A Sunday School study plan for kids by Bible Lessons 4 Kids including large group lesson, small group lesson and family devotions. For more information, please read About Bible Lessons 4 Kidz.
PPT TITLE
Main Point: Even though Jesus was innocent, He willingly suffered for those who were guilty.
Key Verse:
For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. - 2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT
Props: Crown of thorns; Optional: Purple cloth; Sign that says: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”; A large paper cross taped up on the wall, sticky notes and pens for several volunteers, a sign that says “Jesus”, tape
Teacher, begin with prayer: Lord, the truth that we will study today is very difficult for us to think about. Help us to understand that because You were willing to go to the cross in our place, we can be set free from punishment and the power of sin! Amen.
Say: Jesus was betrayed by Judas. He was arrested and put on trial before the Jewish leaders. When Jesus declared that He was the Christ, the Son of God, the Sanhedrin said He was a liar, or blasphemer. They wanted Him put to death. They took Jesus to the Roman governor, Pilate, who was ruling over the Jews at that time. Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent, so he did not want to kill Jesus. Pilate offered to release any prisoner that the people chose. He hoped they would choose Jesus. Ask: Can anyone remember whom the crowd cheered for? Barabbas. Say: They shouted for Pilate to let Barabbas go, and for Jesus to be crucified. The words of the people must have stung the ears of Jesus. How must it have felt to be hated and despised by the ones He had come to save?
Barabbas was a famous criminal. He was guilty of murder. Soon, we will see that Jesus took the place of the murderer, Barabbas. Jesus took the punishment that Barabbas deserved.
In Biblical times, the meaning of a name was very important. The name Barabbas means: “the son of a father.” The son of a father? What is special about that? That could be anyone, right? Actually, that could be everyone. When Jesus died on the cross, He took the place of every murderer, liar, and thief. He took the place of every sinner - every man, woman, and child (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Application for older students: The crowd yelled out, “Barabbas! Set Barabbas free! Kill Jesus instead.” I can easily imagine my own name in place of Barabbas. Because I am a sinner, I deserved to be punished. My sin earned death for me (Romans 6:23). But Jesus took my place. It’s as if, all those years ago, the crowd was shouting, “_____! Set ____ free! Take Jesus instead!” And Jesus willingly went in my place. Can you imagine your name in place of Barabbas?
Say: The next part of the story is very sad. After Pilate gave in to the people’s demands to release Barabbas, the soldiers took Jesus away. They whipped Him across His back, over and over. The blood of our Savior began to be poured out, just as He had told the disciples at the last supper (Luke 22:20). The soldiers also beat Him with a wooden staff, and they made fun of Him.
Note to Teacher: Pilate handed Jesus over to be scourged, as was the custom, before He was crucified. Scourging was a particularly cruel and brutal tradition. The Roman scourge, or “flagrum” was a short whip made of several strips of leather attached to a handle. The strips were knotted with pieces of metal or bone. The criminal was whipped across his back, quickly removing flesh and exposing muscle. Due to excessive bleeding, the scorging left the criminal near death. With no legal limit to the amount of blows that could be administered, the scourging stopped just short of killing the criminal, so he could be subjected to the public humiliation of the cross.
The soldiers put a purple robe on Jesus. Then they twisted thorns together to make a crown. They placed it on His head. They began to call out to Him, “We honor You, King of the Jews!” Again and again they hit Him on the head with a stick. They spit on Him. They fell on their knees and pretended to honor Him.
After they had made fun of Him, they took off the purple robe. They put His own clothes back on him. Then they led Him out to nail Him to a cross. - Mark 15:17-20
The soldiers made a crown out of thorny vines and placed it on Jesus’ head. Teacher: Show your crown of thorns. They did this to make fun of Jesus because He said He was the King of the Jews (Mark 15:2). The soldiers did not realize that the thorns were a symbol of something very important.
In the beginning, thorns were the consequence, or punishment, of Adam’s sin. Once Adam and Eve sinned, they could no longer live in a perfect garden. God told Adam, “I will produce thorns and thistles for you.” (Genesis 3:18) Thorns are a symbol for sin (Ezekiel 28:24). When the guards put the thorny crown on Jesus, it showed a picture that Jesus had come to wear our sin (Isaiah 53:6).
Additional teaching for older students: The soldiers also put a purple robe on Jesus. Teacher: Hold up your purple cloth. Back in the time of Moses, when God’s people were wandering in the dessert, God told them to build a Tabernacle, or large tent. Inside, there was a room called the Holy Place, and inside that there was the Holy of Holies (or Most Holy Place). At certain times, God’s glory would enter into the Holy of Holies. A thick curtain separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies (Exodus 26:33). That curtain was woven with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. When God’s presence entered the Holy of Holies, this curtain stood between a perfect God and sinful men. Hebrews tells us that Jesus’ body became like the curtain for us (Hebrews 10:20). Only Jesus could stand between us and God, because God is holy.
Say: Being hung on a cross was called crucifixion. It was the way the Romans punished criminals back in Jesus’ time. Anyone who was guilty of a crime, such as stealing, murder, or rebelling against the government, was crucified. It was a very humiliating, shameful way to die because the person was hung for everyone in the town to see. The person who was going to be crucified was usually forced to carry his own cross to the place of execution. Then the large wooden cross was laid on the ground. The person was forced to lay on top of the cross with his arms outstretched. The soldiers would tie or nail the person’s hands and feet to the cross. Then several soldiers hoisted the cross upright and jolted the bottom of it into a hole that had been dug in the ground. Most people died of suffocation, because they could not catch their breath while hanging with their arms out. Sometimes it took several days for the person to die.
After all of His beatings, Jesus was probably too weak to carry the heavy beams. The Roman soldiers forced a man who was passing by to carry Jesus’ cross. His name was Simon (Mark 15:21). They came to a place called Golgotha, which means the Place of the Skull (Matthew 27:33). There, the soldiers nailed Jesus’ hands and feet to the cross (John 20:25). The soldiers offered Jesus wine mixed with myrrh. This mixture was used to help relieve some of the pain. But Jesus did not take it (Mark 15:22).
Pilate ordered that a sign be placed on the cross above Jesus. Teacher: Hold up the sign. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews.” (John 19:19) The religious leaders complained, saying it should say that Jesus claimed to be the King of the Jews. But Pilate refused to change the sign. This may be further proof that Pilate believed Jesus was who He said He was.
When the soldiers hung Jesus on the cross, Jesus prayed these amazing words:
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.”
The soldiers divided up His clothes by casting lots. - Luke 23:34
Just imagine, through His pain, Jesus prayed for the men who had beaten Him and nailed Him to the cross. Even while the soldiers were gambling for His clothing, Jesus prayed for their forgiveness. By saying they didn’t know what they were doing, Jesus meant that the soldiers did not understand the full impact of what they were doing. They thought they were just doing the same job they did day after day - hanging criminals. They did not know that they were crucifying the very Son of God. They did not realize who Jesus was until after His death (Matthew 27:54).
In our human mind, it is almost impossible to imagine Jesus praying for the people who tortured Him. But we must remember, forgiveness was the very reason Jesus came and the reason that He willingly died on the cross (John 12:47).
Jesus looked down and saw His mother standing helplessly next to the cross. Mary was broken-hearted. Jesus took pity on her. His disciple John was also there.
Jesus said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son.” He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, the disciple took her into his home. - John 19:26b-27
Jesus tried to comfort Mary, and make sure that someone would take care of her.
Note to Teacher: This event was God’s plan since the beginning, yet it was excruciatingly difficult for Mary and those who loved Jesus. The pain of this moment was foretold to Mary by Simeon when Jesus was just an infant. “And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:35)
Many people were very sad about Jesus (Luke 23:27), but some yelled insults at Him.
In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders made fun of Him. “He saved others,” they said. “But He can’t save Himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross! Then we will believe in Him. - Matthew 27:41-42
Note to Teacher: These taunts and jeers are very reminiscent of Satan’s temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. In essence, Satan said, “If you are the Son of God, prove it! Show off your power.” Satan attempted to snare Jesus in the same way he, himself, was tempted: pride. In the wilderness, as at the cross, Satan tried to derail God’s plan for the salvation of man. Satan did not take into account Jesus’ perfection. He was without the sin-nature that we have. Jesus did not falter. “For the joy set before Him, (He) endured the cross, scorning its shame.” (Hebrews 12:2b NIV)
Ask: Could Jesus have come down off the cross if He wanted to? Yes! Say: Yes, Jesus was fully God. He could have come down with great power. But Hebrews 12:2 says, “He paid no attention to the shame of the cross. He suffered there because of the joy He was looking forward to.” Ask: Can anyone guess what JOY He was looking forward to? Listen for answers. He was looking forward to bring people back to God.
Say: The Bible tells us that Jesus was not the only man condemned to die that day. There were two robbers who were crucified with Him, one on either side of Jesus (Luke 23:33, Matthew 27:44). This was foretold in the Old Testament. Isaiah 53:12 says, “He was counted among those who had committed crimes.” One of the criminals believed that Jesus was who He claimed to be, but the other criminal did not.
One of the criminals hanging there made fun of Jesus. He said, “Aren’t you the Christ? Save Yourself! Save us!”
But the other criminal scolded him. “Don’t you have any respect for God?” he said. “Remember, you are under the same sentence of death. We are being punished fairly. We are getting just what our actions call for. But this Man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”
Jesus answered him, “What I’m about to tell you is true. Today you will be with Me in paradise.” - Luke 23:39-43
This robber had faith in Jesus, and because he trusted in Jesus, Jesus promised that he would see heaven that day. There was nothing this criminal could do to earn God’s approval. He simply believed, and Jesus made him right with God.
The believing robber said that he and the other criminal deserved the punishment they were getting, but Jesus had not done anything wrong. Jesus was innocent. Why did the innocent Jesus hang on a criminal’s cross?
Ever since the first people chose to disobey Him, God has required an animal to be killed on the altar to pay for the sins of His people. They couldn’t use just any animal. Very often it was a lamb (Exodus 12:3), and it had to meet several requirements.
The sacrifice had to be:
John the Baptist called Jesus, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Jesus was all the things that God required:
Teacher: Point to the PowerPoint slide of God’s sacrifice requirements when listing the characteristics of Jesus.
Application: The Bible says that each one of us has sinned, and we each deserve death. Because Jesus was completely sinless, He was able to be our substitute on the cross. If we place our trust in Jesus, His blood makes us right with God. Our sins will be forgiven, and we will have eternal life.
Say: I have sinned. My sin has earned death. Not death on a cross, but death that is eternal separation from God (2 Thessalonians 1:9). Teacher: Point to cross on the wall. This cross can be a symbol for death and separation from God. Write your name on a sticky note and stick it to the cross. Call for volunteers. (You may choose to use adult leaders.) As volunteers come up, hand them each a sticky note. Have them write their name on it and stick it to the cross. Say: This is what each of us deserves. But that is NOT what God wanted for us. He sent His Son. Jesus did not die for His own sin - He was innocent. He hung on the cross in my place, and your place, and your place. All we do is place our trust in Him. Take down the sticky notes, and place the sign with “Jesus” on the cross. Say: Let’s read this verse together:
PPT KEY VERSE
Key Verse:
For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. - 2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT
PPT MAIN POINT
Main Point: Even though Jesus was innocent, He willingly suffered for those who were guilty.
© 2007
BibleLessons4Kidz.com All rights reserved worldwide. May be reproduced for personal, nonprofit, and non-commercial uses only. Brought to you by KidzLife
Unless otherwise noted the Scriptures taken from: Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version, (NIrV®)
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society / Used by permission of IBS-STL. All rights reserved worldwide.
Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International.
PPT TITLE
Main Point: Jesus obeyed the will of His Father.
Key Verse:
“Father, if You are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine.” - Luke 22:42 NLT
Props: a plain rock about 1/3 larger than a golf ball
Say: Last week, we saw the disciple named Judas make a dirty deal with the chief priests. Ask: What did Judas take in exchange for promising to turn Jesus over to His enemies? 30 pieces of silver. Say: God’s plans cannot be ruined by people! (Isaiah 14:24) Today we’ll see that God even used Judas’ underhanded agreement to accomplish His plan of saving the world.
Jesus shared a special meal with His disciples in a home in Jerusalem. We call this meal the Last Supper because it was the last time Jesus ate before His death. Jesus continued to teach His good friends, and He showed them how the Passover meal was a symbol of the sacrifice He was going to make for all people. The bread was like His body that would soon be given up, and the grape juice was like His blood that would soon be shed. Jesus wanted His disciples, including us, to have this special meal again to REMEMBER His sacrifice.
Say: Then Jesus foretold what Judas was about to do.
Jesus’ spirit was troubled. This is the testimony He gave. “What I’m about to tell you is true,” He said. “One of you is going to hand me over to my enemies.”
His disciples stared at one another. They had no idea which one of them He meant. - John 13:21b-22
One of the disciples leaned close to Jesus and asked which one of them would do this.
Jesus answered, “It is the one I will give this piece of bread to. I will give it to him after I have dipped it in the dish.”
He dipped the piece of bread. Then he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.
“Do quickly what you are going to do,” Jesus told him. - John 13:26-27
No one but Jesus and Judas knew what this meant. Then Judas ran out into the night. Judas left Jesus’ side to run to Jesus’ enemies. Judas made a tragic choice. Jesus said, “How terrible it will be for the one who hands over the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” (Mark 14:21)
Say: After Judas left, Jesus announced that it was time for His Father to be glorified, and that the Father would glorify Jesus (John 13:31-32).
Let’s look at the word glorify. It means: to cause the greatness and worth of something or someone to be made clear. Look at this photo. It looks like an ordinary rock, right?
What if I told you that this is actually one of the largest diamonds ever found? It is a 620-carat diamond! When it comes out of the ground, most people would have no idea what it really is. But, then a master diamond cutter gets his hands on it. Just by cutting into it, all of the diamond’s purity and brilliance is seen. After it is cut, it will be worth millions and millions of dollars. All this from a rock about this size! Teacher: hold up your rock. The diamond-cutting expert is trained to reveal the stunning beauty and sparkle that is actually inside the rock the entire time. In a way, he makes clear, or glorifies the diamond.
When Jesus said it was time for the Father and Him to be glorified, He was saying it was time for God’s greatness, mercy, grace, forgiveness, and love to be made clear. Jesus would show that He was the Savior that God had sent to earth. All of God’s promises about the Messiah would be fulfilled when Jesus gave up His life on the cross. The disciples probably had a very different picture in their minds. They mistakenly thought Jesus was about to become an earthly king, and that they would be part of His royal court.
Jesus told His friends that He was about to leave them. But Peter begged to go with Jesus. Peter said He would even die for Jesus.
