Our Guide Published by the Protestant Reformed Sunday School Association Writer: Don Doezema Artist: Connie Meyer Designers: Judi Doezema & Brenda Brands for little ones IN THE SUNDAY SCHOOL Jesus Last Visit to the Temple Matthew 23 When Jesus was just a boy of 12 years old, He went to Jerusalem with His parents for the Passover Feast. Do you remember that story? On that visit to Jerusalem, Jesus went into the temple of God. He liked that. And He heard there the Jewish rabbis, or teachers, telling the people about the Bible. Jesus really liked that. He liked to learn more about the Old Testament prophecies. Soon He was asking the rabbis questions, and even answering their questions. So much did Jesus enjoy learning from the rabbis that, you will remember, He stayed behind listening to them when everyone else in His company headed back home. Lesson 40 That was Jesus first visit to the temple. Our story for today is about His last visit there. It is again the time of the Passover Feast. Jesus is not this time in the temple as a learner, but as a teacher. Multitudes of people are in the temple. And they gather now, not around the Jewish rabbis, but around Jesus. They want to hear Him. For He has become the most famous, the most popular, teacher in all the land. The scribes and Pharisees, the Jewish rabbis, are gathered around Jesus too. But not to learn. They are jealous of Jesus. They hate Him. They are Note to Parents: These papers are intended for the younger Sunday School students grade 3 and below. Vocabulary and concepts are such that children in this age group, even the 3rd graders, will profit most if the stories are read to them, not by them. Most lessons have two stories, for two sittings if that proves to be beneficial. Our hope is that parents will find these lessons to be useful tools in the teaching of Bible stories and Bible truths to their children in the off season.
Lesson 40 2 afraid of Him, because of all the people who seem so much to like Him. They are in fact making plans to kill Him. Jesus knows all of that. He knows that, after this day, He will never set foot in the temple again. Never again will a multitude, the people and their wicked leaders, be gathered around Him to hear Him preach. This will be, we might say, His farewell sermon. What, now, will Jesus say to, and about, the scribes and Pharisees? Listen. Are you surprised to hear that the first thing Jesus said to the people about the scribes and Pharisees was that they should be sure to obey them? That s right, the people must listen to the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus Himself, remember, had learned from them. Jesus was not mistaken when, at 12 years old, He enjoyed learning from the rabbis, from the scribes and Pharisees. It wasn't just that He was too young to know any better. He did right by listening to them. Why? It s because, Jesus said, the scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses seat. That is, they teach the law of Moses. Not always did the rabbis themselves understand the law of Moses. But when they do teach it, the people must do as they say. Yes, do as they say, Jesus said. But do not do as they do. That was Jesus solemn warning. The people needed that. Truth is, they admired the Pharisees. They looked up to them. They thought that if there were any holy people in the land, it was certainly the Pharisees. That, Jesus said, is a mistake. But how can that be, the people must have wondered. Look at the way the Pharisees dress. Listen to the Pharisees pray. See how careful the Pharisees are to obey the law of God. Should not every good Jew try to be like them? Should not every Jew try to do as they do? No, Jesus said, they shouldn t. Then Jesus, who knows the hearts of men, told the people what the Pharisees were really like. Notice, Jesus said, what the Pharisees do. They make broad their phylacteries! That s a big word, isn t it. It was, however, a big name for a little thing. Phylacteries were tiny boxes. Inside each of those little boxes was a little piece of paper, on which was written a verse from the Bible. The Jews would often tie a phylactery to their forehead, and another to their left arm, before they prayed. This could be a help. It could help them think about God when they prayed, so that they would not just say words. Those who were spiritually minded, those who really wanted to pray aright, would wear those phylacteries during their morning prayers. But the Pharisees did more than that. They sometimes wore the phylacteries all day long. And they made the straps of the phylacteries, not narrow, but broad so that everyone would see right away that they were wearing phylacteries. Everybody, that is, could see how very pious they were.
That s right, that s why the scribes and Pharisees wore the phylacteries so everybody would see how pious they were. They liked, too, to have the chief seats in the synagogues so everybody could see how important they were. And they liked to be called Rabbi, Rabbi so that everybody would know how wise they were. And, Jesus said, for pretense, that is, for show, they made long prayers so that everybody could see how close to God they lived. All for show. It was as if the Pharisees wore masks, pretending to be something that they really were not. But Jesus is not fooled by masks. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, Jesus said. Why? Because all their works they do for to be seen of men. But... but..., the people might wonder, what about the law? Do not the scribes and Pharisees have a zeal for the law? Are they not ever so careful to obey the law? And isn t that good? It might indeed look that way. But think, Jesus said, about what the Pharisees actually do. The law said that they must tithe, that is, give a tenth of their earnings to the Lord. Well, the Pharisees will do that even to the point of tithing mint and anise and cummin, the little plants that grew in their gardens. So careful are the Pharisees to obey the law! But then there are, Jesus said, the weightier matters of the law. Like justice. And mercy. Did the scribes and Pharisees care at all about mercy? Well, just think of how they treated publicans, and sinners, and beggars. No, not mercy 3... just tithing mint... that s what they cared about. Such was the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees and of all who thought as they thought and did as they did. It was a righteousness of works. We are children of Abraham, they boasted. And we keep the law of God even to the tithing of mint. Heaven, therefore, belongs to us. We do not need a Savior from sin. We can make it on our own. For sure, we do not need a Messiah like... Jesus. Never will He be our Lord. Woe unto you! Jesus said. Your fathers killed the prophets. You may say, Oh, but we would never do anything like that. We honor the prophets. Why, we even polish their tombstones. But the truth is that you will finish the work of your fathers. You polish the tombs of the prophets but you kill the Messiah of whom they prophesied. Behold, Jesus said, your house is left unto you desolate. No greater woe can possibly be imagined. Your temple, your nation left empty! Abandoned by God! Then there s one last word of warning from Jesus. Listen. Someday, Jesus said to the Jews, you will see Me again. And in that great day you will know, what you refuse to believe now, that I am Lord. How Well Did You Listen? 1. What did Jesus do in the temple when He was 12 years old?
