* LESSON
* HANDOUT
* GETHSEMANE & ARREST PLAY
Bible Memory Verse:
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation…” Matthew 26:41
“For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only Son, that whoever believes in his shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
WHO BETRAYED JESUS? Just before the Passover meal Jesus foretold that Judas would betray Him.
WHAT IS PROPHECY? After the Passover meal, just before Jesus and His disciples left for the Garden of Gethsemane was that Jesus foretold that Peter would deny that he knew Him (Matthew 26:31a, 33-35, Mark 14:27-31, Luke 22:31-34). Peter did deny Jesus and all of the other disciples ran away when Jesus was arrested.
Jesus had finished celebrating the Passover meal with His disciples. After this important meal Jesus and His disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. He asked His disciples to pray with Him. He said to them. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Matthew 26:38
Going a little farther into the garden Jesus fell with His face to the ground and prayed. “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." He was in so much agony that was His sweat was like drops of blood
(“Probably perspiration in large drops like blood, or possibly hematidrosis, the actual mingling of blood and sweat as in cases of extreme anguish strain or sensitivity.” NIV Study Bible)
When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"
While he was still speaking, Judas, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him."
Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him.
Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for."
Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. With that, Peter reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
"Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?"
At that time Jesus said to the crowd, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled."
Then all the disciples deserted him and fled just as Jesus had prophesied or foretold that they would do.
QUESTIONS:
1. Who did Jesus prophecy or foretell would deny that he knew Jesus?
2. Why did Jesus go the garden of Gethsemane?
3. Why did Jesus especially pray that night before His crucifixion?
4. Why were the disciples so tired?
5. Who betrayed Jesus?
6. How did Judas show the chief priests who Jesus was?
7. Who cut off the ear of one of the chief priests’ servants?
8. What did Jesus do to servant whose ear had been cut off?
9. Who could Jesus have called to save Him?
GETHSAMENE & ARREST
Bible Memory Verse:
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation…” Matthew 26:41
Words to choose from: SORROW, KISS, HEALED, PRAY, SLEEP, WILL, EAR, ANGELS, THREE, TEMPTATION
1. Jesus went to the garden of Gethsemane in order to __ __ __ __.
2. Jesus wanted His Father’s __ __ __ __ (desire) to be done.
3. Jesus took __ __ __ __ __ of His disciples with Him
4. His disciples went to __ __ __ __ __ instead of praying.
5. His disciples were tired because they had so much __ __ __ __ __ __ (sadness).
6. Jesus wanted His disciples to pray so that they would not fall into __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
7. Judas betrayed Jesus with a __ __ __ __.
8. Peter cut off the __ __ __ of the servant of the high priest.
9. Jesus touched the servant’s ear and it was __ __ __ __ __ __.
10. Jesus could have called twelve legions of __ __ __ __ __ __ to help Him.
Bible Memory Verse:
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation…” Matthew 26:41
CHARACTERS: Jolly the Giraffe, Polly the Polar Bear, Leo the Lion
JOLLY: (enter) Hi, Kids! What did you think of our Bible story today? Did you know that Jesus had to suffer so much even BEFORE He was crucified? (wait for answers)
POLLY & LEO: (enter) Hi, Kids!
POLLY: Poor Jesus!
LEO: It reminds me of something that happened to me. But of course, it was MUCH worse for Jesus.
POLLY: What was that, Leo?
LEO: Well, once I was playing ball by myself in the school yard. I was throwing the ball up in the air and then swinging the bat. I hit the ball, and it hit a window. There was a loud crash! There didn’t seem to be anyone there, and I didn’t tell anyone. I went home right away. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know if I should pretend I knew nothing about it, or if I should go tell the principal. I didn’t even know if I should tell my parents. That night I was so worried I couldn’t sleep.
POLLY: I see why you can understand how Jesus felt. You couldn’t sleep because you knew what you had to face the next day.
JOLLY: Jesus didn’t do anything bad, and He was going to have to suffer. REALLY suffer because the sins of the whole world were going to paid for by Him. But you didn’t MEAN to do anything bad, did you, Leo?
LEO: I shouldn’t have been playing so close to the school windows, but it WAS an accident.
POLLY: What happened, Leo?
LEO: Well, I did what Jesus did—after worrying most of the night. I prayed.
JOLLY: Thank goodness you knew Jesus.
POLLY: And that He loves you and wants to help you.
JOLLY: And that He understands because of all that has happened to Him. What did He do?
LEO: I felt that He wanted me to tell my parents. So the next morning I told my Dad and Mom at breakfast.
POLLY: What did they say?
LEO: They said I needed to tell the principal right away. In fact, my dad offered to come with me. But I said I could go by myself. I knew that my dad had important work to do, and also I wasn’t too young. I thought I could do it by myself.
JOLLY: That was nice of you to think about your dad, too, when you were in trouble.
LEO: I went to see the principal right away, even before school began. I had to wait for him awhile and THAT was hard in itself. But when he came, and when I finally got to talk to him after he unlocked the school and took his coat off, and hung it up and took me into his office and found me a chair and answered the phone because someone HAD to call him right then, he finally listened to me.
He was really nice about it. I offered to pay for it, and he said I could pay for it by helping clean up the school yard. So that is what I did. It turned out good—I’m really glad I asked Jesus to help me. The Bible says, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation…” Matthew 26:41 That’s what I did.
POLLY: That’s wonderful, Leo.
JOLLY: It turned out really good for Jesus, too. Because He suffered so much to die for our sins, now He has lots of friends that can come to heaven with Him.
POLLY: That’s right!
LEO: The first think I am going to do when I get to heaven is thank Him for all the suffering He did so I could come to heaven.
JOLLY & POLLY: Me, too! Good-bye Kids! See you next week,
LEO: Good-bye Kids!
(puppets exit)