Life of Christ: Volume 4 · 2021. 2. 16. · Life of Christ #19, Page 3 No one except Jesus knew what was going to happen once they arrived in Jerusalem. This was the beginning of

Life of Christ: Volume 4 Bible Lesson Teaching Notes

Author: Mrs. Gayle Stahlman

Copyrighted © 2020 and Published by CHILD EVANGELISM FELLOWSHIP OF EASTERN PA, INC.

P.O. BOX 4375 HARRISBURG, PA 17111-0375

www.cefepa.net

APPLYING THE BIBLE LESSONTO TODAY’S CHILDREN

The BIBLE LESSON is a Bible story which includes the GOSPEL, a PERSONAL APPLICATION about sin,and an INVITATION for the unsaved child. It will also emphasize one MAIN TRUTH or teaching point witha PERSONAL APPLICATION and a CHALLENGE for the saved child.

THE UNSAVED CHILD - Three basic parts of the lesson for the unsaved child:

1. GOSPEL

The Gospel message should be woven throughout the Bible lesson. It should include these Bibletruths:

God loves you and me

Only sinless Son of God

Sin - You and I have sinned (Use Scripture verse)

Precious blood of Jesus paid for sin (Use Scripture verse)

Ever living - Risen Saviour

Let Christ in - Receive Him (Use Scripture verse)

2. PERSONAL APPLICATION FOR THE UNSAVED

The purpose of the personal application for the unsaved child (PAU) is to explain the sinissue. IT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE REMAINDER OF THE GOSPEL. It is not theinvitation. It should come as early as possible in the lesson so the Holy Spirit can begin toconvict the child of sin.

The personal application for the unsaved child explains the sin issue with the personal YOU,examples or illustrations of sin, and Bible verse.

3. INVITATION

The invitation usually comes at the end of the Bible lesson, but it could come earlier. It willinvite the child to receive Christ as Saviour. A Scripture verse should be used andexplained.

THE SAVED CHILD - Three basic parts of the lesson for the saved child:

1. MAIN TRUTH

The Main Truth is the teaching point for the Christian child which you want to stress severaltimes throughout the lesson. It will be a simple statement of Bible doctrine or Christiangrowth.

2. PERSONAL APPLICATION FOR THE SAVED

The purpose of the personal application for the saved child (PAS) is to explain the MainTruth. It will include the personal YOU, examples or illustrations, and a Bible verse.

As you think about examples or illustrations to explain the Main Truth, ask yourself thesequestions: When? Where? How? The Bible verse will answer the question Why?

For example:

WHO? Personal you “YOU” should be predominant wordrather than “we” or “us”

HOW? Apply by example Examples to explain Main Truth

WHY? Scripture A Bible verse which gives proof of theMain Truth

3. CHALLENGE

The challenge usually comes at the end of the Bible lesson. It should encourage the Christianchild to put into action the teaching of the Main Truth and personal application for the savedchild.

NOTE: We realize there are many methods of Bible lesson preparation and presentation,and that this method is not the only way to teach. However, we trust that as you study theselesson helps they will be beneficial in filling in some of the details of the lesson.

CHILD EVANGELISM FELLOWSHIP OF EASTERN PA, INC. g P.O. BOX 4375 g HARRISBURG, PA 17111-0375

LIFE OF CHRIST – Lesson #19

“The King Comes” SCRIPTURE: Matthew 21:1-17; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:12-19 MEMORY VERSE: Zechariah 9:9

“. . . Behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon . . . a colt . . . .”

VISUALS: Flashcards: Life of Christ 4: 1-1 – 1-6 MAIN TRUTH: You should not allow others to keep you from doing what is right. BASIC OUTLINE: I. INTRODUCTION

A. BEGINNING STATEMENTS B. TRANSITION

II. PROGRESSION OF EVENTS

A. FLASHCARD 1-1 B. FLASHCARD 1-2 C. FLASHCARD 1-3 D. FLASHCARD 1-4 E. FLASHCARD 1-5 F. FLASHCARD 1-6

III. CLIMAX IV. CONCLUSION

A. CLOSING STATEMENTS B. BRIDGE C. INVITATION D. CHALLENGE

TEXT: Life of Christ, Copyright © 2020 CHILD EVANGELISM FELLOWSHIP OF EASTERN PA, INC. Author: Mrs. Gayle Stahlman

Life of Christ #19, Page 2

I. INTRODUCTION A. BEGINNING STATEMENTS

Have you ever had to do what is right even when it’s hard? Maybe a friend wants you to get into something that your parents have told you to stay away from. It’s hard to say no to your friend. It would be easy to just go along with your friend, but even when it’s hard, it’s always best to do what’s right instead of what’s easy.

B. TRANSITION

In our lesson today, we are going to meet some people. Let’s listen to see if they do what is right, even when it’s hard, or if they take the easy way out.


You may remember from our lesson about Zacchaeus that Jesus and His disciples were heading to Jerusalem for the celebration of the Passover feast. I believe His disciples may have been fearful because they knew some of the religious leaders in Jerusalem wanted to kill Jesus.

It was probably early in the day when Jesus and the crowd left beautiful Jericho,

where Zacchaeus lived, and moved on toward Jerusalem. There were some in the crowd who loved the Lord Jesus, the Son of God. There were also some who hated Him. Even though they hated Jesus, Jesus did not hate them. In fact, Jesus loved them very much.

G Jesus is God, and the Bible teaches us that God loves everyone. He loves you

and He loves me.

Jesus loved everyone in the crowd that day, even those who did not love Him. There were some who really didn’t know what to think of Jesus. They may have been pretending to follow Him but were waiting to see what was going to happen before they decided if they believed He was Who He said He was.

A. (FLASHCARD 1-1)

The crowd traveled slowly. When they came near Jerusalem, the Lord Jesus stopped for a time. The other travelers continued their journey. Jesus and His disciples stayed behind.


No one except Jesus knew what was going to happen once they arrived in Jerusalem. This was the beginning of one of the most important weeks in all of history! In less than one week, Jesus would die for the sins of the whole world. Jesus had tried to explain this to His disciples, but they did not understand.

S, PAU Jesus came to die for our sin. Do you know what sin is? What do you think of when

I say the word sin? Perhaps you think of lying or cheating or stealing. Maybe you think about being unkind to another person or thinking you are better than someone else. (Share three examples of sin.) I may not have named the specific sins you have done, but sin is anything you think, or say, or do, that is against what God says is right. The Bible teaches us that we all sin. That means you and I have sinned. In the Bible we read, “But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin. . . .” (Galatians 3:22) You and I were born with a “want to” to sin. Jesus came to die for every sin in the whole world.

The Lord Jesus knew before it happened exactly how it would happen. The disciples did not understand what would happen. They had traveled near Jerusalem, and it was now Sunday morning. Jesus spoke to two of His disciples. “Go into the village ahead of you,” Jesus said. “You will find a donkey and her young colt tied. They will be by the door where the two ways meet. Untie them and bring them to Me.” The disciples must have wondered how they would know which donkeys.

IH Have children turn to someone sitting near them and ask, “How will we know which

donkeys they are?” (repeat this a few times)

They may also have wondered what they would say to the owner of the donkeys. The Lord Jesus knew their thoughts. “If anyone asks, ‘What are you doing?’ just answer them, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and the owner will permit you to bring them to Me.”

B. (FLASHCARD 1-2)

It happened exactly as Jesus had told them! When they found the colt and began to untie it, someone asked, “What are you doing untying that colt?” “The Lord needs it,” they answered.


IH Divide the children into two groups. Have one group of children say, “Why are you untying the colt?” Have the second group respond, “The Lord needs it.” If you have time, switch roles and do it again. The owner permitted the disciples to take the colt away. In the Gospel of Matthew, we read that the disciples brought both the mother donkey and her colt. The one who owned these animals was happy to allow the Lord to use them. Boys and girls, no one had ever sat on that colt, young donkey, before that day. Usually a colt that has never been ridden does not like anyone on its back. It becomes frightened when someone tries to ride it for the first time. It will kick and jump and try to throw the rider off to the ground. But this colt was different. Even though it had never been ridden before, this colt did not kick or jump. The Lord Jesus is the Creator and could make the young colt obey Him. The disciples threw their robes over the colt’s back to make it more comfortable. The Lord Jesus mounted the colt and rode toward Jerusalem.

IH Have the children pat their knees to make the clip-clop sound of the donkey walking.

As Jesus rode into the city, there were many people. There was much noise and shouting. Even though this little colt had never been ridden and never been paraded through the city before, he did not stop or become frightened and try to throw Jesus off. The colt walked peacefully, content to carry the Lord Jesus through the crowd. Some of the people were entering the city at the same time as Jesus. Others were coming out to meet Him. As they looked at Jesus riding on the young colt, they may have thought He looked like a king. In those days, kings, who weren’t going to war, rode on a donkey into a city to show they came in peace. Yes. Jesus is the King. But He is more than that.

O Jesus is the perfect Son of God. He is the One Who is always right. He never did

anything wrong. He never sinned.

As the people saw Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the colt, they thought He must be important.

C. (FLASHCARD 1-3)

Some of the people removed their outer garments. They spread them on the path like a carpet for the colt to walk upon. People began to shout praises.


IH Have the children stand up, then pretend to remove their coats and spread them on the ground. “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they cried. You may remember that the name “Son of David” meant “Messiah,” or “God’s Promised One.”

D. (FLASHCARD 1-4)

Some of the people began pulling palm branches from the trees. They waved them back and forth. This was the welcome given to important visitors or kings. “Hosanna!” they shouted. “Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord!” More than 400 years before this happened, God’s prophet Zechariah said this would happen. This is what we read in the book of Zechariah in the Old Testament: “Behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon . . . a colt. . . .” (Zechariah 9:9) This is our memory verse for today. Not only is Jesus just, meaning He is always right, but He is lowly. This means Jesus is humble. The Lord Jesus was willing to leave His beautiful home in Heaven to come to Earth to pay for our sins.

P, E Part of our memory verse says, “having salvation.” The name, Jesus, means

“Saviour.” He has salvation for you and for me because He gave His precious blood to pay for your sins and mine when He died on the cross. In the book of Hebrews we read, “. . . Without shedding of blood is no remission.” (Hebrews 9:22) If Jesus had not died, giving His precious blood to pay for sins, you and I could not have salvation. But Jesus did die for us, and He did not stay dead. Jesus came out of the grave alive. He came alive again three days later, never to die again. Because Jesus died and came alive again for us, He can be our Saviour if we ask Him to be.

That is exactly what the name of Jesus means.

IH Have the children stand and repeat the memory verse together.

Even though Jesus’ disciples would have known this Old Testament Scripture, the Bible says they did not understand until much later what was happening that day. The people were praising Jesus with a loud voice. “Peace in Heaven and glory in the highest!” That is almost the same praise the angels said to the shepherds when Jesus was born.


IH Do you remember what the angels said when Jesus was born? They said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace. . . .” There were boys and girls just like you in the crowd that day, and they praised Jesus too. If you had been there that day, it may have seemed like everyone was praising Jesus. But that was not the case. Some of those waving palm branches were caught up in the excitement of the parade, but they were not thinking about Who Jesus really was. They did not look to Him as the Saviour from sin. Others may have asked questions of someone nearby. “Who is this Man? Why is everyone shouting praises to Him?”

