esson at a Glance esson Objectives The children will retell the events that led up to the cross. The children will explain one reason why God sent Jesus. The children will give one reason why Jesus died on the cross. esson Text Matthew 26-27 uke 22-23 John 19 Scripture Memory Verse For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 esson Plan Greeting and egistration Preclass Activity: Ask Me Why? Welcome and Singing Centers: ible Story: The Way to the Cross Craft: A Cross in the ridge Scripture Memory: Covered ridge NOT: Allow time for a snack. NOT: ach center in today s lesson will teach the children why Jesus died on the cross. ach activity in this lesson will conclude with the children answering the question: Why did Jesus die on the cross? and receiving a ticket to leave. ncourage children to show their tickets as they leave the class to go home. Spring 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications nternational Permission to Photocopy Granted 8-3-1
pre class A CT V T Y Ask Me Why? The children will preview today s lesson as they prepare to think about why Jesus had to die on the cross. Materials For each child: crayons glue stick 1 piece of yarn, 24" 1 piece of construction paper, 4" x 4" For the teacher: scissors hole punch masking tape eproducible Pages: Page A, 1 copy for each child Preparation 1. Cut out the pendants and tickets for each child from the copies of eproducible Page A. 2. Cut out a four-inch circle of construction paper for each child. 3. Make a sample to show the children. 4. Prepare a few extra pendants for late arrivals. nstructions 1. As the children arrive, show them your pendant and explain that they will make one just like it. They will wear the pendant throughout today s class. At the end of each center, they will be asked to tell the class why Jesus died on the cross. They will receive a ticket to leave each center after they give an answer. The children will learn all about why Jesus died on the cross in today s class. 2. Distribute the pendants and construction paper circles you prepared, crayons and glue sticks. 3. Tell the children to color their pendants first and then glue it to their construction paper circles. 4. Have them write their names on the backs of their pendants.. Circulate to punch holes in their pendants on the x. 6. Distribute the yarn when the children are ready to thread their pendants. 7. Offer assistance with threading and tying the yarn. The children should wear their pendants throughout today s class. 8. As the children are working, ask them why they think Jesus died on the cross. Tell them that they will learn all about what happened to Jesus in their ible Story. NOT: Divide the tickets from eproducible Page A so that the teachers for the ible Story, Craft and Scripture Memory Centers have one ticket for every child. ach center includes instructions for how to use these tickets. Teacher Tips Wrap a small piece of masking tape on one end of each piece of yarn for easier threading. Spring 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications nternational 8-3-2
S T O Y The Way to the Cross The children will learn the events surrounding Jesus and the cross. Materials For the teacher: 1 piece of poster board, 22" x 28" 3 markers of assorted colors 9 index cards, 4" x 7" masking tape Preparation 1. Prepare the poster board as shown in Figure A on the back of this esson Card. 2. Divide the index cards into three sets of three cards each. ach set of three cards will be written with a different color marker. 3. Write as big as possible on each set of three cards the following: With one color marker, write: Judas; Friends; eaders. With another color marker, write: Trapped; Slept; Put him on the cross. With another color marker, write: Stayed! Prayed! Forgave! 4. Practice telling this story at home using the cards, poster board and following the model in Figure. Telling the Story Place the poster board in a place where all the children can see it. Open your ible to uke 22. ntroduce the ible Story saying: Today you are going to learn what happened to Jesus on his way to the cross. want you to listen very carefully because will need your help. am going to tell you about people and what they did to Jesus. Then am going to tell you what Jesus did in return. You will see that Jesus always did what was right, even when it was very hard. We can learn a lot about ourselves from Jesus. n the ible, there are four different men, Matthew, Mark, uke and John, who wrote about what happened to Jesus on the cross. Our story begins in uke 22. Who? What? Jesus! From the first set of cards, hold up the card marked Judas, saying: The ible tells us that Judas was one of Jesus followers who turned against Jesus. He took some money from people who wanted to stop Jesus from