He is Risen!

Scripture: For younger children read Matthew 28: 1- 10.  

For older children read Matthew 28: 1 – 10, Luke 24: 13 – 49, John 20:24 – 29 or Pages 456 – 458 in The Golden Children’s Bible 

Target Age Group:  1st through 6th grade

Welcome the children to the classroom and chat with them about their week as they gather around the table.

Pray and ask God to teach the children not just head knowledge, but also heart knowledge.

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Bible Lesson:
Have the children open their Bibles to Matthew 28 or pages 456 – 458 in The Golden Children’s Bible.

(Read the story to the children because at this age some of the children do not read smoothly, which hinders comprehension for the whole class.)

Matthew 28: 1 – 10

  After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

  There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.  His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

  The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

  So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.  Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.  Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

• What happened as the two Marys went to the tomb on Sunday morning? There was a violent earthquake when an angel came down and rolled the stone away.
• What happened to the guards?  The were so afraid that they fainted.
• What did the angel say to the women?  To not be afraid. That Jesus had risen and wasn’t there anymore.  To look where he had been laid.  To go and tell the disciples that Jesus would come to see them.
• Who came to see them as they ran back to find the disciples?  Jesus
• What did the women do when they saw him?  They fell at his feet and worshiped him.
• What did Jesus tell them to do?  Go and tell the others to go to Galilee to see him there.

Luke 24: 13 – 49

   Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.  They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.  As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”

They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

“What things?” he asked.

“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.  The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him;  but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning  but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive.  Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”

  He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken!  Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”  And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

  As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther.  But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.

  When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.  Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.  They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

• What happened as two of the disciples were going to Emmaus?  Jesus came and walked along with them.
• Did they recognized Jesus? No.
• Jesus asked them what they were talking about and they told him about the events of the week.  Why were they disappointed?  Because they thought that Jesus was going to save Israel, but he was crucified instead.
• How did Jesus react to that? “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”  and he explained the scriptures to them.
• When did the disciples finally realize that it was Jesus? When he broke the bread.

They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together  and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.”  Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

  While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

  They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.  He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?  Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”

  When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.  And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”  They gave him a piece of broiled fish,  and he took it and ate it in their presence.

  He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

  Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.  He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,  and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  You are witnesses of these things.  I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

• Where did the two disciples go after they saw Jesus?  They went back to Jerusalem and told the other disciples.
• While they were talking what happened?  Jesus appeared to them.
• How did he convince them that he wasn’t a ghost?  He had them touch him.  And he ate bread.

John 20:24 – 29

  Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.  So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

  A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “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!”

  Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

• Who wasn’t there with the disciples when Jesus came?  Thomas
• Did he believe them when they told him about Jesus being alive?  No.
• A week later Jesus came again.  What did he say to Thomas?  “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
• Who did Jesus say was more blessed than Thomas?  Those who believe without seeing.
• Do you believe without having seen Jesus alive? (Let them ponder this. Don’t force anyone to answer.)
• Let’s pray and ask Jesus to take away any doubts that we have about who he is and what he has done for us…

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During the remaining class time do activities that help to reinforce what the children have learned. Here are some suggestions…

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Memorize the verse.

Matthew 28:6a (NIV)

 “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.”

Here is an egg hunt activity from Answers in Genesis to help them learn the verse.

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Share a video of this story:

Video #2 from Crossroads Kids’ Club

Video #3 from Crossroads Kids’ Club

Video #4  from Crossroads Kids’ Club

Video #5 from What’s in the Bible?

Video #6

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Read the story “I Can’t See It” from Keys for Kids.

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Share the children’s sermon, “He is Risen” by Sermons4kids.   or “It’s Empty” by Sermons4kids.

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Here are some really cute crafts for this lesson and Easter from Amy’s Free Ideas. Scroll down. Amy also has a very cute booklet craft here.

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Have the children fill out these worksheets and color pages from Calvary Curriculum.

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There are several ideas for an empty tomb craft.

