Death and Resurrection of Jesus for Kids: He Is Not Here
"He is not here. For he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay."
— Matthew 28:6 CSB
The death and resurrection of Jesus is not one story among many in the Bible — it is the story that every other story has been pointing toward. Every post in this series was a sign: David, who fought the battle we could not fight. Noah, through whom something was preserved when everything was lost. Moses, who went before the people into a wilderness they could not survive alone. Elijah, who was fed when he was too spent to take another step. Daniel, who walked out of the pit unharmed. The Good Samaritan, who stopped and paid a debt that was not his. Jesus calming the storm, and the disciples asking who he was.
This is Who He was.
What happened between Thursday night and Sunday morning in Jerusalem is the hinge of history. And the strangest part is that the disciples who had been with Jesus for three years were not expecting it. Even after he had told them it was coming. Even after every sign. When the women went to the tomb on Sunday morning, they went to finish grieving, not to find an empty grave.
The people closest to Jesus were not watching for the resurrection. They were bringing spices. They were planning to finish the burial properly.
What they found instead changed everything. It still does.
The Story of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus
On the night of Passover, Jesus ate a final meal with his disciples. He took bread, broke it, and said: "This is my body, which is given for you." He took the cup and said: "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." (Luke 22:19-20 CSB) Then they went out to the Mount of Olives.
In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed. He prayed with such intensity that his sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground. He asked his Father: "Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me -- nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." (Luke 22:42 CSB) An angel appeared and strengthened Him.
Judas came with soldiers and religious leaders. He greeted Jesus with a kiss -- the signal. Jesus was arrested. The disciples fled. Peter followed at a distance to the high priest's courtyard, where he denied knowing Jesus three times before the rooster crowed.
The religious leaders brought Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor, who had authority to execute. Pilate questioned Jesus and found no grounds for a charge. He tried to release Jesus but the crowd insisted on crucifixion. Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified.
Roman soldiers flogged Him. They put a crown of thorns on His head and a purple robe on His shoulders and mocked Him. They led Him to a place called Golgotha -- the skull -- and crucified Him between two criminals. Above His head they placed a sign: "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." (John 19:19 CSB)
At three in the afternoon, Jesus cried out: "It is finished." (John 19:30 CSB) He bowed His head and gave up his spirit.
At that moment, the curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The centurion standing guard said: "Truly this man was the Son of God." (Mark 15:39 CSB)
A man named Joseph of Arimathea, a secret disciple, went to Pilate and asked for Jesus's body. Pilate granted it. Joseph wrapped the body in linen and placed it in his own new tomb, cut from rock. A large stone was rolled against the entrance.
The religious leaders asked Pilate to seal the tomb and post a guard. He did.
On Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. There was a violent earthquake. An angel had descended from heaven, rolled back the stone, and was sitting on it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothes were white as snow. The guards shook from fear and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women: "Don't be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here. For he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay." (Matthew 28:5-6 CSB)
They ran from the tomb with fear and great joy. As they went, Jesus Himself met them. They grabbed His feet and worshiped Him.
He appeared to Mary Magdalene in the garden, to two disciples on the road to Emmaus, to Peter, to the eleven, and to more than five hundred people at one time. He showed them His hands and His side. He ate with them. He was not a vision. He was Jesus, with a body, present, alive.
Forty days later, Jesus led His disciples to Bethany, lifted His hands, and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He was taken up into heaven. They returned to Jerusalem with great joy.
What This Story Is Really About
Paul said it plainly: "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins." (1 Corinthians 15:17 CSB) Everything in Christianity depends on whether the tomb was actually empty on Sunday morning. Not metaphorically. Physically empty.
This wasn’t something the disciples invented. They had already given up hope once Jesus was crucified. The ones who were brave enough to go to the tomb—the women—went to finish grieving. What changed their lives was not an idea or a feeling. It was an empty grave and a risen Man they could touch.
The curtain that was torn in two is a significant detail. In the temple, that curtain separated the people from the Most Holy Place -- the presence of God. It was torn not from the bottom up, the way a person tears it. It was torn from the top down to show that God tore it. The cross did not just pay a debt. It opened a door. We have access to God now through Jesus and His death and resurrection.
We teach our children that the cross is not the end. Jesus said He would rise and He did. Death could not hold Him. And because the tomb was empty and because of everything that Jesus did on the cross, every consequence for everything that had ever been done wrong was absorbed and answered. Paid. Finished.