Then Jesus answered, “Will you really give your life for Me? What I’m about to tell you is true. Before the rooster crows, you will say three times that you don’t know Me! - John 13:38
Peter had no idea how difficult the night ahead would be. Even Peter, the boldest disciple, would become a coward in the face of the real danger that was coming. In fact, Jesus predicted that very soon all of the disciples would turn their backs on Him. But He said His Father would never leave Him (John 16:32).
Jesus knew that He only had a short time left with His disciples. In His last hours, He taught His friends many things about Himself, the Father, the Holy Spirit, and heaven. He told them to love one another, and to trust in God (John 13:34-35, 14:1). Jesus said that He was going to prepare a place for them and one day He would come back for them (John 14:2-4). The disciples were confused about where Jesus was going, and how they would get there. Jesus spoke these important words:
PPT VERSE
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” - John 14:6
Jesus taught them that He was the only WAY to heaven; He was the TRUTH that would set them free; and only He offered new LIFE!
After the Passover Meal was finished, Jesus went out to a mountain ridge called the Mount of Olives. It was named this because there are so many olive trees growing there. The rest of the disciples followed Jesus to a garden called Gethsemane. Jesus had taken the disciple to this place many times. Jesus purposely went to a place where it would be easy for Judas to find Him (John 18:2-3).
Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and stepped away from the others. He told His closest friends that His soul was deeply troubled, even to the point of death (Matthew 26:38).
None of us can really know the depth of Jesus’ sadness at this time. The word used (perilypos) is the strongest possible word for sadness. The event that was about to take place was the very reason Jesus had come, but it was a terrible task! He was about to be arrested, though He was innocent. He would be lied about, though He was the Truth. He would be beaten, though He came to bring peace. He would be hung on a cross and left to die - the punishment of a murderer, though He was the Life. But, worse than anything men could do to Him, God would turn away from Him when He took on the sins of the world (Matthew 27:46, Isaiah 59:1-2). This was almost more than Jesus could bear. His heart ached at the thought of being without His Father for even a moment.
Jesus told His disciples to pray. He did not ask then to pray for Him. Instead, He told them to pray for themselves - that they would not fall into sin (Luke 22:40).
Note to Teacher: Matthew 26:38 and Mark 14:34 record that Jesus asked Peter, James, and John to keep watch for Him. This phrase means, “to watch; give strict attention to, be cautious, active; to take heed lest through remission and indolence some destructive calamity suddenly overtake one.” Jesus knew that armed soldiers were on their way to get Him. Jesus asked his three friends to be His “lookouts” so He could focus on nothing other than praying to His heavenly Father.
Then He went a short distance away from them. There He got down on His knees and prayed. He said, “Father, if You are willing, take this cup of suffering away from Me. But do what You want, not what I want.” An angel from heaven appeared to Jesus and gave Him strength. Because He was very sad and troubled, He prayed even harder. His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. - Luke 22:41-44
Note to Teacher: The “cup” of which Jesus spoke, is the cup of God’s wrath, or judgment, on the wicked. See Psalm 75:6-10, Isaiah 51:17, Jeremiah 25:15-20, Revelation 14:9-11.
Can you hear the heart of Jesus as He prayed to His heavenly Father? Jesus agonized over His situation. The weight of the sin of the entire world was about to come crashing down on the only sinless Person who has ever walked the Earth. Jesus was fully God, yet He was fully human (1 Timothy 3:16). In His human body, He did not want to suffer. He did not want to feel the shame of sin flood into His perfect body (Hebrews 12:2).
Jesus said, “Father, if You are willing, take this cup of suffering away from Me.” Please understand this: God was certainly ABLE to keep Jesus from suffering on the cross. God could have spoken one word, and Jesus would have been taken right out of the garden, and seated beside His adoring Father in heaven. But God was not WILLING for Jesus to avoid the cross. If Jesus had NOT given His life on the cross, our sins would not be forgiven. We would be punished for our sins. We would face eternity in hell, separated from God.
Imagine God looking down on this scene. Teacher: Hold up one hand, then the other. On one hand there was Jesus: perfect, submissive, pure, peaceful, loving. God loved Jesus so much. On the other hand, there was, well, all of us: sinful, violent, going our own way, ignoring God. So God made His choice. He chose YOU! That’s how much the Creator of the universe loves YOU.
Then, with His next breath, Jesus submitted to His Father’s will. To submit means to give up your control to someone else, to say, “I’ll do it your way.” Jesus promised to do whatever His Father wanted Him to do. Jesus set aside what would seem to be good (not dying on the cross) for God’s plan that was FAR better.
It’s very clear that Jesus’ sadness was affecting His physical body (Luke 22:44). Did you know that you could be so sad that it can make your body weak or sick? People have even died from being really, really sad. As Jesus was praying, God sent an angel to strengthen His body (See also, Matthew 4:11).
Ask: Who remembers what Jesus told the disciples to do? Pray. Say: They were supposed to pray. But when Jesus went to check on them, what do you think they were doing? Sleeping. Say: As I read these verses, I want all of you to read the bold words with me.
(Jesus) got up from prayer and went back to the disciples. He found them sleeping. They were worn out because they were very sad. “Why are you sleeping?” He asked them. “Get up! Pray that you won’t fall into sin when you are tempted.” - Mark 14:37-38
Jesus gave His beloved disciples specific instructions. He told them to pray so they wouldn’t fall into sin - the sin of not submitting to God’s will. The disciples should have listened and prayed.
Jesus stepped away from the disciples again to continue praying to His Father. Jesus was about to do something VERY difficult. He was going to give up His life. It was the very reason He had come to Earth. It was God’s plan since the beginning (Genesis 3:15). But it would NOT be easy! So, Jesus ABIDED with His Father. He rested in Him and remained with Him so God’s perfect will would be Jesus’ all-consuming thought. Jesus bowed before His Father to gain the strength He would need to accomplish God’s amazing plan.
Say: The disciples fell asleep two more times when Jesus stepped away from them to pray. Jesus woke them up just moments before a crowd of people entered the garden.
Judas arrived. He was one of the Twelve. A large crowd was with him. They were carrying swords and clubs. The chief priests and the elders of the people had sent them.
Judas, who was going to hand Jesus over, had arranged a signal with them. “The one I kiss is the Man,” he said. “Arrest Him.”
So Judas went to Jesus at once. He said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed Him.
Jesus replied, “Friend, do what you came to do.”
Then the men stepped forward. They grabbed Jesus and arrested Him. - Matthew 26:47b-50
Right away, Peter drew his sword and swung it at one of the men. The sharp metal struck the servant of the High Priest, cutting off his ear (John 18:10). But Jesus touched the man’s ear and healed him (Luke 22:51). Jesus told Peter to put his sword away. He said:
Do you think I can’t ask My Father for help? He would send an army of more than 70,000 angels right away. But then how would the Scriptures come true? They say it must happen in this way.” - Matthew 26:53-54
Jesus was NOT weak! He was submitting to God’s plan (Philippians 2:6-8). The men who arrested Jesus had NO power over Him except what He allowed them to have. He did not need Peter to fight for Him. Jesus could have just said the word and been free, but He chose to allow the arrest in order to fulfill God’s plan. Perhaps if Peter had been praying instead of sleeping, he would have understood this. Jesus’ prayer to His Father gave Him the strength to restrain His awesome power and allow the men to arrest Him. Then, just as Jesus foretold:
Then all the disciples left Him and ran away. - Matthew 26:56b
Application: Ask: Why do you think Jesus was able to submit to God’s will, even though it would cause Him to suffer SO much? Listen for answers. Say: Jesus could submit because He trusted God. Jesus really knew God. He knew that God is GOOD (Psalm 34:8). He knew that God is LOVE (1 John 4:8). He knew that God knows ALL things, past, present, and future (1 John 3:20). He knew that God wants what’s best, and that God has the power to make all things work together for good (Romans 8:28). Ask: Would you want to submit to someone you did not trust? Would you go to someone that you knew to be selfish and cruel, and say, “I’ll do whatever you want”? No. Say: It is awesome that our God is so good! We can trust Him completely. We can obey His every word!
Jesus knew His heavenly Father SO well, because He was with Him so often. We should follow Jesus’ example. We should abide with the Lord. We should get to know Him better by reading His written word, and by listening to His voice every day.
And we should spend time with God in honest prayer so we will know His will, His plan. Then we submit to Him; we agree than His plan is FAR greater than what we want. We agree to do whatever He wants, and it is a joy because He is so good, and He only wants what’s best for us.
PPT KEY VERSE
Key Verse:
“Father, if You are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine.” - Luke 22:42 NLT
PPT MAIN POINT
Main Point: Jesus obeyed the will of His Father.
© 2007
BibleLessons4Kidz.com All rights reserved worldwide. May be reproduced for personal, nonprofit, and non-commercial uses only. Brought to you by KidzLife
Unless otherwise noted the Scriptures taken from: Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version, (NIrV®)
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society / Used by permission of IBS-STL. All rights reserved worldwide.
Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International.
PPT TITLE
Main Point: Jesus appeared so that people would believe in Him.
Key Verse:
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen Me but still have believed.” - John 20:29
Props: A piece of shear fabric, apple with a bite taken out
Teacher: Before class, choose a volunteer to look up Hebrews 11:1, and mark the place until you call on him or her.
Say: Jesus had risen VICTORIOUSLY from the grave! He conquered death and sin for all time! Jesus appeared to different people. Several times when He appeared to people who knew Him very well, they didn’t recognize Him right away. We wonder how this could be. Okay, who can name a really famous person? Allow kids to answer. Choose one of the names they have given to use as your example. Let’s say that ________ came to our church one day. He/she was dressed like all the rest of us. There were no security people around, and no one was taking pictures. You might see that person and think that he/she looks like ________, but you wouldn’t believe it was really him/her. Why not? Because he/she is famous; because he/she lives in (Hollywood or wherever); because if that really was the famous person, everyone around him/her would be taking pictures. You wouldn’t believe it was actually him/her because in your mind everything would not add up. Even more so, all the people who loved Jesus had seen Him die. They KNEW He was dead. In their mind, there was no way He could be standing in front of them three days later. In addition, in at least one case, God purposely kept people from recognizing Jesus.
Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene. She didn’t recognize Him at first, but when she did, she ran to tell the disciples. They didn’t believe her because they had not seen Him with their own eyes (Mark 16:9-11, Luke 24:10-11). Then Jesus appeared to two of His disciples on the road to Emmaus. He started from the very beginning of the Scriptures and explained that He was the Messiah - God’s plan to take away the sin of all who would believe in Him. Jesus wanted them to understand God’s plan, and believe in Him. He wants the same for us today.
The two disciples ran back to find the other disciples and tell them that Jesus was alive. Still, the other disciples did not believe because they had not seen Jesus (Mark 16:12-13).
Say: Most of Jesus’ original disciples were gathered together. One of the disciples, named Thomas, was not with them, and of course Judas was not there. The disciples had locked themselves in a room to hide. Ask: Can anyone guess whom they were hiding from? The Pharisees, the Jewish leaders Say: They were hiding from the Jewish leaders who had demanded that Jesus be killed. The disciples thought they were in danger because they were close followers of Jesus. In addition, the Roman guards had lied and said that the disciples had stolen Jesus’ body. The disciples were afraid for good reason!
Jesus came in and stood among them. He said, “May peace be with you!” Then He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples were very happy when they saw the Lord. - John 20:19b-20
Say: Wow! Jesus walked in - right through a locked door. Because His friends were afraid, His very first words were words of comfort.
Again Jesus said, “May peace be with you! The Father has sent Me. So now I am sending you.” He then breathed on them. He said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” - John 20:21-23
The book of Matthew tells us that Jesus said:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. So you must go and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And you can be sure that I am always with you, to the very end.” - Matthew 28:18b-20
Say: Jesus told these men - the very men who deserted Him, who ran in fear, and who were now hiding behind a locked door - that He was going to send them to teach men and women how to be saved from their sins. It is quite amazing that Jesus would send these men. They had already blown it. On their own, they had no strength and no courage. But Jesus was not going to send them out on their own.
Jesus breathed on them as a symbol that He was going to send the Holy Spirit to them very soon (Acts 2:4). The Holy Spirit would be poured out on them, and it would fill their souls, just like breath fills our lungs. Only the power of the Holy Spirit would give them the strength to go OUT into the world that they were now hiding from.
Before this time, God’s Holy Spirit filled certain people at certain times for certain tasks (Mark 12:36, Luke 1:35). But this was about to change. Soon, ALL believers would be filled with the Holy Spirit, and He would NEVER leave them. Let’s look at the promises Jesus had already made to the disciples about the Holy Spirit.
During the Last Supper, right before Jesus was arrested and taken to the cross, He told His disciples that He was about to leave them. They were very sad to hear this, but Jesus told them not to be sad. Jesus said that after He left, He would send the Holy Spirit to them (John 16:5:7).
I will ask the Father. And he will give you another Friend to help you and to be with you forever. The Friend is the Spirit of truth. The world can’t accept him. That is because the world does not see him or know him. But you know him. He lives with you, and he will be in you. But the Father will send the Friend in my name to help you. The Friend is the Holy Spirit. He will teach you all things. He will remind you of everything I have said to you. - John 14:16-17, 26
Jesus also said that the Holy Spirit would help lost people see their own sin, and their need for a Savior (John 16:8-11).
And even before the Last Supper, Jesus told His disciples not to worry about what to say when they were telling others about Him, because at the just right time, the Holy Spirit would give them the words they needed (Mark 13:10-11).
Let’s list Jesus’ awesome promises about the Holy Spirit:
Jesus did not ask His disciples to go make disciples on their own. God would never ask us to do something without giving us the power to do it.
Application: It should encourage each one of us that Jesus’ plan included the men who had made very big mistakes. These were not special men. They were regular people. At times they were weak; at times they lacked faith; at times they thought only of themselves. Come to think of it, that sounds a bit like me sometimes. I am so thankful that it is NOT about what I have to offer God! God sends the Holy Spirit to live inside of ALL believers (1 Corinthians 6:19). He will use me - and you - when we allow the Holy Spirit to guide our steps. He has the power, not us!
Say:
Thomas was one of the Twelve. He was called Didymus. He was not with the other disciples when Jesus came. So they told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “First I must see the nail marks in His hands. I must put my finger where the nails were. I must put my hand into His side. Only then will I believe what you say.” - John 20:24-25
Thomas said he had to see Jesus with His own eyes, and feel the scars with his own hands, to believe that He was alive. We don’t hear much about the disciple Thomas. In fact, because this is one of the only times he is mentioned, he has become known throughout history as “Doubting Thomas.” Even today, if a person doubts something, he might be called a “Doubting Thomas.” We know that Jesus can read peoples’ thoughts (Matthew 9:4), so let’s see what Jesus will do.
A week later, Jesus’ disciples were in the house again. Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus came in and stood among them.
He said, “May peace be with you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here. See My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.”
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” - John 20:26-28
When Jesus appeared again, He spoke directly to Thomas. He told him to touch the scars in His hands and side. We don’t know if Thomas actually did touch Jesus’ scars. He may have believed the moment he saw Jesus and heard His voice.