teaching about God. Tape the Judas card at the top of the poster board in the first column marked WHO? Hold up the card marked Trapped, saying: Judas agreed to help these people trap Jesus. He told them where they could find him to take him prisoner. Tape this card to the top of the second column marked WHAT? Hold up the card marked Stayed saying: Do you know what Jesus did when he found out that Judas was going to trap him? He stayed. He did not try to run away. Tape this card to the top of the column marked JSUS! See Figure. From the second set of cards, hold up the card marked Friends, saying: When Jesus knew what was going to happen to him, he told his friends to come pray with him because he was feeling very sad. Tape the card in the WHO? column. Hold up the card marked Slept, saying: ut do you know what they did? They slept. And not just once, three times they fell asleep on Jesus! Jesus was all alone. Tape the card in the WHAT? column. Hold up the card marked Prayed! saying: Do you know what Jesus did while his friends were sleeping? He prayed for them! He knew that they were very weak, so he prayed for them. Tape the card in the JSUS! column. (At this point, ask different children to put the cards on the board for you.) From the third set of cards, hold up the card marked eaders, saying: After the soldiers beat him, they took him to the leaders of the people whose names were Pilate and Herod. They talked to Jesus but could not find anything that he had done wrong. They said that they did not see why Jesus had been taken prisoner. Have a child tape the card in the WHO? column. Hold up the card marked Put him on the cross, saying: ut the people started yelling Crucify him! Crucify him! which means that they wanted Jesus to be put on the cross to die. The people were jealous of Jesus and they hated him. Have a child tape the card in the WHAT? column. Hold up the card marked Forgave! saying: The soldiers took off Jesus clothes, made fun of him, and then put him on the cross to die. Do you know what Jesus did? He asked God to forgive them! Can you believe it? After all they did, Jesus still asked God to forgive them! Have a child tape the card in the JSUS! column. Spring 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications nternational 8-3-3
S T O Y eferring to the poster board, ask the children: What did Judas do to Jesus? (eview) Did Jesus deserve this? (No) What did Jesus friends do to Jesus? (eview) Did Jesus deserve this? (No) What did the leaders do to Jesus? (eview) Did Jesus deserve this? (No) Conclusion: Ticket to eave xplain that Jesus went to the cross because he wanted us to be friends with God. Jesus had to die on the cross to take away our sins. He gave us a way to get to God! Ask the children to say why Jesus went to the cross. Give them their tickets after they answer. ncourage the children that their ticket shows that they understand something very important. Share and Tell ncourage them that Jesus went to the cross so that we could tell others about God. Ask the children who they want to tell this week about Jesus. Close with a prayer for the children to understand Jesus love for them. Teacher Tips Do not focus on the violent aspects of this story. Children this age can be easily distracted by these details. Have the masking tape already torn into small pieces and stuck somewhere for easy grabbing. To ensure the index card s proper placement on the poster board, outline the card spaces before class. WHO? WHAT? JSUS! WHO? WHAT? JSUS! Judas Trapped Stayed! Friends Slept Prayed! eaders Put him on the cross Forgave! Figure A Figure Spring 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications nternational 8-3-4
C A Cross in the ridge The children will make a craft that will give them a visual reminder of why Jesus died on the cross. Materials For each child: crayons, including a red one invisible tape 1 piece of construction paper, 9" x 12" For the teacher: A scissors eproducible Pages: Page, 1 copy for each child Preparation 1. Cut out the bridges from the copies of eproducible Page. 2. Make a sample craft to show the children. F nstructions 1. ntroduce this craft saying: Today we are learning about why Jesus died on the cross. The craft we make today will help remind you of one important reason why Jesus died on the cross. Hold up the craft that you prepared. Who can tell me T what am holding? (Take responses.) This is a bridge. Why do we need bridges? (Take responses.) Without a bridge, we could not get across a river or across a highway. ridges help us get from one side to another. Hold up the craft so the children can see the cross on the bridge. Jesus had to die on the cross so that we could get to God. God is in heaven and we can t get there by ourselves. We need Jesus to help us! When Jesus