2. On Jesus last visit to the temple, what people gathered around Him to hear what He had to say? 3. Why did the people in Jesus day look up to the Pharisees? 4. What were phylacteries? When did the Pharisees like to wear them? 5. Why did the Pharisees like to make long prayers? Greeks Desire to See Jesus John 12:20-36 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. Jesus said that to... the Jews! The Jews... children of Abraham, who had for hundreds of years been God s special people! The Jews... who had for hundreds of years looked forward to the coming of their Messiah, who, they were sure, would make of them a great nation! And now Jesus tells them that no glory lies in their future. Their house, their temple, will soon be left empty, and their nation destroyed. Can you imagine what the Jews thought of that? Ah, Jesus knew what they thought. He knew that they were furious, and that their fury would soon be poured out on Him. Soon they will bind Him. They will condemn Him to death. They will spit in His face. They will turn Him over to Pilate to be whipped and crucified. And when He hangs on the cross they will mock Him. It will look, then, as if they are the winners, and it is Jesus who goes down to defeat. But wait. What is this that we 4 Lesson 40 see? Some Greeks! And they want to see Jesus! Greeks. Who are they? They are Gentiles. Some Gentiles do come to the Jews Feast of Passover, but they are really outsiders, because they are not children of Abraham. Some of these Greeks who are at the Passover Feast have heard about Jesus. And they liked what they heard. But they knew that they were outsiders. Will this great Jewish teacher have time for them? They didn t know. So they went to Philip, one of Jesus disciples, and said, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip didn t know what to think of that. So he talked to Andrew. And then the two of them went to Jesus, to tell Him that there were Greeks who desired to see Him. Did they see a smile come to Jesus face? Perhaps. Because Jesus right away saw the meaning of it all. Would He die? Yes. But in His death, would He be defeated? No! There would be glory in that death because it would be a death that is fruitful. The hour is come, Jesus said, that the Son of man will be glorified. How? Jesus gave to Philip and Andrew a picture. Think, He said, of a grain of wheat. It remains just a grain of wheat until you put it into the ground. There it dies. And then, lo and behold, up comes a plant, with many more grains of wheat. The one grain, therefore, if it die, bringeth forth much fruit. What would the fruit of
Jesus death be? Salvation! Of whom? Not just Jews, but people from every nation and language. Greeks. Yes, the gospel, the good news, will be preached to the Greeks too. And to Romans... and Dutchmen... and Americans. Salvation is for us because Jesus died. Sir, we would see Jesus. Now we see why those words, spoken by Gentiles, would have meant so much to Jesus. They are proof, already, of the fruit of His death. But that death would be terrible. Jesus knew that too. Now is my soul troubled, He said. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. The Father s will, and the Father s glory that, above all, was what Jesus wanted. Father, glorify thy name, Jesus said, even if it must be by My death. That prayer God answered. On the spot. Out of heaven there came a voice, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. How sweet, was the sound of that voice, to the ears of the Savior. He had heard it before. It was the voice of His Father in heaven, assuring Him that, yes, the awful way of the cross is indeed the will of His Father, and it will be for the glory of the Father. Other people heard that voice too. That is, they heard a sound that came from the sky. Must have been thunder, 5 Lesson 40 they said. No, we didn t see any lightning. And, yes, the skies are clear. But if it s a sound from the sky, what else can it be but... thunder? Others were not so sure about that. The sound from heaven had come right after Jesus had prayed, Father, glorify thy name. Maybe, they said, just maybe, an angel spoke to Him. But it was the voice of God. Not just for Me, Jesus said, but especially for you. That s right especially for them. How they needed it! For, on Friday, they will see the Son of man lifted up on the cross! It will look as if He has gone down to defeat rejected by men... and by God. Not so! says Jesus. It is the world, and the prince of this world, the devil, who go down to defeat. Christ has the victory. How? Because, Jesus said, I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me. Salvation for all of His people. That will be the wonderful fruit of His death. In that way will His Father be glorified. The voice from heaven on Tuesday assures it! With that, Jesus left the temple, never to return to it. How Well Did You Listen? 1. Who came to Philip and said that they wanted to see Jesus? 2. What happens to a grain of wheat when it is put into the ground and dies? 3. How did God show to the people in the temple that He approved of Jesus and His work? What did some of the people then say?
Lesson 40 6 How Well Do You Understand? 1. The wearing of phylacteries was not wrong. What did Jesus say was wrong with the Pharisees wearing of phylacteries? 2. Why did the Pharisees think that they did not need a Messiah like Jesus? 3. How did the Pharisees pretend to honor the prophets? How would they show that they were really more wicked than their fathers who had killed the prophets? 4. What did Jesus mean when He said to the Pharisees that their house would be left desolate? 5. Why were Greeks considered to be outsiders in the temple in Jerusalem? Do you understand why Jesus would have rejoiced to hear that some Greeks had asked to see Him? 6. How would Jesus death be like a grain of wheat put into the ground? Memory Verse Matthew 23:5a But all their works they do for to be seen of men. Follow the dots to draw a stalk of wheat. Color the picture.