The Passion may give you an opportunity to talk about the story of Jesus with your family. The spectacle of the event, along with the various songs, may create some extra interest in young minds. But how closely does the TV show match the Bible? This guide will focus on the Bible stories of the events around Jesus crucifixion. A few tips before jumping in: Prioritize a regular meeting time. Our lives are busy. With all the moving parts, it is easy to let even the most important things fall to the wayside. Designate four different times to meet as a family during Holy Week. Mark these times on the calendar, giving everyone notice so they can plan ahead. Make it fun. Create an event that your family can anticipate with excitement! Will there be special snacks? Will you meet somewhere fun, like the park? Will you partner with another family? Can family members invite a friend? Get everyone to participate. The best way to learn is to be involved in the process. Invite people to read. Give positive feedback for answers. Encourage questions. Consider passing around a special object to designate the speaker so everyone gets a chance to talk. Use the questions in this guide (and sometimes there are suggested answers), but these might spark other questions. Even if you don t know the answers, let people talk about how they think and feel. Keep talking. Look for ways to continue these conversations outside of your meeting time. Help your kids see connections in their daily lives and activities. Ask your older kids to help make this a good experience for the younger kids. But there are also some challenging ideas here that older ones can think more deeply about. You might want to plan follow-up conversations about these. See how the gospel story comes to life as you read through the Bible passages and remember the experience of watching The Passion.
GATHERING #1 RIDING INTO JERUSALEM PRAY Dear God, thank you for bringing us together as a family. Meet us as we learn more about your Son, Jesus Christ. Show us how the gospel story is our story. Give us a passion for Jesus life. Invite us into a friendship with Jesus. Amen. READ MATTHEW 21:1 11 (GNT) As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives. There Jesus sent two of the disciples on ahead with these instructions: Go to the village there ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied up with her colt beside her. Untie them and bring them to me. And if anyone says anything, tell him, The Master needs them ; and then he will let them go at once. This happened in order to make come true what the prophet had said: Tell the city of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you! He is humble and rides on a donkey and on a colt, the foal of a donkey. So the disciples went and did what Jesus had told them to do: they brought the donkey and the colt, threw their cloaks over them, and Jesus got on. A large crowd of people spread their cloaks on the road while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds walking in front of Jesus and those walking behind began to shout, Praise to David s Son! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise be to God! When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was thrown into an uproar. Who is he? the people asked. This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee, the crowds answered. REFLECT Jesus makes his triumphant entry into Jerusalem only it might not seem very triumphant at first. Throughout Jesus life he was called the King of the Jews, Son of God, Messiah, but here, instead of riding on a fancy white horse, he picks a humble donkey. He isn t greeted with trumpets or given nice robes to wear. In fact, people use ordinary things whatever they have to celebrate his arrival. They put their cloaks on the road and take branches from nearby trees to spread before him.
Even though Jesus may not look fancy and rich, as you might expect a king to be, the crowds know he is someone special. They call out their praises. God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord! It seems that some of the local people don t know what s going on. They don t know who this person is, riding into town on a donkey. Those who are part of the parade, the ones who know Jesus and love him, give their answer: Jesus is the great prophet from Nazareth! What s a prophet? Someone who speaks and acts for God. Jesus had been doing that, traveling from town to town, healing people, performing miracles and teaching about God s kingdom on earth. But as we hear more of this story, we ll see that Jesus is much more than a prophet. He has arrived in Jerusalem because he has an important job to fulfill the most sacrificial act of love the world will ever know. DISCUSS Imagine you are one of Jesus disciples and he gives you an important task. He tells you to run ahead, find a donkey with her colt and bring them back to him. How would you feel about being given this responsibility? If you could pick any animal for Jesus to ride into town on, what would it be? Why? What do you know about donkeys? Are they fast? Do they have shiny coats? Jesus chose to ride into Jerusalem on a very ordinary animal. He didn t try to look rich and powerful! What does this tell us about Jesus attitude? Do you think Jesus is someone you could be friends with? Some people knew who Jesus was and some didn t. Is that still true now? If you know a lot about Jesus, how would you tell someone else what you know? If you don t know much about Jesus, what questions would you ask? Who could you ask? For older kids: Jesus gives us a different image of a great leader. What are some attributes of Jesus leadership? (humility, service, teaching, healing) Is it possible to be both powerful and humble? Can humility give you power? How could this happen in your life?
ACTIVITY Put on your own Triumphal Entry. Pick people to play Jesus, the two disciples, the donkey, and the crowds. Get blankets or old clothes to lay on the ground in front of Jesus. Run outside and find tree branches or foliage (be sure you have permission!). Send the disciples to get the donkey and colt then have Jesus process up through the crowds. Join together saying, Praise to David s Son! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise be to God!
