have the children think about when they first came to earth as babies.

  • What did your parents (or other family members) do for you when you were a baby that you could not do for yourself?

Help the children think of things their parents (or other family members) did for them. Make sure each child has a chance to name at least one thing.

  • What do your parents (or other family members) do for you now that you cannot do for yourself?

  • Why do they do these things for you?

Explain that our parents and other family members are happy to do things for us that we cannot do for ourselves because they love us and want to help us.

Discussion

Explain that someone else loves us very much and was willing to do something for us that we could not do for ourselves.

Show picture 2-35, Christ and the Children.

  • Who is this person who loves us?

Explain that before we came to this earth, Jesus Christ offered to be our Savior. That meant he was willing to die and be resurrected so that we could live again and return to our Father in Heaven. Jesus was the only person with the power to do this for us. We could not do it for ourselves.

  • What does it mean to be resurrected?

Explain that when we die, our spirits leave our physical bodies. After Jesus died, his spirit and his physical body came back together as a resurrected body that would live forever. Because Jesus died and was resurrected, we will be resurrected too.

Jesus Christ Was Resurrected

Teacher presentation

Explain that the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Savior, was such an important event that we celebrate a special day every year to help us remember what happened.

  • What do we call this special day? (Easter.)

Remind the children that at Easter time they learned about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Scripture story with cutouts

Tell the story of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, burial, and resurrection (see Matthew 27:45, 57–66; 28:1–6; and John 19:30). Let the children hold up the cutouts at the appropriate times.

Have a child hold up cutout 2-5, scene of the Crucifixion.

Explain that Jesus was placed on the cross sometime before noon. At noon the sun was hidden from view, and darkness spread over the land for three hours (see Matthew 27:45). Christ’s pain was more terrible than we could stand. Christ could have chosen not to suffer and die, but he had promised Heavenly Father that he would come to earth and suffer and die for us.

Tell the children that the earth trembled and shook. Those who were watching in the darkness heard Jesus cry out, “It is finished” (John 19:30). His suffering had ended. He bowed his head and died. His spirit left his body.

  • How do you think Jesus’ friends and disciples felt after Jesus was crucified?

Have the child lay down the cutout of the Crucifixion scene.

Have a child hold up cutout 2-6, wrapping Jesus’ body.

Explain that Jesus’ friends and disciples carefully removed his body from the cross. They wrapped his body in fine linen cloth with spices, as was the custom in those days.

Have a child hold up cutout 2-7, tomb.

Explain that the Savior’s friends placed his body in a tomb. A tomb is a small room, often carved out of a large rock, in which people can be buried.

Have the child lay down the cutout of wrapping Jesus’ body.

Have children hold up cutout 2-8, large stone, and cutout 2-9, guards.

Tell the children that a large stone was placed at the door of the tomb, and guards stood by the stone.

  • Why were the stone and the guards placed at the door of the tomb? (See Matthew 27:62–66.)

Explain that for three days Jesus’ body was in the tomb. Early on the third day, which was Sunday, the earth trembled and shook again (see Matthew 28:1–2).

Have a child hold up cutout 2-10, angel.

Explain that an angel came down from heaven and rolled back the stone from the door of the tomb.

Have the child lay down the cutout of the large stone.

  • What happened to the people who were guarding the tomb? (See Matthew 28:4.)

Have the child lay down the cutout of the guards.

Have a child hold up cutout 2-11, women with ointments.

Explain that on that same Sunday morning Mary Magdalene, a follower of Jesus, and another woman visited the tomb (see Matthew 28:1). They wanted to put some ointment and spices on the body of Jesus (this was a custom of the time). When they came near the tomb, they could see that the stone had been rolled away. The tomb was empty. Jesus’ body was gone.

Explain that the women saw the angel, who told them not to be afraid. Read aloud from Matthew 28:5–6 what the angel said to the women.

Have all the children lay down their cutout figures. Have a child hold up cutout 2-12, Jesus resurrected.

Explain that when the angel said, “He is risen,” he was telling the women that Jesus Christ had been resurrected. His spirit had come back into his body and he was alive again.

Tell the children that Jesus’ disciples and friends were very glad to hear that he was alive again.

Song

Have the child continue to hold up the cutout of Jesus resurrected while you sing or play a recording of the first verse of “He Is Risen!” Then have the child lay the cutout down.

He is risen! He is risen!

Tell it out with joyful voice.

He has burst his three days’ prison;

Let the whole wide earth rejoice.

Death is conquered, man is free.

Christ has won the victory.

Jesus Christ Appeared to Mary Magdalene and to His Disciples

Discussion

Show picture 2-62, Mary and the Resurrected Lord.

Explain that Jesus Christ appeared to some of his followers after he was resurrected. The first person he appeared to was Mary Magdalene (see John 20:11–18). Mary was by the tomb crying when Jesus came to her.

  • How do you think Mary felt to see Jesus and know that he was alive again?

