Lesson 4: The expensive perfume.
Passage: Matthew 26:1-13 - A few days before the Passover, Jesus explained to his disciples what was to come - that he would be handed over to be crucified. The religious leaders had been scheming to have Jesus arrested and killed. Meanwhile, when Jesus was in Bethany, he was at the home of a man named Simon, when a woman took a jar of expensive perfume and poured it on Jesus’ head. The disciples were indignant, feeling that this was a waste, that the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor. But Jesus defended the woman, telling them that she had done a beautiful thing for him, preparing his body for burial.
Big Idea: Giving our best to Jesus.
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 few Sundays we’ve been talking about some of the different challenges Jesus faced, and today we have one more story to talk about. So far we learned that Jesus was challenged by the Villain, who is the enemy of God, and then he was challenged by the people in his hometown that he grew up with, and finally by the religious leaders who wanted to have him arrested. Today we’ll learn about a time when he was also challenged by his very own followers, can you believe that?
The story goes like this…
A few days before the Jewish Passover festival, Jesus warned his disciples that he was soon going to be arrested. The religious leaders had been plotting this together, but they didn’t want to do it during the festival. Meanwhile, Jesus was at his friend’s house with a bunch of his disciples, and a woman came to him with a jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head. This made the disciples really angry. They said, “Why are you wasting this perfume? We could have sold it for a lot of money and given the money to the poor.” But Jesus said, “Stop bothering this woman, she did a beautiful thing for me! What she has done will always be remembered.
Now let’s watch our video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Why do you think the religious leaders hated Jesus so much that they wanted to get him arrested?
Do you think that Jesus’ followers really understood when Jesus told them that he was going to have to go to the cross soon? Do you think they were confused?
Why were they mad at the woman for pouring the perfume over Jesus’ head?
Why do you think the woman did it?
Was there ever a time when you gave a gift to someone you loved? What did you give them?
What are some things we can do to show that we love God and give our best to Jesus?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the story about the woman who gave her best to Jesus by pouring her jar of expensive perfume on him, to show how much she loved him. Thank you that we can also be like this woman when we do something kind for other people, and when we love God with all our hearts. Please help us to keep on learning about you, and help us to become more like Jesus, by loving God and others and doing our best every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Perfume Jar Craft — Activity Leader
Kids will decorate their own perfume jar using mod podge and colourful tissue paper.
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 few Sundays we’ve been talking about some of the different challenges Jesus faced, and today we have one more story to talk about. So far we learned that Jesus was challenged by the Villain, who is the enemy of God, and then he was challenged by the people in his hometown that he grew up with, and finally by the religious leaders who wanted to have him arrested. Today we’ll learn about a time when he was also challenged by his very own followers, can you believe that?
The story goes like this…
A few days before the Jewish Passover festival, Jesus warned his disciples that he was soon going to be arrested. The religious leaders had been plotting this together, but they didn’t want to do it during the festival. Meanwhile, Jesus was at his friend’s house with a bunch of his disciples, and a woman came to him with a jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head. This made the disciples really angry. They said, “Why are you wasting this perfume? We could have sold it for a lot of money and given the money to the poor.” But Jesus said, “Stop bothering this woman, she did a beautiful thing for me! What she has done will always be remembered.
Now let’s watch our video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Why do you think the religious leaders hated Jesus so much that they wanted to get him arrested?
Do you think that Jesus’ followers really understood when Jesus told them that he was going to have to go to the cross soon? Do you think they were confused?
Why were they mad at the woman for pouring the perfume over Jesus’ head?
Why do you think the woman did it?
Was there ever a time when you gave a gift to someone you loved? What did you give them?
What are some things we can do to show that we love God and give our best to Jesus?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the story about the woman who gave her best to Jesus by pouring her jar of expensive perfume on him, to show how much she loved him. Thank you that we can also be like this woman when we do something kind for other people, and when we love God with all our hearts. Please help us to keep on learning about you, and help us to become more like Jesus, by loving God and others and doing our best every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Perfume Jar Craft — Activity Leader
Kids will decorate their own perfume jar using mod podge and colourful tissue paper.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
-
Welcome — Activity Leader
Introduce yourself, welcome the kids to class.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today is the last week of the Challenger series, which is all about the times when Jesus was challenged by those around him.
Can anyone remember who Jesus was challenged by in stories we talked about so far? (The Villain, the people from his hometown, and the religious leaders)
In today’s story we’ll learn about a time when Jesus was challenged by his very own followers. It goes like this…
A few days before the Passover festival, Jesus warned his disciples that he was soon to be arrested and killed. The religious leaders had been plotting this together, but they didn’t want to do it during the festival, because they didn’t want to cause an uproar. Meanwhile, Jesus was at his friend’s house with a bunch of his disciples, and a woman came to him with a jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head. This made the disciples really angry. They said, “Why are you wasting this perfume? We could have sold it for a lot of money and given the money to the poor.” But Jesus said, “Stop bothering this woman, she did a beautiful thing for me. What she has done will always be remembered.”
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Why do you think the religious leaders hated Jesus so much that they wanted him arrested and killed?
Why do you think the disciples had such a hard time understanding when Jesus warned them what was going to happen to him?
Why were the disciples so mad when the woman poured her expensive perfume on Jesus’ head?
What are some ways that we can follow the woman’s example and give our best to God?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the stories we’ve been hearing about in this series, about some of the different challenges that Jesus faced in his life, and how it shows us that you understand us when we face challenges as well. Jesus was challenged by almost everyone, from the Villain, to his neighbours, to the religious leaders, and even his very own disciples who didn’t understand him and his plan. There will be many times in our lives when we also won’t understand your plan, and it’s okay to have questions and doubts. But we ask you to help us to trust in you even through the difficult or confusing times, and to follow the example of the woman who gave her very best to Jesus, in whatever ways we can. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Perfume Jar Craft — Activity Leader
Kids will decorate their own perfume jar using mod podge and colourful tissue paper.
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 you learned about in class today?
Why do you think Jesus had to go through so many challenges?
Do you think sometimes the Bible stories we learn about are hard to understand? What can we do when we don’t understand something?
Why do you think it was so special when the woman poured her expensive perfume on Jesus?
What do you think would be the best gift you could give to someone to show you care about them?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Why do you think that people and even the disciples sometimes didn’t understand Jesus?
What can we do when there are things in the Bible or in Jesus’ teachings that we don’t understand?
Why do you think the woman was willing to use her expensive perfume on Jesus?
What’s something special that you can do for someone else to show that you care about them?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Why do you think it was so hard for people and even the disciples to understand what Jesus was telling them about what was going to happen to him?
Can you think of anything in the Bible or about Jesus’ message that you find hard to understand? What can you do when you don’t understand something?
What can we learn from the woman’s example?
What are some ways we can also give God our best and show our love for others?