#1  from Sunday School Network

#2  from No Longer Conforming…

#3 from the Oriental Trading Company’s Free and Fund Easter

#4  from Catholic Icing

#5 from Amy’s Free Ideas

#6 from Smarty Pants Fun

I used the angel and Jesus patterns from #3 and the tomb pattern from #4.

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This craft is from Auntie’s Bible Lessons.

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There are some great ideas here at Bible Fun For Kids.

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Have the children make this empty tomb craft from Crafting the Word of God.

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Make a Jesus’ Resurrection magic window from Bible Class Creations.

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My Little House has paper figures that you can make to act out the story.

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Make handprint Easter Lilies.

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Have the children help Mary find the tomb with this maze puzzle from Sermons4kids.  Older  kids will like this maze, and younger kids will enjoy this maze from BibleWise.  Or review the events of the Holy Week with this true of false worksheet from Bible Wise.

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Here is a detective puzzle to find out what the first witnesses saw. This worksheet is from BibleWise.

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Have the children do this matching worksheet from Bible Wise.

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Have the children do a crossword puzzle by Sermons4kids.

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Play the song “The Easter Song” by Keith Green or by the 2nd Chapter of Acts.  Better yet, make a music video with your imovie program. Wonderful!!! Get them on itunes.

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Sing “Alive, Alive” by the Countdown Kids, or “He Made Him” or “Wages” from the Workmanship Album by Mary Rice Hopkins.

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Have the children use colors or pastels to draw their own vision of the story on a sketch pad page. Or have them color a color page related to the story.

Color page #1,

Color page  #2,

Color page #3,

Color page #4,

Color page #5 from Crafting the Word of God

Color page #6 from Crafting the Word of God

Color page #7 from What’s in the Bible?

There are several color pages featuring this story here at My Little House.

An excellent color page book is “Through-the-Bible Coloring Pages For Ages 4-8” by Janet Skiles.  The pages are reproducible.

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Serve these cute Empty Tomb Treats for snack time.

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Evaluate what the children have learned.  While they are coloring or crafting ask each one what they learned today.

Send each child’s parent an e-mail (or a hard copy) of the  Parents’ Page.

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Lesson Index

The Crucifixion

Scripture: Matthew 27, Luke 23, John 19 or pages 450 – 455 in The Golden Children’s Bible

Target Age Group:  1st through 6th grade

Welcome the children to the classroom and chat with them about their week as they gather around the table.

Pray and ask God to teach the children not just head knowledge, but also heart knowledge.

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Bible Lesson:
Have the children open their Bibles to Matthew 27, Luke 23, and John 19 or pages 450 – 455 in The Golden Children’s Bible.  I have written pieces of each chapter to put the story in order as it is written in The Golden Children’s Bible.  This is a long story, so stop along the way to ask questions that highlight the events.

(Read the story to the children because at this age some of the children do not read smoothly, which hinders comprehension for the whole class.)

The Golden Children’s Bible p. 450 – 455

Matthew 27: 27 – 31

Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him.  They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.  They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

• What did the soldiers dress Jesus in? a scarlet robe and a crown of thorns.
• What did they put in his right hand? a staff
• What did they say to him? “Hail, king of the Jews!”
• Then what did they do to him?  They spit on him and hit him in the head with the staff many times.
• Can you imagine how Jesus must have felt?

Luke 23 : 26 – 34

As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.  A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.  Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.  For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’  Then“‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.  When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.  Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

• What did the soldiers make Simon from Cyrene do?  carry Jesus’ cross for him
• When he was crucified, what did Jesus say? “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

John 19: 23 – 27

When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

“Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”

This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,

“They divided my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.”

So this is what the soldiers did.

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.  When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

• What prophecy was fulfilled?  That the soldiers would cast lots for his garment.
• What does it mean to cast lots?  It would have been a game to win his garment – like tossing a coin, or drawing straws.
•   What did Jesus say to his mother?  “Woman, here is your son”
• What did he mean by that?  John was to take her into his house and take care of her as his mother.