died on the cross, it was as if he built a bridge for people who wanted to be with God. Jesus did not build a real bridge like we see every day. He built a spiritual bridge that helps us to be with God in a spiritual way. 2. Distribute the bridges you prepared and crayons to the children. Ask the children if they can find the cross in the bridge. Tell them to color the cross first in red. See Figure A. Then have them color the rest of the bridge with whatever colors they would like. 3. When the children have finished coloring, distribute the tape and construction paper. Help them tape their bridges to their construction paper, leaving about two inches from both ends of the paper, creating an arch, as shown in Figure. 4. Have each child write their name at the foot of the bridge and then write God on the other side. See Figure C. Conclusion: Ticket to eave Ask the children: Why did Jesus die on the cross? Tell children to use their craft to help them answer the question. ncourage the children to help each other. Give each child a ticket. (Answers should include: to give us a way to get to God; to be a bridge for us to be with God; etc.) Close with a prayer thanking God for giving us a way to get to him. Teacher Tips The ticket is not intended for competition. t shows that the children can give an answer to a very important question. GOD Tom Spring 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications nternational 8-3-
C A F T bridge cross in red tape 2" bridge 2" tape Figure A Figure construction paper GOD Tom Figure C Spring 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications nternational 8-3-6
SC PT U MM OY Covered ridge The children will learn today s Scripture Memory Verse as they pretend to cross a bridge. Scripture Memory Verse For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 Materials For the teacher: 14 pieces of white paper, 8 1 /2" x 11" 14 pieces of colored construction paper, 9" x 12" thick black marker Preparation On each of the pieces of white paper, write two words from the memory verse in the following way, making sure to include correct capitalization and punctuation: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 nstructions 1. ntroduce today s activity: Today we are learning about why Jesus died on the cross. Our memory verse tells us a lot about why Jesus had to die. After you learn this verse, you will have another way to answer the question, Why did Jesus die on the cross? 2. Show the memory verse on the back of this esson Card to the children. Say it to the children three times pointing to each word as you say it. 3. ead the verse, two words at a time, with the children repeating after you. Do this three times. 4. Say the whole verse together with the children three times.. Tell the children that they are going to say the verse as they are crossing over a bridge. Tell them that each time they cross over, the bridge will get harder and harder so they need to pay attention. 6. Take the fifteen pieces of paper that you prepared and lay them flat on the floor, making an arc. 7. ine up the children and begin crossing the bridge by saying each phrase of the memory verse as you step beside each piece of paper. When you finish, invite the next child to go. MPOTANT: For safety, do not walk directly on the papers, only next to them. 8. After all the children have crossed over, cover the first two pieces of paper with the construction paper. Have the children cross over the bridge again, saying the covered words from memory. 9. Cover two more pieces of paper and cross over the bridge saying the verse. The children should follow. 10. Continue crossing the bridge, each time covering two more sections of the verse. Conclusion: Ticket to eave When the bridge is completely covered, tell the children that they must now cross the bridge saying the verse from memory. efore they cross you will ask them the question, Why did Jesus die on the cross? Tell them that the answer S the memory verse. God loved the world so much he was willing to send Jesus. Jesus died to give us a way to God. Cross over the bridge saying the verse entirely from memory. efore they cross, ask each child the question: Why did Jesus die on the cross? ncourage them to help each other if they forget a word. After they cross successfully, give them a ticket. n the time that remains, explain: God sent Jesus so that we could be with him forever. God wanted a way for us to come to him, so he sent Jesus. Close with a prayer thanking God for sending Jesus. Teacher Tips f your space permits, spread the papers out so that the children can step easily between the papers. Spring 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications nternational 8-3-7
