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Whom Seekest Thou?

A weeping woman in a garden, a risen Lord who calls her by name, and the witnesses who changed the world

  • 📖 Adult Sunday School
  • Week 13
  • 📅 Sunday, March 28, 2027
💡 The big idea

Jesus Christ rose from the dead and knows each of us by name. Because He lives, death and grief do not have the last word, and every witness of His Resurrection, from Mary Magdalene to our own hearts, invites us to believe and to live as people who have met Him.

I can seek the risen Lord through my tears, listen for Him to call me by name, and share my witness that He lives.

Come, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Easter Week)
Know the chapters

The manual invites a walk through the last week of the Savior’s mortal life. There’s the triumphal entry in Matthew 21:1–11 and the temple cleansing in 21:12–16. The wedding feast parable is in 22:1–14. In 25:31–46 He says, “ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 26 has the Last Supper and Gethsemane. Matthew 27 has the Crucifixion. While His body lay in the tomb, He ministered to the spirits of the dead. See 1 Peter 3:18–20 and Doctrine and Covenants 138. Then comes the Resurrection, in Matthew 28, Luke 24 and John 20. It all happened at Passover. That feast remembers Israel’s rescue from slavery. The Lamb of God rescued all people from the slavery of sin and death.

This lesson centers on John 20:1–18. Mary Magdalene had followed and supported Jesus from Galilee, as Luke 8:1–3 says. She comes to the tomb while it’s still dark. The stone has been taken away. Peter and John run to see. John notices the grave clothes lying in place. In 20:7 the head cloth is wrapped “in a place by itself.” And he believes. The disciples go home, but Mary stays, weeping. John 19:41 has told us the tomb was in a garden. So it’s natural that she thinks the man behind her is the gardener. In 20:15 He asks her two questions: “why weepest thou? whom seekest thou?” Then He says one word, her name. And she knows Him.

Adults bring a lot of grief into an Easter class. Parents, spouses, children and friends have died. Some losses aren’t deaths at all. Mary’s story honors that. The risen Lord doesn’t scold her tears. He asks about them. Paul’s great chapter on the Resurrection gives the doctrine under the scene. In 1 Corinthians 15:22, “as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” In Alma 11:43, Amulek teaches that spirit and body will reunite “in its perfect form.” Latter-day Saints have more witnesses too. In 3 Nephi 11:15, the multitude at Bountiful feel the prints in His hands and feet “one by one.” In Doctrine and Covenants 76:22, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon testify “That he lives!”

Twenty-five minutes on Easter goes fast. Stay in John 20 and take it in five short readings of five verses or fewer. Bridge the verses in between with a sentence. That way the whole chapter is covered. There’s the empty tomb in verses 1–10 and the garden in 11–18. The upper room and Thomas are in 19–29. John’s purpose is in 30–31. Leave real time for testimony at the end. The walk from “Hosanna” to “Crucify him” is a bonus step. The Savior’s ministry in the spirit world is in the extras.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read John 20 in five short stops: verses 1–5, 6–10, 11–15, 16–18 and 26–29. Bridge the rest in a sentence. Open with the ordinary-Tuesday question. Ask one question after each stop. Study John 20:15–16 closely: two questions, then one word. Use the Witnesses and Mourners questions. Then leave three minutes for testimony. Invite everyone to share their witness with one person this week.

What to bring2 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Read John 20 out loud once. Then read Luke 24:13–35 and 1 Corinthians 15:20–22 and 55–57. Mark John 20:15–16. Those two verses carry the lesson.
  2. Think of your honest answer to “When have you felt the Lord knew you by name?” If the room is quiet, you’ll go first. Decide where you’ll stop so testimony gets three minutes.

