This week we are covering the last major event of Holy Week until Sunday...
Mark highlighted the mocking of Jesus more than any other Gospel writer. Jesus was mocked by soldiers. He was mocked by passersby. He was mocked by the two thieves occupying crosses next to Him.
Ironically, we still find truths in their mocking. For example, they mocked Him for saying the temple would be destroyed and rebuilt in three days. But what they didn’t realize was that when Jesus said He would raise the temple in three days, He was using the physical temple as a metaphor for His body, which is the true temple of God.
Furthermore, through His cross and resurrection, Jesus would fulfill everything that the temple prefigured. Through His death, there would be no more need for temple sacrifices because God and sinner would be reconciled through Him. Through the cross, the presence of God is no longer found in a place but in a person—Jesus.
*Devo from Pastor Brian, from The Gospel Project.
#JesusJams for today!
---> And here's this week's story!!
Christ Connection: We deserve to die because of our sin, but God loves us and kept His promise to send a Savior. Jesus never sinned, but He died in our place. He was the blood sacrifice made once and for all for the forgiveness of sin. Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, and those who trust in Him have forgiveness and eternal life.
If you have a bible at your house, you'll be turning to Matthew 26 to read with your family this week! If you don't have one, that's okay! CLICK HERE.
OPTION 1: Crime and punishment Write silly ideas for crimes on index cards, such as eating too many bananas, wearing more than one hat at a time, or sleeping in your shoes. Allow the kids to take turns drawing cards and brainstorming ideas for punishments that might fit the given crime. End the game with a card that says live a perfectly holy and obedient life. SAY • Obviously, none of those crimes were really illegal. No one will be punished for eating too many bananas, though if you do, you could get a stomachache. But that last card was especially odd. Today we will learn about a time Jesus was punished despite living a perfectly holy and obedient life.
OPTION 2: Ink blob art Before the session, place a small blob of black ink near the center of each sheet of heavyweight paper. Fold the sheets in half, forcing the ink to spread into an abstract shape. Unfold the sheets and allow them to dry. During the session, distribute an ink blob sheet to each kid. Give them time to turn their blob into an artwork using crayons, markers, or colored pencils. SAY •Those blobs of ink looked like mistakes. Even so, you were able to turn them into wonderful works of art. In a similar way, God can take any sad, scary, or difficult situation and turn it into something wonderful. Today we will learn about the saddest day in history and why we call that day Good Friday.
OPTION 3: The ultimate price Write various prices on the price tags and label different toys, games, or classroom supplies in the room. Provide the kids with play money and help them use their play money to “purchase” different objects to play with. After a few minutes, gather the kids to discuss their purchase choices. SAY • You all had different reasons for buying the toys and games you bought. In our story today, we learned about the price Jesus paid to rescue us from sin. Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins. There was no other way for us to have forgiveness and eternal life with God. Jesus showed His incredible love for us by paying the ultimate price.
UNIT QUESTION:
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