GATHERING #2 A LAST SUPPER PRAY Dear God, thank you for bringing us together as a family. Meet us as we learn more about your Son, Jesus Christ. Show us how the gospel story is our story. Give us a passion for Jesus great sacrifice of love. Thank you that we are forgiven. Help us forgive others, too. Amen. READ MATTHEW 26:14 30 (GNT) Then one of the twelve disciples the one named Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests and asked, What will you give me if I betray Jesus to you? They counted out thirty silver coins and gave them to him. From then on Judas was looking for a good chance to hand Jesus over to them. On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and asked him, Where do you want us to get the Passover meal ready for you? Go to a certain man in the city, he said to them, and tell him: The Teacher says, My hour has come; my disciples and I will celebrate the Passover at your house. The disciples did as Jesus had told them and prepared the Passover meal. When it was evening, Jesus and the twelve disciples sat down to eat. During the meal Jesus said, I tell you, one of you will betray me. The disciples were very upset and began to ask him, one after the other, Surely, Lord, you don t mean me? Jesus answered, One who dips his bread in the dish with me will betray me. The Son of Man will die as the Scriptures say he will, but how terrible for that man who will betray the Son of Man! It would have been better for that man if he had never been born! Judas, the traitor, spoke up. Surely, Teacher, you don t mean me? he asked. Jesus answered, So you say. While they were eating, Jesus took a piece of bread, gave a prayer of thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. Take and eat it, he said; this is my body. Then he took a cup, gave thanks to God, and gave it to them. Drink it, all of you, he said; this is my blood, which seals God s covenant, my blood poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never again drink this wine until the day I drink the new wine with you in my Father s Kingdom. Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
REFLECT Not everyone liked Jesus. The political rulers were threatened because Jesus was so popular with the common people. Was he going to lead a revolt? The religious leaders were threatened because people called him Messiah, but he didn t seem to follow their laws. Jesus was a controversial figure. Jesus met with people each day in Jerusalem. The leaders wanted to arrest him, but there were always crowds around him. They didn t want to start a riot. But one of Jesus twelve disciples Judas Iscariot saw an opportunity to get rich quick. He went to the leaders and offered to take them to Jesus secret hangout. They struck a deal. Judas got thirty coins, and the leaders got to arrest Jesus and put him on trial. But just before being arrested, Jesus gathered his disciples together for a special meal. He knew what was ahead. He knew he would die for the sins of the world. So in this special meal, he compared the bread to his own body and the wine to his blood. His upcoming death would fulfill a life-giving purpose. His disciples and everyone else who would follow him, even today would have eternal life through his death. Christians still remember this special meal by eating bread and drinking wine they call it the Lord s Supper or the Eucharist or Communion and they thank Jesus for his sacrifice. DISCUSS Imagine that you are alive during Jesus time. You have heard Jesus teaching and seen his miracles. People say Jesus is the Messiah, the King of the Jews, the Son of God! How would you respond? Would you believe? Does Jesus teaching excite you? Does anything about Jesus message feel scary? Judas handed Jesus over to the leaders for thirty coins. Have you ever been tempted to do something wrong to get money? Have you ever been wronged by a friend? How did that make you feel? How do you think Jesus felt about being betrayed by Judas? Jesus says his blood will be poured out for the forgiveness of our sins. No matter what we do, God will still love us and take us back. Have you ever apologized to someone? Why? How does it feel to be forgiven by someone? How does it feel to be forgiven by God?
(For older kids) Jesus gave up his life so that we might have life. Have you ever seen anyone sacrifice for someone else? How? What happened? Why do you think they did that? Why do you think Jesus sacrificed himself for us? How do you feel about Jesus sacrifice? What can you do in response? ACTIVITY As a family, we hurt each other all too often whether on purpose or not. We get busy and forget about each other. Sometimes we don t listen well. Sometimes we get mad at others without a good reason. Take this time to practice apologizing and receiving forgiveness. This may be uncomfortable. Start with small things, and have a parent go first to set the example. Address the person you are apologizing to by name. Explain what you did wrong. Acknowledge how it made the other person feel and why you are sorry. You may want to include how it made you feel: I felt so sad after I yelled at you in the car. I didn t mean to hurt your feelings. Take turns going around the group expressing small or big problems. If someone isn t ready to offer forgiveness, this is okay. Invite them to keep thinking about the apology and to forgive when they are ready.