Discussion tips

  • Quiet class? Easter can feel too sacred to talk about casually. Wait a little longer than feels comfortable, then share your own answer first. Silence may mean people are feeling, not bored.
  • One question catches fire? Stay with it. A great discussion doesn’t cover every question. Let the rest go, but still protect the testimony time.
  • One voice filling every pause? Thank them warmly, then say, “Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t had a chance yet.”
  • Someone in the room may have buried someone recently or face a hard anniversary. Don’t rush past grief to get to joy. The risen Lord asked Mary why she was weeping before He told her anything else. Let the class do the same.
  • Someone shares doubt, like Thomas? Thank them. In John 20:27 the Savior met Thomas where he was and invited him to see for himself. Sincere questions belong in an Easter class.
  • Visitors and new members often come on Easter. Welcome them by name. Say plainly what you’ll read. Never ask anyone to read aloud without checking first.

The 25-minute plan25 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Each “On the screen” line is what the class sees on a shared screen in Teach Mode in the Gospel Sparks app; on paper, read it aloud or write it on the board.

1. Hook

An Ordinary Tuesday

3 min

Opens with a personal question about what the Resurrection changes, before anyone opens John 20.

  1. SAY“Most of us have known the Easter story since childhood. That can make it easy to celebrate and hard to feel.”
  2. Ask, “Apart from the holiday, what does the empty tomb actually change on an ordinary Tuesday in your life?”
  3. Give them about 20 seconds to think. Then take three or four answers. Welcome every honest one.
  4. SAY“Let’s go back to the first morning and stand in the garden with someone who had lost everything.”

On the screen: 🌅 Apart from the holiday, what does the empty tomb change on an ordinary Tuesday?

2. Story

John 20 in Five Short Stops

9 min

Walks through John 20 five verses or fewer at a time, from an empty tomb to a woman called by name to a doubter who believes, with one question at each stop.

  1. SAY“We’ll walk through John 20 in five short readings. Listen as if you’d never heard it before.”
  2. Show one scene at a time. A volunteer reads the first two passages. You read the last three, where the Lord speaks.
  3. Before each reading, give the setup on the screen. It covers any skipped verses. Afterward, ask the scene’s question and take two or three answers.
  4. Keep each stop under two minutes. After the last reading, let the quiet sit for a few seconds.

On the screen: 🌿 John 20: an empty tomb, a weeping woman, and a Lord who knew her name · Five short readings: 20:1–5 · 6–10 · 11–15 · 16–18 · 26–29

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: The shared screen (TV or device) with Teach Mode open

  1. SAY“We’ll walk through John 20 in five short readings. Listen as if you’d never heard it before.”
  2. Read verses 1–5, 6–10, 11–15, 16–18 and 26–29. Give each setup in your own words first. A volunteer reads the first two. You read the last three.
  3. After each reading, ask the scene’s question aloud and take two or three answers. Keep each stop under two minutes.
3. Scripture

Called by Name

4 min

Studies John 20:15–16 closely so class members see how personally the risen Lord ministers.

  1. SAY“Let’s slow down on two verses.”
  2. Read John 20:15–16 while the class follows on the screen.
  3. Ask, “Before He reveals who He is, He asks Mary two questions. What are they?” Follow-up: “Why do you think He asks those first?”
  4. Point out that He asks about her grief and her search before answering either. She didn’t know Him by sight. She knew Him when He said her name.
  5. Read John 10:3. The Good Shepherd “calleth his own sheep by name.” Ask, “When have you felt the Lord knew you by name?”

On the screen: 💛 “Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou?” … “Mary.” · John 20:15–16 · Two questions, then one word. What opened her eyes?

4. Talk it over

Witnesses and Mourners

6 min

Helps adults see their own witness among the many witnesses of the risen Christ, and connect the Resurrection to the losses they carry.

