THE CRUCIFIXION Elementary Lesson Year Two, Quarter Three, Lesson Twelve SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON The Life of Jesus AIM: to teach my class that we are saved by looking at the cross. OBJECTS TO HAVE: A phone Items, or pictures of items, related to the crucifixion of Jesus, including: A purple robe; A crown of thorns; A rod (stick); A whip; A Cross; Nails. Your Bible. POINT OF CONTACT: How many of you know your own phone number? How many of you know your friend s phone number? How many of you know your grandmother s phone number? These are all very important phone numbers to know. But there is one phone number that you need to know that is more important than any of these. Does anybody think you can tell me what phone number I m talking about? That s right: 9-1-1. Why is 9-1-1 so important? Because it is the number that you call when you have an emergency. If you need to call the police for help in an emergency, all you have to do is pick up the phone and call 9-1-1. The police will do the rest. That makes 9-1-1 a very important number. It could save your life if you are ever in a fire, or if there is ever a terrible accident at your house. You just call 9-1-1. But there is something that you need to know about that is even more important than 9-1-1. You see, before God ever made you, He knew that you would get into trouble because of sin. He knew that because of sin you would owe a sin debt. God knew that the only way you would ever be able to pay that sin debt would be to go to an awful place called Hell forever and ever. But God does not want you to go to Hell to be punished for your sins. So God told you to do something. When you realize that you are a sinner, and that you cannot save yourself from your own sin, God said there is somewhere that you can look to be saved. Let me tell you about it. STORY: Jesus had been preaching for about three years. He had traveled all over the land of Israel telling people how to be saved. He had healed sick people. He had made blind people see again. He had made deaf people hear again. He had made crippled people walk again. He had delivered people who were possessed by demons. He had helped thousands and thousands of people. But believe it or not, though Jesus had done all of this, He had not yet done the main thing that He had come to earth to do. The reason that Jesus had come to earth was to die for the sins of every man, every woman, every boy and every girl in the whole world, who ever had lived, or ever would live. Jesus knew that this was why He had come to earth. Jesus knew what was about to happen. The Pharisees, who were the false teachers in Israel, had the Roman soldiers come and arrest Jesus. They brought him before the Jewish religious leaders, who accused Jesus of doing things He had never done, and of saying things that He had never said. The religious leaders decided that Jesus was guilty, not because there was any evidence, but because they wanted Jesus to stop bothering them with His preaching and teaching. So the religious leaders sent Jesus to the governor of the Romans, who was in control of the nation of Israel at that time. His name was Pilate. It was Pilate s job to decide whether or not Jesus should be put to death for the crime of preaching God s Word. Pilate asked the crowd what he should do with Jesus. The crowd shouted, Crucify Him! But Pilate did not think that Jesus was guilty of anything that deserved death. So he took Jesus inside and asked Him some questions. The more Pilate heard Jesus speak, the more he was convinced that Jesus was not guilty. Pilate brought Jesus back out and told the crowd, He hasn t done anything worthy of death. I will let Him go! But the crowd kept on shouting, Crucify Him! This shouting went on for a long time. Finally, Pilate gave in, and said, Take Him, and crucify Him. As soon as Pilate said, Crucify Him!, the soldiers came and led Jesus away. They took Jesus clothes off of Him, and they whipped Jesus bare back. When they had finished whipping Jesus, while Jesus was bleeding all over, the soldiers put a robe on Him, the kind that a king would wear. Then they found a bush where many long thorns grew, and they took a branch off of that bush and made it into the shape of a crown. They put that crown of thorns on Jesus