SC PT U MM OY For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 Spring 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications nternational 8-3-8
esson at a Glance supplement esson Objectives The children will retell the events that led up to the cross. The children will explain one reason why God sent Jesus. The children will give one reason why Jesus died on the cross. esson Text Matthew 26-27; uke 22-23; John 19 Scripture Memory Verse For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 esson Plan Greeting and egistration Preclass Activity: Story Scenes Welcome and Singing Centers: ife Application: Help Me Game: The Perfect Gift ible Skills: On the Way to the Cross A Timeline NOT: Allow time for a snack. pre class A CT V T Y Story Scenes The children will review this week s lesson as they view Story Scenes to remind them why Jesus died on the cross. Materials For each child: crayons or colored pencils 1 strip of construction paper, 3" x 12" For the teacher: scissors eproducible Pages: Page C, 1 copy for each child Preparation 1. For each child, cut out the scene strips from the copies of eproducible Page C. 2. Prepare the viewers for each child from the construction paper strips as follows: Measure five inches from both ends of the paper and make one-and-a-half inch centered slits, as shown. 3. Make a sample Story Scene to show the children. nstructions 1. As children arrive, show them your Story Scene and explain it is a reminder of this week s ible Story. Show the children how the three scenes slide through the viewer. 2. Distribute the scene strips you prepared and crayons. Have them color the scenes. 3. Give them the construction paper viewers. Help them feed the scene strips through the slits. Show them how to slide the scenes through the viewer. 4. Tell the children to put their names on their viewers and story strips.. Tell the children to keep their Story Scenes in their ibles and show it to someone when they go home today. Teacher Tips The children who finish early may want to make an extra Story Scene for someone who is absent or for a friend. construction paper 1 1 /2" slits " " 12" Story strip from eproducible Page C Spring 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications nternational Permission to Photocopy Granted 8-3-9
supplement F A PP C A T O N Help Me The children will review this week s lesson as they think of different ways that Jesus helps them everyday. Materials For the teacher: scissors invisible tape eproducible Pages: Page D, 1 copy for the teacher Preparation Using the instructions on your copy of eproducible Page D, assemble the cube for this activity. eviewing the ible Story Open your ible to Matthew. emind the children that this week s ible Story comes from all of the New Testament gospels Matthew, Mark, uke and John. This week we have learned about what happened to Jesus as he was preparing to die on the cross. Many people treated Jesus badly but he did not get mad or fight back. Jesus was perfect even though he was getting ready to die. God loves us so much that he has given us a perfect gift. He gave us Jesus. Jesus died to help us get to God. Jesus lived to help us know how we can live the way God wants us to. Jesus can help us and today we are going to think of ways we need his help. Show the children your Help Me cube as you read the words on each side. Tell the children that God helps us in each of these different ways. For example: God helps us share. God helps us be kind. God helps us to help others. God Sent Jesus egin this activity by tossing the cube and letting it land. ead the words on the side facing up. f the cube says, Help Others, then say, God sent Jesus to help me help others. Give the cube to the child on your right. Tell him to toss the cube. The child says, God sent Jesus to help me. Go around the circle until each child has had a turn. ncourage the children not to repeat a previous answer. et them help each other think of original answers. Will... Start a second round by tossing the cube. f the cube says e Kind then give an example of how you will be kind. will be kind to people even if they are not kind to me. Give the cube to the child on your left. Tell him to toss the cube. The child follows your example saying, will even if they are not to me. Go around the circle until each child has had a turn. God, Help Me... The final round will give the children a chance to pray and ask God to help them. You begin by tossing the cube. f the cube says, e Happy then tell the children to pray with you, saying for example: Dear God, please help me to be happy. n Jesus name, Amen. Give the cube to the child on your right. Tell him to toss the cube. The child follows your example praying, Dear God, please help me to. n Jesus name pray, Amen. Go around the circle until each child has had a turn. Conclusion Discuss with the children what they think is the hardest thing on the cube to do. The hardest thing is what they need God s help for the most. Close with a prayer for the children to see God s help in their lives this week. Teacher Tips Get advice about how to share your personal experiences with children this age. Spring 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications nternational 8-3-10