Matthew 27: 39- 49

Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”  In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked 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, and we will believe in him.  He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”  In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.  About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”

Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink.  The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

• What happened from noon until three in the afternoon?  It got dark
• At three, what did Jesus say?   “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
• What drink did the soldier offer Jesus?  Vinegar
• Have you ever tasted vinegar?  It’s pretty bad isn’t it. That would have been a terrible drink.

Luke 23 : 38 – 49

There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?  We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

  Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

  Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

  It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.  Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” (And after this he said, “It is finished.”) When he had said this, he breathed his last.

  The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.”  When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away.  But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

• What did the sign above Jesus say? THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS
• How did the criminal insult Jesus? “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
• The other criminal defended Jesus saying that he was being crucified even though he was innocent.  He then said to Jesus, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  How did Jesus answer him? “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
•   What happened to the curtain in the temple?  It was torn in two.
• Does anybody know why the curtain was torn in two?  Because we can pray directly to God through Jesus now instead of going through the priest.
•   What did the centurion say when Jesus died? “Surely this was a righteous man.”
• If Jesus didn’t sin, why did He die on the cross?  (Remind the children of the story of the passover lamb that had to be perfect.  To pay for our sins, Jesus had to be perfect, too.)
•   How do you think that you would have reacted if you had been there an watched this happen? 

John 19: 31 – 34

     Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.  The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other.  But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.  Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.

• Why did the soldier pierce Jesus side with a spear?  To make sure that he was dead

Matthew 27: 57 – 66

  As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus.  Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him.  Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,  and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.  Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

  The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate.  “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’  So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

  “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.”  So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

•   Who’s tomb was Jesus buried in? Joseph of Arimathea
•   Why did the priests and Pharisees ask Pilate to seal the tomb?  Jesus had promised that he would rise in 3 days, so they didn’t want the disciples to steal the body to make it look like he had risen from the dead.
• How did they secure the tomb?  They sealed it and posted a guard.
• Let’s pray and thank Jesus for dying on the cross for us…

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During the remaining class time do activities that help to reinforce what the children have learned. Here are some suggestions…

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Memorize the verse.

1 Peter 3:18a   “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”

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Share  the object lesson “Paid in Full” from Sermons4kids

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Have the children make the “Colors of Christ” cross necklace.

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Make cross Stained Glass Window Sun Catchers from Crafting the Word of God.

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Read the story “Finished” by Keys for Kids.

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Share the clip of this story from “The Jesus Film”   or “The Story of Jesus for Children”

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Have the children use colors or pastels to draw their own vision of the story on a sketch pad page. Or have them color a color page related to the story.

Color page #1

color page #2 (scroll down)

color page #3

color page #4

color page #5

Color page #6 from What’s in the Bible?

There are several color pages here.

An excellent color page book is “Through-the-Bible Coloring Pages For Ages 4-8” by Janet Skiles.  The pages are reproducible.

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Have the children fill in this forgiveness worksheet , or this sign on the cross worksheet from Bible Wise.

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Sing “He Made Him”, “All We Like Sheep” or “Wages” by Mary Rice Hopkins.

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Serve cross shaped sugar cookies for snack time.

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Evaluate what the children have learned.  While they are coloring or crafting ask each one what they learned today.

Send each child’s parent an e-mail (or a hard copy) of the Parents’ Page.

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Lesson Index

The Last Supper

Scripture:  Luke 22: 7 – 20 and John 13: 3 – 30 or pages 440 – 443 in The Golden Children’s Bible

Target Age Group:  1st through 6th grade

Welcome the children to the classroom and chat with them about their week as they gather around the table.

Pray and ask God to teach the children not just head knowledge, but also heart knowledge.

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Bible Lesson:
Have the children open their Bibles to Luke 22: 7 – 20 and John 13: 3 – 30 or pages 440 – 443 in The Golden Children’s Bible

(Read the story to the children because at this age some of the children do not read smoothly, which hinders comprehension for the whole class.)