head, and pushed the thorns down into His head. Then they put an old stick in Jesus hand, to look like a king s scepter. With Jesus standing there bleeding, wearing a crown of thorns, a blood-soaked robe, and holding an old stick, all of the soldiers and the people bowed down making fun of Him, saying, Hail to the King. Then they stood back up and they began to spit on Jesus and beat Him with their hands. When all of their torture and mockery was finished, they ripped the robe off of Jesus and put His own clothes back on Him. Next they shoved Jesus outside into the street, and they brought a heavy cross made of wood over to Him. They laid that heavy cross on His shoulders, and made Jesus carry it through the streets. When Jesus began to stumble, they grabbed a man standing nearby, and made him help Jesus carry the cross. Jesus carried that cross through the city, all the way out the northern gate to a place called Golgotha. Golgotha means, The place of the skull. It was the place where the thieves and murderers were executed. When Jesus got there with the cross, they had Him put the cross on the ground, and then they laid Jesus down on the cross. They took a hammer and some great big nails, and they nailed His right hand to that cross. Then they nailed His left hand to the cross. Then they put one foot over the other, and they nailed His feet to the cross. After Jesus was nailed to the cross, they picked it up into the air, and dropped it into a hole that they had dug, so that the hole would hold the cross up in the air, with Jesus on it. Jesus hung there for many hours, while people walked by, laughed at Him, cursed Him, and shouted nasty things at Him. Several times during the day as Jesus hung there, He spoke. Once Jesus spoke to the Apostle John who was standing there, and asked John to take care of Mary, His mother. Another time, Jesus spoke to a criminal who was hanging next to Him, who had asked Jesus to save his soul. Jesus assured him that he would be forgiven and have everlasting life. Another time, Jesus asked His heavenly Father to forgive those who had crucified Him. Finally, after a long day of pain and torture, Jesus cried, It is finished. Shortly after that, Jesus died. A soldier came and stuck a spear into Jesus side to be sure that He was dead. After a while they took Jesus body down from that cross. They carried Him to a nearby cave that someone had given, and they buried Him there. Then they rolled a big stone in front of the cave and put guards there, so that no one could steal His body. Now, thank God that this is not the end of the story. Next week I will tell you the end of the story. But today I want to talk about this question: Why did Jesus die there on that cross? Wasn t He God? Couldn t He have beaten all of those people and soldiers? Why did He let them do that to Him? The answer is the best news that you ll ever hear. Jesus died on that cross so that everyone who wants to be saved from sin can look to the cross and be saved. You see, God says that we are all sinners. That means that we have all disobeyed God. God tells us to tell the truth, but we have all lied at least once. That makes us sinners. God tells us to love everyone, yet we all have hatred in our hearts. God tells us to put Him first, yet we all have things that we make more important than God is. We have broken God s commandments many, many times. This proves that we are sinners in God s sight. Because we are sinners, we have been separated from God. He cannot answer our prayers, He cannot bless us, and He cannot allow us to go to heaven with Him some day. The punishment for our sin is death. And when we die, since we cannot go to heaven, the only place where God can send us is a place called Hell. Hell is an awful place, but a real place, that God created for the devil and all of his demons. That s bad news, isn t it? We are all sinners, and we must all be punished in Hell forever? That s terrible news. How can we keep from going to Hell? How can we be saved from our sin? God makes it easy to be saved from our sin: Look unto me, and be ye saved, God says. Jesus died on the cross so that we could look to Him and be saved. How do you look to the cross? By believing on Jesus with your heart. When you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and you trust Him to save you, you are looking to the cross, and God says He will save you from Hell. The Bible doesn t say to look to the Preacher to save you, because the Preacher can t save you. The Bible doesn t say to look to the church to save you, because the church can t save you. The Bible doesn t say to look to the Ten Commandments to save you, because keeping the Ten Commandments can t save you. The Bible says to look to Jesus, who died for your sins, and He will save you. Have you ever looked to Jesus? Do you know that He is in your heart? That s why He died on the cross. He wants you to look to Him, so that He can forgive your sins and take you to heaven when you die. Look to Jesus today! Let s learn our memory verse: Isaiah 45:22 - Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