supplement G A M The Perfect Gift The children will review this week s lesson as they play a penny-toss and think about why God sent Jesus. Materials For the teacher: 2 pennies 1 piece of construction paper, 9" x 12" glue stick clear contact paper (optional) masking tape paper pen eproducible Pages: Page, 1 copy for the teacher Preparation 1. Glue your copy of eproducible Page to the construction paper. f available, cover with clear contact paper. 2. Practice playing this game at home. nstructions 1. ntroduce this activity: n your lesson this week, you learned about why Jesus had to go to the cross. n our game today, you will review different ideas from the ible Story. 2. Divide the group into two teams. Make sure to mix the children who did not hear the ible Story with those who did. 3. Place the game board on a table or on the floor. Choose the team that will go first. Tell the team to choose a player to begin. 4. Mark a spot with masking tape two feet from the game board. Have the player stand on the mark and toss a penny onto the board. f he misses, he may continue until he gets the penny on the board. The place where it lands will determine the difficulty of the question he must answer. Ask the child a question from the list on the back of this esson Card that corresponds to the value of the space where he landed.. f the child answers correctly, he scores the points indicated on his space. f he answers incorrectly, give the correct answer. His team receives no points. 6. A player from the next team throws a penny in the same way and play continues until every player has thrown a penny. 7. When all the children have answered a question, total the number of points for each team. The team with the most points wins. n case of a tie, tell both teams to choose one player to play a tie breaker. Ask a tie breaker question to both players. The first child to raise his hand may answer first. f he answers correctly, his team wins. f not, the other player may answer. f he answers correctly, his team wins. f neither answer correctly, choose two more players and repeat until there is a winner. Conclusion Discuss with the children what they think is the most important reason why Jesus died on the cross. Close with a prayer for the children to appreciate what Jesus did for them. Teacher Tips Show a genuine interest and enthusiasm as you keep score. Do not permit children to be critical of each other if they miss an answer. ncourage the children who demonstrate teamwork and cooperation. 10 0 10 10 010 10 10 0 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 1 10 10 10 Spring 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications nternational 8-3-11
supplement G A M The Perfect Gift Questions and Answers points - True or False? Judas was a follower of Jesus. (T) Judas did not want to trap Jesus. (F) Jesus asked his friends to pray with him because he was sad. (T) Jesus friends stayed up all night praying with Jesus. (F) mportant men had a meeting and people told lies about Jesus. (T) Jesus told the truth to the people. (T) Soldiers took good care of Jesus and gave him a nice meal to eat. (F) Jesus ran away from the soldiers. (F) The name of the leader of the people was Pilate. (T) Pilate told Jesus that he could go home. (F) The people were yelling, Crucify him! (T) Jesus forgave the people after they put him on the cross. (T) 10 points Fill in the blank: Judas wanted to Jesus. (trap) What did Jesus not do after Judas wanted to trap him? (He did not run away.) Fill in the blank: Jesus asked his to come pray with him because he was very sad. (friends) What did Jesus do after his friends fell asleep? (He prayed for them.) Fill in the blank: mportant men told about Jesus. (lies) What did Jesus do after the people told lies about him? (He told the truth.) Fill in the blank: The soldiers laughed at Jesus and called him. (names) What did Jesus not do after the soldiers beat him up? (He did not fight back.) Fill in the blank: The leaders names were Herod and. (Pilate) What were the people yelling? ( Crucify him! or Put him on the cross! ) What did Jesus do after they put him on the cross? (He forgave them.) Tie-breaker Questions What did people give Judas to trap Jesus? (money) At what time of day was the meeting that the important men had? (early in the morning) What was the name of the leader who decided to put Jesus on the cross? (Pilate) True or False: The story of Jesus and the cross was only written by uke. (False) Spring 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications nternational 8-3-12