IH Have each child turn to someone seated nearby and ask, “Who is He?” Try this

three times, each time getting softer, as if it is an echo. Some of the people in the crowd said Jesus was the Prophet of Nazareth. They did not believe He was the Messiah and the Son of God. Some in the crowd were Pharisees. You may remember that these religious leaders did not like the Lord Jesus. They were jealous of Him. They were angry that the disciples and the crowd were shouting praises and waving branches in honor of Jesus. “The whole world is following Him,” they grumbled. Then they looked at Jesus and said, “Tell your disciples to keep quiet!” Jesus did not tell them to be quiet. The disciples did not stop as the Pharisees wanted them to do. They did not listen. Instead, they continued to do the right thing. They would not allow the religious leaders to keep them from praising Jesus or telling others Who He is.

MT If Jesus is your Saviour, you should not allow others to keep

you from doing what is right. (Show the Main Truth Card. Point to and explain the picture.) It is always good to do the right thing. You should not allow others to keep you from doing what is right.

The disciples would not allow the Pharisees to keep them from doing the right thing. They would continue to praise Jesus and tell others Who He is. Jesus gave the Pharisees a strange answer. “If these should keep quiet, the stones would cry out,” Jesus said. What did He mean?


Jesus was trying to get the Pharisees to understand that what the people and the disciples were saying was true about Him. He truly was the Messiah, the Promised One. Even if the people didn’t say it, God would use some other way of telling the people Who Jesus is. God could even use the stones that He made to shout praises to His Son. The Lord Jesus knows all things. He must have been sad that day, knowing that most of the people who were praising Him that Sunday did it just because of the excitement. There were some who were not sure about Jesus. Everyone else was praising, so they praised too. They acted as if they loved Him because others were acting that way. How do we know this? The Bible tells us that just a few days after this, there was another excited crowd. Probably many of the same people were there. The Lord Jesus was there too. But the people were not praising Him this time. They were shouting words that the Pharisees and leaders told them to shout. Their words that time would be, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Isn’t it sad that some of the same people who praised Jesus as King just a few days earlier may have now been among those asking for Him to be killed?

MT, PAS If Jesus is your Saviour, you should not allow others to keep

you from doing what is right. (Show the Main Truth Card.) 1Perhaps you see your neighbor making fun of the new kid at the bus stop. Others start to join in, but you know you should do what is right and try to be a friend. You should not allow the others to keep you from doing what is right. 2When you are in the cafeteria at school and no one else bows their heads to thank God for the food, you can still do what is right. Don’t allow those with you to keep you from bowing your head to pray. 3 Even when your friends are watching videos online that use bad language, you should not watch it too. You should carefully choose what you see with your eyes and hear with your ears so that it is pleasing to Jesus. The Bible says, “Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.” (Proverbs 20:11) These people who were now asking for Jesus to be killed were not doing right. They were allowing others to influence them and keep them from doing the right thing.


E. (FLASHCARD 1-5)

Jesus went into the Temple, which was God’s House. There He found men buying and selling. Some of them were taking more money than they were supposed to for the things they sold. Jesus turned over their tables and sent them out of the Temple, just as He had done another time during His ministry on Earth. He said, “My House should be a House of Prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” Then some blind and crippled people came to Jesus at the Temple, and He healed them. When the children saw this, they called out in praise, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

IH Ask the children to shake or nod their heads to respond with the correct answer to

this question: “Were the children doing the right thing by praising Jesus?”

Yes! The children were doing the right thing. They did not let the crowd keep them from doing what was right.

F. (FLASHCARD 1-6)

The children did the right thing by praising Jesus, but there were others in the crowd who were angry. They said to Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” “Yes,” Jesus answered. “Have you never heard it said that perfect praise comes from the lips of young children?” Jesus meant that these children were saying what was true. They believed that Jesus truly was the Son of God, deserving of all praise.

III. CLIMAX

These children showed by their words and their actions that they were not afraid to do what is right. They were praising Jesus with their whole heart because they knew He was the Messiah, the Promised One from God, Who would save people from their sins.

IV. CONCLUSION

A. CLOSING STATEMENTS


Many other people in the crowd that day didn’t believe that Jesus was the Messiah. It made Jesus sad because He knew what was really in their hearts.

B. BRIDGE

Are you afraid sometimes to do what is right? C. INVITATION L It is very important that your decision to believe in Jesus as your Saviour is real.

You must not act like you believe just because others say they do or because you think that is what I want you to do. God knows your heart – whether you really believe this is right, or whether you don’t. God’s Word says, “. . . Whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins.” (Acts 10:43) This means that if you truly put your trust in Jesus to save you from your sins, you will be forgiven. Forgiveness is another word for remission. Have you ever told God that you know you are a sinner, and you need Jesus to save you? Do you believe Jesus died on the cross to pay for your sins? Do you believe He rose again the third day? If you have never asked Jesus to be your Saviour, or you are not sure if you have had your sins forgiven, you can do it right now today. Would you, right now, like to ask Jesus to be your Saviour?

Maybe you are thinking that everyone thinks you are already a Christian. Boys and

girls, it makes no difference what others might think. What is important is what you and God know. Your decision is yours alone. Let’s bow our heads and close our eyes. If you would like to ask Jesus to be your Saviour from sin today, please raise your hand and I will show you from the Bible how you can do that right now. (Pause) Thank you. You may all put down your hands and look up now. (Your helper can continue club while you take the child off to the side for counseling.)

D. CHALLENGE MT If Jesus is your Saviour, you should not allow others to keep

you from doing what is right. (Show the Main Truth Card.) The Bible says, “Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.” (Proverbs 20:11) When you 1see your neighbor making fun of the new kid at the bus stop and others join in, or when 2no one else in the cafeteria at school bows their head to thank the Lord Jesus for the food, or when 3your friends are talking about the videos they watch online, you can do the right thing. Don’t let other people keep you from doing what is right. Will you ask the Lord Jesus right now to help you do what is right even when others are trying to get you to do what’s wrong? You can pray quietly right now where you are, and then I will close us in prayer. (Allow time for them to pray quietly, then close in prayer.)


“The King Is Betrayed” SCRIPTURE: Matthew 26:17-56; Mark 14:12-52; Luke 22:7-53; John 13:1-38;

18:1-12 MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 26:28

“For this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

VISUALS: Flashcards: Life of Christ 4: 2-1 – 2-6 MAIN TRUTH: You should pray for strength to be loyal to Jesus. BASIC OUTLINE: I. INTRODUCTION



A. EXTRA VISUAL (Passover) B. FLASHCARD 2-2 C. FLASHCARD 2-1 D. FLASHCARD 2-3 E. FLASHCARD 2-4 F. FLASHCARD 2-5 G. FLASHCARD 2-6


A. CLOSING STATEMENTS B. BRIDGE C. CHALLENGE D. INVITATION



I. INTRODUCTION A. BEGINNING STATEMENTS

Are there things that you like to remember? It might be a special day like your birthday or Christmas. Or maybe you want to remember a note that your friend wrote to you to say thank you for being a good friend. You want to remember it, so you put the card on your mirror as a reminder.

B. TRANSITION

There was a time in the Bible that God told His people to remember. He even gave them a reminder and something to do to show they were remembering. You will want to listen carefully to see if you can see what God wanted them to remember and why He did.


God asked His people to remember something called the Passover. Hundreds of years before Jesus left Heaven to come down to Earth, something happened that started the Passover celebration.

The Jewish people were living in Egypt at the time. They had been slaves of the

wicked Egyptian Pharaoh for a very long time. “Let My people go,” Was God’s message to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh said, “No! They are my slaves. I will not let them go. They belong to me. And besides that, who is the Lord that I should obey His voice and let them go?”

Pharaoh soon learned how powerful God was, and that He should be obeyed

because He is the true and living God. God caused plagues to happen to the land of Egypt. These weren’t natural disasters, like a hurricane or tornado, but something God did to show He had the power and right to tell Pharaoh to let the Jewish people leave. There was sickness, swarms of insects, and many other things that happened to the people and their animals. The Egyptian people begged Pharaoh to let God’s people go, but he still would not!

After nine plagues God did one more and He said, “After one more thing Pharaoh

will let My people go. He will not want them in his land any longer. Every firstborn child in the land of Egypt will die.” But God gave a way for His people to be saved from this plague of death.

A. (Extra Visual - Passover)


“Kill a perfect lamb,” God commanded His people. “Put the blood of the animal on the doorposts and at the top of the door. When I see the blood, I will pass over you.”

IH Have children pretend to put the blood on the doorposts and at the top of the door.

On that night, there was a death in every single Egyptian home, and Pharaoh did let the Jewish people go. There was no death in the homes of those who had believed what God said and put the blood on the doorposts. The angel of death passed over those homes and everyone inside was safe. That was the very first Passover night. “Remember this,” God told His people. “Celebrate this every year as a reminder to you of how I, the Lord your God, brought you up out of slavery.” So, every year they celebrated. Lambs were killed. Blood was poured by the altar at the Temple. The lambs were roasted, and a special meal was eaten as the people remembered how God had rescued them.

S, PAU In that first Passover, there is something to remind us of our sinfulness. There was a judgment of death upon every household, upon every family who did not follow God’s instructions to be saved. Today, boys and girls, there is a judgment of death upon every person because God’s Word says, “The soul (or person) that sinneth, it shall die. . . .” (Ezekiel 18:20) This means that every person has sinned. You have sinned, and so have I. (Share three examples of sin.) You and I say, think, and do wrong things because we are sinners. Sin has a price to it. If you don’t believe in Jesus as your Saviour from sin, you will be separated from Him forever when your life on earth is over. But those who do believe will not be sentenced to death, or separation from God when their life on Earth is over.

As the Jewish people celebrated the Passover, they remembered that the sentence of death did not come to their families because of the blood on the doorposts. God made a way for the people to escape the judgment of death. It was through the blood of the lamb. The lamb died in the oldest child’s place. No one seemed to understand that Jesus was going to be God’s Passover Lamb. When they were in Jerusalem it was time to celebrate the Passover. His disciples asked Jesus, “Where do you want us to get ready for the celebration?” “Go into the city,” Jesus said, “and you will see a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him. When he goes into the house, find the owner, and tell him the Teacher wants to know where the room is that He and His disciples can eat the Passover meal together. He will show you a large room upstairs. That is where you need to get everything ready.”


The disciples went and did exactly what Jesus told them to do.

B. (FLASHCARD 2-2) Jesus and His disciples were together in the upper room of the house. They were eating the meal together. There was roasted lamb and many other kinds of food and drink. The Lord Jesus talked with His disciples as they ate. “I have wanted very much to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer,” He said. “I will not eat the Passover again before it is fulfilled.” (Luke 22:16) The word fulfilled means to be “completed” or “finished.” All the Passovers from the very first one until that night looked forward to the time when the Lord Jesus would die. But the very next day after this Passover, Jesus, Who is the Lamb of God, would die and poured out His blood. Then the Passover would be finished, or fulfilled. Jesus wanted to share many other things with His disciples that night. He was very sad when He spoke to them these words: “One of you is going to betray Me.” Betray means to “turn over to the enemy; to be disloyal.” The disciples were shocked. They stopped eating and looked at one another.