Notice Thomas’ words. He didn’t just say, “Now I believe You are alive.” He said much more than that. Thomas said, “My Lord and my God!” When Thomas saw that Jesus had been raised from the dead, it proved to him that Jesus was who He claimed to be.
Before He was crucified, Jesus told the disciples over and over what was going to happen (Matthew 17:9, Luke 9:22, 24:7). He said the chief priests would reject Him, He would be killed, and He would rise to life on the third day (Matthew 16:21). But, the Bible says Jesus spoke figuratively and the disciples didn’t fully understand Him (John 16:17-18, 25). They heard His words, but the meaning was not clear to them. It’s sort of like seeing through a veil. Teacher: Hold up your apple, with the sheer fabric in front of it. Say: You can see through this a little. You know there is something here, and you might even know what it is, but you can’t tell the details. You may not know the color, or that there is a bite taken out of it. Reveal the bitten apple. Say: The disciples understood some, but not all, of what Jesus had told them.
It was only after Thomas saw Jesus alive that he everything became clear to him. At that moment Thomas confessed that Jesus was Lord.
PPT KEY VERSE
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen Me but still have believed.” - John 20:29
Ask: Who is Jesus talking about here? Listen for answers. Has anyone in this room actually seen Jesus in His body? No. Say: No, we haven’t seen Him because He is in heaven now (Acts 1:9). Jesus is talking about all the people throughout history - from the time He left the earth until now - who have believed in Him. That includes you and me. It was good for Thomas and the disciples to believe in Jesus after they saw Him raised from the dead, but it is even BETTER for us to believe even though we have not seen Him.
Say: There is a word for believing in what you have not seen. Call on your volunteer to read Hebrews 11:1 aloud. Ask: What is the word? Faith. Say: The Bible says without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 1:6).
So, how do we believe something that we have never seen? We read the words of the people who did see Him. The disciple John wrote:
Jesus did many other miraculous signs in front of His disciples. They are not written down in this book. But these (miracles) are written down so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. If you believe this, you will have life because you belong to Him. - John 20:30-31
PPT VERSE
The Bible was written to US - to you and me. John makes it clear that he wrote the book of John in order to explain that Jesus was the Messiah, sent by God to take away the sins of the world. By all the amazing miracles He did, He proved that He was who he said He was. Yes, it takes faith to believe something we have never seen. But God will give you the faith you need (Ephesians 2:8). Jesus said we would be blessed because we have faith in what we did not see.
PPT MAIN POINT
Main Point: Jesus appeared so that people would believe in Him.
© 2007
BibleLessons4Kidz.com All rights reserved worldwide. May be reproduced for personal, nonprofit, and non-commercial uses only.
Unless otherwise noted the Scriptures taken from: Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version, (NIrV®)
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society / Used by permission of IBS-STL. All rights reserved worldwide.
Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International.
PPT TITLE
Main Point: Jesus died to take away the sin of the world.
Key Verse:
Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but He died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. - 1 Peter 3:18a NLT
Props: Sign that says, “SIN”; Stuffed animal lamb
Teacher: Before class, choose a student to look up John 8:12. Tell him or her to be ready to read it aloud when called on.
Teacher, begin with prayer: Lord, thank You for willingly going to the cross. You were innocent and You did not deserve to die. Thank You for dying to take away my sin. Amen.
Say: Last week we studied a really difficult thing. It was the beginning of the most important event in history - when Jesus went to the cross. Being hung on a cross was called crucifixion, and it was the way the Romans punished criminals back in Jesus’ time.
It is very important for us to realize that Jesus was NOT a criminal. He never did anything wrong; He was innocent. People purposely lied about Him. The Jewish leaders who were in charge of His trial wanted to find Him guilty of something. When He said He was the Christ, the Son of God, they said He must be a liar, a blasphemer. Jesus was the Truth, but they called Him a liar.
Ask: Could Jesus have stopped the men from doing what they did to Him? Yes! Say: This is sort of like asking if a person can stop an ant! Jesus could have stopped them at any time. The men had NO power over Him (John 19:11). Jesus was the one with ALL the power, but He held back His power and allowed the men to arrest Him, lie about Him, whip Him, and nail Him to the cross. Jesus willingly went to the cross to become the sacrifice for our sin, to make us right with God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Note to Teacher: The four Gospel accounts tell the story of the Crucifixion from different points of view. It is interesting to note that only Matthew and John were actual witnesses of the event. It is widely held that Mark was Peter’s interpreter in Rome, recording Peter’s thoughts and recollections of Jesus’ life. Luke, a companion of Paul, wrote his account largely through research. His account does not include Old Testament prophecy, because he wrote to the Gentiles, who did not know of the prophecies.
Teacher: Have your volunteer read John 8:12 aloud. Ask: What did Jesus call Himself? The Light of the world. Say: That Light was about to leave the world. God gave the people there a dramatic picture of this: He made the sun stop shining in the middle of the day.
From noon until three o’clock, the whole land was covered with darkness.
About three o’clock, Jesus cried out in a loud voice. He said, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” This means, “My God, My God, why have You deserted Me?” - Matthew 27:45-46
Jesus was quoting an Old Testament verse in Psalm 22:
My God, my God, why have You deserted me? Why do You seem to be so far away when I need You to save me? Why do You seem to be so far away that You can’t hear my groans? - Psalm 22:1
We can’t imagine that God would ever leave Jesus. God, the Father, LOVED His Son. Why would God ever leave Jesus, or seem far from Him?
The answer is SO important to us: It was at this point, that Jesus willingly took on the sins of the entire world (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Teacher: Call up two volunteers: one student, one adult. Say: (Name of student volunteer) will stand for mankind, for each one of us. When God created Adam and Eve, they were good. They were pure, and they spent time with God. The people had a relationship with God. God came down and spent time in the garden with the man and woman. Motion like “God” is above the volunteer. Motion back and forth between the volunteer and “God.” There was nothing blocking their relationship, and everything was great. Then Adam and Eve sinned. Have volunteer hold “SIN” sign over his head. The Bible says:
It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, He has turned away and will not listen anymore. - Isaiah 59:1-2 (NLT)
Sin separates us from God because God is perfect and holy. Because of their sin, He could no longer spend time with the man and woman. They were polluted with sin; God had to turn away.
Say: Enter Jesus. Point to your adult volunteer. Say: Jesus never sinned (2 Corinthians 5:21). And God was greatly pleased with Him (Mark 1:11). They abided with each other. Motion back and forth between “God” and “Jesus,” signifying that they have a relationship. Their relationship was perfect. Say: But then...Have the adult volunteer hold out his arms, as Jesus did on the cross. Say: At three o’clock that afternoon, Jesus cried out to God. At that moment He took on the sin of the world. Take the “SIN” sign and transfer it to your “Jesus” volunteer. 1 Peter 2:24 says, “He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross.” (NLT) When God saw the sin that Jesus had taken on, He had to turn away from Jesus. This was SO painful for Jesus because He had never known separation from God (John 10:30) - until that very moment. This separation from His Father cut Jesus deeper than the wounds on His back or the nails in His hands and feet.
Application: (Say this while volunteers are still in place. Refer to volunteers.) Each one of us has sinned. Jesus was willing to take on my sin, and your sin. If you place your faith in Jesus, then when God looks at you (point to first volunteer), He no longer sees your sin. Your relationship with Him is restored. (Motion from volunteer up to “God.”) Thank your volunteers.
Optional Illustration: Think back to the Old Testament sacrifices. When a person brought an animal to sacrifice, he had to place his hand on the head of the animal (Leviticus 1:4). Place your hand on your toy lamb. This symbolized the man’s sin being placed on the animal. The animal became the substitute for the guilty man. The animal was killed because the blood of the animal covered the man’s sin (Leviticus 17:11). The animal sacrifice was a picture of what Christ was going to do for every person one day. This day, on the cross, the sins of all people were placed on Jesus.
Say: From the beginning of time, Jesus’ death and resurrection was God’s plan to save the world. Everything had happened in God’s perfect timing. There was one more prophesy about Jesus’ death.
Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” As a cruel trick, one of the people dipped a sponge in wine vinegar, tied it to a stick, and offered it to Jesus. This had been foretold in Psalm 69:21.
Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. - John 19:30 (NASB)
Jesus proclaimed, “It is finished!” The Greek word is tetelestai. It means to complete, or to pay in full. In Jesus’ day, the word tetelestai was written on reciepts to show that a bill had been paid in full. Jesus called out, “Tetelestai!” because the sins of mankind had been paid for - in full. The job that God had given to Jesus was completed. The prophecies were fulfilled. The final Lamb had been sacrificed.
Notice that Jesus gave up His spirit. Almost a week earlier, Jesus had told the disciples, “No one can take My life from Me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what My Father has commanded.” (John 10:18) At just the right time, Jesus chose to give up His life.
Additional teaching for older students: At that moment the temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook. The rocks split. Tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs. After Jesus was raised to life, they went into the holy city. There they appeared to many people. - Matthew 27:51-53
When Jesus gave Himself as the final sacrifice, He brought victory over death. A symbol of this was that many people were raised from the dead. And like an exclamation mark at the end of a powerful sentence, God sent an earthquake to finish off this important moment.
These are amazing things, but by far, the most amazing was the temple curtain being torn. Remember, in the Old Testament, the temple was where God came to be with His people. However, because God is perfect and holy, no one could look at His presence. A very thick curtain hung between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. This curtain separated sinful men from the holy God. When Jesus gave up His life to take away our sin, that curtain split in two. It tore from the top to the bottom - this showed that it was God who did the work of bringing man back to Himself.
And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. - Hebrews 10:19-20 (NLT)
Application: If you are a believer in Christ, Jesus has made the way for you to enter into God’s presence. You are welcome to draw near to God anytime!
For younger students: At the moment that Jesus gave up His life, God made the earth tremble, and other amazing things happened.
The Roman commander and those guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened. They were terrified. They exclaimed, “He was surely the Son of God!” - Matthew 27:54
Ask: Why do you think these men were terrified? Listen for answers. Say: With their own hands, they had nailed the Son of God to a cross. They made fun of Him, and watched Him die. We can only imagine the look on their faces when the earth shook and they realized who Jesus was. Luke 23:47 tells us the Roman commander began to praise God.
Sometimes, it would take a person several days to die on the cross. The next day was going to be a special Sabbath day - or a day of rest. The Jews did not want any bodies hanging on the crosses on the Sabbath. They wanted to make sure Jesus and the criminals were dead, so they could take down their bodies. Sometimes the soldiers would break the legs of a criminal to make him die faster.
But when they came to Jesus, they saw that He was already dead. So they did not break His legs. Instead, one of the soldiers stuck his spear into Jesus’ side. Right away, blood and water flowed out. - Luke 23:33-34
Blood and water mixed together was a sign that someone had died. The Old Testament had foretold these things also (Numbers 9:12; Psalm 34:20, Zechariah 12:10).
That evening, a rich man named Joseph of Arimathea, went to speak to Pilate. Joseph was a Jewish leader who had become a follower of Jesus (Mark 15:43). But he was afraid to tell anyone that he believed in Jesus. He asked Pilate if he could take Jesus’ body for burial (Matthew 27:57-58).
Nicodemus went with Joseph. He was the man who had earlier visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought some mixed spices... The two men took Jesus’ body. They wrapped it in strips of linen cloth, along with the spices. That was the way the Jews buried people’s bodies. - John 19:39-40
Joseph and Nicodemus placed Jesus’ body in a new tomb that was cut out of rock. Then they rolled a large stone in front of the tomb. Several women who loved Jesus watched all of this from a short distance (Matthew 27:56). One of the women was named Mary Magdelene, from whom Jesus had once cast out seven demons (Luke 8:2). The women went home to prepare spices and perfumes to annoint Jesus’ body.
The next day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to speak to Pilate. They told Pilate that Jesus had predicted that on the third day, He would come back to life. The leaders were afraid that Jesus’ disciples would steal Jesus’ body and then tell everyone that He had been raised from the dead. Pilate sent soldiers to seal and guard the tomb (Matthew 27:62-66).
Jesus’ disciples had scattered. These men were crushed because their leader, and dear friend, had been put to death. They had given up everything to follow Jesus. They did not understand that this was why Jesus had come. They would soon learn that God does not allow death to have the last word.
He will swallow up death forever. The Lord and King will wipe away the tears from everyone’s face. He will remove the shame of his people from the whole earth. The Lord has spoken. - Isaiah 25:8
PPT KEY VOICE
Key Verse:
Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but He died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. - 1 Peter 3:18a NLT
PPT MAIN POINT
Main Point: Jesus died to take away the sin of the world.
© 2007
BibleLessons4Kidz.com All rights reserved worldwide. May be reproduced for personal, nonprofit, and non-commercial uses only. Brought to you by KidzLife
Unless otherwise noted the Scriptures taken from: Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version, (NIrV®)
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society / Used by permission of IBS-STL. All rights reserved worldwide.
Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International.
PPT TITLE
Main Point: Without God’s power, it is impossible to do God’s will.
Key Verse:
I pray that (the Father) will use His glorious riches to make you strong. May His Holy Spirit give you His power deep down inside you. - Ephesians 3:16
Props: two electric lamps; a note with the message, “Don’t have anything to do with that Man. He is not guilty. I have suffered a great deal in a dream today because of Him.” (Matthew 27:19)
Say: Jesus knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane and agreed to follow to the plan of His Father. The events of the most important week in history had begun. It was as if a great storm loomed in the distance, and the first winds began to blow. Through a fake smile, Judas greeted Jesus in the garden. With a single kiss on the cheek, He betrayed the One who had come to save him. Perhaps the most amazing thing that happened that night was that Jesus held back His own power and allowed the guards to seize Him.
Ask: Who remembers what Jesus told His disciples to do in the garden? Pray. Say: Jesus said, “Watch and pray. Then you won’t fall into sin when you are tempted. The spirit is willing. But the body is weak.” (Mark 14:38) Ask: Did they obey His instructions? No. Say: They were exhausted, and they fell asleep. I must admit, I understand how the disciples felt. There have been times when I have felt too tired to pray.
But Jesus knew what was about to happen. Jesus knew that no matter how much His disciples wanted to obey God’s will, they were too weak to do it in their own power. He knew they needed God’s power to get them through the terrible days that were ahead.