 Introduction:

Have you ever painted a picture of an event before the event happened?  Do you think that anybody can paint a picture of an event before it happened?  It would be hard to paint a picture if you didn’t know what was going to happen yet, wouldn’t it.  But, God knows what will happen, doesn’t He.  He filled the Old Testament full of pictures that He has painted of who? That’s right, Jesus.  The Old Testament always points us to Jesus by showing us who He would be and what He would be like.  

Well, do you remember the story of Moses and the Israelites on the night when they were to paint their doorposts with the blood of a perfect lamb?  Do you remember why they had to do that?   Because the angel of death would come that night and kill all of the first-born boys unless they had the blood on their doorposts.  So, the Israelites were saved by the blood of the lamb.  Every year after that they would remember how God saved them by celebrating the Passover meal.  

That story was a picture of who?  That’s right. It was to show us what Jesus would do.  He is the Lamb of God, isn’t He.  And He would die on the cross and shed his blood to save us from our sins.  

But, the disciples didn’t understand that yet.  Jesus had to show them that He himself was the Passover Lamb.  So, when they all sat down to the Passover meal He said, “This is my body” and “This is my blood.”  And He told them that from that day forward when they celebrated the Passover they were to do it to remember him.  

Let’s read the story….

Luke 22: 7 – 20

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.  Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.”

“Where do you want us to prepare for it?” they asked.

He replied, “As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters,  and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ He will show you a large room upstairs, all furnished. Make preparations there.”

They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.

When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 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.”  When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table.  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.”

After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you.  For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

John 13: 3 – 30

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.  After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.”  For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.  “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.  Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.  I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.  Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.  Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

“I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’…

After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”

His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant.  One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”

Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”

Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.  As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.”  But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him.  Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

• What Jewish holiday were Jesus and the disciples celebrating?  the Passover
• What was the Passover story?  The night that the Israelites left Egypt they were to paint their doorposts with the blood of a lamb.  If they had the blood on the doorpost their oldest sons’ lives were spared.  Every year after that the Jewish people celebrated the passover feast, which helped them to remember that event.
• Where did Jesus tell the disciples to get the passover meal ready?  In the upper room.  The house of a man carrying a jar of water.
• What did Jesus say that the bread represented? His body
• What did Jesus say that the wine represented?  His blood
• How is Jesus’ body and blood like the body and blood of the Passover Lamb? His death on the cross saves us from our sins and eternal death.
• What else did Jesus do to serve the disciples?  He washed their feet.
• We don’t wash each other’s feet today do we.  In Jesus’ time instead of shoes they wore sandals and their feet would get dirty.  So, they would wash their feet when they came into the house.
• Who told Jesus that he didn’t want him to wash his feet?  Simon Peter
• Why do you think that he didn’t want Jesus to wash his feet?  Because he thought that he should wash Jesus’ feet.
• How did Jesus answer Peter? “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
• Then what did Peter say? “Then, Lord, not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
• Why did Jesus wash their feet?  To show them that they should likewise serve each other.  To demonstrate that He would wash away their sins.
• What act of servanthood would Jesus do the next day?  Die on the cross for our sins.
• Do you think that Jesus wanted the disciples to also be willing to give up their own lives to serve Him and others?  Yes
• What did Jesus say one of the disciples would do?  betray him
• Peter asked Jesus who the betrayer was.  What did Jesus say?  “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.”
• Which disciple received the bread?  Judas
• What did  Judas do after that?  He went out into the night to betray Jesus.
• Let’s pray and thank Jesus for giving his life for us and let’s promise to never betray him…

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During the remaining class time do activities that help to reinforce what the children have learned. Here are some suggestions…

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Memorize the verse.

John 1:29b (KJV) “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

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Have the children use colors or pastels to draw their own vision of the story on a sketch pad page. Or have them color a color page related to the story.

Here is a perfect color page from Kids Talk About God.