IH Have children make an expression on their face that shows shock. Then have them

turn to their neighbor and ask, “Is it you?”

They could hardly believe Jesus said this. Could one of His closest friends and followers really turn Him over to His enemies? How could any of them be unfaithful or disloyal to the Lord Jesus?

MT If you have asked Jesus to be your Saviour, you should pray

for strength to be loyal to Jesus. (Show the Main Truth Card. Point to and explain the picture.) Some people will say that Jesus is only a good Man Who did good things. You should stand up to those who say things like this and share with them Who Jesus really is – the God the Son! You can be loyal even when others are not.

Jesus knew that one of His disciples would not be loyal to Him. One was going to

betray Jesus and turn Him over to the enemies. You and I might think we would never do something like that. We want to accuse others, thinking they might betray Jesus. But not me!


The disciples did not accuse each other. That night, each one thought about himself.

IH This time have the children turn to their neighbor and ask, “Is it me?”

Peter leaned over to John who was sitting next to Jesus and said, “Find out which one of us Jesus is talking about,” John turned to Jesus and asked, “Who is it, Lord?” “It is the one who dips his bread in the dish with Me.” Judas Iscariot must have been uncomfortable as he asked, “Is it I?” Perhaps he was trying to hide his guilt, but when Jesus gave bread to everyone, it was Judas who dipped his in the dish with Jesus. “You have said it yourself,” Jesus said. Then He said something else to Judas. “What you are going to do, do it quickly.” After that, Judas left the table and went out into the darkness of the night. Now there were eleven left at the table with Jesus.

IH Count to eleven together. The Bible tells us that the other disciples did not know where Judas was going or what he planned to do. Since he was the one who took care of the money, they thought he was going to buy some food or to give some money to those in need.

C. (FLASHCARD 2-1)

But Judas made his way quickly to the rulers of the synagogue. The Bible calls them “the chief priest and scribes and elders.” This was not the first time Judas had visited them. Several days before, he had been to see them. Judas had asked, “What will you give me if I turn Jesus over to you?” “We will give you thirty pieces of silver,” they agreed.

IH Have children count out thirty pieces of silver. Use your fingers and count out by 5

or 10, depending on the time. Go all the way to 30. Judas had agreed to this price. He was with the religious leaders again and told them, “I know where Jesus will be. This is the time to get Him. Follow me. I will show you which one He is by giving Him a kiss.” (Teacher, please note that in Israel it is not unusual for men to greet one another with a kiss on the cheek.)


The leaders began calling others together. “We’ll need lanterns and torches. We’ll need soldiers with swords and clubs. We’ll probably need ropes to tie Him up to take Him away.”

D. (FLASHCARD 2-3)

Meanwhile, back in the upper room of that house, the disciples and Jesus finished the Passover meal. The Lord Jesus picked up some bread, held it in His hands, and gave thanks to the Heavenly Father for it. Then He broke the bread in pieces and handed a piece to each of the disciples. “Take, and eat,” Jesus said. “This is My body which is broken for you. This do in remembrance of Me.” (1 Corinthians 11:24)

IH Pretend to break off pieces of bread and hand to each child, saying, “Take, and

eat.”

Then Jesus took a cup and thanked God for the juice of the grapes that was inside. He passed the juice to His disciples and said, “Drink it. For this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

IH Show the visualized memory verse and say it together with the children. Then

pretend to pass the cup to each child, saying, “Drink it.”

When Jesus used the words “new testament,” He wasn’t talking about the part of the Bible we call by that name. Testament means “covenant.” A covenant is an agreement between two or more people. It is like a promise people make to each other. Before the night of our story, God had promised forgiveness of sins through the blood of certain animals that were sacrificed, but it says in God’s Word that, “It is not possible that the blood of animals should take away sins.” (Hebrews 10:4) When the people offered animals as sacrifices, that was the old covenant. A new covenant, a better covenant, had to take its place. This is what Jesus was talking about. The juice they were drinking was a picture of the blood of the new covenant.

P Jesus gave His precious blood when He died on the cross. His blood was the

payment for our sins. Jesus’ own words are recorded in the Bible when He says, “For this is My blood of the new testament (covenant), which is shed (given) for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26:28; MV) Jesus gave His blood so that you and I could have forgiveness of sins.


This is what Jesus was talking about when He passed the cup of juice to His disciples. This was something new. We call it the Lord’s Supper, and we still celebrate it in our churches today. “This do in remembrance of Me,” Jesus said.

IH Have you ever heard the word remembrance? Give children time to answer, then explain that it means you are doing something in memory/tribute/celebration for what Jesus was going to do on cross. We are no longer asked to have a special meal in remembrance of the first Passover and the blood of the lamb. Instead, we are told to remember the blood the Lord Jesus gave as the Lamb of God, Who died for our sins. The Lord’s Supper says, “Remember, you are saved by the blood of the Lamb of God – Jesus!” This evening Jesus spent with His disciples was the last Passover supper needed, though many Jews still celebrate it, and the first Lord’s Supper. The Bible then tells us that after the disciples sang a hymn together, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

IH If time permits, have the children sing a hymn together as they walk quietly around

the room, as if walking to the Garden of Gethsemane. E. (FLASHCARD 2-4)

On the way to the Garden, Jesus said to His disciples, “You will all turn away from Me.” He told His disciples the Scripture says this, “Strike down the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” (Zechariah 13:7) Who was the Shepherd? It was Jesus. He said, “The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” (John 10:11) After telling His disciples that they would turn away from Him, He gave them a promise. “After I am risen from the dead, I will meet you.” Although Jesus made it clear that He would rise again, they did not seem to hear and understand.

E You and I know that Jesus came back alive from the dead. He is alive today and

lives in Heaven.

The disciples did not seem to understand what Jesus meant when He promised to rise again.


“Even though everyone else turns away from you,” said Peter, “I will not turn away!” Peter was sure he would always be faithful and loyal to the Lord Jesus.

IH Have several children pretend to be Peter and say, “I will not turn away.”

Jesus was very serious when He answered Peter’s bold statement. “I am telling you the truth, Peter. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will say three times that you do not know Me.” “I would never do that! I will die with You,” Peter replied. After Peter said this, all the other disciples agreed. Each one said he would not turn away. They all promised to be loyal.

MT, PAS If you have asked Jesus to be your Saviour, you should pray

for strength to be loyal to Jesus. (Show the Main Truth Card. Point to and explain the picture.) To be loyal to Jesus means to be like Him and do what He asks you to do. God wants you to be loyal to Jesus. After you have prayed for strength, you can be loyal by 1telling your friend who isn’t a Christian that Jesus is the Son of God and not just a good person who did good things. 2Or, you can obey what the Bible says to do, like learning more about Jesus and praying to God. 3You can also be loyal by helping others like Jesus would want you to do. In the Bible we read, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith . . . be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13) You need to pray daily and ask God to help you be strong and stand up for your faith in Jesus. Other people may make fun but remember that people also made fun of the Lord Jesus when He was here on Earth. He understands. He will help you be strong and stay loyal to Him. He promises to be with you. Will you be loyal to Him?

The disciples made a promise to be loyal to Jesus. We will learn later if they kept that promise.

F. (FLASHCARD 2-5)

As Jesus and His disciples entered the Garden of Gethsemane, He told most of them to stay at the entrance to wait. But to Peter, James, and John He said, “Come with Me,” and they went farther into the Garden. “My heart is so heavy with sadness, it nearly kills Me,” Jesus told them. “Stay here and stay awake. Watch with Me and pray.” (Matthew 26:38)


Why was Jesus so sad? It was not because He was afraid or unwilling to die for sin. It was because He knew about how awful sin is. He knew all that would happen to Him because of our sin. Jesus went farther into the Garden and threw Himself down on the ground. He began to pray. He prayed that His Father in Heaven might take away all that was about to happen to Him.

O Jesus was talking to His Father. Did you realize that Jesus is God the Son and that

He is perfect just like His Father? He is. Jesus does not make any mistakes. He never sinned, not even one time.

That night Jesus was talking to His Father. He was asking God to remove the suffering that was ahead of Him. “But let it be not what I want but what You want,” Jesus prayed to His Father. Jesus went back to Peter, James, and John. They were sleeping. He woke them and said, “Could you not stay awake with Me one hour?” It was late. It had been a very long day. Jesus knew His friends wanted to stay awake, but it was so hard since it was midnight or later. He was disappointed that they could not stay up and pray with Him in His sadness. Even though the disciples failed, Jesus still loved them.

G Sometimes we do things that disappoint Jesus too; but He never stops loving us. God loves you and me very much, even when we do things that disappoint Him.

Jesus went away to pray again. Three times He prayed the same way, and three times He returned to find the disciples sleeping. The last time Jesus returned, He said to them, “Are you still sleeping? The time has come. Look! The Son of Man is about to be betrayed. Get up and let’s go. Here comes the one who will betray Me.”

G. (FLASHCARD 2-6)

While the friends of the Lord Jesus had been sleeping, the enemies were making their way to the Garden. They came with lanterns and torches and swords and clubs, just as they had planned. Judas led the way. He stepped right up to Jesus and gave Him a kiss on the cheek and said, “Greetings, Master!”


“Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” the Lord Jesus asked. There was no need to grab Jesus in a hurry. He was not trying to escape. He knew the time had come for Him to pay for the sins of the world. Peter, trying to be loyal, stepped near to protect Jesus. He lifted his sword, swung it through the air, and cut off the ear of one of the enemy soldiers. (John 18:10) “Put your sword away,” Jesus told Peter. Then Jesus healed the ear of His enemy. Jesus spoke to everyone in the crowd. “Did you come to arrest Me with swords and clubs as if I was a criminal? I’ve been with you every day, teaching in the Temple. You didn’t arrest Me then, but the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” Jesus was saying that the things the Old Testament prophets taught must come true as they had said. They tied Jesus up and led Him away. The Bible says, “Then all the disciples left Him and ran away.”

III. CLIMAX

The disciples did not keep their promise to be loyal to Jesus. IV. CONCLUSION

A. CLOSING STATEMENTS How could they do that? How could they leave Jesus with the enemies and run away? They had promised to be loyal to Him. Peter had even said he would die with Jesus. Perhaps they ran away because they were afraid. We don’t really know why, but we do know they did not keep their promise to be loyal.

B. BRIDGE

Have you made any promises to the Lord?


C. CHALLENGE MT If you have asked Jesus to be your Saviour, you should pray

for strength to be loyal to Jesus. (Show the Main Truth Card.) Remember, to be loyal to Jesus means to be like Him and do what He ask you to do. God wants you to be loyal to Jesus. After you have prayed for strength, you can be loyal by 1telling your friend who isn’t a Christian that Jesus is the Son of God, or 2you can obey what the Bible says to do, and 3you can be loyal by helping others. God’s Word says, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith . . . be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13) You need to pray daily and ask God to help you be strong and stand up for your faith in Jesus. Other people may make fun, but they also made fun of the Lord Jesus. He understands. He will help you be strong and stay loyal to Him. He promises to be with you. Will you pray right now and ask God for strength to remain loyal to Jesus? I’ll give you a few moments to pray silently, and then I will close. (Allow for the children to pray quietly, after which you close in prayer for them.)