  1. SAY“Mary knew Him by His voice. John, by an empty tomb. Thomas, by His wounds. Let’s talk about how we know Him, and what it changes.”
  2. Read the Emmaus verses, Luke 24:30–32, yourself. Then invite a volunteer to read 1 Corinthians 15:55–57.
  3. Pick two or three questions. Ask one, wait, then ask its follow-up before you move on.
  4. Let silence work. Count to seven before you rescue a question. If needed, share your own experience first.
💬 Ask the class
  • Mary knew Him by His voice. John, by the empty tomb. Thomas, by the wounds. The Emmaus disciples, in the breaking of bread. Which is closest to how you’ve come to know Him? Follow-up: What would you say to someone whose witness is still coming?
  • The Emmaus disciples realized only afterward that their hearts had been burning. When have you recognized the Lord’s hand only looking back? Follow-up: What helped you finally see it?
  • Paul asks, “O death, where is thy sting?” How has the Resurrection changed the way you grieve someone you love? Follow-up: What has helped on the days when hope and grief sit side by side?
  • Thomas said honestly what he needed, and the Lord met him there. How can we make room in our ward for honest questions? Follow-up: Who made room for yours?
  • Imagine really believing that death is not the end. What would it look like to live that way this week? Follow-up: What is one thing you would do differently?

On the screen: 🔥 Did not our heart burn within us? O death, where is thy sting? · Luke 24:32 · 1 Corinthians 15:55–57

5. Testimony

That He Lives

3 min

Ends with testimony of the living Christ and one simple invitation for Easter week.

  1. SAY“In verse 31, John says he wrote all this ‘that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ.’”
  2. SAY“Would one or two of you share how you know He lives?”
  3. Read Doctrine and Covenants 76:22, which ends, “That he lives!”
  4. Bear a short testimony. Jesus Christ rose from the dead. He knows each person here by name. Because He lives, every loss is temporary.
  5. Invite: “This week, share your witness of the risen Christ with one person. Use your own words, the way Mary did.”

On the screen: 🌅 This is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! · Doctrine and Covenants 76:22 · This week: share your witness with one person, like Mary did.

6. Talk it over

From Hosanna to Crucify

5 minBONUS

Looks at how quickly public praise faded during the Savior’s last week, and what lasting discipleship requires.

  1. SAY“The same week began with ‘Hosanna’ and ended with ‘Crucify him.’”
  2. Read Matthew 21:8–9, then Mark 15:13–14.
  3. Share Elder Ronald A. Rasband’s words from “From general conference” below. Ask one or two questions with follow-ups, then close on time.
💬 Ask the class
  • Praising the Savior in a crowd is easy. Why is it harder to stand by Him when it costs something? Follow-up: When has it cost you something?
  • Peter denied Him that same week and later became a mighty witness. What does that tell you about the Savior’s patience with wavering disciples? Follow-up: How has He been patient with you?
  • What keeps your devotion steady when the palms are gone and life is ordinary again? Follow-up: What habit would you recommend to a new member?

On the screen: 🌿 Hosanna on Sunday. Crucify him by Friday. What makes discipleship last? · Matthew 21:8–9 · Mark 15:13–14

Read it together

In the Garden, Early

John 20:1–5; John 20:6–10; John 20:11–15; John 20:16–18; John 20:26–29 ↗

Scenes

  1. 🌑 Early, when it was yet dark

    It’s Sunday morning, two days after the Crucifixion. Let’s read John 20, verses 1 to 5. Notice who runs. Mary runs to the disciples. Then Peter and John run to the tomb. Her first thought: “They have taken away the Lord.”

    💬 Ask: Mary saw an open tomb and assumed the worst. When has something looked like loss at first, and turned out to be God at work?

  2. 🧣 Wrapped together in a place by itself

    Now verses 6 to 10. Peter goes in. The linen clothes lie in place. The napkin is folded by itself. No thief leaves a tomb like that. John “saw, and believed.”

    💬 Ask: Verse 9 says they didn’t yet understand the scripture. Yet John believed. When has your faith gone ahead of your understanding?

  3. 😢 Mary stays, weeping

    The disciples go home. Mary doesn’t. I’ll read verses 11 to 15, because the Lord speaks. Chapter 19, verse 41 tells us the tomb was in a garden. So she supposes He is “the gardener.”

    💬 Ask: She didn’t recognize Him through her tears. What keeps us from recognizing the Lord when He is standing close by?

  4. 💛 “Mary.” “Rabboni.”

    I’ll read verses 16 to 18. One word, her name, and everything changes. Then He sends her to His brethren: “my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.”