Color page #1

Color page #2

Color page #3 from Crafting the Word of God

Color Page #4

Color page #5

Color page #6 from What’s in the Bible? (Last Supper color page)

An excellent color page book is “Through-the-Bible Coloring Pages For Ages 4-8” by Janet Skiles.  The pages are reproducible.

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Show a video of this story:

Video #1 from Crossroads Kids’ Club

Video #2 from The Jesus Film

My favorite video for this story is“The Servant King” from The Jesus Story Book Bible.  (Make sure that, if you buy it,  you order the collector’s edition or the curriculum edition, which has the DVD with the stories animated and narrated.  It’s wonderful.)  This video is similar, but someone has re-animated and only covers half of the story.  The original also talks about the bread and the wine, which is the most important part of the story.

This is a wonderful video, that demonstrates the connection between the Passover and the death of our Lord.

And this video, “Messiah in the Passover”  from Zola Levitt is for the teacher.

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Mission Bible Class has an excellent lesson with a great introduction idea.

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This is the perfect craft for this lesson from Auntie’s Bible Lessons.  She has another worksheet for this lesson here.

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Recreate a Seder Dinner with Jesus.  There are more ideas here and here.  Learn more about Passover at Messianic Education Trust.

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Share the music video of the song “Behold the Lamb” by Keith & Kristyn Getty.

Another good one is “In Remembrance of Me” by Cheri Keaggy

Or make your own music video with your i-movie program.  I did mine with the song “Come to the Table” by Michael Card.

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Share this object lesson   or this one   from sermons4kids.

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Here are some puzzles and work sheets from Kids Clubs 4 Jesus.  And there are more here  from Calvary Curriculum.  Or have them do this crossword puzzle from Bible Wise.

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Have the children make the booklet “Jesus Eats with His Friends” or “Washing Feet” by Jill Kemp and Richard Gunther from Lamb Songs.   Scroll Down.

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This is a cute craft that helps the kids focus on the fact that Jesus is Himself the Passover Lamb.

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Here are some great ideas for older kids.

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Have the older children split into 2 groups and pretend to do a TV news report of the first Passover and the Last Supper.

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Evaluate what the children have learned.  While they are coloring or crafting ask each one what they learned today.

Send each child’s parent an e-mail (or a hard copy) of the Parents’ Page.

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Jesus Enters Jerusalem

Scripture: Luke 19: 28 – 44 and Matthew 21: 1 – 11 or pages 428 – 429 in the Children’s Golden Bible.

Devotional for the Teacher: Sermon Audio – “Hoshiana” by Pastor Joseph LoSardo

Target Age Group:  1st through 6th grade

Welcome the children to the classroom and chat with them about their week as they gather around the table.

Pray and ask God to teach the children not just head knowledge, but also heart knowledge.

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Bible Lesson:

Object Lesson: Before going to the Bible, share this “Rock Concert” object lesson from Sermons4kids.
Have the children open their Bibles to Luke 19: 28 – 44 and Matthew 21: 1 – 11 or pages 428 – 429 in the Children’s Golden Bible.

(Read the story to the children because at this age some of the children do not read smoothly, which hinders comprehension for the whole class.)

• Where was Jesus going in this story?  to Jerusalem
• What did He tell his disciples to do?  “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.  If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
• Why do you think that Jesus had them bring a donkey instead of a horse?   Read Zechariah 9:9  Jesus was fulfilling this prophecy and showing himself to be the King.  “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!  Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!  See, your king comes to  you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
• The disciples brought the donkey and Jesus rode on it.  What did the people in the crowd do? They put their coats and palm branches on the road in front of Jesus to ride on.
• What did the people shout? “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
• Does anybody know what Hosanna means?  It means “save us now”.
• Do you think that the people understood what kind of a King and Saviour Jesus was? No.Read Luke 19: 41-44   As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it  and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.  The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.  They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
• Do you think that the religious leaders understood the prophecy?
• What did the Pharisees say? “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”  Rebuke means to reprimand or to scold.  They were asking Jesus to explain to his disciples that they were wrongly calling him the Messiah.
• How did Jesus answer them? “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
• When asked who Jesus was, what did the people answer?  “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
• The people thought that Jesus was going to be an earthly king who would save them from the Romans.  But, He was a different kind of a King wasn’t he.  He wanted to be the King of their hearts.  Have you made Jesus the King of your heart? (Don’t press anyone to answer. Let them ponder the question.)
• Let’s pray and thank Jesus for coming and let’s ask him to be the King of our hearts…

