Bible story for kids · Luke 23 and 24
Jesus is alive
Jesus healed sick people, taught about God, and loved people no one else would love. But some leaders wanted him gone.
They arrested Jesus, and he was put to death on a cross. Jesus had done nothing wrong. He gave his life for us, and he even prayed for the people who hurt him: “Father, forgive them.”
Jesus died. His friends laid his body in a tomb cut into rock, and a big stone was rolled over the door. They were very sad.
Early on Sunday morning, some women who loved Jesus went to the tomb with spices. When they got there, the stone was rolled away. Jesus’ body was not there.
Suddenly two men in bright, shining clothes stood beside them. The women were afraid.
The men said, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead? He is not here. He has risen.”
The women ran to tell Jesus’ other friends. At first, the friends did not believe them. Peter ran to the tomb and saw it was empty.
Later that day, Jesus himself came to his friends. He showed them his hands and his feet, and he ate with them. Jesus was alive.
From the Bible
He is not here; he has been raised! Think back to what he told you while he was still in Galilee…
Talk about it
- How do you think the women felt when they found the empty tomb?
- Jesus forgave the people who hurt him. Is there someone you need to forgive?
- Why is “Jesus is alive” good news for us?
Read Luke 23 and 24 in the Bible
For grown-ups: what the text says
The arrest and the cross are in Luke 22 and 23, with “Father, forgive them” at Luke 23:34. This telling names the cross without its details; children can hear those as they are ready. The women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and others (Luke 24:10). Jesus eats with his friends in Luke 24:41-43. Each Gospel tells the morning a little differently; Matthew 28 has one angel speaking.