supplement S K S On the Way to the Cross A Timeline The children will make a timeline showing the events leading up to Jesus death on the cross. Materials For each child: pencil colored pencils or crayons For the teacher: large writing surface eproducible Pages: Page F, 1 copy for each child Preparation 1. On the large writing surface, write the following words: Stayed! Prayed! Forgave! 2. Mark the following passages in your ible: uke 22:4-; uke 22:4; uke 23:23-24. 3. Practice leading this activity at home. Complete your copy of eproducible Page F. nstructions 1. ntroduce today s activity, holding your sample: This is a timeline. t shows the events that happened as Jesus was going to the cross. ach of these events are written in the ible. You are going to complete your own timeline so that you will remember the story of why Jesus died on the cross. 2. Distribute the copies of eproducible Page F, pencils and crayons to the children. 3. Have the children work with a partner. Pair any children who did not hear the ible Story with those who did. efer the children to the statements on the large writing surface. 4. Open your ible to uke 22. ead verses 4 and. Judas was a follower of Jesus but he wanted to help trap Jesus. Have the children find the first box on the timeline, Judas Trapped Jesus. Ask the children: Who remembers how Jesus responded? (Take responses.) Jesus stayed! Have the children write Stayed! in the space at the bottom of the first box.. ead verse 4. Jesus asked his friends to pray with him because he was sad. ut his friends fell asleep. Jesus was all alone. Who remembers what Jesus did? (Take responses.) Jesus prayed for his friends! Have the children write Prayed! in the bottom of the second box. 6. ead uke 23:23-24. The leader of the people, Pilate, did not understand why the people wanted to kill Jesus. ut the people yelled louder and louder. So Pilate decided to do what the people wanted because he was afraid of them. Who remembers what Jesus did after they put him on the cross? (Take responses.) Jesus forgave them. Have the children write Forgave! in the bottom of the third box. 7. With the time that remains, have the children color their timelines. Make sure that they write their names on their pages. Conclusion Have the children take turns praying and thanking God for sending Jesus so they could have a way to know God. Teacher Tips e aware of children who appear uncomfortable talking about God or praying. ncourage and point out the progress that you see a child making. Spring 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications nternational 8-3-13
supplement S K S Judas Trapped Jesus (uke 22:4-) Stayed! 1 On the Way to the Cross eaders Put Jesus on the Cross (uke 23:23-24) Forgave! 3 Jesus Friends Slept (uke 22:4) Prayed! 2 Spring 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications nternational 8-3-14
P O D U C PAG A Core/Preclass 1 copy for each child Ticket to eave pendant Ticket to eave Ticket to eave Spring 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications nternational Permission to Photocopy Granted 8-3-1
P O D U C PAG Core/Craft 1 copy for each child bridge Spring 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications nternational Permission to Photocopy Granted 8-3-16
P O D U C Supplement/Preclass 1 copy for each child PAG C Spring 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications nternational Permission to Photocopy Granted 8-3-17 scene strip???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? For God so loved For God the world that he so loved gave his one and the world only Son, that that he gave whoever believes his one and in him shall not only Son perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 John 3:16
P O D U C PAG D Supplement/ife Application 1 copy for the teacher fold Figure A folds tape nstructions 1. Cut out this figure. 2. Fold on the dashed lines to begin a cube. See Figure A. 3. Tape the edges together to complete the cube. See Figure. Figure Spring 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications nternational Permission to Photocopy Granted 8-3-18
P O D U C Supplement/Game 1 copy for the teacher 10 0 0 10 0 10 10 10 10 PAG 10 1 Spring 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications nternational Permission to Photocopy Granted 8-3-19
P O D U C Supplement/ible Skills 1 copy for each child Judas Trapped Jesus (uke 22:4-) 1 On the Way to the Cross Jesus Friends Slept (uke 22:4) eaders Put Jesus on the Cross (uke 23:23-24) 3 PAG F 2 Spring 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications nternational Permission to Photocopy Granted 8-3-20