D. INVITATION L Maybe you were listening to the lesson today and you realized you have never

believed in Jesus as your Saviour. You cannot be loyal to Jesus until you are saved and have everlasting life. The Bible says, “For God so loved the world (that’s you and me), that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus), that whosoever believeth in Him (you can receive Jesus as your Saviour from sin) should not perish, but have everlasting life (will not be separated from God in the place of punishment, but will have life that lasts forever – life to live in Heaven after your life on Earth is over).” (John 3:16) God loves you so much that He made the the way for you to have your sins forgiven. Perhaps you never thought about how much God loved you before, but today you realize just how much He does, and that He sent Jesus to die for you. Are you ready to admit to God that you have sinned? Do you believe in your heart that Jesus died and came alive again for you? Would you like to tell Jesus right now that want to believe in Him as Saviour and have your sins forgiven? Everyone bow their heads and close their eyes. (Lead the children in a prayer to admit their sin and receive Jesus as Saviour. Then encourage each child who prayed in their heart to come speak to you after class for further counseling. Remind them when and where to come. Close in prayer.)


“The King Is Mocked” SCRIPTURE: Matthew 26:57 – 27:31; Mark 14:53 – 15:20; Luke 22:54 – 23:25;

John 18:13 – 19:16 MEMORY VERSE: 1 Peter 3:18

“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God. . . .”

VISUALS: Flashcards: Life of Christ 4: 3-2 – 3-6 MAIN TRUTH: Your words and actions should show that you love Jesus. BASIC OUTLINE: I. INTRODUCTION



A. FLASHCARD 3-2 B. FLASHCARD 3-3 C. FLASHCARD 3-4 D. FLASHCARD 3-5 E. FLASHCARD 3-6




Life of Christ #21, Page 2 I. INTRODUCTION A. BEGINNING STATEMENTS

Timmy’s little brother was in an accident that caused him to become crippled in his legs. He could not walk. Because of this, he was in a wheelchair. One of Timmy’s responsibilities was to push his brother in the wheelchair going to and from the bus stop, in school, and for other activities. Sometimes, this meant that Timmy had to miss some of his own activities or spending time with friends. One day, one of Timmy’s friends said to him, “Why do you always have to be the one who helps your brother? Why can’t someone else do it? You never get to do what you want because you have to do what you are told. It’s so unfair!” Timmy replied, “I don’t help my brother because I have to. I help because I want to.” Others thought it was unfair that Timmy allowed others to tell him what he had to do, but he did not mind. He was helping in a good way.

B. TRANSITION

As you listen to today’s Bible lesson, you will hear about a Man Who allowed something to happen to Him that was unfair. Let’s listen and find out.


A. (FLASHCARD 3-2) The Lord Jesus had been arrested. He was a prisoner now. His disciples abandoned Him. They were scattered and perhaps hiding in different places, because they were afraid.

IH Have the children show you a face of being afraid. Jesus was alone. His enemies led Him into the city and took Him to the religious leaders. These leaders hated Jesus very much. They were determined that He should die. But they could not sentence Him to death without a reason. Most of them had been around Jesus and had seen how He taught others. They also witnessed the many miracles He had done. They knew enough about Jesus to know it would be very hard to find something to use against Him. The reason they could find no wrong was because of who Jesus is.

Life of Christ #21, Page 3 O Do you know Who Jesus is? He is the very Son of God. He is perfect in every way.

He never did anything wrong – not even one time.

These leaders needed to find something against Jesus. They brought in some men they knew would lie about Him. “What do you know about this Man?” they asked. Some said one thing about Jesus. Others said something else. No one could agree. Everyone knew these men were lying. Finally, two men, whom the Bible calls “false witnesses,” said, “This Fellow said He was able to destroy the Temple of God and build it in three days.” Boys and girls, the Bible does tell us that Jesus said that, but He was not talking about the temple – the place people worshiped God. Jesus was talking about the Temple of His body. He talked about how He would be raised from the dead in three days, but no one at that time understood what Jesus was talking about. The high priest asked Jesus, “What do You have to say about that? Is this true?” Jesus knew that nothing He would say would make any difference, so He did not say anything. This made the high priest angry. “I command You in the name of the living God that You tell us whether You are the Messiah, the Son of God,” he said. “I am,” Jesus answered simply. He was speaking the truth. Jesus went on to say, “And the day will come when you will see Me sitting at the right hand of the power of God.” Jesus was telling him that one day soon He would be sitting at the right hand of God, the Father, Who has all power. The high priest wanted Jesus to say this. “This is blasphemy!” he said in a loud voice. By this, the high priest was saying that Jesus dishonored God by claiming He had rights and power that belonged only to God. The high priest turned to the people with him. “You heard what He said. What do you think?” “He is guilty,” they answered. “He deserves to die!” No one spoke up for Jesus that day, even though He was not guilty.

Life of Christ #21, Page 4 MT Do you speak up when others are saying things that are not

true about Jesus? If Jesus is your Saviour, your words and actions should show that you love Jesus. (Show Main Truth Card and explain the picture.) When the leaders said Jesus deserved to die, no one spoke up for Him. Earlier that night, Peter, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, had promised Jesus, “Even if I have to die with You, I will.” All the other disciples said the same thing.

B. (FLASHCARD 3-3)

Where were those disciples now? We don’t really know about all of them, but we do know that Peter was nearby. The Bible tells us that Peter was outside in the courtyard of the palace of the high priest. It was cold, and he was warming himself by the fire. Some of the enemies of Jesus would have been there too. A girl looked at Peter. “This is one of His followers,” she said, pointing right at Peter. “Girl, I don’t know what you are talking about!” Peter refused to say he was with Jesus.

IH Have the children hold up one finger, telling them to listen to see how many times

it happened that Peter said he did not know Jesus.

A little while later, another girl saw Peter. She turned to those who were with her and said, “This man was also with Jesus of Nazareth.” Again, Peter denied it.

“I do not know the Man!” Peter shouted.

IH Have the children hold up one finger, then two, encouraging them to continue to

listen to see how many times it happened that Peter said he did not know Jesus. Still later, another group of people passed by. “Surely you are one of them (the disciples of Jesus). Your speech gives you away.” Then Peter began to curse. “I do not know the Man!” Immediately a rooster crowed, and Peter remembered. He remembered the words of Jesus. “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will say three times you do not know Me.”

Life of Christ #21, Page 5 IH Have the children count with their fingers – 1. . .2. . .3 times that Peter denied

Jesus.

As the rooster crowed, Peter looked up just in time to see the Lord Jesus turn and look at him. Peter ran from the crowd and went away from there and wept. Peter had sinned by denying Jesus. He must have cried and cried, maybe thinking of how much the Lord Jesus loved him even though he had done something wrong.

G Even though you and I do many wrong things, Jesus still loves us. The Bible

teaches us that God loves you and me much more than anyone else could ever love us.

Jesus loved Peter even though he had denied he knew Jesus three times. It was now early in the morning. The Lord Jesus was bound like a criminal. It was like being handcuffed today. His enemies were doing terrible things to Him. They hit Jesus with their fists. They slapped His face and called Him names. They spit in His face. Then they led Jesus away from the house of the high priest to the hall where Pilate, the governor, was.

C. (FLASHCARD 3-4)

“What are the charges against this Man?” Pilate asked. “Of what are you accusing Him?” The high priest and the other Jewish leaders were troubled. The Roman laws would not allow them to put a man to death just because He claimed to be God. Unless Pilate ruled that Jesus should be punished, they could do nothing. Pilate would not understand if they told him that Jesus said He was the Son of God. They decided instead to tell Pilate, “He says He is the King of the Jews.” That would have troubled Pilate since he was governor for the Jews in this country. Pilate was responsible to a king, one called Caesar. If Jesus were also a King, this would cause trouble for Pilate.

D. (FLASHCARD 3-5)

Are You the King of the Jews?” Pilate asked. “Yes, I am,” Jesus replied.


This caused the chief priests and scribes and other religious leaders to yell one accusation and then another against Jesus. “Don’t You hear what they are saying?” Pilate asked. “Are You going to answer them?” But the Lord Jesus did not answer this time – not even a word. This bothered Pilate. He could find nothing wrong with the Lord Jesus. He was trying to think of a way he could set Him free. Suddenly, an idea came to him.

IH Have children make an expression that shows what they think Pilate may have

looked like when he came up with a good idea (smile, eyes wide open, etc.). E. (FLASHCARD 3-6)

Every year at the time of the Passover, one prisoner was set free. The Jewish people were given a choice as to which prisoner it would be. The worst prisoner Pilate could think of right now was a man named Barabbas, who was sentenced to die. He had committed murder and caused a lot of trouble for the people. Surely, Pilate thought, if he offered Jesus or Barabbas, the people would choose the innocent Jesus. “Whom do you want me to set free? Jesus or Barabbas?” Pilate asked. Quickly, the leaders who hated Jesus moved among the crowd of people. Everyone was gathered together to see what all this commotion was about. Perhaps the leaders began whispering to the people, and heads were nodding. Then the crowd shouted in unison, “We want Barabbas! Let Barabbas go free!”

IH Have the children stand up and shout together as the crowd, “We want Barabbas!

Let Barabbas go free!”

Pilate could not believe what he heard. “Then what shall I do with this Jesus, the One Who is called the Messiah?” Again, the crowd shouted. “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” The crowd was screaming now. They were all shouting for Jesus to be crucified. The Lord Jesus stood there, never saying a word. These people were sinning by wanting to have Jesus killed.

Life of Christ #21, Page 7 S, PAU Jesus was willing to be mocked, made fun of, despised, and hated, for your sins

and mine. The Bible tells us in one place that, “He (Jesus) is despised and rejected of men. . . .” (Isaiah 53:3) All of this was happening to Jesus because of our sin. Do you remember what sin is? It is anything you think, say, or do that displeases God. In the Bible we read, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) That means no one is good like Jesus is good. No one can measure up to God’s perfection. You and I have sinned. (Share three examples of sin.) All these things are sin.

It was because of our sin that Jesus was made fun of, despised, and hated. Perhaps Pilate thought he could turn the Lord Jesus over to the soldiers, and when they had beaten Him, maybe the Jewish leaders would change their minds and let Jesus go. (NO FLASHCARD – place visual down) The soldiers led Jesus away from the crowd. First, He was whipped. It was a terrible whipping, across His bare back with a whip that probably had pieces of sharp stone tied into it. Then they brought a crown made from twisted thorn branches. The thorns were long and sharp. This they pushed hard down onto the top of Jesus’ head. Next, they brought a purple robe out and put it on Jesus. Then they forced Him to hold a stick like a scepter (a scepter is a rod or staff held by a person to show authority or power). “Look! Now He is a king with a crown and a robe and a scepter,” they said. Mocking Jesus, they knelt in front of Him. “Hail, King of the Jews!” they said, laughing and making fun. They took the stick they had given Him and hit Jesus with it. They spit on Him. All the while, Jesus did not say a word.

