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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
🏆 Showdown
💡 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: the triumphal entry (Matthew 21:1–11), cleansing the temple (21:12–16), the parable of the wedding feast (22:1–14), “ye have done it unto me” (25:31–46), the Last Supper and Gethsemane (Matthew 26), the Crucifixion (Matthew 27), His ministry to the spirits of the dead while His body lay in the tomb (1 Peter 3:18–20; Doctrine and Covenants 138), and the Resurrection (Matthew 28; Luke 24; John 20). It all happened at Passover, the feast remembering Israel’s deliverance from slavery, as the Lamb of God delivered all people from the slavery of sin and death.

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

Adults bring a lot of grief into an Easter class: parents, spouses, children, friends who have died, and losses that 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 beneath the scene: “as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22), and Amulek teaches that spirit and body will be reunited “in its perfect form” (Alma 11:43). Latter-day Saints have additional witnesses too: the multitude at Bountiful who felt the prints in His hands and feet “one by one” (3 Nephi 11:15), and Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon’s testimony “That he lives!” (Doctrine and Covenants 76:22).

Twenty-five minutes on Easter goes fast. Don’t try to cover the whole week. Read John 20 well, let people talk about the witnesses, and leave real time for testimony at the end. The walk from “Hosanna” to “Crucify him” and the Savior’s ministry in the spirit world are ready as bonus steps if you have time.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read John 20:1–18 and 1 Corinthians 15:20–22, 55–57 once. Open by laying a folded cloth on the table and asking what the empty tomb changes on an ordinary Tuesday. Read the garden scene, then study John 20:15–16 closely: the two questions and the one word. Use the Witnesses questions, read 1 Corinthians 15:55–57, and leave three minutes for testimonies.

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 straight through, then Luke 24:13–35 and 1 Corinthians 15:12–22, 51–58. Mark John 20:15–16 and 1 Corinthians 15:55–57; they carry the lesson.
  2. Ask one person ahead of time to be the Reader (narration) and one to read Mary Magdalene’s words. You read the Savior’s words yourself.
  3. Fold the white cloth and set it on the table before class begins.
  4. Think of your own honest answer to “When has the Lord made Himself known to you personally?” If the room is quiet, you’ll go first.
  5. Decide ahead of time where you will stop the discussion so testimony gets at least three minutes. On Easter, that time matters more than one more question.

Discussion tips

  • Quiet class? Easter can feel too sacred to talk about casually. Give a minute of silence to reread John 20:15–16 before asking anything, and use the pairs moment: people who won’t speak to the room will talk to a neighbor.
  • One voice filling every pause? Thank them warmly, then say, “Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t had a chance yet,” or send the next question to pairs first.
  • Someone in the room has buried someone recently, or is facing 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.
  • If someone shares doubt, like Thomas, thank them. The Savior met Thomas where he was and invited him to see for himself (John 20:27). 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, give page numbers or tap the references on the shared screen, and never ask someone 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. On the web you can play Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

A Folded Cloth

3 min

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

  1. Point to the folded cloth on the table and say nothing about it yet.
  2. SAY“Most of us have known the Easter story since childhood. That can make it easy to celebrate and hard to feel.”
  3. Ask: “Apart from the holiday, what does the empty tomb actually change on an ordinary Tuesday in your life?”
  4. Give 20 seconds of quiet to think, then take two or three answers. Accept every honest one.
  5. SAY“Let’s go back to the first morning and stand in the garden with someone who had lost everything, and see what the risen Lord said to her.”

On the screen: 🌅 What does the empty tomb change on an ordinary Tuesday?

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A clean white napkin or small cloth, folded neatly

An Ordinary Tuesday

  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 20 seconds of quiet to think, then take two or three answers. Accept every honest one.
  4. SAY“Let’s go back to the first morning and stand in the garden with someone who had lost everything.”
2. Story

Read It in Context: In the Garden, Early

7 min

Reads John 20:1–18 as a real morning so the Resurrection lands as an encounter, not only a doctrine.

  1. Open Teach Mode to the scripture scene. The shared screen shows one scene at a time.
  2. Read each scene’s context yourself, then let the Reader and Mary Magdalene read their verses. You read the Savior’s words; no one is assigned to speak as the Lord.
  3. Keep it moving: context, verses, next scene. Save comments for the discussion.
  4. After scene 6, let a few seconds of silence sit before moving on.

On the screen: 🌿 John 20: an empty tomb, a weeping woman, and a gardener who knew her name · Follow along in John 20:1–18

3. Scripture

Called by Name

4 min

Studies two verses closely so class members discover how personally the risen Lord ministers.

