Lesson 3: Jesus stands before Pilate.
Passage: John 18:28-40 - Jesus is arrested and brought to the palace of the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. He is questioned by Pilate about whether or not he is the King of the Jews. Jesus claims that his kingdom is not of this world, but comes from another place. Pilate does not believe that Jesus is guilty of any wrongdoing, and asks the people if they would like him to be pardoned, but they refuse, and ask to have a criminal named Barabbas pardoned instead.
Big Idea: Jesus’ kingdom is a spiritual kingdom.
For Teachers:
Lesson plan.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: — Activity Leader
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
For the last couple of Sundays we’ve been talking about the story behind Easter, which is all about the end of Jesus’ life. First, we learned that Jesus came to Jerusalem riding on a donkey and the people were praising him as God’s king. Then, we learned about how Jesus went to the temple and taught that he wants everyone to be able to pray and come closer to God.
Today we’ll be learning about the time when Jesus got arrested and was being questioned by the government officials. The story goes like this…
The religious leaders arrested Jesus and took him to the palace of the Roman governor, who’s name was Pilate. So Pilate asked them, “What did this man do wrong? Why has he been arrested?” They replied, “Well he’s obviously a criminal otherwise we wouldn’t have brought him to you.” Then Pilate said, “Why don’t you judge him yourselves? Why bother me?” The religious leaders replied, “Because we don’t have the right to sentence someone to death.” They said this because they wanted Jesus to be killed. So Pilate called to Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” And Jesus said, “Is that your own idea? Or did someone tell you that?” Pilate was surprised by this, “How should I know?” he said, “it’s the religious leaders who brought you to me. What did you do?” And Jesus said, “My kingdom is not an earthly kingdom, it’s a spiritual one. I’m not here to fight with you.” And Pilate said, “So you admit that you are a king then?” Jesus replied, “You’re the one who said it.” So Pilate went out to the crowd and said, “I don’t think this man has done anything wrong. And since it’s the Passover custom to release one prisoner, do you want me to release Jesus?” But they shouted back, ‘No. We want to release the other guy, Barabbas.”
Now let’s watch our video for today to find out more about the story…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Can anyone remember why the religious leaders were so angry at Jesus and wanted him to be arrested and killed?
But the problem was that they didn’t have the power to have Jesus killed, so they had to take Jesus to the Roman governor to be judged. Do you remember what the name of the governor was?
Does anyone remember what Jesus said when Pilate asked him if he was a king?
What do you think that means that Jesus’ kingdom is spiritual?
Can you think of some ways that Jesus can change our hearts?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for what we learned today, that Jesus said that his kingdom is not an earthly kingdom, but is inside of us, in our hearts. It is when Jesus becomes king of our hearts and changes us for the better. Thank you for how Jesus fills our hearts with your love and goodness so that we can also share that with others, and the world can become a better place for everyone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Prayer Chain Craft — Activity Leader
Children will decorate and glue together paper chain links with prayers on them, to remind them of different things they can pray for.
If a child is uninterested in the activity, allow them to move to free play.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
-
Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: — Activity Leader
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
For the last couple of Sundays we’ve been talking about the story behind Easter, which is all about the end of Jesus’ life. First, we learned that Jesus came to Jerusalem riding on a donkey and the people were praising him as God’s king. Then, we learned about how Jesus went to the temple and taught that he wants everyone to be able to pray and come closer to God.
Today we’ll be learning about the time when Jesus got arrested and was being questioned by the government officials. The story goes like this…
The religious leaders arrested Jesus and took him to the palace of the Roman governor, who’s name was Pilate. So Pilate asked them, “What did this man do wrong? Why has he been arrested?” They replied, “Well he’s obviously a criminal otherwise we wouldn’t have brought him to you.” Then Pilate said, “Why don’t you judge him yourselves? Why bother me?” The religious leaders replied, “Because we don’t have the right to sentence someone to death.” They said this because they wanted Jesus to be killed. So Pilate called to Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” And Jesus said, “Is that your own idea? Or did someone tell you that?” Pilate was surprised by this, “How should I know?” he said, “it’s the religious leaders who brought you to me. What did you do?” And Jesus said, “My kingdom is not an earthly kingdom, it’s a spiritual one. I’m not here to fight with you.” And Pilate said, “So you admit that you are a king then?” Jesus replied, “You’re the one who said it.” So Pilate went out to the crowd and said, “I don’t think this man has done anything wrong. And since it’s the Passover custom to release one prisoner, do you want me to release Jesus?” But they shouted back, ‘No. We want to release the other guy, Barabbas.”
