Jesus Is Risen: Adult Sunday School Lesson / Bible Study
Adults · 60 minutes · free Bible study lesson plan · Luke 24:1-12
An interactive adult study of Luke 24:1-12. Through reading, teaching, small-group discussion and reflection, adults explore the empty tomb, the call to remember Jesus' words, and what it means to stop seeking the living among the dead.
Memory verse
He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, (Luke 24:6, KJV)
Lesson objectives
- Retell the events of Luke 24:1-12 in order, noting how the women, the two men and Peter responded.
- Recognize that the resurrection fulfilled what Jesus had already told his followers, and why that matters for faith today.
- Identify one place where we 'seek the living among the dead' and take one step of trust in the risen Lord.
The full lesson plan
Welcome: Looking in the Wrong Place (7 min)
Greet everyone and hand out an index card and pen.
Say: "Welcome. Today we stand at an empty tomb on the first morning of the week."
Pair share (2 min): Turn to a neighbor. Tell about a time you searched hard for something in the wrong place. What did you expect to find?
Bring the group back and invite two or three to share briefly.
Say: "Expectations shape what we look for. The women in our passage went to the tomb expecting one thing and found another."
Say: "As we read, notice what they expected, what they found, and what they were told."
Write on the board: EXPECTED / FOUND / TOLD. We will fill this in together after the reading.
Say: "Let's open our Bibles to Luke 24 and hear the story."
Reading the Passage Together (10 min)
Ask three volunteers to read from the KJV: verses 1-4, verses 5-8, and verses 9-12. Pause after each reading.
Say: "Listen for who goes, what they find, and what they are told."
After verses 1-4: Ask, "What did the women bring, and what did they find?" (Spices they had prepared; the stone rolled away and no body of the Lord Jesus.) Write answers under EXPECTED and FOUND.
Background: The "first day of the week" is the day after the Sabbath. The spices were for anointing a body for burial.
After verses 5-8: Ask, "What did the two men in shining garments say?" ("Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen." They told the women to remember Jesus' words in Galilee, and the women remembered them.) Write under TOLD.
After verses 9-12: Ask, "How did the apostles respond? What did Peter do?" (The words seemed like idle tales and they believed them not. Peter ran to the tomb, saw the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed wondering.)
Say: "Notice that the passage ends with wonder, not a neat conclusion."
Say: "Now let's look at what this morning tells us."
Remember His Words (15 min)
Say: "The women came to care for a dead Lord. They did not come expecting an empty tomb."
1. A morning of grief and duty (vv. 1-4). They came with spices, an act of love toward Jesus' body. Yet verse 4 says they were "much perplexed." Faithful people can still be unprepared for what God does.
2. A question that corrects us (vv. 5-6). "Why seek ye the living among the dead?" The men did not scold them. They redirected them. Jesus is not in the tomb. He is risen.
Say: "The angels' answer to the women's confusion was not a new idea. It was to remember what Jesus had already said."
3. Remembering changes everything (vv. 6-8). Jesus had said the Son of man must be delivered, crucified, and rise the third day. See Luke 9:22. Verse 8 says simply: "And they remembered his words." Memory of his word turned fear into a message.
4. Doubt and wonder (vv. 9-12). The apostles dismissed the report. Peter ran and wondered. Honest doubt and wonder are part of this story.
Gospel connection: The resurrection is God's confirmation that Christ's death was not defeat. Paul writes that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again "according to the scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Say: "Because he is risen, we do not look for life in what is dead."
Say: "Now let's talk it through in small groups."
Table Talk (15 min)
Form groups of 3-4. Give each group 3 minutes per question, then invite a few groups to share. Sample answers are in parentheses.
1. The women brought spices for a burial. What expectations do we carry into our faith that God may need to overturn? (We expect God to work only in familiar ways, or we expect loss to be the final word.)
2. The men asked, "Why seek ye the living among the dead?" Where are we tempted to look for life in things that cannot give it? (Success, approval, comfort, routine religion, past achievements.)
3. Verse 8 says, "And they remembered his words." What helps you remember God's promises when circumstances say otherwise? (Scripture memory, journaling, fellowship, worship, recalling past faithfulness.)
4. The apostles thought the women's words were "idle tales." Why is the resurrection hard to believe, and what do we do with our doubts? (It goes against everything we see; we bring doubts to Jesus, return to his word, and listen to witnesses.)
5. Peter ran, looked, and went away "wondering." What might it look like to stay in wonder rather than rush to explain? (Pausing to worship, asking God to open our eyes, staying curious about what he has done.)
Say: "Thank you. Let's gather our thoughts for a personal response."
Living It Out (5 min)
Say: "Think about the places where you are seeking life among the dead."
On the index card, silently write two things (2 min):
1. One place I have been looking for life where it cannot be found.
2. One word of Jesus I will remember and trust this week.
Say: "The women's remembering led them to speak. Who needs to hear that Jesus is risen?"
Turn to a partner and share one line from your card (2 min). Keep it brief. Partners may pass if they prefer.
Say: "Keep the card in your Bible or wallet as a reminder this week."
Say: "Let's close by hearing our verse and praying together."
Memory Verse and Prayer (8 min)
Read Luke 24:6 aloud together from the KJV: "He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee," Repeat it once more, then invite everyone to say it from memory with a partner.
Say: "Our hope is not in a memory of a good teacher. It is in a risen Lord."
Prayer points (read each aloud, then pause for silent or spoken prayer):
- Thank God that Jesus is risen and that death did not have the last word.
- Confess the places where we have looked for life apart from him.
- Ask God to bring his words to mind when we are afraid or perplexed.
- Pray for courage to tell others what we have seen and heard, even if they call it an idle tale.
- Ask for wonder that grows into worship.
Close with a short prayer: "Risen Lord, we thank you that the tomb is empty. Help us remember your words and live in the light of your resurrection. Amen."
Say: "Go in peace. He is risen."
Materials
- KJV Bibles (or printed copies of Luke 24:1-12)
- Index cards
- Pens
- Whiteboard or large paper with markers
- Memory verse printed on slips of paper
Teacher notes
- Keep to the text: the passage names Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Mary the mother of James, and says 'other women.' Avoid inventing their words or feelings.
- Honor honest doubt. Verse 11 shows even the apostles did not believe at first, so invite questions without pressure.
- Adaptation: Provide large-print copies and a written version of each discussion question. Invite quieter members to write responses or share in pairs rather than in front of the whole group.
- If time runs short, shorten the Table Talk to three questions and keep the closing prayer.
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