THE CRUCIFIXION Teen and Adult Lesson Year Two, Quarter Three, Lesson Twelve SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON The Life of Jesus Teacher, choose one of the following truths to expand upon in teaching this portion of Scripture to your teen/adult class. Teach and apply the truth that you choose using statements and illustrations that are most helpful and applicable to your students. I. THE CROSS IS THE CLEAREST EVIDENCE OF GOD S LOVE FOR MAN. Romans 5:6-10, Romans 8:32. God commendeth means God exhibited, that is, God put His love on display on the cross of Calvary. God says, You want to see my love, look at my Son hanging on the cross in your place. God gave His most precious possession, His only irreplaceable resource, so that we could be forgiven and receive everlasting life. God s love for you is never seen more clearly than on the cross of Calvary. You ask, Does God love me? The cross is the only answer you need. II. THE CROSS IS WHAT RECONCILES MAN TO GOD. Colossians 1:20. Our sin made us God s enemies. Surely we do not comprehend the severity of our offense against God. But the more fully you understand the severity of your offenses against Him, the more thankful you will be for the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. That cross allows us to be at peace with our Maker once again. III. THE CROSS MADE POSSIBLE EVERYTHING THAT GOD MAKES AVAILABLE TO MAN. Galatians 6:14. The Bible is packed full of promises and blessings that God has for his people. But they are only available to us after we have made peace with God. Since the cross is what allows us to make peace with God, it is only through the cross that we can partake of the promises and the blessings that God has for us. Christ s sacrifice on the cross is the only means whereby God can forebear in spite of man s rebellion, for all of these centuries. In other words, even the man who refuses God s forgiveness benefits every day from the work of the cross of Christ. IV. THE CROSS WAS GOD S PLAN FOR MAN S REDEMPTION BEFORE MAN WAS CREATED. Revelation 13:8. This verse makes it clear that, before God created man, He made the preparations for man to be forgiven and given new life. The cross was both planned and completed before man was even created. V. THE CROSS WILL NEVER BE UNDERSTOOD OR RESPECTED BY THOSE WHO HAVE NEVER BEEN CHANGED BY IT. I Corinthians 1:18. The cross represents great love to some, while it represents great foolishness and waste to others. People either view it with gratitude or they view it with contempt. Do not expect someone whose life has not been changed by the power of the Gospel to have respect, admiration or gratitude for what Jesus did on Calvary.
The Crucifixion of Jesus Matthew 27:1-66 Jesus, our Substitute I. MATTHEW 27:1-10 Jesus is condemned by the religious leaders He is betrayed by His own II. III. IV. MATTHEW 27:11-25 Jesus is tried by the Roman governor He is silent before His accusers MATTHEW 27:26-32 Jesus is mocked by the Roman soldiers He is tortured, ridiculed, and humiliated MATTHEW 27:33-56 Jesus is crucified at Golgotha 33-38 Jesus is crucified as a criminal 39-49 Jesus is rejected by God and man 50-56 Jesus death shakes the earth V. MATTHEW 27:57-66 Jesus is buried in the tomb of a wealthy man His enemies still feared Him after His death Adult Bible Class
THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS Jesus died on the cross for our sins, so that we can be forgiven, receive everlasting life, and enjoy all of the blessings that God has for us on this earth. Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. Isaiah 45:22
The Crucifixion of Jesus Circle the letter next to the correct answer to each question from today s Bible story. 1. About how long did Jesus ministry on earth last? a. about one year b. about three years c. about five years 2. What was the main thing that Jesus came to earth to do? a. heal sick people b. feed the hungry c. die for the sins of all people 3. Who were the Pharisees? a. religious leaders b. farmers c. artists 4. What was the name of the Roman governor in Israel? a. Wyatt b. Violet c. Pilate 5. What was the crowd shouting about Jesus? a. Crucify Him! b. Away with Him! c. We hate Him! 6. The soldiers put a crown on Jesus head that was made of what? a. gold b. thorns c. silver 7. Which word means, the place of the skull? a. Calvary b. Golgotha c. Gethsemane 8. What did they use to hang Jesus on the cross? a. rags b. vines c. nails in Jesus hands and feet 9. Who did Jesus ask to take care of His mother? a. John b. Matthew c. Peter 10. How do we get to Heaven? a. by being good b. by going to church c. By receiving Jesus, because He died for our sins Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. Isaiah 45:22
The Crucifixion of Jesus The answers to today s puzzle 1. About how long did Jesus ministry on earth last? a. about one year b. about three years c. about five years 2. What was the main thing that Jesus came to earth to do? a. heal sick people b. feed the hungry c. die for the sins of all people 3. Who were the Pharisees? a. religious leaders b. farmers c. artists 4. What was the name of the Roman governor in Israel? a. Wyatt b. Violet c. Pilate 5. What was the crowd shouting about Jesus? a. Crucify Him! b. Away with Him! c. We hate Him! 6. The soldiers put a crown on Jesus head that was made of what? a. gold b. thorns c. silver 7. Which word means, the place of the skull? a. Calvary b. Golgotha c. Gethsemane 8. What did they use to hang Jesus on the cross? a. rags b. vines c. nails in Jesus hands and feet 9. Who did Jesus ask to take care of His mother? a. John b. Matthew c. Peter 10. How do we get to Heaven? a. by being good b. by going to church c. By receiving Jesus, because He died for our sins