Now let’s watch our video for today to find out more about the story…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Can anyone remember why the religious leaders were so angry at Jesus and wanted him to be arrested and killed?
But the problem was that they didn’t have the power to have Jesus killed, so they had to take Jesus to the Roman governor to be judged. Do you remember what the name of the governor was?
Does anyone remember what Jesus said when Pilate asked him if he was a king?
What do you think that means that Jesus’ kingdom is spiritual?
Can you think of some ways that Jesus can change our hearts?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for what we learned today, that Jesus said that his kingdom is not an earthly kingdom, but is inside of us, in our hearts. It is when Jesus becomes king of our hearts and changes us for the better. Thank you for how Jesus fills our hearts with your love and goodness so that we can also share that with others, and the world can become a better place for everyone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Prayer Chain Craft — Activity Leader
Children will decorate and glue together paper chain links with prayers on them, to remind them of different things they can pray for.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Introduce yourself, welcome the kids to class. Ask kids about their weeks.
Warm Up Activity: Easter Egg Trivia Hunt — Activity Leader
In this game, the students will need to find pieces of plastic eggs hidden around the room. Have the students match the egg pieces with the correct corresponding sides (the right answers) and they will earn a candy surprise.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we’re going to be continuing our series about the story of Easter and Jesus’ last days on earth.
Can anyone remember what happened in the first story when Jesus arrives in Jerusalem?
What about the second story about when Jesus went to the temple?
Today we’ll be learning about what happened after Jesus got arrested and brought to the Roman governor. The story goes like this…
The religious leaders arrested Jesus and took him to the palace of the Roman governor, who’s name was Pilate. So Pilate asked them, “What did this man do wrong? Why has he been arrested?” They replied, “Well he’s obviously a criminal otherwise we wouldn’t have brought him to you.” Then Pilate said, “Why don’t you judge him yourselves? Why bother me?” The religious leaders replied, “Because we don’t have the right to sentence someone to death.” They said this because they wanted Jesus to be killed. So Pilate called to Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” And Jesus said, “Is that your own idea? Or did someone tell you that?” Pilate was surprised by this, “How should I know?” he said, “it’s the religious leaders who brought you to me. What did you do?” And Jesus said, “My kingdom is not an earthly kingdom, it’s a spiritual one. I’m not here to fight with you.” And Pilate said, “So you admit that you are a king then?” Jesus replied, “You’re the one who said it.” So Pilate went out to the crowd and said, “I don’t think this man has done anything wrong. And since it’s the Passover custom to release one prisoner, do you want me to release Jesus?” But they shouted back, ‘No. We want to release the other guy, Barabbas.”
Let’s watch our video for today to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Why did the religious leaders want to have Jesus arrested and killed?
How did Jesus respond when asked by Pilate if he was the King of the Jews?
What do you think Jesus meant by that? What kind of king do you think Jesus is?
From your own experience, what are some ways that Jesus has changed your heart, or the heart of someone that you know?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the story we heard today about Jesus being questioned by the governor Pilate, and how we learn from it that Jesus’ kingdom is not an earthly kingdom but a spiritual one that is in our hearts. Thank you that through Jesus’ teachings and examples we can learn more about God and our lives can be changed when we follow Jesus’ ways. Thank you that you fill our hearts with love and goodness, and that we can share that with others too, so that your kingdom will spread throughout the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Prayer Chain Craft — Activity Leader
Children will decorate and glue together paper chain links with prayers on them, to remind them of different things they can pray for.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
For Parents:
Follow-up questions.
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What was the story that you learned about in class today?
Do you remember why Jesus was being arrested? Did he do something wrong?
What kind of king did Jesus say he was?
What are some ways that Jesus can change our hearts?
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What was the story that you learned about in class today?
Why was Jesus being arrested? Did he do something wrong?
What kind of kingdom did Jesus say he has?
What are some ways that Jesus can change our hearts?
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What was the story that you learned about in class today?
Why was Jesus being arrested? What was he accused of?
How did Jesus respond to the accusations against him?
How do you think the Kingdom of God gets spread throughout the world?
What are some ways we can be part God’s work in the world?