  1. Put John 20:15–16 on the shared screen and read it slowly.
  2. SAY“Before He reveals who He is, the Savior asks Mary two questions. With the person next to you, find them. Why these questions?”
  3. After a minute, draw it out: “why weepest thou?” and “whom seekest thou?” He asks about her grief and her search before He answers either one.
  4. Ask: “She didn’t recognize Him by sight. What finally opened her eyes?” Then read John 10:3: the Good Shepherd “calleth his own sheep by name.”
  5. Ask: “When have you felt the Lord knew you by name?” Take one or two answers.

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

4. Talk it over

The Witnesses

5 min

Shows how differently people came to know the risen Christ, and helps adults see their own witness among them.

  1. SAY“Mary knew Him by His voice. Others came to know Him in very different ways.”
  2. Read Luke 24:30–32 (the disciples at Emmaus) and John 20:27–29 (Thomas). Mention 3 Nephi 11:15, where a whole multitude came forward “one by one.”
  3. Start the second question in pairs: give one minute to talk with a neighbor, then invite a few to share with the room.
  4. Pick two or three questions; don’t try to cover all of them.
💬 Ask the class
  • Mary knew Him by His voice, the Emmaus disciples in the breaking of bread, Thomas by the wounds. Which of those is closest to how you have come to know Him?
  • The Emmaus disciples realized only afterward that their hearts had been burning. When have you recognized the Lord’s hand only looking back? (Talk with a neighbor first.)
  • Thomas wanted what the others had already received. How can a ward make room for people whose witness is still coming?
  • Why do you think the Lord gave us so many witnesses, in the Bible, the Book of Mormon and the Restoration, instead of just one?

On the screen: 🔥 Did not our heart burn within us? Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. · Luke 24:32 · John 20:29 · 3 Nephi 11:15

5. Talk it over

O Grave, Where Is Thy Victory?

4 min

Connects the Resurrection to the losses class members carry, with Paul’s doctrine as the anchor.

  1. Read 1 Corinthians 15:20–22 yourself.
  2. Ask a volunteer to read 1 Corinthians 15:55–57 while the class follows along.
  3. Point out that Paul pairs two victories: over death, and over sin, its sting.
  4. Ask one or two questions, then move to the testimony on time.
💬 Ask the class
  • How has knowing that Christ is “the firstfruits of them that slept” changed the way you grieve someone you love?
  • Paul says the sting of death is sin. How does the Resurrection give you hope for your own mistakes, not only for your body?
  • What would it look like to live this week as someone who really believes death is not the end?

On the screen: 🕊️ O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? · 1 Corinthians 15:20–22, 55–57 · “Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

6. Testimony

That He Lives

2 min

Ends with testimony of the living Christ and a concrete invitation for Easter week.

  1. Read Doctrine and Covenants 76:22: “this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!”
  2. Invite one or two people to share, in a sentence or two, how they know the Savior lives.
  3. Bear a short, simple testimony that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, that He knows each person in the room by name, and that because He lives, every loss is temporary.
  4. Invite: “This week, share your witness of the risen Christ with one person, in 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.

7. 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. Read Matthew 21:8–9, the crowds shouting “Hosanna” as He entered Jerusalem.
  2. Then read Mark 15:13–14, a crowd in the same city crying “Crucify him” only days later.
  3. Share Elder Ronald A. Rasband’s words about true discipleship (in “From general conference” below).
  4. Ask one or two questions.
💬 Ask the class
  • Why is it easier to praise the Savior in a crowd than to stand by Him when it costs something?
  • Peter, too, denied Him that week and later became a mighty witness. What does that tell you about the Savior’s patience with wavering disciples?
  • What helps your devotion stay steady when the palms are gone?

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

8. Talk it over

The Saturday in Between

5 minBONUS

Explores what the Savior did while His body lay in the tomb, using Peter and modern revelation.

  1. Read 1 Peter 3:18–19 together.
  2. Explain that on October 3, 1918, President Joseph F. Smith pondered these verses and received a vision of the Savior’s visit to the spirit world.
  3. Read Doctrine and Covenants 138:18–19 and 138:29–30.
  4. Ask one or two questions.
💬 Ask the class
  • What does the Savior’s work among the dead teach you about Heavenly Father’s love for all His children?
  • Doctrine and Covenants 138:30 says He organized messengers rather than going to everyone Himself. What does that suggest about how He works through us?
  • How does this change the way you think about ancestors or loved ones who died without the gospel?

On the screen: 🕯️ While His body lay in the tomb, He preached to the spirits in prison. · 1 Peter 3:18–19 · Doctrine and Covenants 138:18–19, 29–30

9. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A light, friendly review if you finish early.

