He Has Risen
The printed guide is laid out to teach from: a run sheet, a page per section with room for notes, and a one-sheet handout with a kids’ page on the back.
Because the tomb is empty, the house of the LORD is home forever.
Open with it, bring it back after every section, close with it. By the end they should be able to finish the sentence for you.
Mark 15:33-39, Forsaken — The Shepherd took the rod of judgment, so his rod and staff comfort us.
Luke 15:1-7, Goodness Pursues — God’s goodness and mercy pursue us, like a shepherd after one lost sheep.
Open
Recall last time (Mark 15:33-39): the rod of judgment came down on the Shepherd. Today: the psalm’s last line, “and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Ask: What makes a place feel like home? Read Mark 16:6. Big idea: Because the tomb is empty, the house of the LORD is home forever. Ask one person what stuck from last time.
The run sheet
The House of the LORD
Psalm 23:6
The house of the LORD forever is a sure home because of the Shepherd, not the sheep’s record.
- The psalm’s road ends at God’s house.
- “Forever” is literally “for length of days.”
- Ecclesiastes calls the grave man’s “eternal home” (Ecclesiastes 12:5), literally “the house of his forever.”
Psalm 23:6 ends in God’s house. The women went to a tomb (Mark 16:2).
“He has risen! He is not here!” (Mark 16:6)
Discuss: David asked in Psalm 15, “Who may dwell on Your holy mountain?” How can anyone be sure of a place in God’s house?
- Psalm 23:6: “and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
- Psalm 27:4: David’s “one thing” was to dwell in the house of the LORD.
- Psalm 15:1-2 sets a standard only Jesus meets.
Illustration idea: Coming back to a home where the light is on and someone is waiting for you.
Listen for:
- Home, not just a building.
- Forever, because of him.
If it drifts: If the talk turns to speculation about what heaven looks like, return to the psalm: the point is whose house it is and who brings us there.
The psalm ends at home, in God’s house, forever.
Short on time? Drop Psalm 15. Keep Psalm 27:4.
Bridge → On the third day, three women walked to a grave.
The Stone Rolled Away
Mark 16:1-5
No one expected the resurrection; the women came for a body and found an empty tomb.
- The women bring spices to anoint a body.
- They worry about the large stone.
- They find it rolled away and a young man in white inside.
“Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb?”
“When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.”
Discuss: The women came expecting to care for a dead body. What does that tell you about what they believed?
- v1-2: these women saw him die (Mark 15:40), and two of them saw where he was laid (Mark 15:47).
- v4: the stone was very large; someone had done what they could not.
- Mark 14:58: the false witnesses’ charge about a temple rebuilt “in three days”; John 2:21: “the temple of His body.”
Illustration idea: Arriving at a hospital room to say goodbye and finding the bed empty because the patient has walked out well.
Listen for:
- They came for a body.
- Someone had already moved the stone.
If it drifts: If the conversation turns to theories about the empty tomb, keep it on what Mark reports: they saw the place, and he was not there.
They came for a body and found the stone rolled away.
Short on time? Drop the temple note. Keep v4.
Bridge → Then the young man speaks.
He Is Going Ahead of You
Mark 16:6-8
The risen Shepherd goes ahead of his sheep, out of the grave and into his Father’s house.
- “He has risen! He is not here!”
- “Go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee.’”
- The women flee, trembling, and say nothing.
“He is going ahead of you into Galilee.”
“Go, tell His disciples and Peter.”
Discuss: Why does it matter that the risen Shepherd goes ahead of his sheep?
- v7: Peter named by himself, after his denial.
- John 14:2-3: “In My Father’s house are many rooms... I will come back and welcome you into My presence.”
- The earliest complete manuscripts of Mark end at v8.
- Romans 6:9: “He cannot die again.”
Illustration idea: A guide who crosses a river first, then turns and calls the group to follow.
Listen for:
- He goes ahead.
- Even Peter is invited.
If it drifts: If the discussion turns to the longer ending of Mark, note briefly that the BSB prints it with a note, and return to v7.
Because the tomb is empty, the house of the LORD is home forever.
Short on time? Drop the manuscript note. Keep v6-7.
Bridge → So hear the psalm’s last line again beside the empty tomb.
Close — never cut it
Read Mark 16:6, then Psalm 23:6. The Shepherd has gone ahead out of the grave. Say together: “And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
If the last section starts late, read v6-7 and go to the close.