Let’s use electricity for an example of God’s power. Most of us don’t understand that much about electricity. We can’t see it, but we’re sure that it exists. Teacher: Show your lamp. Do NOT plug it into the socket yet. Call up a volunteer. Say: Let’s say this lamp is one of the disciples; let’s say it’s Peter. He really wants to obey God. We’ll say that when this lamp shines out light, that is like Peter doing God’s will. Ask your volunteer to use the switch on the lamp to turn it on. (Kids may shout to plug it in when it doesn’t work.) Ask: Why doesn’t it turn on? It isn’t plugged in; there is no power. Say: Oh, right. It needs power to do what it is supposed to do. Well, what if Peter tries to rely on himself? Try “plugging” the plug into the side of the lamp. Ask your volunteer to turn it on now. Well, that didn’t work. Maybe he should try relying on another disciple, like John. Hold the plug up to another unplugged lamp. Ask your volunteer to turn it on now. Say: Well, I give up. Ask: What should he do? Plug into an outlet. [Caution: ONLY the teacher should plug the lamp into the wall!] Teacher: Plug the lamp into the wall socket and ask your volunteer to turn on the lamp. Say: Finally, we got it right! Thank your volunteer. Set the lamps aside. Of course, God’s power is SO much greater and more powerful than electricity! It is the power that created the universe, and raised Lazarus from the dead! And, just as a lamp can only work when it is plugged into the correct power source, Peter can only obey God when he is plugged into God’s power (1 John 5:14-15). The way to do that is through prayer - time alone with God, talking and (even more importantly) listening (Colossians 4:22b). Without God’s power, it is impossible to do God’s will (John 15:4). But Peter, and the others slept. Unplug The Lamp.
Teacher: Begin today’s lesson with prayer. Dear Jesus, the Scripture that we will read today is very difficult for us to hear. We don’t even want to think about everything You went through on Your way to the cross. But it is so important for us to understand everything that happened. Please open our hearts and minds and help us to see what you were willing to do to bring us back to God. Amen.
Say: So Jesus was arrested. This was not the way the disciples thought things should happen, even though Jesus plainly told them it would (Matthew 26:2). Just a few days before this, all the people in Jerusalem were welcoming Jesus, and shouting praises to Him. (We celebrate this on Palm Sunday.) The disciples didn’t know what to think. In fear, they left Jesus and ran away (Matthew 26:56).
The guards led Jesus to the house of the Jewish High Priest. Peter followed, but he stayed far enough behind so that no one would notice him. Here, in the middle of the night, a group of Jewish leaders, called the Sanhedrin, were going to put Jesus on trial.
Meanwhile, Peter stood outside in the courtyard of the house.
The woman at the door spoke to Peter. “You are not one of Jesus’ disciples, are you?” she asked him.
“I am not,” he replied.
It was cold. The servants and officials stood around a fire. They had made it to keep warm. Peter was also standing with them. He was warming himself. - John 18:17-18
I can just picture Peter, rubbing his hands together over the fire, trying to blend in with the crowd. The whole time, he was nervously trying to catch a glimpse of what is going on inside with Jesus.
We have all seen courtroom scenes in movies. The purpose of a trial is to find out the truth. Witnesses are brought in to testify, or tell the truth, about the person who is on trial, so a judge or jury can decide if he is guilty or innocent. Sadly, this trial was not held in order to find out truth. Ever since Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, the Pharisees and chief priests had been looking for a way to get rid of Jesus (John 11:53). At that time, the high priest, Caiaphas, said it would be best if Jesus were killed (John 11:49-50). This trial was held just to find an excuse to kill Jesus.
The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for something to use against Jesus. They wanted to put Him to death. But they did not find any proof. Many witnesses lied about Him. But their stories did not agree. Then some stood up. They gave false witness about Him. “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made by human hands. In three days I will build another temple, not made by human hands.’ ”- Mark 14:55-58
This was not true. The witnesses had twisted Jesus’ actual words. Jesus was actually talking about His own body - when the religious leaders would destroy His body, He would come back to life three days later (John 21). At the trial, the leaders demanded an answer from Jesus. But Jesus remained silent.
Again the high priest asked Him, “Are you the Christ? Are you the Son of the Blessed One?”
“I AM,” said Jesus. - Mark 14:61-62a
Notice the wording of Jesus’ answer. Ask: Where have we heard these words before? Listen for answers. Say: “I AM” is the name that God proclaimed for Himself when He spoke to Moses through the burning bush.
Upon hearing these words, Caiaphas tore his clothes in anger. Caiaphas said Jesus was guilty of blasphemy and He should be put to death. Blasphemy is telling lies about God. Caiaphas called Jesus a blasphemer. But, in fact, it was Caiaphas and the chief priests who had encouraged people to blaspheme against Jesus - God in human form. The Jewish law said that anyone who lied about God must be put to death - by being stoned (Leviticus 24:13:16). All the Sanhedrin agreed that Jesus was guilty and should be killed (Mark 14:64).
Then they spat in Jesus’ face. They hit Him and slapped Him. The guards took Him away and beat Him. Just imagine: Jesus, the Truth, was called a liar! He was beaten and made fun of. Yet, Jesus controlled His own power and allowed these men to mistreat Him. Think about it. How could He allow all of this to happen? Here is the key: Jesus had been abiding with His Father. He was like this (Teacher: Clasp your hands together tightly, and hold them up for everyone to see.) with His heavenly Dad. Jesus had agreed to follow God’s plan completely (Luke 22:42). His mind was aligned with God’s mind. His will was God’s will. And God’s will was for mankind to be saved from their sin because God is SO GOOD and He loves us SO MUCH.
Outside, a second person asked Peter if he was a disciple. “I am not!” he said (Luke 22:58).
A little while later, some people realized that Peter spoke with a Galilean accent. Someone said his accent was proof that he was one of Jesus’ disciples (Matthew 26:73).
But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.
At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know Me.” And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly. - Luke 22:60-62
This was certainly the lowest moment in Peter’s entire life. He was weak, and he was bitterly disappointed in himself.
Let’s look at our two examples. Jesus prayed continuously that He would do what God had sent Him to do. Teacher: Plug in one of the lamps and turn it on. In His human state, He was relying on God’s power. Jesus was able to submit and do exactly what He needed to do to fulfill God’s plan. On the other hand, the disciples did not pray. Show the other lamp. Hold up the plug to show it is not plugged in. And they did not have the strength to stand by Jesus’ side. They gave into their fear and ran away. Peter had great confidence in himself, but that was not nearly enough. Show that you can’t plug the lamp into itself. He should have listened carefully to Jesus’ command to pray so he would have had God’s strength to stand up and say that He did believe in Jesus.
Application: Our lives are also full of temptation and struggles. We are tempted to lie, talk badly about other people, put our needs before others, and to deny being a follower of Jesus, just to name a few. Some of us are put in very difficult situations like divorce, abuse, and sickness. Through all of this, God wants us to abide with Him. No matter what situation we face, we can either bring God glory, or fail to do so. The difference is this: You will either rely on your own strength (point to unplugged lamp), or plug into God’s power source (point to plugged-in lamp).
Note to Teacher: Matthew 27:1-10 tells us that as soon as the Sanhedrin condemned Jesus, Judas was filled with remorse. He returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and confessed, “I have sinned, for I have betrayed innocent blood.” The religious leaders reacted with smug apathy to his confession - further proof that they were not after truth, but only a way to kill Jesus. Judas threw the coins into the temple and went out and hanged himself.
Note to Teacher: The Jews had a very strict rule that trials were to be held during the day. Bringing Jesus to trial at night broke their own rule. Also, no one was allowed to be tried and found guilty on the same day. The Sanhedrin broke this rule also.
Say: While the Jewish people were under the rule of Rome, the Jewish leaders did not have the power to kill someone for a punishment (John 18:31). So the Sanhedrin took Jesus to the Roman governor, Pilate. Pilate was not a Jew, but he ruled over them at that time. The leaders wanted Pilate to kill Jesus. Back then, the Romans punished criminals by nailing them to a cross until they could no longer breathe.
Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“Yes. It is just as you say,” Jesus replied. - Luke 23:3
Pilate knew that Jesus had not done anything wrong. He knew that the chief priests only brought Jesus to him because they were jealous of Him (Mark 15:10).
Note to Teacher: Longing to defer responsibility for this matter, Pilate raised the question of jurisdiction as soon as he learned Jesus was from Nazareth. He sent Jesus to Herod. (This was the grandson of King Herod who tried to kill Jesus when Jesus was a baby.) Herod was thrilled to meet this Jesus he had heard so much about. Herod hoped to see some miracle performed before his very eyes. Herod also knew that Jesus was not guilty (Luke 23:15). As a joke, Herod’s soldiers dressed Jesus up in an elegant robe, and sent him back to Pilate (Luke 23:6-11).
The Jewish leaders made up more lies about Jesus. They said that Jesus told people to start riots, and not pay their taxes to the Roman government (See Matthew 22:21). But Jesus remained silent. Pilate was amazed that Jesus refused to defend Himself against the charges that were made against Him (Matthew 27:11-14).
While the chief priests were pressuring Pilate to kill Jesus, Pilate’s wife sent him a message. Teacher: Hand your note to a volunteer and ask him or her to stand and read it aloud. “Don’t have anything to do with that Man. He is not guilty. I have suffered a great deal in a dream today because of Him.” (Matthew 27:19) Say: How about that? It wasn’t every day that Pilate received a hand-written message from God! God had given a dream to Pilate’s wife, and she let her husband know about it.
Pilate felt completely torn between doing the right thing and doing what other people wanted him to do. Pilate asked Jesus more questions, but Jesus was silent.
“Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you understand? I have the power to set you free or to nail you to a cross.” - John 19:10
Pilate did not understand what he was saying! Ask: Who had the power? Jesus did! Say: Pilate only had power over Jesus for this short time, because Jesus allowed him to have it.
Jesus answered, “You were given power from heaven. If you weren’t, you would have no power over Me. So the one who handed Me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” - John 19:11a
Over and over, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the large crowd that had gathered would not stop shouting for Jesus to be killed.
Perhaps there was a way out of this sticky situation. Every year, at the time of the Passover, it was the custom for the governor to release one prisoner. The people were allowed to choose whom they wanted to be released. Pilate offered to release Jesus. But, the chief priests and the leaders persuaded the people to call for a prisoner named Barabbas to be released instead (Matthew 27:20). Barabbas was in jail for rebellion and murder (Mark 15:7).
With one voice the crowd cried out, “Kill this Man! Give Barabbas to us!”...Pilate wanted to let Jesus go. So he made an appeal to the crowd again. But they kept shouting, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
Pilate spoke to them for the third time. “Why?” he asked. “What wrong has this Man done? I have found no reason to have Him put to death. So I will just have Him whipped and let him go.”
But with loud shouts they kept calling for Jesus to be crucified. The people’s shouts won out.
So Pilate decided to give them what they wanted. He set free the man they asked for... Pilate gave Jesus over to them so they could carry out their plans. - Luke 23:18-24
Pilate was the one in authority. The Jewish leaders, themselves, said that they could not put Jesus to death without Pilate. Pilate had a choice to make: side with God or side with men. Pilate gave in to the cries of the people. It seems he was afraid of what the people would do if he did not give in to their demands. He may have been afraid that they would begin fighting. He may have been afraid they would not like him anymore, or that he would lose his job as governor. But he should have been much more concerned about what God wanted him to do.
Application: Pilate’s situation was not so different from our own sometimes. There are times when we find ourselves in a sticky situation where we must chose to side with God or side with people. Many times in our lives, we are afraid that people will think we are weird, or uncool, if we stand up for what God wants. The Bible says not to be afraid of people, but instead, have respect for God. He is SO much more powerful than any person (Matthew 10:28). Worrying about what people think over what God thinks is sort of like worrying about a few rain drops while you are standing in a lightning storm. We should put obeying God and following His plan above anything else in our lives. We can only do this when we tap into His power.
PPT KEY VERSE
Key Verse:
I pray that (the Father) will use His glorious riches to make you strong. May His Holy Spirit give you His power deep down inside you. - Ephesians 3:16
PPT MAIN POINT
Main Point: Without God’s power, it is impossible to do God’s will.
Note to Teacher: In these events, we see the fulfillment of prophesy given in Isaiah 53:3, “He was despised and rejected by men.” Christ was rejected by the Jews when He was subjected to the religious trials by Annas, Caiaphas, and the Sanhedrin; He was rejected by the state when He was on trial with Herod and Pilate; and perhaps worst of all, He was rejected by His closest friends, especially, Peter.
© 2007
BibleLessons4Kidz.com All rights reserved worldwide. May be reproduced for personal, nonprofit, and non-commercial uses only. Brought to you by KidzLife
Unless otherwise noted the Scriptures taken from: Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version, (NIrV®)
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society / Used by permission of IBS-STL. All rights reserved worldwide.
Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International.
PPT TITLE
Main Point: Jesus uses imperfect people who love Him to tell others about His salvation.
Key Verse:
Then the disciples left and preached everywhere. The Lord was with them, and the miracles they worked proved that their message was true. - Mark 16:20
Props: Several signs, each with a different name of a country on it (Before class begins, hand signs out to several students throughout the room. Ask students to keep signs down until you call on them.)
Say: Jesus appeared twice to His disciples. By appearing, He proved that He had risen from the dead, and that He was truly the Messiah. Jesus told them that they would soon be sent out to teach people how to be saved from their sins. But Jesus told them to wait until He sent the Holy Spirit to fill them with power (Luke 24:49).
The disciples were in Galilee, because Jesus told them to go there. They were miles away from Jerusalem where Jesus had been crucified, and where the Pharisees and chief priests were. Most of the disciples were from Galilee. It was their hometown. They probably had time to visit with their families while they were there. Surely, they were eager to see Jesus again, but they didn’t know exactly when He would appear.
Say: One day, Peter announced to the other disciples that he was going to go fishing on the Sea of Galilee. This was not the kind of fishing that you and I do with a rod and reel. This was the kind of fishing that is done with a large net. Peter was a professional fisherman before He met Jesus. In fact, this day he was probably going to go fishing in his old boat with his old nets. Thomas, Nathanael, James, John, and two other disciples decided to go with him. They fished all night but didn’t catch anything.
Early the next morning, they heard someone calling out to them. Their boat was about 100 yards away from the shore. That’s about the length of a football field, so they couldn’t tell who it was.
Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore. But the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
He called out to them, “Friends, don’t you have any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat. There you will find some fish.”
When they did, they could not pull the net into the boat. There were too many fish in it.
Then (John) the disciple Jesus loved said to Simon Peter, “It is the Lord!” (Teacher: Interject here to say that Jesus loved all His disciples. This was written by John. John called himself “the disciple that Jesus loved,” because he felt so loved by Jesus.)
As soon as Peter heard that, he put his coat on. He had taken it off earlier. Then he jumped into the water.
The other disciples followed in the boat. They were towing the net full of fish. - John 21:4-8a
Ask: Does this story sound familiar to anyone? Listen for answers. Say: A very similar thing had happened three years before. It happened way back when Jesus first started teaching people out in the open. Jesus only had a handful of followers at the time. A crowd had gathered to hear Him teach. He hopped in Peter’s boat and asked Peter to row the boat out into the water a little ways. He taught the people, then He told Peter to take the boat to where the water was deep and put out his nets. Peter told Jesus that he and his partners had fished all night, but had not caught a thing. But he did what Jesus asked of him. As soon as the nets were in the water, they were packed full of fish. His partners, James and John, had to come with another boat to help bring in the fish. Both boats were so full of fish that they nearly sank! It was at that moment that Peter realized that Jesus was truly sent from God. Jesus said, “From now on, you’ll be fishing for people.” That day, they left everything to follow Jesus (Luke 5:1-11).