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During the remaining class time do activities that help to reinforce what the children have learned. Here are some suggestions…

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Memorize the verse.

Matthew 21:5 “Your king comes to you. He is gentle and riding on a donkey.”

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Show a video of this story:

Video #1  from Crossroads Kids’ Club

Show a video clip of this story from the movie Jesus of Nazareth or The Jesus Film.

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Here are some really cute crafts for this lesson and Easter from Amy’s Free Ideas. This is a challenging craft, so for younger children, assemble the scenes for each child ahead of time, then let them color them during class time. (The scenes will lay flat to allow them to color them.)  I shrunk the size of the Jesus on the donkey so that the people were the same size as the background people.  Print the background and the pull strips on card stock at a printing store. I printed the Jesus and his disciples on plain paper so that it was easy to fold and paste to the pull strip.

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This Palm Sunday spinner  from Flame Creative Children’s Ministry is an easy craft to make, and sure to be a big hit.  This site also has a great palm leaf craft idea.

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Act out the story.  Here is a great idea for a donkey from Bible Class Creations.

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There are lots of great ideas here at Bible Fun For Kids by Debbie Jackson.

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Have the children do this maze puzzle, this decoder puzzle, or this one  or this one from Bible Wise.

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Have the children fill out these worksheets and color page from Calvary Curriculum.

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Share this children’s sermon or this one from Sermons4kids.  or this one.  Don’t forget the activities at the bottom of the page!

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Have the children make a booklet of the story “Jesus Rides a Donkey to Church” by Jill Kemp and Richard Gunther at Lamb Songs. (Scroll Down)

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Have the children make this fan fold palm craft  or this palm leaf craft.   Or Have the children make this Palm Fan from Crafting the Word of God.

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Once they have made their palm branches, have the children parade around the room while Singing “Shout Hosanna” by the Donut Man. Then sing “Who’s the King of the Jungle?” by Concordia Publishing House. You can find them both on i-tunes.  Then sing Ho-Ho-Ho-Hosanna by the Cedarmont kids. Older kids will enjoy Hosanna by Hillsong.

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Play one of these Palm Sunday games, or one of these activities  or one of these.

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Have the children make a paper bag donkey  or this paper plate donkey .

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This is a cute donkey craft from Oriental Trading Company.

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Have the children make this Palm Leaf Sun Catcher from Crafting the Word of God.

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Play pin the tail on the donkey.

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Have the children fill out this  crossword puzzle by Sermons4kids .  There are activities and puzzle pages at the bottom of this page from Sermons4kids.

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The older kids might enjoy this puzzle  or this one .

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Have the children use colors or pastels to draw their own vision of the story on a sketch pad page. Or have them color a color page related to the story.

color page #1

color page #2

Color Page #3

Color page #4 from Crafting the Word of God

Color page #5 from What’s in the Bible? (Palm Sunday Color Page)

Color Page #6

Color Page #7

Color Page #8 from Bible Wise. (This is also a puzzle.)

An excellent color page book is “Through-the-Bible Coloring Pages For Ages 4-8” by Janet Skiles.  The pages are reproducible.

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Sing:

“Savior Coming” from Crossroads Kids’ Club .

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Evaluate what the children have learned.  While they are coloring or crafting ask each one what they learned today.

Send each child’s parent an e-mail (or a hard copy) of the Parents’ Page.

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