Palm Sunday
This lesson on Palm Sunday is from Phyllis Crofts Sunday School Lessons.
The readings for Palm Sunday can be found in your Bible. Mark: 1 – 11; Mark 14:10 – 21 and 14: 32 – 50; 14: 53 – 64; Mark 15: 1 – 24 and 15: 40 – 47.
RIDING ON A DONKEY
Jesus and his friends were nearly in Jerusalem. They had been walking with hundreds of other people to celebrate some special days called the Passover. They were all very happy to be there together. They were happy because they were going to remember the time when their people were slaves and God used Moses to lead them out of Egypt and to into their own country. They were singing as they walked up the hill to the city.
Before they arrived at the city, Jesus sent two of his disciples ahead. He said to them, “Go to the village just ahead of us and there you will see a donkey with her colt. The colt has never been ridden before. Please bring it to me. lf anyone says to you, “Why are you taking the colt?” just tell them that the Lord needs it now and will send it right back to you.”
So the disciples went ahead, and just as Jesus had said, they found a donkey with its colt tied to a door just inside the village. When they began to untie the colt to take it away, some people nearby said, “What are you doing, taking the colt away?” The disciples said just what Jesus had told them to say. ‘The Lord needs it. He will send it back to you very quickly.” So the people let the disciples take the colt.
When they brought the donkey’s colt to Jesus, some of the people took off their coats and put them over the donkey’s back. Then Jesus sat on the colt, and they continued going into the city of Jerusalem. As they went along more of the people took off their extra clothes and put them down in the dirt road for the donkey to walk over. Some of the people cut down green branches of trees and laid them in the road for the donkey to walk on. They were making a beautiful, coloured road for Jesus to ride on.
Other people used their branches to wave in the air. The people were singing and shouting as Jesus came into the city on his donkey. They said, “Hosanna! Hosanna’ This man who has come from God is wonderful! Hosanna! Hosanna!” They were having a parade, and Jesus was being cheered and cheered. Jesus’ parade went straight to the temple, and then, because it was getting dark, Jesus and his disciples went off to Bethany, where they were going to stay with their friends Mary, and Martha and Lazarus for the night.
ln the next few days Jesus and his friends walked around Jerusalem. They went to the temple, where Jesus taught the people about God. They also wanted to pray in the temple. They were followed by the people who loved Jesus and wanted him to teach them about God. The people who didn’t like him, who wanted to trap him, were looking for him, too.
On Thursday, Jesus’ disciples said to him, “Where would you like us to prepare for the Passover dinner when we will eat the Passover lamb?” Jesus sent two disciples again. To ask a friend if they could use his large upstairs room for their dinner. He told the disciples to prepare the dinner there. Later, while they were having supper, one of Jesus’ disciples, named Judas, left the dinner. He went to Jesus’ enemies and said, “l can tell you where Jesus is, so you can arrest him.” Jesus’ enemies paid Judas a bag of silver money for telling them where to find Jesus.
That night, when Judas knew that Jesus and his disciples would be praying in the garden, Judas led some soldiers to arrest Jesus. When he was arrested, all of Jesus’ friends ran away. The soldiers were very cruel to Jesus. They took Jesus to court. ln the court people said that Jesus was a trouble-maker. They said that Jesus should die.
The soldiers led Jesus to a hill where there were three big wooden crosses. They make Jesus lie down on one of the crosses and they nailed-his feet and his hands to the cross. They stood the cross up in a hole in the ground. Jesus hung on the cross for three hours. His mother and one disciple, John, and some of his aunts and cousins were there. They watched him die on the cross.
Then the soldiers stabbed Jesus in his side. When it was getting dark, John and Jesus’ mother, Mary, and the family took Jesus off the cross and took him to an empty cave in the hillside. Then they rolled a big stone in front of the cave, and they went home.
They were very, very sad because they loved Jesus so much.
Discuss the Story
1. Why did so many people love Jesus and want to follow him? (Jesus loved the ‘people. He taught them about God. lf they were sick or crippled or blind he made them well.)
2. ln the days of Jesus there were no fancy cars, and important people rode on horses. How do you think the people who did not like Jesus felt when he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey?
3.. What things did the people do to show that they thought Jesus was very special?
4. Have the children ever been to a march or a parade when people carry banners and sing and dance? What was it like? (perhaps they have seen something like this on TV)
5. Who was the person who told Jesus’ enemies where he was? Was he a good disciple (friend) to Jesus? Why do you say so?
6. What did Jesus’ other disciples do when he was arrested? Why do you think they did this?
7. Who took Jesus to court? What did the people in the court say must happen to Jesus?
8. How was Jesus killed?
9. Was anyone he knew there when he died? Who was there?
10.What happened to Jesus body after he died?
11 .How did Jesus’ ‘family and disciples feel when Jesus died?
You will find the answers to these questions by reading today’s Palm Sunday Lesson.
If you would like any help with this lesson please phone Rev Peta May 0836335085.