MT, PAS That’s how much Jesus loved us. He let the soldiers treat Him

that way because He was going to die for our sins. He loves us very much and if Jesus is your Saviour, your words and actions should show that you love Jesus too. (Show Main Truth Card and explain the picture.) You can show your love for Jesus by 1being willing to speak up when others are making fun of Him, or using His name as a swear word. 2When you choose not to fight back or choose not to say something mean when someone makes fun of you, you can show you love Jesus. 3You can also talk about Jesus in a loving way to your friends on the playground or in the classroom when you have a chance. These are ways you can show your love for Jesus. In the book of Matthew, we read, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) By saying and doing these things we talked about, you will show others that you love the Lord Jesus by what you do and say.


Jesus showed His love for us by letting those wicked men do those terrible things to Him. (SHOW FLASHCARD 3-6 AGAIN) Pilate took Jesus back to the crowd. “I’m bringing this Man back to you to tell you I do not find Him guilty,” Pilate said. “Look at the Man.” They did look at Him. The Lord Jesus was standing there, bleeding and in pain. The people shouted again, “Crucify Him! Take Him away, and crucify Him!” Although Pilate could find no wrong in Jesus, the people said, “By our law He ought to die because He made Himself the Son of God.” The Son of God? Pilate was afraid! He took Jesus away from the crowd again to talk with Him privately. “Where do You come from?” Pilate inquired. Jesus did not answer. Pilate became angry. “Will You not answer me?” he asked. “Don’t You know that I have the power to crucify You or to set You free?” “You have no power over Me at all,” Jesus told him, “unless it is given to you from God above.”

P, E We know that is true, boys and girls. We know that Jesus, the Son of God, came into this world to die for our sins – for yours and for mine. The time and place of His death was decided by God! No one could take Jesus’ life until God’s time came. Now the time was here. We know that Jesus did die on the cross for you and me. He gave His precious blood to pay for our sins. Our memory verse says, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God. . . .” (1 Peter 3:18) Jesus did die for us, but He did not stay dead. Jesus came out alive from the grave on the third day, we call this the resurrection of Jesus, and He will never die again. He is living in Heaven today.

The time of Jesus’ death and resurrection were planned out by God. That time was now very near. Jesus would be crucified, but only because God permitted it. Pilate took Jesus back to the people. He was still trying to set Him free. The crowd was still shouting about Jesus. They said to Pilate, “If you let this Man go, you’ll no longer be a friend of Caesar, the king! If this Man calls Himself the King of the Jews, He is against Caesar!”


Pilate was just about ready to give up. He made one last try. “Look at your King,” he said, pointing to Jesus. “Away with Him! Crucify Him!” the people shouted again. “Shall I crucify your King?” Pilate asked. “We have no king, but Caesar,” they answered.

III. CLIMAX

Though it was all so unfair that Jesus was treated this way, Pilate gave permission and said Jesus should be crucified.

IV. CONCLUSION

A. CLOSING STATEMENTS The Bible tell us, “They led Him away to crucify Him.” You are probably thinking how unfair this was. Yes, it was unfair and wrong. But Jesus did not fight back. He allowed these things to be done to Him.

B. BRIDGE

Jesus was willing for this to happen to show us how much He loves us.

Life of Christ #21, Page 10 C. INVITATION L Maybe you never understood until today just how much the Lord Jesus loves you.

Perhaps you never realized just how much Jesus went through even before He died for your sins. Jesus willingly did that for you. He wants to be your Saviour. The book of Acts, chapter 16, verse 31 says, “. . . Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. . . .” If you want Jesus to be your Saviour, you must tell Him that you know you are a sinner. You must also believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and that He came alive again three days later. If you do this, God promises He will save you from your sin. Are you ready right now to tell the Lord Jesus you want Him to be your Saviour? Everyone, bow your heads and close your eyes. If you want Jesus to be your Saviour and have never asked Him before, you can ask Him right now to be your Saviour. Just tell Him something like this (Teacher: speak slowly and thoughtfully, pausing between phrases): “Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned and done wrong things. I believe You died on the cross and took my punishment. I believe You came alive again three days later, never to die again. I trust You right now to forgive me and be my Saviour. Thank You for saving me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.” (Have any children who prayed that prayer or have questions about how to pray meet you in a specific place at the time you tell them for more counseling.)

D. CHALLENGE MT Perhaps you have already received Jesus as your Saviour or

did just now! You know how much Jesus did for you because He loves you. He loves you very much and if Jesus is your Saviour, your words and actions should show that you love Jesus too. (Show Main Truth Card and explain the picture.) In the book of Matthew, we read, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) You can show your love for Jesus by 1being willing to speak up when others are making fun of Him, or 2by choosing not to fight back when someone makes fun of you, or even 3by talking to others about Jesus on the playground or in the classroom. These words and actions will show your love for Jesus. Remember all the things Jesus suffered for you. These are ways you can show your love for Him. Why don’t you take a moment right now to tell Jesus how much you love Him? You can also ask Him to help you show that love when you are with others. (Allow children to pray quietly and then close in prayer.)


“The King’s Undeserved Death” SCRIPTURE: Matthew 27:31-66; Mark 15:20-47; Luke 23:26-56; John 19:16-42 MEMORY VERSE: Isaiah 53:6

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

VISUALS: Flashcards: Life of Christ 4: 4-1 – 4-6 MAIN TRUTH: You should thank God often for all He does for you. BASIC OUTLINE: I. INTRODUCTION



A. FLASHCARD 3-6 (from previous lesson) B. FLASHCARD 4-1 C. FLASHCARD 4-3- CEF Press D. FLASHCARD 4-3- Free Bible Images E. FLASHCARD 4-2 F. FLASHCARD 4-4 G. FLASHCARD 4-5 H. FLASHCARD 4-6





Have you ever been accused of something you did not do? Were you called guilty even though you were not? Guilty is a word that makes us feel uncomfortable, especially when we are not guilty of wrongdoing, but we get the blame and punishment anyway. That is very hard.

B. TRANSITION

It is possible to be completely innocent and still be declared guilty. Has anyone in the Bible ever had this experience? Let’s listen to today’s lesson and find out.


A. (FLASHCARD 3-6) Pilate, who was governor at the time, said of the Lord Jesus, “I do not find Him guilty!” The leaders of the Jews responded, “He is guilty! Because He made Himself the Son of God, He deserves to die!” Was Jesus guilty? No!

O We know Jesus was not, because Jesus is the Son of God. He is perfect just like God, the Father, is perfect. Jesus was innocent, not guilty. He had done nothing wrong, but the leaders of the Jews wanted Him punished. They said Jesus was guilty. Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but finally, he turned Him over to the religious leaders and the soldiers to be crucified. There were some who were guilty of doing wrong. The Jewish leaders were guilty. Barabbas, the murderer who was set free instead of the innocent Jesus, was guilty. The soldiers were guilty. Even Pilate, who at first wanted to set Jesus free, was guilty. But not the Lord Jesus! He was completely innocent, but they made Him look like a common criminal. They took off the purple robe and put Jesus in His own clothes. The Bible then says, “They led Him away to crucify Him.”


B. (FLASHCARD 4-1) They gave Jesus a cross to carry. The cross was very heavy. Jesus had already suffered much from the whipping, the beatings, and the mocking. He had no sleep the night before. When the cross became too heavy for Jesus to bear a man, whose name was Simon, was pulled from the crowd, and the cross was placed on his shoulders. Simon carried the cross for the Lord Jesus while Jesus walked ahead of him. They moved forward to the place called Golgotha, or Calvary.

IH Where were they going? (Golgotha/Calvary)

There were two other prisoners carrying their crosses. Unlike Jesus, they were guilty. There were women in the crowd that followed behind. They were probably crying loudly because Jesus was their friend. One of the women there was Mary, the mother of Jesus. How sad she must have been. The disciple John was there. Also, in that crowd were scribes and other religious leaders, and of course, the chief priest, who were happy to see Jesus being sentenced to die. Still others in the crowd were just curious onlookers. They wanted to see what was going to happen. And then there were soldiers. They would carry out the crucifixion. The soldiers were guilty for carrying out this order.

C. (FLASHCARD 4-3- CEF Press)

S, PAU You and I are guilty too. We deserve to be punished for our

sins. Oh, you may think you are not that bad but we are all guilty. You and I have sinned. The Bible tell us, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6) Iniquity is another word for sin. It is anything we think, say, or do that is against what God says is right. Sin says and thinks things like, “I am the most important,” or “I want it my way.” (Share three examples of sin.) Doing things our own way instead of God’s way is sin, and sin is serious to God. Sin is deserving of punishment. We are all guilty of sin.


The soldiers were guilty and so were the scribes and chief priest; but Jesus was willing to die for their sins anyway

D. (FLASHCARD 4-3- Free Bible Images) Some soldiers carried a sign that would be placed above Jesus on the cross to tell why He was being crucified. It was written by Pilate. The sign read, “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” The Jewish leaders did not like those words. They said, “Write instead, ‘He said, I am King of the Jews.’ ” Pilate refused to change the sign. “What I have written, I have written,” he said.

IH Have the children pretend to be Pilate, saying, “What I have written, I have written,” while proudly holding their chins up high and folding their arms. When the crowd reached the place where Jesus would be crucified, the soldiers offered Him something to drink. It was some kind of wine mixed with something that was supposed to help lessen the pain. The Lord Jesus refused to drink it. He was willing to go through every bit of the pain that He did not deserve. We cannot imagine all that Jesus went through, but the Bible says, “They crucified Him.”

E. (FLASHCARD 4-2)

That means they put nails through Jesus’ hands and feet. Later after He had risen from the dead, He told His disciples to look at the nail wounds in His hands and feet. He showed them the marks that the punishment He paid for their sin had caused. They must have been very thankful!

MT What about you? Paying for your sin and mine is just one of

the many things Jesus has done for us. If Jesus is your Saviour, you should thank God often for all He does for you. (Show Main Truth Card and point to picture.) There are so many things God does for us every single day. I hope you are telling Him thank you often.

IH Each time you teach the Main Truth, have the children use sign language for “thank you” as you state it. (Place palm of hand facing chin, then move in an outward direction in front of you until palm is face up.)

What are you thanking God for? For what Jesus did for you on the cross.


F. (FLASHCARD 4-4)

It was nine o’clock in the morning when the Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross. The two robbers were on either side of Him. It seems as if the soldiers paid no attention to Jesus. Instead, they grabbed His clothes. One may have said, “Here, you take this. And you take this. I’ll take His sandals.” They divided Jesus’ clothes among themselves. Perhaps another said, “What about His robe? What shall we do with it?”