  1. Split the room down the middle into two teams.
  2. Launch Scripture Showdown on your phone or tablet and read each question aloud.
  3. After each reveal, read the reference so people can mark it.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

On the screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown: how well do you know the first Easter?

Read it together

In the Garden, Early

John 20:1–18 ↗

Reading parts

  • ReaderReads the narration: John 20:1, 3–8, 11–12 and 14.
  • Mary MagdaleneReads Mary’s own words in John 20:2, 13, 15 and 16, and verse 18.
  • The ClassFollows along and notices every question asked in the garden.

Scenes

  1. 🌑 Early, while it was yet dark

    It is the first day of the week, before sunrise. Mary Magdalene has come to the tomb where Jesus was laid on Friday. The great stone has been moved. She assumes the worst and runs to find Peter and John.

    🎬 The Reader reads John 20:1. Mary Magdalene reads verse 2.

  2. 🏃 Two disciples run to the tomb

    Peter and John run. John arrives first and looks in; Peter goes straight inside. The linen clothes are lying there, and the cloth that was around His head is folded by itself. This is not what a robbery looks like. John sees, and believes.

    🎬 The Reader reads John 20:3–8. Touch the folded cloth on the table on verse 7.

  3. 😢 Mary stays, weeping

    The disciples go home. Mary doesn’t. She stands outside the tomb crying, stoops to look in, and sees two angels in white sitting where His body had been. They ask why she is weeping.

    🎬 The Reader reads John 20:11–12. The teacher reads the angels’ question; Mary Magdalene answers with verse 13.

  4. 🌿 She supposed Him to be the gardener

    She turns and sees a man standing there, but through her tears she doesn’t recognize Him. The tomb was in a garden, so she assumes he tends it. He asks her the same question the angels asked, and one more.

    🎬 The Reader reads John 20:14. The teacher reads the Savior’s words in verse 15; Mary Magdalene reads her reply.

  5. 💛 “Mary.” “Rabboni.”

    Then He says her name. Everything changes in one word. She turns and calls Him Rabboni, Master.

    🎬 The teacher reads “Jesus saith unto her, Mary.” Pause. Mary Magdalene reads the rest of verse 16.

  6. 🌅 “I have seen the Lord”

    He sends her with a message for His brethren: He is ascending to “my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.” The first person to announce the Resurrection is a grieving woman who stayed.

    🎬 The teacher reads John 20:17. Mary Magdalene reads verse 18. Let a few seconds of quiet follow.

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.

Scripture Showdown6 questions

  1. Who came to the tomb first, while it was still dark?
    • A. Peter
    • B. Mary Magdalene
    • C. Thomas
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Mary Magdalene John 20:1: Mary Magdalene came “early, when it was yet dark.”

  2. What did Peter and John find folded in a place by itself?
    • A. The napkin from His head
    • B. His robe
    • C. A letter
    Show answer

    ✅ A. The napkin from His head John 20:7: the napkin was “wrapped together in a place by itself.”

  3. Who did Mary first suppose the risen Lord was?
    • A. An angel
    • B. A soldier
    • C. The gardener
    Show answer

    ✅ C. The gardener John 20:15: “She, supposing him to be the gardener.”

  4. When did the Emmaus disciples recognize Jesus?
    • A. When He broke bread
    • B. When He healed someone
    • C. When He called their names
    Show answer

    ✅ A. When He broke bread Luke 24:30–31: He took bread, blessed it and broke it, “and their eyes were opened.”

  5. What did Thomas say when he saw the risen Lord?
    • A. Peace be unto you
    • B. My Lord and my God
    • C. Rabboni
    Show answer

    ✅ B. My Lord and my God John 20:28: “My Lord and my God.”

  6. In 1 Corinthians 15:20, Christ is called the firstfruits of whom?
    • A. The apostles
    • B. Israel
    • C. Them that slept
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Them that slept “Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.”

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

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 ran to tell the disciples, “I have seen the Lord.” This Easter week, share your witness of the risen Christ with one person, in your own words: a family member, a friend or someone who is 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, and she ran to tell the disciples, “I have seen the Lord.” Take it home: read John 20:11–18 together this Easter, and let each person share one reason they are 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,” and the risen Lord stands among them and says, “Peace be unto you.”
  2. Ask: “What locked doors do people hide behind today? How does the living Christ still come through them?”

✋ One by One at Bountiful · 5 min

  1. Read 3 Nephi 11:13–17, where the risen Lord invites a whole multitude 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: “Why might the Lord take the time to minister one by one to a crowd of about 2,500 people?” (see 3 Nephi 17:25).

🍞 Handle Me, and See · 4 min

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

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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