Now, here it was three years later, and the same scene was replayed: same sea, same boats, same fishermen, and the same Lord. The sight of nets filled to overflowing with fish must have jogged John’s memory. He remembered the time when he and his friends were all first filled with hope that Jesus was the Messiah they had been waiting for.
Note to Teacher: So many things had happened since that day three years ago. We wonder if John’s “deja vu” experience in the fishing boat brought back a flood of memories. Did the unmistakable smell of fresh fish and the sound of anxious tails slapping the water cause the past three years to pass before his eyes? Did he recall intimate moments of laughing with Jesus, wondrous times of gleaning truth from Him, glorious moments when fields of people put their trust in Him, and the devastating hours when Jesus went to the cross? Did Jesus reenact this scene to purposely refocus their minds back to the time when they first believed He was the One? We can almost imagine the slight grin on Jesus’ face as He used this miracle as a calling card to the disheartened disciples.
Say: Suddenly, John called out, “It is the Lord!” Peter jumped in the water and swam to shore. This is not at all surprising. Peter had been the boldest of all the disciples. Peter often did before he thought. The others followed Peter in the boat. When they got to shore, they saw a fire with fish and bread cooking. Jesus invited them to come and eat breakfast with Him. They all recognized Him.
Application: Even though these men were life-long fishermen, they couldn’t catch a thing. They couldn’t even provide breakfast for themselves. Jesus provided what they needed: fish and bread for breakfast, and even plenty of fish for the days ahead. This was a good reminder that nothing they would try on their own could compare to what Jesus could do through them. Just the same, when we follow Jesus in everything we do, He will do amazing things in our lives. He provides EXCEEDINGLY more than we could ever accomplish on our own.
Say:
When Jesus and the disciples had finished eating, Jesus spoke to Simon Peter. He asked, “Simon, son of John, do you really love Me more than these others do?”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered. “You know that I love You.”
Jesus said, “Feed My lambs.” - John 21:15
Before Jesus was arrested, Peter had bragged that he would never leave Jesus’ side, even if every other disciple deserted Jesus (Matthew 26:33). Really, Peter was bragging that he loved Jesus more than the rest of the disciples. Ask: But, when Jesus was arrested, what did Peter actually do? He denied knowing Jesus 3 times. Say: Peter denied even knowing Jesus 3 times.
So, here on the beach, Jesus gave Peter the opportunity to be humble when He asked if Peter loved Him more than the others. Peter answered without bragging this time. Jesus gave Him the simple instruction to feed His lambs. This was a symbolic way of telling Peter to teach God’s word to Jesus’ followers (Hebrews 5:12).
Again Jesus asked, “Simon, son of John, do you really love Me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord. You know that I love You.”
Jesus said, “Take care of My sheep.” - John 21:16
This time, Jesus asked Peter if he really loved Him. Again, Peter honestly said that he loved Him. Jesus told him to take care of His sheep, because Jesus wanted Peter to care for the spiritual needs of His followers.
Jesus spoke to him a third time. He asked, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”
Peter felt bad because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love Me?” He answered, “Lord, you know all things. You know that I love You.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. - John 21:17
Now, for the third time, Jesus asked Peter if he simply loved Him. This was difficult for Peter. Usually, the reason someone would ask the same question over and over is because he didn’t believe the answer that was given. Maybe one of your parents has looked at you and asked a question like, “Susie, who broke my lamp?” Then, when you answered, “Nobody,” your parent looked at you again and asked, “Who broke the lamp?”
This was not the case here. Jesus knew that Peter loved Him. Jesus was giving Peter the opportunity to profess his love out loud three times, just as he had denied Jesus three times several weeks before.
If Peter loved Jesus at all, there was one instruction he must follow. He must teach others about the new life that Jesus offered. Jesus was going to be leaving the disciples very soon. Jesus would no longer be able to take care of the spiritual needs of His followers. Jesus was handing this VERY important job over to Peter and the other disciples. At this point there was a small number of people who believed in Jesus, but that number was about to grow quickly. It was VERY important that Peter teach the truth about Jesus to the many people who would believe in Him.
Before Jesus was arrested, Peter was the boldest of all the disciples. He was a leader, and others followed his example. Then Peter showed his weakness by denying that he knew Jesus. Jesus did not want Peter to feel that he could never be a leader again. With these three questions and instructions, Jesus “reinstated” Peter. To reinstate means “to bring back into use,” or “to restore to a previous position.” There was great work to be done, and Jesus wanted bless Peter by putting him right in the middle of it.
Application: Everyone makes mistakes. If God only used perfect people, who could He use? He couldn’t use anyone, because no one is perfect! Jesus will use people who love Him. Not people who love Him with some super-human love, but those who simply love Him as much as they can. All the heroes we read about in the Bible have one thing in common: they loved God. Some were rich, some were poor, some were beautiful, some were plain, some were strong, and some were weak. But the one thing they shared was a heart that loved God. That is all He requires of you (Matthew 22:37).
Some of you may already love God, and that’s awesome. But some of you may feel like God is too far away or too hard to get to know for you to actually love Him. If this describes you, then please hear this. He is NOT far off. He loves you and He wants you to love Him. The only way to love someone is to get to know him or her personally. Simply knowing facts about someone will never lead you to love them. For example, I know facts about Abraham Lincoln. I know he was the 16th president of the United States. I know that he was very honest and he wanted all people to be treated fairly. Because I know these facts about him, I think he was a great man. I admire his accomplishments, but I do not love him.
On the other hand, I know _________ (my husband, my father, my son, my mother). He was not ever president of a country. He is not famous. But I know him. I know what he likes and dislikes. I know what makes him laugh and what makes him sad. I know him because I have spent so much time with him. Because I know him so well, I love him very much. Knowing someone this well doesn’t happen over night. I have known him for a really long time.
In the same way, we get to know, and love, God by spending time with Him. We read His word, the Bible; we see Jesus at work in other Christians that we know; we stop and think about His amazing power when we see His creation. All this is called abiding in Him. It is remaining with Jesus day in and day out. When we really know Him, we are able to love Him. If you are just getting to know Jesus, pray for God to keep you close to Him. Tell Him you want to love Him.
Say: John tells us that Jesus remained on the earth for 40 days after He was resurrected. During that time, He appeared to the disciples at different times and He taught them about the Kingdom of God.
One day while they were eating, Jesus told them that in just a few days they would be filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus said:
PPT VERSE
You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. Then you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem. You will be My witnesses in all Judea and Samaria. And you will be my witnesses from one end of the earth to the other.
After Jesus said this, He was taken up to heaven. They watched until a cloud hid Him from their sight. - Acts 1:8-9
The disciples worshipped Jesus and they were overwhelmed with joy (Luke 24:51).
Just as Jesus promised, He sent the Holy Spirit to fill the disciples a few days later (Acts 2:1-4). The disciples went out preaching and teaching. God worked in amazing ways, and many people put their faith in Jesus (Mark 16:20).
Jesus specifically mentioned the city of Jerusalem, the area of Judea, and then the ends of the earth. Teacher: Refer to map. Jerusalem was the city they started out in. Judea was the next larger area. As the disciples told the truth of Jesus, it spread to larger and larger areas. It is still spreading. One day it will reach every nation (Matthew 24:14).
Application: Just as the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, each one of us is filled with the Holy Spirit when we put out trust in Jesus (Acts 2:38). God’s Holy Spirit gives us power to understand God’s truth and tell it to others (John 16:13, 1 Corinthians 2:13).
Each of you has a circle of friends that you can consider your Jerusalem. Choose a volunteer. Say: Here is ______. She has a best friend, a little brother, a little sister, and two cousins that live really close to her. (Pull up a volunteer for each person you mention, and place him or her in a circle around your original volunteer - facing inward.) This is ______’s “Jerusalem.” She sees them every day. She can share truth with them all the time.
Then you have larger groups of people, like kids in your class or on your sports team. Call up ten volunteers to be her classmate (or teammates). Place them in a circle around the first circle - facing inward. Say: These kids are ______’s “Judea.” She sees them pretty often. She can share with them sometimes.
As ______ shares truth with those around her, one person might believe, and that person would start telling others. Choose one person on the inner circle, and turn him or her around - facing outward. Then another might believe and begin to tell others. Face him or her outward. Then another. Face him or her outward. Can you see how this works? And just think: each person represented here has his or her own circles. It is amazing how the Good News can spread!
And, one day, God may use you to take His truth to the ends of the earth. Call on your sign-holders to stand up and hold up their signs. Send some of your “believing” volunteers to stand by the different countries.
Jesus is calling you to tell others. First, get to know Him and love Him, then He does the rest!
Optional Application (without volunteers): Just as the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, each one of us is filled with the Holy Spirit when we put out trust in Jesus (Acts 2:38). God’s Holy Spirit gives us power to understand God’s truth and tell it to others (John 16:13, 1 Corinthians 2:13). Each of you has a circle of friends that you can consider your Jerusalem. Then you have larger groups of people, like kids in your class or on your sports team. They are your Judea. And, one day, God may use you to take His truth to the ends of the earth.
Key Verse:
Then the disciples left and preached everywhere. The Lord was with them, and the miracles they worked proved that their message was true. - Mark 16:20
PPT KEY VERSE
Main Point: Jesus uses imperfect people who love Him to tell others about His salvation.
PPT MAIN POINT
Note to Teacher: Caution should be exercised in making too much of the two different words for “love” which are employed in this text. The two verbs are agapao and phileo. The first two times Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him, the word for love is agapao. The third time Jesus asks, He employs the term phileo. Every time Peter responds to Jesus’ question, indicating his love, he employs the word phileo. The distinctions that some make between these two terms may hold true in some cases, and for some authors. They do not seem to hold true for John, who often uses different terms for the same concept. When commentators do seek to emphasize the distinctions between the two Greek words John uses, they do not agree as to what the meaning and emphasis of these terms are. We should keep in mind that when Jesus spoke to Peter and asked him these three questions, He spoke not in Greek (the language in which the Gospel of John is written), but in Aramaic, the language spoken by the Jews of that day. The change in words may have some significance, but I hardly think it is the key to understanding the passage.
Bob Deffinbaugh, What Is This Thing Called Love? (John 21:1-25), ©1996-2006 Biblical Studies Press, reprinted with permission from www.bible.org.
(Thayer’s lexicon defines agapao as to be fond of, dearly love; phileo as to approve of, to like, befriend)
© 2007
BibleLessons4Kidz.com All rights reserved worldwide. May be reproduced for personal, nonprofit, and non-commercial uses only.
Unless otherwise noted the Scriptures taken from: Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version, (NIrV®)
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society / Used by permission of IBS-STL. All rights reserved worldwide.
Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International.
PPT TITLE
Main Point: Jesus wants us to remember Him.
Key Verse:
Every time you eat this bread and drink from this cup you are telling of the Lord’s death until He comes again. - 1 Corinthians 11:26 NLV
Props: a small bag of silver coins (foreign money or silver dollars would be great); a family photo album; matza bread; grape juice; Optional for older students: X-ray film
Atmosphere: Set up a low table in the front of the room. Use many candles, and teach this with low lighting to get the effect of nighttime.
Say: Jesus showed His tremendous power over death when He raised His good friend Lazarus from the dead. This was HUGE! People everywhere heard that a dead man came back to life, and everyone was talking about it. Just imagine if this happened today! People would want to know all about it. The man would be interviewed on the news, and people would be looking up information about him on the Internet. Some people would doubt, and some would believe. Because Jesus raised Lazarus, MANY people put their trust and belief in Jesus.
Jesus was ready to announce that He really was the Messiah. The people shouted praises to God while spreading palm branches and coats on the ground in front of Him when He entered Jerusalem. This was their way of saying Jesus was their King.
Ask: Who can tell me how the Pharisees felt about all the people praising Jesus? Say: When the Pharisees heard the people shouting praises to Jesus, they became very jealous. Even though it was clear that Jesus was doing miraculous signs, they refused to follow Him. And they didn’t want anyone else to follow Him. They wanted everyone to depend on them. They wanted to hold onto their power and money, so they looked for a way to get rid of Jesus once and for all!
It’s amazing to see the opposite reactions that people had to Jesus: the Pharisees hated Jesus, while His disciples and followers loved Him more and more!
Say: The Pharisees and chief priests were waiting for the right time to arrest Jesus. Judas was one of Jesus’ disciples, but he was not a true believer (John 13:10). Do you remember how Satan tempted Eve to doubt God? Satan loves to deceive people by lying about God. Satan is the father of lies (), and he knew he could deceive Judas. Led by Satan, Judas went to talk to the chief priests (Luke 22:3).
(Judas) asked, “What will you give me if I hand Jesus over to you?” So they counted out 30 silver coins for him. From then on, Judas watched for the right time to hand Jesus over to them. - Matthew 26:15-16
Judas made a deal with the men who wanted to get rid of Jesus. The men paid Judas 30 silver coins, and Judas promised to lead them to where Jesus was. Teacher: Hold up your bag of silver coins, and show some of the coins. Some people estimate that the coins were worth about three months of pay. Judas betrayed Jesus. He pretended to be Jesus’ friend and follower, but he was a deceiver. He was going to lead Jesus’ enemies right to Him. What had Jesus ever done to Judas but show him love and compassion? Judas’ eyes were not on Jesus. They were on his own selfish greed.
Say: Jesus knew that His time on earth was coming to an end. He knew that very soon He would be arrested, put on trial, lied about, and killed on a cross. Jesus would allow all these things to happen because He came to be the perfect sacrifice that would take away the sins of the world. Jesus wanted to share a special meal with His disciples before these things happened. It was the Passover Feast (Matthew 26:17-19), which God had instructed His people to celebrate every year. Jesus told Peter and John to prepare the Passover meal in the upstairs room of a certain home in Jerusalem (Luke 22:10-13).
Note to Teacher: The place in which the Last Super would take place was kept a secret by Jesus. Only His two closest disciples knew the location, and only at the last minute. It is very possible that, in addition to wanting to escape the crowds, Jesus did not make the location known to the others so that Judas could not tell the chief priests where He was until after this special Passover meal. Jesus longed to share this intimate time with His disciples before His suffering. And He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” - Luke 22:15-16 NIV
We often call this meal “the Last Supper” because it was the last meal Jesus ate before He willingly gave up His life. During the meal, Jesus explained to His disciples all that was about to happen to Him. But they did not understand everything He was saying. Jesus told them to have this special meal again later in order to remember the sacrifice He was about to make for all people.