Scripture story

Show picture 2-63, On the Road to Emmaus, and tell the story found in Luke 24:13–46.

Explain that the two disciples did not recognize Jesus when he started talking with them. The disciples told Jesus about everything that had happened that day at the tomb. When Jesus stopped to eat supper with them, he broke bread, blessed it, and gave it to the disciples. Then they realized who he was. Jesus then disappeared from their sight.

  • How do you think the disciples felt after seeing Jesus?

  • If you had been one of the disciples and had just seen Jesus, what would you do?

Explain that the two disciples hurried to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples they had seen Jesus. As they were telling the others about what had happened, Jesus appeared.

Read aloud Luke 24:36–37. Explain that the disciples were frightened to see Jesus because they thought he was a spirit.

Show picture 2-64, Jesus Shows His Wounds.

Explain that Jesus wanted the disciples to touch his body so they would know he was resurrected. Read aloud Luke 24:39–40.

Tell the children that Jesus also asked for some food to eat. He ate the food to show the disciples that his physical body of flesh and bones had been joined with his spirit again into a resurrected body (see Luke 24:41–43).

Because Jesus Christ Was Resurrected, We Will Be Resurrected

Teacher presentation

Tell the children that Jesus Christ, our Savior, promised that all people could live again after they die. Each of us will be resurrected just as Jesus was and have a wonderful resurrected body like his. Because he loves us, Jesus made this possible.

Activity

Show the picture covered with the eight pieces of paper. Explain that hidden behind the papers is a special picture. Have the children take turns choosing a number from 1 to 8. Ask the corresponding question and allow the class to answer (help the children as needed). After the class answers each question, have a child remove the appropriate piece of paper, revealing part of the picture.

Use the following questions for the activity (or create some of your own):

  1. Who will be resurrected? (Everyone.)

  2. What does it mean to be resurrected? (To live again; to have our body and spirit joined again after death.)

  3. What did the angel mean when he said, “He is risen”? (Jesus Christ had been resurrected.)

  4. What are some of the things Jesus Christ did after he was resurrected? (He walked, talked, ate food, appeared to Mary Magdalene and to his disciples, let the disciples feel his hands and feet.)

  5. Who is our Savior? (Jesus Christ.)

  6. To whom did Jesus Christ appear after he was resurrected? (To Mary Magdalene and many of his disciples.)

  7. Is Jesus Christ living now? (Yes, in heaven with Heavenly Father.)

  8. Why was Jesus willing to die and be resurrected for us? (Because he loves us and wants us to be able to live again with him and Heavenly Father.)

When the entire picture is uncovered, explain that this is a painting of the resurrected Jesus Christ. When we see this picture, we can remember that because Jesus was resurrected everyone will be resurrected.

Summary

Testimony

Share your feelings of love for Jesus Christ, and bear your testimony about him and his resurrection. Remind the children that the news “He is risen” is good news for everyone.

Invite a child to give the closing prayer. Suggest that the child thank Heavenly Father for sending his Son, Jesus Christ, who made it possible for us to live again after we die.

Enrichment Activities

Choose from the following activities those that will work best for the children in your class. You can use them in the lesson itself or as a review or summary. For additional guidance, see “Class Time” in “Helps for the Teacher.”

  1. Review the hand and glove object lesson from lesson 3 (see page 13). Continue the analogy by explaining that dying is like taking the hand out of the glove. The body (like the glove) cannot move, but the spirit (like the hand) is still alive. At resurrection the spirit and the body are reunited, and both are alive again.

  2. Have the children stand and repeat the third article of faith with you. Explain that because Jesus Christ died and was resurrected, we will also be resurrected, and if we keep the commandments, we will be able to live with Jesus and Heavenly Father again someday. You may want to help the children memorize this article of faith.

  3. Sing or say the words to “Did Jesus Really Live Again?” (Children’s Songbook, p. 64). Help the children do the actions indicated:

    Did Jesus really live again (hold hands out with palms up)?

    Yes, when the third day came (hold up three fingers),

    He wakened and he left the tomb (walk in place);

    He called Mary’s name (cup hands around mouth).

    Did Jesus come to those he loved (put hands over heart)?

    Yes, people touched his feet (bend over and touch feet),

    And of the fish and honeycomb

    He did truly eat (pantomime eating).

    And there were nailprints in his hands (point to hand)

    And a spear wound in his side (point to side).

    Did Jesus really live again

    After he had died (hands out, palms up)?

    Oh yes! And so shall I (nod head)!

  4. With the approval of your Primary president, invite a ward or branch member to come to class and share his or her love for the Savior and testimony of the Resurrection.

  5. Ask the children to close their eyes and pretend they are blind. Explain that when we are resurrected, there will be no more blindness or any other disabilities. Our bodies will be perfect. Everyone will be able to see and hear and run; no one will have any physical problems. No one will get sick. Ask the children to open their eyes, and talk about how wonderful it will be to have perfect healthy bodies.