IH Have the children pretend to be the soldiers, shrugging their shoulders and saying “What about His robe? What shall we do with it?” For a moment, they considered sharing it by tearing it into pieces, and then they decided not to do that. “Let’s cast lots for it,” they agreed. Perhaps they threw dice to see who would get the largest number or drew sticks to see who would get the longest one. The winner would take the entire robe. What these soldiers did not know was that about a thousand years before this, God had said this exact thing would happen. Listen to this verse from the Bible (Teacher: Read from Psalm 22:18), “They part My garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture (or clothing).” It happened exactly the way God said it would. These soldiers were familiar with crucifixions. They were used to hearing screams and curses from those who were being crucified. But there was something different about the Man on the middle cross. He did not curse or scream. He called out, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.” The Lord Jesus, in all His pain and suffering, was praying for His enemies. They must have wondered what kind of Man would do that. Jesus did that for you and me too. He was thinking of us while He was hanging on the cross.

Life of Christ #22, Page 6 MT, PAS Paying for your sin and mine is just one of the many things

Jesus has done for us. If Jesus is your Saviour, you should thank God often for all He does for you. (Show Main Truth Card and point to picture.) There are so many things God does for us every single day. Are you thankful? You can 1pray and tell God you are thankful for all the things He gives you – food, clothing, friends, a home to live in. 2You can thank God for helping you do the right thing when you have a problem at school or have a big choice to make. 3You should thank God every day for sending Jesus to take your punishment for sin and for being your Saviour. Psalm 106:1a says, “Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord. . . .” We cannot even begin to name all the ways God is good to us. You should remember to thank God many times throughout the day for all He does for you.


When Jesus was dying on the cross, He was thinking of you and me. He was also thinking of those in the crowd, even though many of them paid little attention to what was happening. Those who did pay attention may have wondered what kind of Man would allow all these things to happen to Him and still forgive them. People were passing by. Some of them had heard things Jesus had said. Perhaps they stopped, looked up at the cross, and shook their heads. The Bible tells us they said, “You! You who would destroy the Temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from that cross.” The chief priest and the scribes joined in making fun of Jesus. “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. If He really is the King of the Jews, let Him come down. Then we will believe Him.” God said a thousand years earlier that this, too, would happen. (Teacher: Read again from Psalm 22:7-8) “All they that see Me laugh Me to scorn, . . . they shake the head saying, ‘He trusted on the Lord that He would deliver Him: let Him deliver Him, seeing He delighted in Him.’ ” You know, boys and girls, the Lord Jesus had enough power to come down from the cross. Jesus has all power! He could have saved Himself. But He loved everyone in the world enough to stay on the cross.

G He loved you enough to stay there, too. Yes, Jesus loves you and me. God, His Father, loves us too.


It was Jesus’ love that kept Him on the cross, even as the chief priest and scribes were making fun of Him. The Bible says that even the robbers on the crosses on each side of Jesus joined in the mocking. At first it was both who made fun of Jesus. Then the one robber said, “Jesus, aren’t You the Messiah? Then save Yourself and us too!” But then the other robber said back to him, “Aren’t you afraid of God, even when you are dying? We are being punished in the way we deserve. We are guilty, but this Man has done nothing wrong. He is not guilty.” He was right. The Lord Jesus is the only One that it can be said about Him, “He is not guilty. He has done nothing wrong.” This one robber realized he had sinned. He admitted it and believed in Jesus as his Saviour, even while he was hanging on the cross. He spoke to the Lord Jesus again, “Remember me when You come into Your Kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth. Today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

IH Divide the children into two groups, Have the first group pretend to be the robber,

saying, “Remember me when you come into Your Kingdom.” Then have the other group repeat what Jesus said to him, “I tell you the truth. Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” It was now twelve o’clock. Noontime. Three hours had passed since the crucifixion began. Strange things now started happening.

F. (FLASHCARD 4-5)

Darkness came over the land. It wasn’t just cloudy darkness. It was the kind of darkness we see at nighttime, but it was noon! The darkness lasted for three hours. It was about that time the Lord Jesus called out with a loud voice, “My God! My God! Why have You forsaken Me?” Because God had placed our sins on His own dear Son, Jesus was separated from God when He paid for our sins on the cross.

After this the Bible says that Jesus called again with a loud voice, “It is finished!” All that Jesus had come to do was finished. Sin was paid for. Jesus did it all! When something is finished, there is nothing left to do. No one can add anything else to it.

Life of Christ #22, Page 8 P Jesus paid for our sins with His precious blood when He died on the cross that

day. In the book of First Peter, we read, “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we . . . should live unto righteousness. . . .” (1 Peter 2:24) Jesus died so that you and I could be forgiven and live with Him someday. Jesus paid for all our sin. It is finished, Jesus did it all.

All that Jesus had come to do was finished. That’s what Jesus meant when He said, “It is finished.” The Lord Jesus, God’s Son, gave up His life. His death was different from that of any other person. He had said, “No man takes My life from Me; but I lay it down of Myself.” (John 10:18) That is exactly what Jesus did. He spoke just one last time from the cross. “Father, into Your hands I give My spirit.” The separation from God the Father was over. Jesus’ spirit left His body. (The spirit is the part that is the real you.) Jesus was dead.

IH Have everyone sing to the tune of “Deep and Wide”: “You and me, you and me, Jesus died on the cross for you and me. You and me, you and me, Jesus died on the cross for you and me.”

More strange things were happening, there were earthquakes. The leader of the group of soldiers who crucified Jesus looked at Jesus still hanging on the cross. “Surely this Man was the Son of God,” he said. This soldier realized that Jesus was not guilty. In the Temple in the city, a huge curtain hung in front of God’s special dwelling place. Once every year, the high priest would go behind that thick curtain with the blood of an animal to offer it as a sacrifice for the sins of the people. This was the only time anyone ever went behind that curtain because that was God’s law. When the Lord Jesus died out on the hill called Calvary, inside the Temple in the city, the curtain was torn from top to bottom! The blood of animals was no longer necessary. No longer was it only the high priest who could come to God to ask for forgiveness of sin. Now, all could come to God through the blood of the Lord Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God! One of the leaders of the Jews went to Pilate. His name was Joseph. The Bible says he did not agree to have Jesus put to death. It took a lot of courage for any Jewish leader to go to Pilate at this time, but Joseph went. “Please, may I take Jesus’ body from the cross and bury it?” Joseph asked.


“Is He dead already?” Pilate wanted to know. It was not normal for a man on the cross to die so soon during crucifixion. But remember, it was God who decided the right timing. The soldiers had checked the three men hanging on each cross. They broke the legs of the robbers so that they might die more quickly. When they went to break the legs of Jesus, they did not have to do it. He was already dead. They pierced His side with a spear, and they knew for certain Jesus was dead. The soldiers gave Pilate the word. “Yes, Jesus is dead.” Pilate gave Joseph permission to take the body from the cross. Up until this time, Joseph had hidden that he followed the Lord Jesus because he was afraid of the Jews. (John 19:38) But now he was brave. He had seen the Lord Jesus die on a cross and he didn’t care who knew that he followed the Jesus now. Another man, Nicodemus, who was also afraid to speak about believing in Jesus (John 12:42), helped Joseph remove the body of Jesus from the cross. They wrapped His body in white linen, added sweet-smelling spices, and placed Jesus in Joseph’s new tomb that was nearby. The leaders of the Jews were certain this was the end. Well, almost certain! They went to Pilate again.

G. (FLASHCARD 4-6)

“We remember that this deceiver said He would rise from the dead in three days,” they told Pilate. “His disciples might come and steal His body and say He is alive. We want you to send guards to watch the tomb for three days.” Pilate gave permission. The tomb was sealed. Guards were stationed day and night to make sure the body of Jesus would stay in the tomb.

III. CLIMAX

But was that the end? IV. CONCLUSION

A. CLOSING STATEMENTS Boys and girls, our story does not end there. I want you to know what happened after Jesus’ body was placed in that tomb. We will learn more about this in our next lesson, but for now remember this.

Life of Christ #22, Page 10 E Jesus did not stay in that tomb. He did come alive from the dead three days later!

He lives in Heaven today. B. BRIDGE

Jesus wants you to live in Heaven with Him when your life on Earth is over, but you must first ask Him to be your Saviour.

C. INVITATION L Jesus is waiting for you to ask Him to be your Saviour. Jesus says, “Behold, I

(Jesus) stand at the door (the door of your heart – the part of you that will never die), and knock: if any man (man, woman, boy, or girl) hear My voice (if you know you need Jesus), and open the door (ask Jesus to come into your heart), I will come in. . . .” (Revelation 3:20) This is a promise. If you want Jesus to be your Saviour, you need to tell Him you know you have sinned. You need to tell Him you believe He died on the cross to pay for your sins and came alive again the third day. If you invite the Lord Jesus to come into your heart to be your Saviour, He will forgive your sins. You will be ready to go to live in Heaven with Him someday when your life on Earth is over. Would you like to ask Jesus to be your Saviour right now? Please bow your head and close your eyes. If you want to learn how to ask Jesus to be your Saviour today, please show me by looking up at me. (Acknowledge the children who respond. Tell them when to come and where to go to receive counseling.) Thank you. Everyone may look up now.

D. CHALLENGE

MT Some of you have already received Jesus as your Saviour.

How often do you thank God for all He does? Paying for your sin and mine is just one of the many things Jesus has done for us. If Jesus is your Saviour, you should thank God often for all He does for you. (Show Main Truth Card and point to picture.) There are so many things God does for us every single day. Are you thankful? You can 1pray and tell God you are thankful for all the things He gives you, and 2you can thank God for helping you do the right thing when you have a problem or a big choice to make, and 3you should especially thank God every day for sending Jesus to take your punishment for sin and for being your Saviour. Psalm 106:1a says, “Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord. . . .” We cannot even begin to name all the ways God is good to us. You should remember to thank God many times throughout the day for all He does for you. Will you do this?



“The King Lives” SCRIPTURE: Matthew 28:1-15; Mark 16:1-14; Luke 23:56 – 24:12; John 20:1-21 MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 28:6

“He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”

VISUALS: Flashcards: Life of Christ 4: 4-6; 5-1 – 5-6 MAIN TRUTH: You should go and tell others the good news about Jesus. BASIC OUTLINE: I. INTRODUCTION



A. FLASHCARD 4-6 B. FLASHCARD 5-1 C. FLASHCARD 5-2 D. FLASHCARD 5-3 E. FLASHCARD 5-4 F. FLASHCARD 5-5 G. FLASHCARD 5-6


A. CLOSING STATEMENTS B. BRIDGE C. CHALLENGE D. INVITATION



Sam and Lucy had been told some very sad news about their grandma. She was in the hospital and they didn’t know when she would be able to leave! Their dad had gone to be with grandma in the hospital and they didn’t see him very much for a few days. Finally, Sam and Lucy’s dad came home with a smile on his face and good news. Their grandma was all better and was going to be home that day! They could go visit her again!

B. TRANSITION

Sam and Lucy were so excited about the good news that their dad told them. We learn about some good news in the lesson today too. Let’s listen and find out what this good news is and who is excited about it.


A. (FLASHCARD 4-6)

You may remember from our last lesson that we had some sad news. Jesus’ followers were sad because He had died on the cross and was buried in the tomb.

P Though it was sad, you and I know that God allowed Jesus to die at His perfect

time to show His great love for us. When Jesus died on the cross, He gave His precious blood to pay for our sins. The Bible says, “But God commendeth (showed) His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) I am so thankful that Jesus died to pay for my sins, but it makes me sad to think of what He went through.