Jesus took bread. He gave thanks and broke it. He handed it to them and said, “This is My body. It is given for you. Every time you eat it, do it in memory of Me.” - Luke 22:19
Say: Jesus told the disciples that the bread should remind them of His body that would be given up for them. Teacher: Show the piece of Matzoh Bread, and explain the following symbolism:
Say: This is Matzoh, or unleavened bread. It is the type of bread that must be eaten during the Passover meal. The Jews ate this bread when they escaped from Egypt.
This bread has stripes on it. Jesus was about to be beaten, and the whippings would make STRIPES on His back. The Bible says that by Jesus’ stripes we are healed, or saved from our sin (1 Peter 2:24).
It also has holes in it. Nails were going to be forced into Jesus’ hands and feet in order for Him to hang on the cross. The Bible says that Jesus was pierced for our sins (Isaiah 53:5).
This bread is flat because there is no yeast in it. Yeast is a symbol of sin because just as yeast makes bread puff up, our sin makes us puffed up (Luke 12:1). There is no yeast in the bread that represents the body of Christ because there was no sin in Jesus.
Teacher: Show the broken bread. Say: Though none of Jesus’ bones were broken, His body was broken for us (John 19:36).
Teacher: Show a small cup of purple/red grape juice.
Say: The grape juice is not blood, but it is a reminder of Jesus’ blood that takes away our sin (Leviticus 17:11).
Then He took the cup. He gave thanks and handed it to them. He said, “All of you drink from it. This is My blood of the new covenant. It is poured out to forgive the sins of many.” - Matthew 26:27-28
The juice from the grapes was a symbol of Jesus’ blood. He said that soon His blood would be poured out. This would happen when He was beaten and nailed to the cross (Mark 15:19, John 19:34). Jesus said this would happen so that the sins of many people would be forgiven. Jesus made Himself the final, perfect sacrifice that God required to take away sin (Hebrews 10:12). Everyone who believed in Him would be saved from the punishment of his or her sin (Romans 1:16).
Jesus told His disciples that whenever they ate the bread and drank the grape juice, they must remember what He was about to do for them - and for all people. He said to remember Him with great affection (remembrance: Luke 22:19, Thayer’s Lexicon).
Additional Teaching for older students: Jesus said His blood was the blood of the NEW covenant or NEW Testament. Ask: Who can tell me what a covenant is? It is a promise. Say: When God makes a promise, it can never be broken! If this was the new promise, let’s take a look at the promise that was in effect before this, and why God needed to give a new promise.
Centuries earlier, God gave the 10 Commandments and other laws to Moses. We call this, “The Law.” It is contained in the first five books of the Bible. The Law was a reflection of God. He is perfect and holy. Therefore, the Law is also perfect. It requires God’s people to be perfect - every thought and every action to be pure. If they obeyed the Law, God would bless them, make them holy, and remain with them (Exodus 19:5, Leviticus 19:2, Exodus 40:34). Moses read the Law to the Israelites, or Jews. The people promised to obey everything God said. Moses made an animal sacrifice and said, “This is the blood that puts the covenant into effect.” (Exodus 24:7-8)
Of course, the people did NOT keep their promise. Every single person fell short. It was no surprise to God that the people could not keep the Law. Ask: Does it seem a bit mean, or cruel, for God to give a Law that His people could not follow? Listen for answers.
Say: Let’s look at it this way: Let’s say I went to the doctor for a check up. On the outside, I looked about as healthy as everyone else. The doctor poked and prodded, then took some x-rays. The doctor left the room for a while, and then came back with some X-ray films. He held one up to the light box and said, “I have some good news and some bad news.” He pointed to a spot on the film and said, “Here is a tumor. It is cancer. The bad news is that it’s deadly. The good news is, one day, I promise there will be a cure.”
Ask: Wow, how would I feel about this news? Listen for answers. Say: I would be shocked and scared, but very glad there would one day be a cure. Ask: Is the doctor mean or cruel for giving me this x-ray? No. He is just showing me what is already there, what is already true. He is good. He wants to heal me. Ask: Is the actual x-ray film a bad thing? No. It’s a great thing. It shows me that I have a big problem. Without it, I would never know I needed a cure.
Say: The Law was sort of like that x-ray, showing each Israelite that he or she had a BIG problem called sin. And sin is truly deadly. But, God promised that He would send a Cure for their sin problem. And, until that Cure came, God gave the Jews a temporary solution. God told the people to make animal sacrifices. The blood of the animals would cover their sin, but only for a while. It did NOT take away their sin. Similarly, my doctor might give me medicine that would help, but not CURE me. I would have to take bitter medicine over and over until there was a cure.
When Jesus took the cup of grape juice, or wine, He said it was a symbol of the new promise. The new promise was the CURE! The new promise did not take away the old promise; it fulfilled it. The old promise, the Law, said the people must be perfect. The new promise made them perfect. When Jesus, the Lamb of God, shed His perfect blood on the cross, He took away our sins, once and for all.
He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. - 1 Peter 2:24
The old promise: If you obey the perfect Law, then God will bless you, make you holy, and remain with you.
The new promise: Christ will die to take away your sin. If you believe in Him, God will make you righteous, holy, and perfect. You will have abundant life now, and live with God in heaven forever!
The old promise was good. The new promise is much BETTER!
Application: I brought one of my family photo albums. I love to look through my photo albums and remember all of the things that my family has done together – all the special times we’ve shared.
Jesus left His disciples - and us - a “picture” to remember Him by. It isn’t a picture in an album that we can look at and remember what Jesus looked like, but it is a picture to help us remember what Jesus did for us.
We still eat the bread and drink the grape juice today, and when we do, we do it to help us remember what Jesus did for us (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). We call it “The Lord’s Supper,” or Communion.
Who can take Communion? Only true believers of Jesus Christ - people who have put their trust in Him to take away their sin. Many times, people follow Jesus in baptism before they take their first Communion. This is something you should discuss with your parents.
Our attitude while taking Communion is very important! It is a very serious thing to remember Jesus’ death. We should never be flippant or silly. The Bible tells us that we should take Communion in a worthy manner. Not that we’re perfect, but that we remember Jesus with great love and thankfulness (1 Corinthians 11:27-33).
Before taking communion, we should examine ourselves (1 Corinthians 11:28, 31). That means think about your thoughts and actions. Is there a sin that you know you keep doing? Before you take communion, confess your sins. Agree with God that the sin is wrong, and ask God to change your mind and actions.
That bread and grape juice look good. I’m hungry! Later on in the Bible, there was a group of people who took Communion just because they were hungry. They ate until they were stuffed. The Bible tells us that judgment came upon them: some became very sick, and others even died! Remember that the purpose of taking Communion is to remember what Jesus did to save us.
There are many different Christian churches, and many different ways to take communion. In some churches, people get up and walk to their Pastor to receive the bread and juice. In some churches, a big plate is passed, and each person takes a small cup of juice and a piece of bread, and then passes the plate to the next person. The tradition in our church is...(explain how the elements are taken in your church). End with: No way is better than the other. What is important is that we do this, and that we remember Jesus gave up His body and His blood to bring us back to God.
PPT KEY VERSE
Key Verse:
Every time you eat this bread and drink from this cup you are telling of the Lord’s death until He comes again. - 1 Corinthians 11:26 NLT
PPT MAIN POINT
Main Point: Jesus wants us to remember Him!
© 2007
BibleLessons4Kidz.com All rights reserved worldwide. May be reproduced for personal, nonprofit, and non-commercial uses only. Brought to you by KidzLife
Unless otherwise noted the Scriptures taken from: Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version, (NIrV®)
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society / Used by permission of IBS-STL. All rights reserved worldwide.
Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International.
PPT TITLE
Main Point: Nothing in this world compares to the new life that Jesus offers.
Key Verse:
Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. - John 12:25
Props: Perfume, cologne, or essential oil (with a spicy or musky smell) in a fancy bottle, a small cloth; Optional: palm branches (real, or made from construction paper)
Say: If you have your Bible with you, hold it up high so I can see it. Awesome! I want you to bring your Bible with you every week. It is God’s word. It is powerful (Hebrews 4:12) and I want you to be VERY familiar with it. Open your Bibles to Genesis 1, the very first chapter in the very first book. Leave your Bibles open there for just a minute.
Last week we learned about Jesus raising His dear friend, Lazarus, from the dead. Ask: Does anyone remember how Jesus did this? He said Lazarus come forth! Say: Jesus simply spoke, and death was shattered! Now, who can stand up and read Genesis 1:3, really loudly? Choose a volunteer. After they read the verse, ask them to re-read just the first three words. Say: Did you hear that? “And God said.” These three words are repeated throughout the creation story. God spoke and all of creation came into being. Then, when Jesus, Who is fully God, spoke, He overcame death. Our God is so POWERFUL! His mere words created the universe and they give life.
With that in mind, it makes it even more amazing that God cares so deeply for each one of us. When Jesus looked into the faces of Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, He cried. He cried because He loved them and He could feel their suffering. The same is true for every person in this room. Jesus loves you deeply. He knows when you are hurting, He cares, and He will never leave you.
Say: Jesus performed the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead out in the open, in front of many people. He did this so that the people watching would believe that He was God’s Son, and put their trust in Him (John 11:42). Many people put their faith in Him. But some of the people went to the Pharisees to tell them what Jesus had done.
Remember, the Pharisees were the Jewish religious leaders. They were supposed to teach and model God’s love, but they did not have love or mercy in their hearts (Matthew 23:4, 23). Jesus had many things to say against these men (Matthew 23). The Pharisees had become very proud (Matthew 23:5). They thought they were better than other people. They cared more about themselves than other people (Matthew 23:25). The Pharisees knew that God had promised to send the Messiah. But sadly, they did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah. All they could see was that if people started believing in Jesus, the people would no longer follow them. They were afraid to lose their wealth and power.
The Pharisees and chief priests held a meeting to decide what to do about Jesus.
“What can we do?” they asked. “This man is doing many miraculous signs. If we let Him keep on doing this, everyone will believe in Him. Then the Romans will come. They will take away our temple and our nation.” - John 11:47b-48
Did you hear that? The Pharisees and chief priests admitted that Jesus was doing miracles and signs! But they still refused to put their faith in Him because of their greed. At that time, the Jewish people were being ruled by the Roman government. The Pharisees said that if the Jewish people started following Jesus and calling Him King, the Roman government would get angry and punish the Jewish nation. The Pharisees told themselves that they were only doing what was best for the people. But this was just an excuse to hold on to their own power and money.
One of them spoke up. His name was Caiaphas. He was high priest at that time. He said, “You don’t know anything at all! You don’t realize what is good for you. It is better if one man dies for the people than if the whole nation is destroyed.” - John 11:49
Because He was the chief priest, God allowed Caiaphas to know that Jesus would soon die for the good of the Jews (John 11:51-52). But Caiaphas did not understand that Jesus would WILLINGLY die to take away the sins of all who put their trust in Him.
Note to Teacher: Notice the sovereignty of God shown in John 11:51-52. Because Caiaphas was the high priest, God gave him a prophecy concerning the death of Christ. “He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.” NIV (prophesied: propheteuo - to declare what can only be known by divine inspiration, Thayer’s Lexicon.) God was faithful to the “position” of high priest that He had created (Leviticus 21:10), even though the man currently holding the position was ungodly. Of course, the self-absorbed Caiaphas could not fathom the truth that crossed his own lips. Jesus had to die - not to keep the political system in tact, but to become the atoning sacrifice for the Jewish nation and for all men.
Next we read these chilling words: “So from that day on, the Jewish rulers planned to kill Jesus.” (John 11:53) This was a real life murder plot! These men made their plans in secret, because they were afraid that the people would get angry with them for plotting against Jesus (Mark 14:1-2). The sacred feast of Passover was coming soon. They planned to arrest and kill Jesus as soon as the Passover Feast was over (Matthew 26:4-5).
Because of the plot against Him, Jesus and His disciples left and went to stay near the desert. The Pharisees and chief priests gave orders that if anyone found out where Jesus was, he must report it. Tens of thousands of Jewish people came to Jerusalem during the week before the Passover Feast. The people wondered if Jesus would come to the feast.
Say: Six days before the Feast, Jesus went back to Bethany where Lazarus, Mary, and Martha lived. There was a dinner given in Jesus’ honor. Imagine how grateful Lazarus and his sisters were to Jesus. Martha served the meal, while Lazarus reclined at the table with Jesus. Back then, in their part of the world, friends and family sat around a low table. They didn’t sit in upright chairs, but on pillows or low couches. Doesn’t this sound like a fun way to eat? It allowed people to relax and have fun together. Lazarus was sitting and eating with Jesus. Have you ever thought of Lazarus’ life after Jesus raised him from the dead? He was given new life and he could walk, talk, eat, and laugh with friends.
Mary came in with a bottle of perfume that was made from a plant called Nard (or Spikenard). It came from very far away, so it was very expensive. Teacher: Hold up your bottle. In fact, she had about two cups of the perfume, which was worth a whole year’s pay. While everyone else was eating and talking, Mary knelt down beside Jesus and poured out the perfume on Him (John 12:3, Mark 14:3). Pour some of your perfume on the cloth and walk through your students. Wave the cloth so they can smell the perfume. Then she leaned over and wiped off the excess perfume from His feet with her long hair. The other guests may not have even noticed Mary until the house was filled with the sweet smell of the perfume. It’s clear that Mary knew Jesus was the Messiah. He showed that He had power over death and that He could give new life. Mary gave up the most valuable thing she owned to worship the Savior. Jesus called her actions “beautiful.” (Mark 14:6)
Some of Jesus’ disciples complained that this was a waste of the expensive perfume (Matthew 26:8). One of them, Judas, complained that the perfume should have been sold and the money given to poor people. But the Bible tells us that Judas didn’t really care about the poor. He wanted to keep some of the money for himself (John 12:5-6).
Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “The perfume was meant for the day I am buried. You will always have the poor among you. But you won’t always have Me.” - John 12:7-8
Jesus spoke of His burial, because within the week He would give up His life to save people from their sin. He told Judas to leave Mary alone. Of course it is a wonderful thing to take care of poor people, but the BEST thing to do is to worship Jesus (Luke 10:41-42). Mary did not neglect the privilege of worshipping Jesus while she was with Him.
Note to Teacher: This was not the first time Mary chose spending time with Jesus over doing good work (Luke 10:38-42). Mary poured out her love offering on Jesus. It was NOT a waste! It was a beautiful expression of her praise.
Application: We were created to know God and praise Him (Isaiah 43:7, Acts 17:27). But, many times we become too busy to spend time with God: too busy to read His word, talk to Him, praise Him, enjoy His creation, and think about Him. We can even become busy doing good things such as helping others. Nothing that we can do is BETTER than abiding with Jesus. Remaining with Jesus is the BEST thing we can do.
Say: While Jesus was having dinner, a large crowd of Jews came to see Him. They also wanted to see Lazarus because he had been raised from he dead. Wouldn’t you want to see Jesus and Lazarus?