“And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Psalm 23:6
With one friend, over coffee
About 30 minutes · for a friend who is curious, or not sure
- Start with home. Ask: What makes a place feel like home?
- Read the psalm. Read Psalm 23:6.
- Read Mark. Read Mark 16:1-8 together.
- The empty tomb. The grave, man’s “eternal home,” is empty. The Shepherd has gone ahead.
- Leave the question. Ask: If the tomb is empty, where is home? Leave it with them.
“Why did the women bring spices?”
Jesus was buried in a rush before the Sabbath. They came to honor his body properly.
“Why does Mark end with the women’s fear?”
The earliest manuscripts end at v8. The news was overwhelming; the other Gospels show that they did speak afterward.
“Why is Peter named?”
He had denied Jesus three times. The message makes sure he knows it is for him too.
“What does this mean for me?”
Because Jesus is alive and has gone ahead, everyone who belongs to him will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Evergreen principles
Four standards every week. The rest rotate: each lesson brings the few that fit its passage best.
Make it concrete
Mark names the women, the time and the stone.
If you’re new: Describe a rock-cut tomb with a rolling stone, or show a picture of one.
If you’ve taught for years: Use Mark 15:46 and 16:3-4.
Let the Bible do the talking
The young man’s words carry the passage.
If you’re new: Read v6 aloud twice.
If you’ve taught for years: Then read Psalm 23:6.
Let the passage land the way it lands
Mark ends on fear and silence.
If you’re new: Do not rush to tidy up v8.
If you’ve taught for years: Let the room feel how overwhelming the news was.
Pray before you prepare
Teaching the Bible is spiritual work first (John 15:5).
If you’re new: Pray for your class by name during the week.
If you’ve taught for years: Pray for the one person you find hardest to reach.
Study the text first
Understand the passage yourself before any help.
If you’re new: Read it in two translations; write your own questions first.
If you’ve taught for years: Don’t lean on old notes. What did you miss last time?
Teach one big idea
People remember one sentence, not four points.
If you’re new: Write it in 12 words or fewer before anything else.
If you’ve taught for years: Test every story against it. If it doesn’t serve it, cut it.
Point to Christ
All of Scripture points to him (Luke 24:27).
If you’re new: Ask: what does this show about Jesus?
If you’ve taught for years: Show grace as the reason for obedience, not just the rule.
Openings & closings
Pick one opening and one close; rotate so class doesn’t get predictable.
ask a real-life question
What makes a place feel like home?
use an object
Hold up a house key and ask what it means to have a key to a home.
raise a problem
If every life ends in a grave, what could “forever” in Psalm 23:6 mean?
restate the big idea
Because the tomb is empty, the house of the LORD is home forever.
call back to the opening
Return to what makes a home, and read John 14:2-3.
pray the text
Thank Jesus that he is risen and has gone ahead to prepare a place.
When class gets hard
Someone is grieving a recent death.
Be gentle. The women came grieving too. Point to v6 and to Jesus’ promise of his Father’s house, without rushing their grief.
Someone doubts the resurrection.
Welcome the question. Note that the first witnesses were frightened women whose testimony counted for little then; the Gospels record it because it happened.
Silence after a question
Wait. Then rephrase simpler, or ask them to talk to a neighbor first.
One person dominates
“Thanks. Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t spoken yet.” Talk privately if it continues.
A question you can’t answer
Say so, write it down, bring an answer next week.
A tangent takes over
“Great question. Let’s catch it after class so we can finish the passage.”
Read this week
- John 14:1-6
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-28
- Psalm 27
For kids
The printable guide puts this on the back of the handout, with a word search and a secret code.
Jesus is alive, and we will live with him forever.
- Women bring spices to the tomb.
- They worry about the big stone.
- The stone is rolled away!
- A young man says, “He has risen!”
- The women run away amazed.
- The women walking to the tomb: sad
- The women seeing the young man: worried
- The women hearing “He has risen!”: happy
- Us, knowing Jesus is alive: happy
Memory verse: “I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Psalm 23:6
Act it out: Make a tomb with a blanket over a table. The children are the women, walking slowly with “spices.” They lift the blanket, find it empty, and a child dressed in white says, “He has risen! He is not here!”
Draw it: Draw the tomb with the big stone rolled away, and the women looking inside.
Finish the sentence: Jesus is ______!