I am sure it was a sad day for the close followers of Jesus as they watched Him die and saw His body being placed in that tomb, with a large stone rolled in front. It all seemed so final. Because the Jewish leaders demanded it, a guard of soldiers was placed in front of that tomb. It seemed to these soldiers an easy job. They were guarding a dead man’s grave. All they were asked to do was to make sure the disciples did not come and take the body of the Lord Jesus.


But boys and girls, it was God Who was really in control. Those strong soldiers had absolutely no power to keep the grave undisturbed.

B. (FLASHCARD 5-1)

The Bible tells us that when the soldiers saw an angel come down from Heaven and roll the stone away from the tomb they were so frightened they became like dead men, this probably means that they fell to the ground. They had never seen anything like this before. When they were finally able to get up and move, they ran back into the city to report to the Jewish leaders what had happened.

IH Have the children act as the soldiers. They should act afraid, trembling and

stuttering, as they run to the city and say, “You won’t believe what happened!” The soldiers told what they had seen and heard at the tomb. “Don’t tell anyone,” the Jewish leaders warned. They gave them a lot of money. “Take this. It’s yours if you do not tell anyone what you know. Just say you fell asleep at the tomb and His disciples came and stole His body.” That was a foolish thing for the soldiers to agree to, but they were not going to turn down all that money. The promise of the money made it easy for them to lie about what had really happened. Lying was wrong, but they did it anyway.

S, PAU The Jewish leaders were wrong for bribing the soldiers for money. The soldiers

were wrong for taking the money and then lying about what happened. But they are not the only ones who do wrong. You and I do wrong things too. You and I are sinners just like them. Anything we think, or say, or do that is against what God says is right – big or little – is sin. (Share three examples of sin.) None of us is good all the time. In fact, the Bible tells us, “. . . There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10) We sin just like the Jewish leaders and the soldiers did.

The soldiers starting telling the lie all around the city. But boys and girls, no lie told could cover up the truth! When the Lord Jesus was buried in that tomb, some women who were special friends of His were there. Since the next day was the Sabbath (a special day of rest for the Jewish people), they could not go to the tomb then. But as soon as the Sabbath was over, on Saturday evening, these women began to prepare some spices to take to the grave of their friend, Jesus.


C. (FLASHCARD 5-2)

Early Sunday morning, these women were on their way to the tomb. It was still dark when they left home. It seems as if Mary Magdalene led the way, but there were others. The Bible mentions another Mary and Salome and Joanna. These women must have still felt sad that Jesus was dead.

IH Have children show you a sad expression. “How will we get to the body?” someone asked. “Who will be able to roll the stone away from the door for us?” That was a huge problem, but still they continued toward the garden tomb. We don’t know if they knew about the guard of soldiers or not. When they came within sight of the tomb, they saw it was open. The stone was rolled back from the door! Mary Magdalene hurried to look inside. “He’s gone! He is not there! His body is gone!” Mary wondered if Peter and John, two of Jesus’ closest disciples would know anything about it. She didn’t even wait to discuss it with the other women. She went to find Peter and John. When Mary Magdalene found Peter and John, she called out to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the grave. We don’t know where they laid Him.” Peter and John were surprised. They immediately started for the tomb, and Mary followed behind. Had Mary waited with the other women, she would have learned something else. You see, after she had gone, the other women saw an angel.

D. (FLASHCARD 5-3)

“Don’t be afraid!” the angel said to the women. “I know you are looking for Jesus Who was crucified. He is not here. He is risen! He said that would happen. Come, see the place where He was lying.” Our memory verse says it like this, “He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”

Life of Christ #23, Page 5 IH Have children turn to the person sitting next to them and repeat the memory verse

together. The women heard this. They listened to the angel, and they moved to the entrance of the tomb for a closer look. God knew the hearts of these women. He knew how sad they were. Because God loved them, He sent an angel to bring them comforting words.

G There may be times when you are sad, too, but you can always remember that

God loves you. God loved these women. He did not want them to be sad. He wanted them to have joy, so He sent an angel to explain that Jesus was alive.

E In God’s Word, we read that Jesus was placed in that tomb, but He did not stay

dead. He came alive and is living today, never to die again. IH Have everyone sing to the tune of “Deep and Wide”: “You and me, you and me, Jesus came alive again for you and me. You and me, you and me, Jesus came alive again for you and me.” Do you believe that? The women believed!

The angel commanded them, “Go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead.” These women were sent out to tell the good news.

MT If Jesus is your Saviour, you should go and tell others the good

news about Jesus. (Show Main Truth Card and point to picture.) You can share what you are learning about Jesus with other people. You can tell them that Jesus died, was buried, and came alive again. That is the best good news!

IH What did the angel tell the women to do? (Go and tell the disciples that Jesus is

risen.) The Bible says they ran to tell the good news with fear and great joy. The news was so wonderful that they were almost too afraid to believe it!

Life of Christ #23, Page 6 E. (FLASHCARD 5-4)

In the meantime, Peter and John were on their way to the tomb. Mary Magdalene was coming behind them, probably more slowly. John arrived first. He went to the entrance and stopped. Peter ran right past him into the tomb. Then John followed. There, they saw the strangest thing. The linen cloths in which Joseph and Nicodemus had wrapped the body of Jesus were there. They were exactly in the shape of Jesus’ body, but they were empty. The cloth that had been over His face was separate from the other linens. In some way, the body had moved out of the linen cloths without them being disturbed. It was a miracle! A miracle is something only God can do. The Bible says after Peter and John saw these things they returned home. So many things had been happening. Wonder and excitement was likely racing through their minds. Could it be that Jesus was alive? Mary Magdalene was now back at the tomb, still weeping because Jesus was gone. She moved to the opening and looked inside. She saw two angels! “Woman, why are you weeping?” they asked her. “They have taken my Lord away, and I don’t know where they have laid Him,” she answered. As she turned around, she saw Someone behind her.

F. (FLASHCARD 5-5)

“Woman, why are you crying? Whom are you looking for?” He asked her. Mary thought this Man was the gardener. “Sir, if You have carried Him away, please tell me where He is. I will go and take Him away,” she said. The Man standing there said, “Mary.” Immediately Mary knew it was Jesus.

O Though you and I have never seen Jesus as Mary did, we know Who He is. Jesus

is God’s sinless Son. Many people today, however, do not know Who Jesus is.


Mary knew Jesus was the Son of God, but she did not recognize Him until she heard Him say her name. Then she knew for sure. It was Jesus! He had risen from the grave. “Rabboni (which is to say, Teacher)!” she cried. She was overjoyed. Jesus really was alive. The Bible tells us that Mary Magdalene was the first person to see the Lord Jesus after He had risen from the dead. “Go to My disciples and tell them I am going to My Father,” the Lord Jesus told Mary. Jesus wanted Mary to go and tell others the good news – that He was alive. She had seen Him with her own eyes!

MT, PAS If Jesus is your Saviour, you should go and tell others the good

news about Jesus. (Show Main Truth Card and point to picture.) In God’s Word, it says, “. . . Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) 1Perhaps you have a parent or a grandparent who does not know about Jesus dying for their sins. You can share the good news with that person. 2You might share a Gospel tract that explains how to ask Jesus to be their Saviour (show a sample) with someone in your class at school or a player on your soccer or baseball team. 3You could also give someone an invitation to come to this [club, class] with you so they can hear how to receive Jesus as Saviour. Jesus wants you to share the good news with everyone you meet. He will give you opportunities to tell others how He died and came alive again.

Mary Magdalene went and told the good news to the disciples. She had seen the risen Jesus with her own eyes. Jesus told Mary to “go and tell.” She went because she wanted the others to know He was alive. The other women who had heard the message from the angel also made the good news known. The angel told those women at the tomb to “go and tell.” Were there still some who needed to believe the good news that Jesus was alive?

G. (FLASHCARD 5-6)

Yes! That evening, the disciples were in a room behind locked doors. It was because they were afraid of what the Jewish leaders might do because they were followers of Jesus.


Suddenly, in that room, Jesus was standing there! Closed and locked doors could not keep Him out. “Peace to you,” Jesus said.

At first, they were terribly frightened. They thought they were seeing a spirit (or ghost).

IH Have the children show you an expression of how they might have looked if they were there when Jesus appeared through the locked doors. (surprised, afraid, excited)

“Why are you troubled?” He asked. “Behold My hands and My feet. Come see. It is really Me. A spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” Jesus showed them the wounds from the nails in His hands and feet

Now the disciples knew for certain it was true. Jesus was truly alive!

To prove it further, He asked, “Do you have anything to eat?” They gave Jesus a piece of broiled fish and watched closely as He ate. This proved it was really Jesus in a real body.

Later Jesus told to them, “These are words which I spoke to you when I was with you, that all things must be fulfilled. It was necessary for Me to suffer, and to rise (come alive again) from the dead the third day . . . now repentance and remission (forgiveness of sins) should be preached (told to everyone) among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” (Read from Luke 24:44-48 and explain.)

III. CLIMAX

Jesus sent His disciples out to tell the good news – the best news of all! That the Lord Jesus is the Saviour for your sins.

IV. CONCLUSION

A. CLOSING STATEMENTS

The disciples were filled with great joy! They wanted to tell everyone about therisen Saviour!

B. BRIDGE

And boys and girls, I want YOU to know that Jesus can be your Saviour too!

Life of Christ #23, Page 9 C. INVITATION L The Bible says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be

saved.” (Romans 10:13) To be saved, you must first admit to God that you are a sinner – that you have done wrong things. You must also believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and that He did not stay dead but came alive again the third day. Then you can call on Him (that means ask Him) to be your Saviour. Would you like to ask Jesus to take away your sins and be your Saviour today? Let’s all bow our heads and close our eyes. As you think about what Jesus did for you and how He paid for all your sins, if you would like to learn how you can ask Jesus to be your Saviour today, please look up at me right now. (Acknowledge those who respond to the invitation) You may all look up now. (Tell the children who responded when to come and where to go to receive counseling.)

A. CHALLENGE

MT If Jesus is your Saviour, you should go and tell others the good

news about Jesus. (Show Main Truth Card and point to picture.) 1Perhaps you have a parent or a grandparent who does not know about Jesus dying for their sins. You can share the good news with them, or 2you might share a tract that explains how to ask Jesus to be their Saviour (show a sample) with someone you know, or 3you could also invite someone to come with you to [club, class]. Jesus wants you to share the good news with everyone. God’s Word says, “. . . Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) I’ll give you a few moments right now to think of someone who needs to hear the good news about Jesus. If you would like, you can pray quietly for that person. Ask God to help you share the good news with that person. Then I will close.


“The King Comes Again” SCRIPTURE: Matthew 26:32; 28:7-10, 16-19; John 20:24-29; 21:1-17; Acts 1:3-

11; 1 Corinthians 15:3-7 MEMORY VERSE: Acts 1:11

“. . . This same Jesus, which was taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven.”