Because of Lazarus, many of the Jews were starting to follow Jesus. They were putting their faith in Him. - John 12:11
So, the chief priests planned to kill Lazarus too (John 12:11). Notice how one sin leads to another. It was no longer enough for them to kill Jesus, now they wanted to kill Lazarus also. When would they stop? Would they kill everyone He ever healed?
The next day the large crowd that had come for the (Passover) Feast heard that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. So they took branches from palm trees and went out to meet Him. They shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord! “Blessed is the King of Israel!” - John 12:12-13
News that Jesus was on His way spread quickly through the crowded the streets of Jerusalem. The people picked palm branches and covered the dusty road that led into town. Some people even laid their cloaks along the road (Matthew 21:8). Optional: Ask for volunteers to come up and lay palm branches down in a path. This was their way of “rolling out the red carpet” to welcome Jesus. The people shouted, “Hosanna,” which means, “Save us, now!” Have half of the class shout “Hosanna!” and have the other half shout, “Save us, now!” They also quoted from an Old Testament passage in Psalm 118 that talks about the Messiah (Psalm 118:26). The people called Jesus the King of Israel. It would seem that the crowd finally understood Who Jesus was, and they welcomed Him into Jerusalem.
Jesus sent two of His disciples to get a young donkey for Him to ride on (Matthew 21:1-3). This fulfilled another one of God’s promises about the Messiah. Zechariah 9:9 said that the Messiah would enter Jerusalem (Zion) on a donkey’s colt.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred (Matthew 21:10a). The crowd was buzzing with talk of Jesus and how He raised Lazarus from the dead. It would have seemed like a big party was thrown in Jesus’ honor. The disciples were caught up in the excitement. They didn’t realize until later that the events that were happening right in front of their eyes were God’s promises being fulfilled.
The Pharisees became even more angry and frustrated because so many people were following Jesus (John 12:19). But very soon the tide would turn.
Application: (See alternate application for older children below.) The foolish Pharisees hated Jesus because they wanted to keep their power and money. Just the opposite, Mary gladly poured out her most valuable possession at the feet of Jesus. Mary knew that the things we have in this life are NOTHING compared to what Jesus offers. The things we have in this life like toys, games, jewelry, clothes, and popularity, will all pass away (Matthew 6:19). But what Jesus offers - forgiveness of our sins, peace with God, true joy, and everlasting life - these things will last forever! (Romans 5:1-11).
What about you? Are you hanging on to things that won’t last? Or are you, like Mary, willing to put God first, knowing that nothing compares to abiding with Him?
Application option for older students: A very wise man once said, “He is no fool who gives what He cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” This is a quote from Jim Elliot, a missionary who was killed while sharing God’s truth with a tribe of people who did not know Jesus. It means the things we have in this life are NOTHING compared to what Jesus offers. The things we have in this life - toys, games, clothes, money, popularity - will all pass away (Matthew 6:19). But what Jesus offers - forgiveness of our sins, peace with God, true joy, and everlasting life - these things will last forever! (Romans 5:1-11). The foolish Pharisees hated Jesus because they were afraid they would lose their power and money if they admitted He was the Messiah. Just the opposite, Mary gladly poured out her most valuable possession at the feet of Jesus.
What about you? Are you hanging on to things that won’t last? Or are you, like Mary, willing to put God first, knowing that nothing compares to abiding with Him?
PPT KEY VERSE
Key Verse:
Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. - John 12:25
PPT MAIN POINT
Main Point: Nothing in this world compares to the new life that Jesus offers.
© 2007
BibleLessons4Kidz.com All rights reserved worldwide. May be reproduced for personal, nonprofit, and non-commercial uses only.
Unless otherwise noted the Scriptures taken from: Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version, (NIrV®)
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society / Used by permission of IBS-STL. All rights reserved worldwide.
Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International.
PPT TITLE
Main Point: God raised Jesus from the dead to give us new life.
Key Verse:
Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. - Romans 6:4b NLT
Props: Several dollar bills, folded and tied so none can see the denomination. (This will represent one million dollars.); “No throwing rocks” sign; Thick chain
Say: Jesus willingly went to the cross to be crucified, even though He was innocent. In a moment of overwhelming shame, He took on the sin of all mankind, and for the first time, God turned away from Him (Mark 15:34). Jesus gave up His spirit, and He died. He paid the penalty for the guilty.
Let’s look at it this way. Teacher: Choose an adult volunteer, preferably a man (because a student may not take this role seriously enough). Let’s just say I am the ruler of a country, and here is my son. I make the rules and I am just, so I MUST punish people when they break the rules. Now, I am extremely good. I only make rules that are good, and they are good for everyone in my country. One of my rules is, “No throwing rocks.” Hold up sign. I know this is a good rule to keep everyone safe. Choose a student volunteer. So, along came (student’s name), and guess what she did? She threw a rock and broke a window. She was brought to me to be sentenced. The law is, she has to pay one million dollars, or go to jail - forever. Turn to the student volunteer. Say: Okay, because you broke my good rule, you have to pay $1,000,000.00. Hold your hand out. Explain that she has to pay $1,000,000.00, or she’ll go to jail forever. Say: There are no exceptions. I wouldn’t be a fair ruler if I made some people pay, and let some people go without paying. You have to pay. Wait with hand out. Well, I knew this very thing would happen, and I have a plan. I am so good that I don’t want you to go to jail forever, but I am so fair, that I can’t let you go without paying. Here’s what I’ll do. Give the roll of money to the man volunteer. I’ll provide it. I’ll give the $1,000,000.00 to my son, and he can pay it for you. Have the man stand next to the student. In an official voice, say: Your fine is $1,000,000.00, or go to jail forever. Do you trust my son to pay your fine? (yes.) Hold out your hand and take money from your “son.” Declare to student: Your fine has been paid in full. You are free to go. Thank your volunteers.
The Bible says that every one of us has sinned, or broken God’s rules. There is nothing we can do to “undo” our sin - not any more than (student volunteer’s name) could “un-shatter” the glass she broke with the rock. And the punishment is separation from God forever, because He is perfect and holy. God is so good, and loves us so much, that He didn’t want us to be separated from Him. But He is perfectly just, so He HAD to punish our sin. So God provided a way; He sent His Son. When Jesus poured out His innocent blood on the cross, He paid what God required to take away our sin. Everyone who places their trust in Jesus is forgiven of their sin. When God looks at those who put their trust in Jesus, He no longer sees their sin. He sees His perfect Son. This is AMAZING news!
But the story does NOT end there! The Bible says:
Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. - Hebrews 12:2a NLT
Today we will finish the story. We’ll look at the JOY that Jesus was looking forward to.
Remember that the Jewish leaders knew that Jesus said He would rise again after three days and three nights. So, they asked Pilate to seal the tomb to keep Jesus’ followers from stealing His body and telling people He had risen.
Some of the women who cared about Jesus wanted to put perfume and spices on His body, to show love and respect to Him. But, the Jewish law said they were not allowed to go to His tomb on the Sabbath. So they went home to wait until the Sabbath was over.
Very early on the morning after the Sabbath, an amazing thing happened.
There was a powerful earthquake. An angel of the Lord came down from heaven. The angel went to the tomb. He rolled back the stone and sat on it. His body shone like lightning. His clothes were as white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. - Matthew 28:2-4
Wow! The sight of this angel was so stunning that the soldiers were petrified! They had just spent the night in a graveyard. They were undoubtedly talking about what had happened during the crucifixion, and whom they thought Jesus really was. Then, the very ground they were standing on began to shake. And an angel appeared like lightning. These guards were wearing weapons and they knew how to use them. But the sight of the angel scared them nearly to death. God’s power was far greater than that of the guards.
When Mary Magdalene and the other woman came to the tomb, they saw the stone was rolled away.
John tells us that Mary ran back to tell Peter and John what she saw. Peter and John ran to the tomb as fast as they could. John arrived first. He saw strips of linen cloth lying outside the tomb. He did not go in. Peter was the boldest of all the disciples. When he arrived moments later, he went right into the tomb.
He saw the strips of linen lying there. He also saw the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself. It was separate from the linen. - John 20:6b-7
Then John followed Peter into the tomb. The Bible says, “He saw and believed.” (John 20:8b) When John saw that Jesus was not there, he believed that God had raised Him from the dead.
The disciples left to go back to their homes, but Mary Magdalene stayed by the tomb, crying. She didn’t realize that Jesus was alive. She thought that someone had taken His body. She looked into the tomb and saw two men. They were angels (John 20:10-12). They said:
“Why do you look for the living among the dead? Jesus is not here! He has risen! Remember how He told you He would rise. It was while He was still with you in Galilee. He said, ‘The Son of Man must be handed over to sinful people. He must be nailed to a cross. On the third day He will rise from the dead.’ ” - Luke 24:5b-7
Then, Jesus appeared to her. Matthew tells us that she fell down at His feet and worshipped Him (Matthew 28:9). Just imagine this scene. Jesus had once rescued Mary Magdalene from demons (Luke 8:2). From that point on, she believed in Him and followed Him. He had taken away her shame, and died to take away her sin. Now He had risen to give her new life. She and the other women could do nothing less than fall down and worship Him.
Jesus told her not to be afraid, but to go tell His disciples to go to a specific mountain in Galilee (Matthew 28:16). He would appear to the disciples there.
Application: Do you take time to stop and worship Jesus? He died to take away your sin, and God raised Him to give you new life. If you have put your trust in Him, your sins are forgiven and you have abundant, eternal life. You may have heard this story many times, or it may be new to you, like it was to Mary Magdalene that day. Either way, we should never stop taking time out of our week to worship Him. When we sing worship songs in here, or in big church, are you paying more attention to the friend beside you than to the One who saved you? If things around you are a distraction, move, or close your eyes. Do whatever it takes to focus your worship on Jesus.
Some of the guards went and reported what had happened to the chief priests. Ask: How do you think the chief priests would have felt about Jesus rising from the dead? Listen for answers. Say: Surely, when they heard about Jesus rising from the dead they would finally believe in Him, right? Wrong. Say: The leaders came up with another plan. They decided to pay the soldiers to lie about what happened. They gave the soldiers a lot of money and told them to tell everyone that during the night, while the soldiers were sleeping, the disciples came and took Jesus’ body. The soldiers took the money and did what they were told. Some people still believe this lie.
Let’s stop and think about the chief priests for a minute. Even when they heard from eye witnesses that the very earth trembled, an angel came from heaven, the stone was rolled away, and Jesus came back to life and walked out of the tomb on His own, they still would not admit who Jesus was! There could be NO other explanation for these events other than that Jesus was truly the Messiah, the Son of God. Still they rejected Him. The chief priests had their own plan, and they would not change their ways even for God Himself.
Note to Teacher: This is not a case of the chief priests not knowing who Jesus was. Eyewitnesses had made it clear. This was a case of knowing, yet rejecting Him. This was the same choice of Satan and his minions. James 2:19 says, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder.” (NIV) No one knew who God was better than Satan, but he chose to magnify himself instead of God.
Next week, we’ll see the disciples’ reaction when they see Jesus for themselves.
The Bible tells us that if we place our trust in Jesus, then not only will our sins be washed away, but we will receive new life.
Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. - Romans 6:4b NLT
Call up your same two volunteers. Say to student volunteer: Through my son, I provided the way for your fine, or penalty, to be paid. That was mercy. You did not get the punishment that you really deserved.
But now, I also want to give you new life. You can have all the blessings that my son has. He has access to everything I own. He has my power, he can talk to me any time he wants to without an appointment, I let him work right beside me, I make things work out well for him, and I bless him. In fact, I want to adopt you so you will be my child. And I want you to live in my wonderful castle. You can live with me forever. My giving you great things that you do not deserve is called grace.
Ask the group: (Student’s name) broke my law, and could not pay the penalty. What did she deserve? To go to jail forever. But I paid the price, and what else did I do? Adopted her, treated her as your own child, invited her to live in your castle forever. Thank your volunteers.
Say: This was a fun illustration to show you something very serious. Not only did God show mercy by sending Jesus to die on the cross to erase our sin, but then He gives us new life and pours out His blessings on us, treating us as His very own sons and daughters (Romans 8:17).
Let’s look at some of these blessings:
Once we believe in Jesus, God sends the Holy Spirit to live inside of us (John 7:39). God’s Spirit lives inside of each believer, to teach him God’s truth (John 16:13). His Holy Spirit helps us to have spiritual fruit such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). And, God’s Holy Spirit gives us power to tell others about Jesus (Acts 1:8). He gives us just the right words at just the right time (1 Corinthians 2:13).
The Bible says, “Anyone who believes in Christ is a new creation. The old is gone! The new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) We are new because our sin nature is dead. Before we put our trust in Jesus, we are slaves to sin (John 8:34). Teacher: wrap chains around your wrists. Hold the ends in your hands, and tug at them so they seem immovable. It’s as if we’re wrapped in chains, and we can’t break free. We keep sinning, no matter what. But after we put our trust in Jesus, we are FREE. Drop the chains! We no longer have to sin. He gives us the power NOT to sin (John 8:36). Romans 6:14 says, “Sin will not be your master. Law does not rule you. God’s grace has set you free.”
And, Jesus now sits next to God in heaven and prays for His followers (Romans 8:34). Have you ever thought about Jesus praying just for you? He is also preparing a place in heaven for all believers to live one day (John 14:2-3). It will be more wonderful than any of us can even imagine! (1 Corinthians 2:9) There will be no crying, no sadness, no divorce, no cancer, and no sin! (Revelation 22:3)
Application: There is nothing you can do to earn God’s favor. Amazingly, Jesus did it all for you. You must come to the point where you know you are a HOPELESS sinner - unable to pay the penalty you deserve for your own sin. Believe that when Jesus willingly gave up His life for you, He took away ALL of your sin (2 Corinthians 5:19). He paid your debt. When you truly believe and place your trust in Him, not only are your sins washed away in His mercy, but also you are blessed forever by His grace.
PPT KEY VERSE
Key Verse:
Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. - Romans 6:4b NLT
PPT MAIN POINT
Main Point: God raised Jesus from the dead to give us new life.
Note to Teacher: The four gospel accounts each give different details about the events of the resurrection. Some critics have deemed these to be contractions, but that is not the case.
First of all, the differences prove there was no collusion (or getting together to “get the story straight.”) Law enforcement agents know that a story that is too perfect cannot be true.
The gospel writers give different perspectives from the various witnesses of the events. They are not contradictions, but different details that we can piece together to gain greater understanding of all that transpired. If you are teaching older students who ask about these differences, try this illustration:
Choose 3 students. Have one stand about 6 feet in front of you, another stand 6 feet behind you, and the third student stand 6 feet to the side of you. Do not allow the students to speak to each other. Hold up a 3 x 5” card that has a red dot the size of a quarter drawn in the center of one side of the card, and has a small smiley face drawn in the center of other side. When you hold up the card, lift it straight up and then lower it straight down. Do NOT turn it from side to side. Then ask each student to describe what they just saw. There will be 3 different accounts, all true. These can be pieced together to form a full account.
