Jesus goes to Jerusalem
key words
biblical reference
Matthew 21:1-11, 15-16
lesson objective
To help children express their love and praise to Jesus, the son of God.
memory verse
“You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16b, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
Jesus and his disciples continued their journey to Jerusalem. After keeping the Sabbath, Jesus gave his disciples a series of instructions, and he sent two of them to bring a donkey. Jesus did this to reveal the kind of Messiah he was.
Perhaps a military leader would have used a great horse, but Jesus preferred a humble donkey. This is another example of his meekness as a Messiah who offers love instead of force. At that time, people believed that the Messiah would save them from the Roman rule, rather than providing salvation from their sins.
When Jesus came down from the Mount of Olives to go to Jerusalem, a crowd welcomed him with songs of praise, shouting, “Bless the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (v.9). People laid their robes on the road, waving palm branches as a symbol of victory and praise to the king. Some of those who glorified him also recognized him as the Son of God, but others did not and murmured against him.
This story shows us the contrast between those who accept Christ as savior and king, and those who reject his majesty and glory.
Our praise to Jesus must go beyond what we believe he can do for us. True praise must recognize him as Lord of lords, King of kings, the only begotten Son of God and the Savior. We celebrate Palm Sunday as the event that marks the beginning of Easter. But we must also recognize it as the glorious entrance of the Messiah to the Holy City, and the beginning of the redemption of sinners through the death of Christ.
Let us celebrate the glory of the Son of God with our children. Many of them have a special relationship with Jesus that they never doubt is real. They must understand that God is special and that Jesus is his Son.
Also, children of this age are comfortable talking to others about Jesus. They are fascinated to tell details of their lives when they pray.
This lesson will help you strengthen that personal relationship of your children with Jesus, the Son of God. Give them the opportunity to pray, to draw pictures of Jesus and to express how they feel the love of the Lord in their lives.
Praise the Lord before them, and tell them “Jesus loves everyone very much.”
introduce the lesson
Praises with real palm leaves
Unless you live in an area where palm trees grow, you will need to obtain palm leaves from a store. Tell the children: “Today is Palm Sunday and we are going to tell a very special story. These are palm branches. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the people would wave them and shout, ‘Hosanna! Hosanna!’ Everyone was very excited and happy, because they praised Jesus.”
You can shake your palm and shout: “Hosanna! Let us praise Jesus during the story with our palm branches.”
Let the children take the palms home with them. When someone asks why they have a palm, they can tell the person about Jesus and the people praising him.
teach the lesson
Use some activities to create interest in the Bible story.
Everyone Loves a Parade
Ask the children to form two lines facing each other and about 3 meters apart. These children will be lined up to watch a parade. Select one child to walk between the lines of children while those children wave their palm branches. Tell them that, in the Bible story, Jesus was the person who was praised.
Let’s praise the Lord!
Gather the group to hear the Bible story. Sing a song of praise, while they wave their palms and march around the room. Ask the children to put their palms in their laps.
Say: “When they hear the word ‘Hosanna,’ during the storytelling, wave their palms.”
Before beginning the story, show the Bible and tell them: “This is the Bible, the Word of God. We learn to know God better by listening to the stories in this beautiful book.”
Jesus rides into Jerusalem
Easter is a very beautiful and special time when we celebrate Jesus, the Son of God. In today’s story, we will learn what happened before the first Easter, when the children sang and praised Jesus.
Jesus and his disciples were walking towards the city of Jerusalem for a special celebration called the Passover. Before they arrived, they stopped near a small village, and Jesus told two of the disciples, “Go to the village, and there you will find a small donkey tied up. Untie it and bring it. Tell its owner that I need it and then I will give it back.”
The disciples left and did everything as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and put their robes on it so that Jesus could sit comfortably on the donkey.
When Jesus came to Jerusalem on the donkey, people said to one another, “Let’s go and see Jesus!”
They were very excited, and spread their robes on the way for Jesus to pass.
They also cut branches of palms. Some threw them on the road, and others waved them while they shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (v.9).
People loved Jesus and praised Him. They were really happy to see Jesus. Some asked, “Who is this man? The people shouted: “It is Jesus of Nazareth.”
In the temple in Jerusalem, the children sang and shouted praises to Jesus. They were very happy to see the Messiah. Some adults in the temple did not like the chants of the children, and they wanted to silence them. However, Jesus was happy to hear them, and said to these people, “These children are doing what Scripture says everyone should do; they are praising God.”
connect the lesson
Praise Jesus!
Give the children Student Activity Sheet #16-A and #16-B. Help them trim the palms in Student Activity Sheet #16-B. Remember to use scissors that do not have a sharp edge to prevent accidents. Be aware that most preschoolers do not know how to use scissors well. You may need to cut out what is needed for this activity.
Your children should color the robes of the people who praise Jesus, and have them add some palms in the hands of the children and the adults along the road.
Have them trace the Word of Faith, and remember the Bible story while doing the activity.
Before the session write each of these phrases on a separate piece of paper: pray before each meal to thank God for your food; thank God when friends ask you to play with them; praise God when the rain stops and the sun shines; praise God for giving you a home and family; praise God for loving you always. Place these papers in a small box or bowl. During the class, let volunteers reach into the container and take one of the papers. Read the words for the child. Point out that everyone can praise God or his Son, Jesus, throughout the day.
Show these pictures and tell them that they can praise God in different ways: each one is a way to give our praise. While displaying the pictures on a wall, talk to the children about how important it is for Christians to praise God in every circumstance.
Encourage the children to take home their activity sheets to share what they have learned with their families.
Prayer poster
Make a poster to record the prayer requests and draw a happy face on the requests as they are answered.
practice the memory verse
Memory verse pairs
Have the children line up behind each other. Tell the group the Bible memory verse: "You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God" (Matthew 16:16). Have the first child say the first word of the Bible memory verse (You), and then go to the back of the line. Let the next child say the second word of the verse (are) and go to the back of the line. Proceed with each child in line until the verse and reference is completed.
wrap-up
Pray
The children should be familiar with prayer time. Let them state requests for their family and friends.
Encourage
Say: “This is the beginning of Easter week. There are happy and sad events that happen during that time. Next Sunday we will celebrate a happy time.”
Invite
Remind the children to attend the next session. Challenge them to invite friends to come with them to hear more about Jesus.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™