Hi kids!! We are going to learn a little this week about Palm Sunday and the events that happen during Holy Week. This lesson comes from Mighty Messages, Bible-Based Lesson Kit. Our scripture this week comes from Matthew 21:1-11 and Luke 19:39-40.
There is an ancient prophecy at the beginning of the reading. It comes from Zechariah 9:9. It was written more than 500 years before Palm Sunday happened. What do you think it means when something happens that was foretold hundreds of years earlier?
In the part from Luke, the religious leaders of the day told Jesus to rebuke people for quoting the same 500 year old prophecy about him being the Messiah. Rebuke means to correct them and tell them they are wrong. He refused and said that if the people didn’t say it, the rocks and stones would declare that he was the prophecies fulfillment. Why would the religious leaders be unhappy to see their real messiah, instead of happy? (NOTE: These religious leaders are BAD GUYS.)
We celebrate Palm Sunday because people were finally starting to recognize the importance of Jesus. There were other prophets of the day who were performing a few miracles here and there. What made Jesus different?
There are 7 main events in holy week, or the week between Palm Sunday and Easter. Here’s a way we can learn them all by studying these below…
1. Palm Sunday: Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, and many people put Palm branches down for the donkey to walk on as a show of respect for Jesus. Many people thought he was the Messiah, coming to rule Israel.
2. Religious leaders plot to kill Jesus: Jesus was a threat to the religious leaders because he performed miracles and had lots of people believing in him. They wanted the people to keep believing them, so they plotted to have him murdered.
3. Last Supper: On Thursday night, Jesus sat down with his disciples to have passover dinner. He broke bread and said it was a symbol of his body. Then, he blessed wine and said it was the symbol of his blood. He told the disciples he would be murdered and would rise on the 3rd day, and his body and blood were a sacrifice for sins.
4. The Arrest: After supper, Jesus and the disciples went into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. The disciples fell asleep! Jesus prayed, and the soldiers came to arrest him after he was betrayed by his disciple Judas.
5. The Trial: Starting that night, Jesus faced, Annas, Caiaphas, and Pontius Pilate. Pontius Pilate agreed to crucify Jesus between two rebels because the crowd demanded it.
6. The Crucifixion: Jesus was crucified Friday at noon. He lived on the cross for 3 hours, then said to the Father, “Into your hands I commit my spirit.” And he died. There was an eclipse, an earthquake, and the very thick curtain inside the temple was ripped in two.
7. The Resurrection: Some of Jesus’ disciples, Mary Magdalene, and a few other believers saw the empty tomb on Sunday morning. Some saw angels who said, “He is not here; He is risen.” Over the next 40 days, 500 people saw the arisen Jesus.
Questions will follow in the next couple of days… Here are a couple of things I would like you to think about…
What do you think the disciples were thinking when they saw the crowds worshipping Jesus? Talk about your thoughts with your parents.
Also think of a time when you thought that things would go one way but they turned out completely different. What happened? How did you feel? Can you think of any ways you saw God working in the end result?