GATHERING #3: JESUS GIVES HIMSELF FOR US Note: While the Crucifixion of Jesus is a central aspect of Christian faith, it might be troubling to young children. Families should use discretion in talking about graphic details. It might suffice to talk about Jesus suffering for us or giving himself for us. PRAY Dear God, thank you for bringing us together as a family. Meet us as we learn more about your Son, Jesus Christ. Show us how the gospel story is our story. Give us a passion for Jesus as our Savior. Thank you that we can live in your love. Amen. READ MATTHEW 27:32 46 (GNT) As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene named Simon, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus cross. They came to a place called Golgotha, which means, The Place of the Skull. There they offered Jesus wine mixed with a bitter substance; but after tasting it, he would not drink it. They crucified him and then divided his clothes among them by throwing dice. After that they sat there and watched him. Above his head they put the written notice of the accusation against him: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. Then they crucified two bandits with Jesus, one on his right and the other on his left. People passing by shook their heads and hurled insults at Jesus: You were going to tear down the Temple and build it back up in three days! Save yourself if you are God s Son! Come on down from the cross! In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the Law and the elders made fun of him: He saved others, but he cannot save himself! Isn t he the king of Israel? If he will come down off the cross now, we will believe in him! He trusts in God and claims to be God s Son. Well, then, let us see if God wants to save him now! Even the bandits who had been crucified with him insulted him in the same way. At noon the whole country was covered with darkness, which lasted for three hours. At about three o clock Jesus cried out with a loud shout, Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani? which means, My God, my God, why did you abandon me? REFLECT After Jesus last meal with the disciples he went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray (Matt 26:36 46). Judas arrived with some soldiers, who arrested Jesus and put him on trial before their leaders
(Matt 26:47 68). The Roman governor Pilate found Jesus innocent but gave in to the people s demands (Matt 27:1 2, 11 31). Jesus was condemned to death. It is not easy to think about these events even for adults. Jesus was beaten and spat upon. Soldiers dressed him up like a king and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! Finally, Jesus was nailed to a cross. He died a disgraceful death, hanging between two criminals. The Bible tells us that Jesus suffered all this pain for us. His death paid the penalty for the things we ve done wrong. He died so we can live in God s love even now! He wipes clean our long record of bad behavior. Jesus helps us see when we are wandering away from God and brings us back to the Father. Jesus death brings us life! DISCUSS Jesus crucifixion is difficult to think about. How do you feel when you read or hear this story? Jesus paid a great price in dying on the cross he suffered physically and even felt like God had forgotten him. But he went through this so we can live in God s love. Did you know that God loves you? Does God still love you when you do something wrong? (yes, we can never lose God s love). (For older kids) Think about all the different people involved in this story. Who was Simon from Cyrene? What did he do? How do you think he felt about that? What were the soldiers doing? What did they seem to think about Jesus? What about the leaders (the chief priests and elders)? What was their attitude? What does this passage tell us about the bandits who were crucified along with Jesus? What other people do you think were there at the cross? How do you think they felt? Is there anyone in this story you especially identify with? ACTIVITY Collect materials to do a craft together colored paper, glue, glitter, scissors, pens. Have each person cut out two narrow strips of paper to form a cross. Then take turns writing your names on one another s crosses. Explain that this is a visual reminder that Jesus died for each person in the family. Allow time to decorate the crosses be creative. Then pick a special place to display them in the house.
GATHERING #4 NEW LIFE PRAY Dear God, thank you for bringing us together as a family. Meet us as we learn more about your Son, Jesus Christ. Show us how the gospel story is our story. Give us a passion for Jesus resurrection. Amen. READ MATTHEW 28:1 10 (GNT) After the Sabbath, as Sunday morning was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. Suddenly there was a violent earthquake; an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled the stone away, and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid that they trembled and became like dead men. The angel spoke to the women. You must not be afraid, he said. I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has been raised, just as he said. Come here and see the place where he was lying. Go quickly now, and tell his disciples, He has been raised from death, and now he is going to Galilee ahead of you; there you will see him! Remember what I have told you. So they left the tomb in a hurry, afraid and yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, Peace be with you. They came up to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Do not be afraid, Jesus said to them. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me. REFLECT After Jesus died on the cross, his body was placed in a tomb for burial. Two of Jesus disciples both named Mary went to visit the tomb. Imagine how sad they must have felt. Their friend had been killed before their eyes. But they didn t stay sad for long. Something very unusual happened! There was an earthquake and a bright angel came down from heaven. The angel rolled back the tomb s big stone, went inside and sat down. The guards were terrified! But the angel told the two women, Do not be afraid; I know you are looking for Jesus who was killed. He s not here; he came back to life! The women left the tomb with fear and joy and ran to tell the other disciples. But on their way something even more unusual happened! Jesus appeared before them alive! He called out to them and the women fell at his feet to worship him. He told them not to be afraid, but to go tell the others that he was raised from the dead.
DISCUSS Close your eyes and picture being one of the women. You are walking to Jesus tomb the morning after he died. Suddenly there is an earthquake and an angel appears. Are you excited? Are you afraid? Can you have both feelings at the same time? What do you think the angel looks like? Both the angel and Jesus command the women to go and tell the others. What would you tell Jesus disciples? Do you think the disciples believed the women s good news? How do you think people felt when they heard this? (For older kids) The Bible talks about the new life we have today because Jesus rose from the dead, a life of power and joy. What does that mean to you? When would you need the power or joy of new life in Christ? Would this help you with any of the problems you face? ACTIVITY Play a variation of hide-and-go-seek, framed within the Resurrection story. Take turns picking one person to go and find a tomb to hide in. Have the rest of the group count to ten slowly then disperse to find them. When a seeker finds the person who is hiding, stay in the tomb. Wait until one-by-one each person is in the hiding spot. The last person gets to call everyone out saying, Don t be afraid! Jesus is risen!