Leader Guide

Discussion and Explanation

Discussion & Explanation (5 mins)

Can you believe that Chris’s mom got to come along with them? I didn’t expect that! And Chris was acting pretty poorly, wasn’t he? His mom said, “Don’t walk away while I’m talking to you!” and he just . . . walked away, didn’t he? Raise your hand if you would get in trouble for doing that.

If you missed last week, we saw Jesus getting a king’s welcome as He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. We celebrated Palm Sunday by laying down our coats and waving palm branches as they did for Jesus. It was only a few days after this king’s welcome that Jesus was arrested, beaten, and hung on the cross to die. How could that happen?

We’re picking up the story now about four days after Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane and then was arrested. You have to remember: Jesus didn’t do anything wrong. And He knew they would come for Him to arrest Him and kill Him. But He let it happen anyway. Why do you think He did that? Children answer. Explain, if needed, that He did it because He was obeying His Father in Heaven. He loved His Father, and He loves us.

As you probably know, the story gets worse before it gets better. Spoiler alert—Jesus gets arrested and sentenced to die on a cross. What a horrible thing to happen to anyone, especially God’s son!

But Jesus told His followers, His disciples, it would happen. He told them that He would come back from the dead on the third day, and that’s what He did. And that’s what we celebrate at Easter.