    💬 Ask: The first witness He sent was a grieving woman who wouldn’t leave. What does that tell you about who He chooses and trusts?

  5. ✋ “My Lord and my God”

    In verses 19 to 25, it’s evening. He stands among the frightened disciples behind shut doors: “Peace be unto you.” Thomas isn’t there. He won’t believe without the print of the nails. I’ll read verses 26 to 29.

    💬 Ask: He blesses “they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” That’s us. What has helped you believe without seeing?

Key verse

John 20:15–16 ↗
“Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.”
In plain words: The risen Lord first asks about Mary’s tears and what she is looking for. Then He says her name, and she knows Him. He knows each of us that personally.

More verses

1 Corinthians 15:20–22 ↗
“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”
In plain words: Christ is the first to rise, like the first fruit of a harvest, and everyone who has ever died will follow Him.
1 Corinthians 15:55–57 ↗
“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
In plain words: Because of Jesus Christ, neither death nor sin gets the final word. The victory is His, and He shares it with us.
Luke 24:32 ↗
“And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?”
In plain words: The disciples on the road to Emmaus realized afterward that the Spirit had been testifying to them the whole time He was teaching them.
John 20:29 ↗
“Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
In plain words: Thomas believed once he saw. The Savior blesses everyone who believes without seeing, and that includes us.

From general conference

“True discipleship is unfailing commitment, obedience to eternal laws, and love of God, first and foremost. Nothing wavering.”

— Elder Ronald A. Rasband, “Hosanna to the Most High God,” April 2023

Share in the bonus step From Hosanna to Crucify, after reading Matthew 21:8–9 and Mark 15:13–14.

Read the talk ↗

Songs

  • I Know That My Redeemer Lives Hymns, no. 136

    The great Easter hymn of testimony. A strong opening hymn for this lesson. Find it ↗

  • The Lord Is My Shepherd Hymns, no. 108

    A gentle hymn about the Shepherd who knows His sheep, fitting after Mary hears her name. Find it ↗

This week’s invitation

Tell One Person

Mary Magdalene went and told the disciples she had seen the Lord. This Easter week, share your witness of the risen Christ with one person. Use your own words. It could be a family member, a friend or someone who’s grieving.

Take it home

In Sunday School we read John 20. Mary Magdalene wept at the empty tomb until the risen Lord said her name. Then she told the disciples she had seen the Lord. At home, read John 20:14–18 together this Easter. Let each person share one reason they’re glad Jesus lives.

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

🚪 Peace Be unto You · 4 min

  1. Read John 20:19–21. The disciples are behind shut doors “for fear.” The risen Lord stands among them and says, “Peace be unto you.”
  2. Ask, “What locked doors do people hide behind today?” Follow-up: “How does the living Christ still come through them?”

✋ One by One at Bountiful · 5 min

  1. Read 3 Nephi 11:13–17. The risen Lord invites a whole crowd to feel the prints in His hands and feet.
  2. Point out that they came “one by one until they had all gone forth.”
  3. Ask, “There were about two thousand five hundred people. Why might the Lord minister to them one by one?” Then read 3 Nephi 17:25.

🍞 Handle Me, and See · 4 min

  1. Read Luke 24:36–39. The risen Lord shows His hands and feet. In verses 40–43, He eats in front of the disciples.
  2. Read Alma 11:43–44 on spirit and body reuniting “in its perfect form.”
  3. Ask, “Why do you think it mattered so much that He rose with a real, tangible body?”

🕯️ The Saturday in Between · 5 min

  1. Read 1 Peter 3:18–19. While His body lay in the tomb, the Savior preached to the spirits in prison.
  2. On October 3, 1918, President Joseph F. Smith pondered these verses. He saw the Savior’s visit to the spirit world. Read Doctrine and Covenants 138:18–19 and 29–30.
  3. Ask, “What does His work among the dead teach you about Heavenly Father’s love?” Follow-up: “How does it change how you think of loved ones who died without the gospel?”

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

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