VISUALS: Flashcards: Life of Christ 4: 6-1 – 6-6 MAIN TRUTH: You should remember that Jesus is always with you. BASIC OUTLINE: I. INTRODUCTION



A. FLASHCARD 6-1 B. FLASHCARD 6-2 C. FLASHCARD 6-3 D. FLASHCARD 6-4 E. FLASHCARD 6-3 (repeated) F. FLASHCARD 6-5 G. FLASHCARD 6-6





What is your favorite celebration during the year that you always look forward to? (Give children time to answer.)

B. TRANSITION

In today’s lesson, we are going to hear about a very special important event. Let’s listen carefully to find out about it.


A. (FLASHCARD 6-1)

Thomas, one of the disciples, missed one important event. He was not there when Jesus first appeared to His disciples behind those closed, locked doors. “Thomas, you should have been there,” the other disciples told him. “We saw the Lord Jesus. He is alive!” Thomas found this difficult to believe. He could not believe what he heard, even though he saw that the other disciples did believe it. Surely they are mistaken, he thought. Perhaps it was just their imagination. Thomas was sure the Lord Jesus was still dead. “Unless I can put my finger into the nail prints in His hands and feet, and touch His wounded side, I will not believe.” No one could convince Thomas that the Lord Jesus was alive. He just would not believe.

IH Have the children pretend to be Thomas, repeating a few times, “I do not believe!” S, PAU Do you know, boys and girls, that not trusting Jesus as Saviour is sin? Well, it is.

In the Bible we read, “. . . He that believeth not is condemned already, because He hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18) But unbelief is not the only sin. Sin is anything you think, say, or do that does not please God. (Share three examples of sin.) Perhaps I didn’t mention something you have done that is sin, but we all do things that are wrong. The Bible says that everyone has sinned, including you and me. Unbelief (not trusting Jesus as Saviour) is also sin.


Thomas had sinned by not believing the truth that Jesus had risen from the dead. Before He died, Jesus had told the disciples, including Thomas, that He would rise again. Still, Thomas did not believe. Although Thomas did not believe, Someone cared very much for him. It was the Lord Jesus Himself.

G Sin does not keep God from loving you either. God does not love our sins, but He

loves you and me very much. Jesus will never stop loving you. Jesus still cared for Thomas. He wanted Thomas to believe. One week later, the disciples were together again. This time, Thomas was there with them. The doors to the room were shut. Suddenly, without the doors being opened, Jesus stood in the room with them!

IH Ask the children to respond to these questions based on what you taught them: “Was there a knock at the door?” (Children answer “No!”) “Did the doorbell ring?” (Children answer “No!”) “Did someone answer the door and let Jesus in?” (Children answer “No!”)

Jesus just appeared in that room. I think He came just for Thomas that time. “Peace be with you,” Jesus said.

B. (FLASHCARD 6-2)

Jesus was kind and showed Thomas the nail prints in His hands and feet and the wound in his side. He told Thomas, “Put your finger here, see My hands. Don’t doubt any longer, Thomas. Just believe.” Right at that very moment, boys and girls, Thomas did believe! “My Lord and my God!” Thomas cried. He worshiped Jesus.

Thomas made the decision to make Jesus Lord of his life. That meant Jesus would have first place. He knew Jesus was the Son of God. “It is because you have seen Me that you have believed,” Jesus told Thomas. “Blessed (given God’s special favor) are those who have not seen Me, but yet they believe.”

Life of Christ #24, Page 4 O The Lord Jesus was talking about people today. Even though I have never seen

Jesus, I believe in Him. I know Who He is. Jesus is the perfect Son of God, Who never sinned. I want you to know Who Jesus is and to believe in Him as your Saviour too. Those who have not seen Jesus yet believe are blessed. Thomas believed now that Jesus was alive. He made Jesus his Saviour and Lord. The disciples realized they must tell others about the risen Lord so they, too, would have an opportunity to believe. It was the women who had brought the disciples news from the angel at the tomb. They had been told to tell the disciples, “He (Jesus) will meet you in Galilee.” Jesus had been crucified outside of Jerusalem. It would take the disciples four or five days to walk from there to Galilee. (Teacher: It would be helpful to show a map so the children can see the distance from Jerusalem to Galilee.)

IH Have children walk in place counting to five for each day’s journey to Galilee.

Galilee was home to most of the disciples, and many there had believed in the Lord Jesus. On their way, perhaps the disciples talked of how wonderful it would be to meet with the Lord Jesus once more. But where would Jesus meet them in Galilee? God’s Word says that Jesus had told them earlier to meet Him on a mountain He spoke of. “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.” [Read from Matthew 28:16.]

MT If Jesus is already your Saviour from sin, you should remember that Jesus is always with you. (Show MT Card and point to picture.) When Jesus is your Saviour, He is always with you.

C. (FLASHCARD 6-3)

I’m certain the disciples must have shared the news of Jesus’ death and resurrection with others. So many people heard of how Jesus had died and came alive again. One day, five hundred people were gathered together in one place, and Jesus appeared to them. Some were still doubtful, but others believed and listened eagerly as Jesus talked to them.


“All power (or authority) in Heaven and Earth has been given to Me,” Jesus said. This meant that no one in Heaven or on Earth is greater than Jesus. Then Jesus gave a command. “Go and make disciples in all nations,” He said. “Baptize them. Teach them to do all the things I have taught you.” Then Jesus ended with this: “Remember, I am with you always until the time when the world will end.”

MT, PAS Did you hear that, boys and girls? “I am with you always!”

Although Jesus spoke these words to His disciples, they are for us today too. If Jesus is your Saviour from sin, you should remember that Jesus is always with you. (Show MT Card and point to picture.) We can have confidence in this because it is a promise from Jesus. He is always with you. 1When you are scared at night because of the dark or a loud sound outside, Jesus is there with you. 2When you are worried about going to a new school or moving to a new classroom with new people, Jesus is right there with you. 3When you are afraid because a family member or close friend is very sick and in the hospital, Jesus sees it all and He is with you through it all. Remember Jesus’ words, “. . . Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. . . .” (Matthew 28:20) So through everything you are going through right now and every hard situation that is happening, always remember that Jesus is with you always. Jesus told His disciples He would be with them always. The Bible records others who saw Jesus. One time, Jesus appeared to James. Another day, Jesus appeared to seven of His disciples at the Sea of Galilee.

IH How many disciples were there at the sea that day? Have the children count with

you: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7. Forty days had gone by since Jesus’ resurrection. During those days, He had been seen by many people who knew Him. They knew it was Jesus because of the things He said and did. There were many proofs that Jesus had truly been dead but now He was alive.

D. (FLASHCARD 6-4)

The disciples were now back at Jerusalem. Jesus was with them. They were at the Mount of Olives next to the city. “Stay here in Jerusalem,” He said to them, “until the One comes Whom the Father has promised to send. I have told you about Him before.”


They remembered that before Jesus died, He had told them, “I am going away, but the Father will not leave you alone. He will send the Holy Spirit Who will live in you.” The Lord Jesus was now reminding them of that promise. “In just a few days, He (the Holy Spirit) will come,” Jesus said. The disciples still had some questions. Was Jesus not the King of the Jews? Had He not said that Himself? When was He going to show He was King? They asked Him, “Lord, are You going to set up Your Kingdom in Israel now?” “It is not for you to know when that will happen,” Jesus said. “Only the Father knows that.” The Lord Jesus went on to talk about the Holy Spirit. “When He comes, you shall receive power to be My witnesses. You will teach about Me.” The disciples were told to tell others about Jesus’ life, His death, and His burial and resurrection.

E. (FLASHCARD 6-3; repeated) P, E I love to tell you about Jesus’ life, death,

and resurrection. I want you to know that Jesus died on the cross to pay for sins. He did this for you and for me. Jesus gave His precious blood on the cross, but He did not stay dead. Jesus came back to life, never to die again. In 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 we read, “. . . Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again (came alive again) the third day according to the Scriptures.” I will never tire of telling you boys and girls about Jesus’s life, and how He died and came again.

The disciples were told to go and tell others about Jesus’ death and resurrection. The Lord Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would bring things to their minds which they may have forgotten (John 14:26).

F. (FLASHCARD 6-5)

While the Lord Jesus was telling the disciples these things, they were looking intently at Him and listening very carefully to every word. Then, as soon as He stopped speaking, Jesus’ feet left the ground. He began going up, up, up into the air! The disciples stared.

IH Have the children look up and stare with an expression of wonder.


Then a cloud came from the sky. As the cloud came down, Jesus went up. He disappeared into that cloud and was gone. The disciples continued to stare into the sky!

G. (FLASHCARD 6-6)

Immediately, two men appeared. They were angels. They spoke to the disciples. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here staring into the sky? This same Jesus Who was taken up into Heaven will come in the same way you saw Him go up.” Boys and girls, these are the words of our memory verse. Let’s say it together.

IH Repeat together Acts 1:11.

As suddenly as these men appeared, they were gone! But their words likely continued to ring in the disciples’ ears. “He shall come again the same way.” That was wonderful news, but maybe they wondered things like, when would it happen? Would Jesus be King when He comes back? How soon would it be? I’m sure they had many questions.

III. CLIMAX

The disciples did not know when, but they were sure this promise would be kept. And they did not want to miss it!

IV. CONCLUSION

A. CLOSING STATEMENTS Even though the disciples still had questions, for now, they were comforted in knowing their Saviour would be back some day.

B. BRIDGE Jesus has not come back yet, but He will one day. When He comes back, He will take everyone who has received Him as Saviour to be with Him in Heaven to live with Him forever.

Life of Christ #24, Page 8 C. INVITATION L Have you received Jesus as your Saviour? If not, you can do it today. God’s Word

says, “But as many as received Him (if you invite Jesus to be your Saviour), to them (to you) gave He power (the right or privilege) to become the sons (children) of God, even to them that believe on His name.” (John 1:12) Are you willing to admit to God that you have sinned and that you want Jesus to save you from the punishment you deserve for those sins? Do you believe Jesus died on the cross in your place and came alive again the third day? If so, you can receive Jesus as your Saviour from sin right now. God wants to save you and make you one of His children, but for that to happen you must ask Jesus to be your Saviour. Are you ready to do that today? Let’s bow our heads and close our eyes. If you want learn how to ask Jesus to be your Saviour from sin, will you show me by looking up at me. (Acknowledge those who respond.) Everyone may look up. I want to show you from God’s Word how you can become His child today. (Tell those who respond when and where to meet you for counseling.)

D. CHALLENGE

MT Some of you may already be part of God’s family because you

have received Jesus as your Saviour. If Jesus is your Saviour, you should remember that Jesus is always with you. (Show MT Card and point to picture.) Jesus is always with you. 1When you are scared at night because of the dark or a loud sound outside, or 2When you are worried about going to a new school or moving to a new classroom with new people, or 3When you are afraid because a family member or close friend is very sick and in the hospital, Jesus sees it all and He is with you through it all. Remember Jesus’ words, “. . . Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. . . .” (Matthew 28:20) So through everything you are going through right now and every hard situation that is happening, always remember that Jesus is with you always. Let’s thank Jesus for always being with us every day through every hard time. (Allow time for silent prayer, then teacher closes.)

Documents

Life of Christ: Volume 4 · 2021. 2. 16. · Life of Christ #19, Page 3 No one except Jesus knew what was going to happen once they arrived in Jerusalem. This was the beginning of