The writer of Hebrews looks back across the full sweep of Old Testament faith -- including everyone in this series -- and names Jesus as the one they were all pointing to: "He is also the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance." (Hebrews 9:15 CSB) David, Noah, Moses, Elijah, Daniel, the Samaritan who stopped -- all of them were arrows. This is what they were pointing at.
Your children will be told many times that death is the end. That is the wrong way to think about life. We should think about our lives in terms of Easter Sunday Morning: trained soldiers became like dead men, and the dead man walked out. God meets us where we are -- and the resurrection is what makes that meeting possible, because He is alive to meet us.
He is not here. He has risen, just as he said.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Death and Resurrection of Jesus
Where is the death and resurrection of Jesus in the Bible?
The full account is in all four Gospels: Matthew 26-28, Mark 14-16, Luke 22-24, and John 18-21. Each Gospel includes details the others don't -- together they give the most complete picture. For telling this story to children, Luke 22-24 is a good single-Gospel read. John 20 is the most vivid account of the resurrection morning.
What does the death and resurrection of Jesus teach children?
It teaches them that death did not win. Jesus died on the cross -- fully, really, completely -- and three days later He rose from the dead. The tomb was empty. He rose just like He said He would. Children can remember this: God loves us enough to save us. Jesus paid the consequences of our sin on the cross, and He showed through His resurrection that by believing in Him, we too will be raised with Him at the end of all things.
Why did Jesus have to die?
Jesus died to take on Himself the consequences of everything done wrong, by everyone, ever. The Bible describes sin as a debt, a separation, an accusation -- and the cross is where all of it landed on Jesus instead of on us. He died the death that we owed so that we don't have to owe it. Paul says Christ "gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age." (Galatians 1:4 CSB)
Did Jesus really rise from the dead?
Yes! The resurrection is the central historical claim of Christianity. The tomb was empty on Sunday morning -- a fact not disputed even by those who wanted to explain it away. Jesus appeared to His disciples, to Mary Magdalene, to two travelers on the Emmaus road, and to more than five hundred people at once (1 Corinthians 15:6). The disciples who saw him changed from hiding in a locked room to proclaiming it publicly in the same city where it happened, within weeks.
What is the difference between Good Friday and Easter Sunday for kids?
Good Friday is when Jesus was crucified -- the day He died on the cross. Easter Sunday is when the tomb was found empty and Jesus rose from the dead. Good Friday is not the end of the story: Jesus didn’t stay dead. Friday is the day Jesus absorbed everything wrong. Sunday is the day He showed us that sin and death didn't win.
Questions to Ask Your Kids
These work well at the dinner table, in the car, before bed. Pick one or more as you teach your kids.
1. Every story in this series was pointing to this one -- David, Noah, Moses, Elijah, Daniel. Can you see how they were all pointing toward Jesus? What did they have in common?
2. The disciples had heard Jesus say He would rise from the dead. But when He died, they still gave up. Why do you think it is hard to hold onto a promise when the hard thing actually arrives?
3. On Sunday morning, the guards shook with fear and became like dead men. And the dead man walked out of the tomb. What do you think that moment was like for the women who arrived and found the tomb empty?
4. Jesus showed His disciples His hands and His side. He ate with them. He was not a ghost -- He was really there. Why do you think it matters that the resurrection was physical and not just spiritual?
5. Paul said that if Jesus didn't rise, everything is pointless -- but because He did rise, nothing is hopeless. What difference does it make to your life right now that Jesus is actually alive?
What to Say When You Tell This Story
Don’t be overwhelmed or intimidated just because the story is important. Tell the story, then say this: Jesus died on Friday. They sealed the tomb. On Sunday morning, the women came to finish grieving, but the angel said: He is not here. He has risen, just as He said. Then the women told the disciples, and the disciples told others. It’s the greatest news of all time!
The goal isn't that your children can trace all four Gospel accounts or explain the theology of atonement necessarily. It is that they know that Jesus really died, really rose from the dead, and that He is still really alive. That He said He would rise and he did. That death could not hold him. He is not a memory or an idea. He is alive. The curtain was torn. The grave was empty.
He is not here. He has risen, just as He said. It was enough to change everything then. It is still enough.
This post is part of a series on Bible stories to tell your kids. Read the full list here: 10 Bible Stories to Talk About with Your Kids
Taking care of home, pastor, science teacher, Bible reader