© 2007
BibleLessons4Kidz.com All rights reserved worldwide. May be reproduced for personal, nonprofit, and non-commercial uses only. Brought to you by KidzLife
Unless otherwise noted the Scriptures taken from: Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version, (NIrV®)
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society / Used by permission of IBS-STL. All rights reserved worldwide.
Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International.
Main Point: Jesus’ death and resurrection fulfilled all of God’s promises.
PPT TITLE
Key Verse:
Jesus explained to them what was said about Himself in all the Scriptures. He began with Moses and all the Prophets. - Luke 24:27
Props: A picture of yourself (teacher), cut into 6 simple puzzle pieces, a 300 piece puzzle; For older students: 8 Old Testament prophecy strips (attached to end of lesson); For younger students: paper megaphone, picture of Bethlehem, paper “donkey ears” attached to a headband, strip of cloth for Judas’ head piece, small bag of coins, wooden cross.
Say: Last week we looked at the VICTORIOUS raising of Jesus from the dead. This is the best part of the Easter story! Not only did Jesus willingly die to take away our sin on the cross, but also He was raised to give us new and abundant life. When you place your trust in Jesus as your Savior, your sins are forgiven, and you are made into a new creation. You are no longer a slave to sin. Jesus sends God’s Holy Spirit to live inside of you, to guide you and to produce spiritual fruit. And you will live with God forever in heaven.
From the beginning, Jesus’ dying on the cross and being raised to life was God’s plan to bring mankind back to Himself (Genesis 3:15). Throughout history, God made promises to His people about the special One who would come to be the Savior of the world. These promises are called PROPHECIES. Teacher: Hold up your Bible. Say: If you brought your Bible this morning, hold it up high so I can see it. Okay, I want everyone to open your Bibles to the place where the New Testament begins. The New Testament begins with the book of Matthew. This is where we see Jesus come into the world as a Baby. The New Testament tells us about Jesus’ life, His death and resurrection, and how the Church grew after His resurrection. It also tells us what will happen in the future. Do you see how much thicker the Old Testament is than the New Testament? The Old Testament tells everything that happened before Jesus came to Earth. Many people think that Jesus is only in the New Testament, but that is not true. Actually, the entire Bible is about Jesus, because the Old Testament tells of God’s promises, or prophesies, about Jesus. A prophecy is telling what is going to happen in the future.
There are hundreds of prophecies about Jesus in the Old Testament. God did not tell His people Jesus’ name, but He told many different things about Him. Each prophecy was like a piece of a puzzle that told a little more about the Messiah, or Savior. Sort of like this: Teacher: Call up a volunteer. Hold up one of the puzzle pieces of your own picture and tell a fact about yourself, such as the place you were born. Say: This person was born in _____. Then, hold up another piece of your puzzle. Say: This person has a pet named _____. Go through all the pieces, and for the final piece, say: This person loves to teach kids about the Bible. Ask your volunteer to put the puzzle together. Ask him or her to tell the class who is in the puzzle. Thank your volunteer.
Say: Through the prophets, God gave over 300 small pieces of information about the Savior, or Messiah. The most amazing part is that God gave all these prophecies hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years before Jesus came to Earth. But when Jesus came, He fulfilled every single prophecy that was told about Him.
Because it was sort of like a puzzle, the Jewish people did not understand who the Messiah would be. Show the pieces of the 300-piece puzzle. Say: It would difficult to get all these pieces, one at a time, and understand what the finished puzzle would look like. Sometimes the people would pick and choose which pieces to remember.
Note to Teacher: The Jews were much more interested in a King who would free them politically, make them a great nation, and usher in victory, than a Messiah who would be a suffering servant.
After Jesus was raised to life on the third day, He appeared to Mary Magdalene. He told her to go tell His disciples that they would see Him soon.
That same day two of Jesus’ followers were going to a village called Emmaus. It was about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.
As they talked about those things, Jesus Himself came up and walked along with them. But God kept them from recognizing Him.
Jesus asked them, “What are you talking about as you walk along?”
They stood still, and their faces were sad. One of them was named Cleopas. He said to Jesus, “You must be a visitor to Jerusalem. If You lived there, You would know the things that have happened there in the last few days.”
“What things?” Jesus asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet. He was powerful in what He said and did in the eyes of God and all of the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed Jesus over to be sentenced to death. They nailed Him to a cross. But we had hoped that He was the one who was going to set Israel free. Also, it is the third day since all this happened.
“Some of our women amazed us too. Early this morning they went to the tomb. But they didn’t find his body. So they came and told us what they had seen. They saw angels, who said Jesus was alive. Then some of our friends went to the tomb. They saw it was empty, just as the women had said. They didn’t see Jesus’ body there.”
Jesus said to them, “How foolish you are! How long it takes you to believe all that the prophets said! Didn’t the Christ have to suffer these things and then receive His glory?”
Jesus explained to them what was said about Himself in all the Scriptures. He began with Moses and all the Prophets. - Luke 24:13-27
Here were two followers of Jesus. They were not part of the twelve disciples, but they were close friends of theirs. On the third day after Jesus’ crucifixion, they were leaving town. They were very sad by what had happened to Jesus. They were crushed that the One that they followed had been killed. Even though Mary and the other disciples told them that Jesus’ body was not in the tomb, they did not realize or understand that He had risen. The two men must have believed that His body had been stolen.
Then, the risen Jesus began to walk with them. We’re not sure how God kept the men from recognizing Jesus, but they thought He must be a stranger who had just arrived in town. They were so surprised that the stranger didn’t know what had happened. Everyone in Jerusalem knew about Jesus being hung on the cross. It was a HUGE event. Everyone was still talking about it days later.
Jesus quickly reminded the two men that the prophets had foretold all of these things. He told them that the Christ, or Messiah, had to suffer and then be raised again. God had promised it in the prophecies. Then Jesus started from the beginning and explained what the Old Testament prophecies had said about Him. But the men still did not know that it was Jesus speaking to them.
Say: We aren’t told exactly which prophecies Jesus talked about with these two men, but let’s look at just a few ourselves. As we read these, try to remember when these were fulfilled.
For OLDER students: Choose eight volunteers who are comfortable and confident reading aloud. Hand the first verse strip to a volunteer and have him read it aloud. Then ask the group when Jesus fulfilled it. Listen for answers. (Students will most likely answer in general terms, not with a Bible verse). Then explain the fulfillment. Say: Remember, each of these Scriptures was written hundreds of years before Jesus was born to Mary.
#1) The Lord who rules over all says, “I will send my messenger. He will prepare my way for me. Then suddenly the Lord you are looking for will come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant will come. He is the one you long for.” - Micah 5:2
Say: This was fulfilled when God sent John the Baptist to tell everyone that Jesus was coming (Luke 1:17, 76-79).
#2) The Lord says,”Bethlehem, you might not be an important town in the nation of Judah. But out of you will come a ruler over Israel for Me. His family line goes back to the early years of your nation. It goes all the way back to days of long ago.” - Micah 5:2
Say: This was fulfilled when Joseph to Mary took Bethlehem to be counted for the census, and Jesus was born there (Luke 2:4-7).
#3) City of Zion, be full of joy! People of Jerusalem, shout! See, your king comes to you. He always does what is right. He has the power to save. He is gentle and riding on a donkey. He is sitting on a donkey’s colt. - Zechariah 9:9
Say: This was fulfilled when Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, as the people shouted, “Hosanna!” (John 12:13-14)
#4) If an enemy were making fun of me, I could stand it. If he were looking down on me, I could hide from him. But it’s you, someone like myself. It’s my companion, my close friend. - Psalm 55:12-13
Say: This was fulfilled when Jesus’ friend and disciple, Judas, betrayed Him (Mark 14:10).
#5) What a good price they had set for me! So I threw the 30 silver coins to the potter in the Lord’s temple. - Zechariah 11:13b
Say: This was fulfilled when the chief priests paid Judas 30 silver coins to betray Jesus. Later, Judas threw the coins into the temple (Matthew 26:14-15, 27:5).
#6) He was beaten down and made to suffer. But he didn’t open his mouth. He was led away like a sheep to be killed. Lambs are silent while their wool is being cut off. In the same way, he didn’t open his mouth. - Isaiah 53:7
Say: This was fulfilled when Jesus allowed the guards to whip Him and beat Him. He did not say a word to defend Himself when He was on trial before Pilate (Matthew 27:27-31, 27:14).
#7) A group of sinful people has closed in on me. They are all around me like a pack of dogs. They have pierced my hands and my feet. - Psalm 22:16
Say: This was fulfilled when Jesus was nailed to the cross (John 20:25).
#8) But the servant was pierced because we had sinned. He was crushed because we had done what was evil. He was punished to make us whole again. His wounds have healed us. - Isaiah 53:5
Say: This was fulfilled when Jesus willingly took ours sins to the cross (1 Peter 2:24). When we believe in Him, we are made new. His punishment saves us and gives us new life. Thank your volunteers.
Say: We could go on and on and on reading Old Testament prophecies about Jesus. There are over 300 prophecies about the Messiah, and Jesus fulfills every one of them. No one else could fulfill all the promises God had made about the Savior of the world.
Author Josh McDowell did the math on this. The chances that one person could fulfill just eight of the prophecies are 1 in 10-to-the-seventeenth-power. That is a 1, followed by 17 zeros! This is the same as covering the entire state of Texas with silver dollars, two feet deep, marking one of them, mixing them all up and having a blind-folded person go in and pick the right one in just one try! Yet, Jesus fulfilled not only eight prophecies, but hundreds! There is no doubt that Jesus was the Messiah sent by God.
For YOUNGER students: Each time you read a prophecy verse aloud, call up a volunteer to hold up the appropriate prop. Then explain when Jesus fulfilled the prophecy.
Have all volunteers continue to stand with their props until you have read all seven prophecies. Say: I will read a verse that is a promise from the Old Testament. Then we will see how God made the promise come true through Jesus.
#1) The Lord who rules over all says, “I will send my messenger. He will prepare my way for me. Then suddenly the Lord you are looking for will come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant will come. He is the one you long for.” - Micah 5:2
Give a volunteer a megaphone to hold. Say: This promise came true when God sent John the Baptist to tell everyone that Jesus was coming (Luke 1:17, 76-79).
#2) The Lord says,”Bethlehem, you might not be an important town in the nation of Judah. But out of you will come a ruler over Israel for Me. His family line goes back to the early years of your nation. It goes all the way back to days of long ago.” - Micah 5:2
Give a volunteer a picture of Bethlehem to hold. Say: This promise came true when Joseph to Mary took Bethlehem to be counted for the census, and Jesus was born there (Luke 2:4-7).
#3) City of Zion, be full of joy! People of Jerusalem, shout! See, your king comes to you. He always does what is right. He has the power to save. He is gentle and riding on a donkey. He is sitting on a donkey’s colt. - Zechariah 9:9
Give a volunteer the donkey ears to wear. Say: This promise came true when Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, as the people shouted, “Hosanna!” (John 12:13-14)
#4) If an enemy were making fun of me, I could stand it. If he were looking down on me, I could hide from him. But it’s you, someone like myself. It’s my companion, my close friend. - Psalm 55:12-13
Choose a volunteer to wear Judas’ headpiece. Say: This promise came true when Jesus’ friend and disciple, Judas, betrayed Him (Mark 14:10).
#5) What a good price they had set for me! So I threw the 30 silver coins to the potter in the Lord’s temple. - Zechariah 11:13b
Give a volunteer a bag of coins to hold. Say: This promise came true when the chief priests paid Judas 30 silver coins to betray Jesus. Later, Judas threw the coins into the temple (Matthew 26:14-15, 27:5).
#6) He was beaten down and made to suffer. But he didn’t open his mouth. He was led away like a sheep to be killed. Lambs are silent while their wool is being cut off. In the same way, he didn’t open his mouth. - Isaiah 53:7
Choose a volunteer and have him cover his mouth with both hands. Say: This promise came true when Jesus allowed the guards to whip Him and beat Him. He did not say a word to defend Himself when He was on trial before Pilate (Matthew 27:27-31, 27:14).
#7) But the servant was pierced because we had sinned. He was crushed because we had done what was evil. He was punished to make us whole again. His wounds have healed us. - Isaiah 53:5
Give a volunteer a cross to hold. Say: This promise came true when Jesus willingly took ours sins to the cross (1 Peter 2:24). When we believe in Him, we are made new. His punishment saves us. Thank your volunteers.
Say: We just read 7 prophecies, but there are hundreds more! We could read these all day long. Jesus fulfilled every promise that God ever made about the Messiah who was going to come to save people from their sins. No one else fulfills these promises - only Jesus.
Say: Jesus explained these things to the two men on the road to Emmaus, because He wanted them to believe in Him. He wanted to take away their sin and give them new life.
The two men approached the village where they were going. Jesus acted as if He were going farther. But they tried hard to keep Him from leaving. They said, “Stay with us. It is nearly evening. The day is almost over.” So He went in to stay with them.
He joined them at the table. Then He took bread and gave thanks. He broke it and began to give it to them. Their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. But then He disappeared from their sight.
They said to each other, “He talked with us on the road. He opened the Scriptures to us. Weren’t our hearts burning inside us during that time?”
They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven [disciples] and those with them. They were all gathered together. They were saying, “It’s true! The Lord has risen! He has appeared to Simon [Peter]!”
Then the two of them told what had happened to them on the way. They told how they had recognized Jesus when He broke the bread. - Luke 24:28-35
Say: Just imagine - after walking all day on the road out of Jerusalem, the two men spun around and went all the way back into Jerusalem. This time, they probably ran! They had the best news ever to share with the disciples. Jesus was alive! They had seen Him with their own eyes. This changed EVERYTHING! Now they were certain that the One they had followed was truly the Messiah. When they reached the disciples, they found out that Jesus had also appeared to Peter.
Application: When Jesus found the two men walking along the road, with their heads down, sad and confused, Jesus gently rebuked them for not knowing what Scripture had foretold about Him. If they had known the Old Testament promises better, they would have understood that what happened on the cross, and at the empty tomb, where all part of God’s amazing plan.
In the same way, God’s word, the Bible, is the best way for us to know Him. Jesus said to abide in Him by remaining in His word (John 15:7). When we know God’s word, we know God. Jesus, Himself, used God’s word to explain who He was to the men. We can also share the truth about Jesus by sharing His word with others.
PPT KEY VERSE
Key Verse:
Jesus explained to them what was said about Himself in all the Scriptures. He began with Moses and all the Prophets. - Luke 24:27
PPT MAIN POINT
Main Point: Jesus’ death and resurrection fulfilled all of God’s promises.
© 2007
BibleLessons4Kidz.com All rights reserved worldwide. May be reproduced for personal, nonprofit, and non-commercial uses only.
Unless otherwise noted the Scriptures taken from: Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version, (NIrV®)
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society / Used by permission of IBS-STL. All rights reserved worldwide.
Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International.