EntEring JErusalEm leader guide unit 5 lesson 2

Transcription

1 Entering Jerusalem Leader Guide Unit 5 lesson 2

2 Scripture Mark 11:1 11 Lesson Overview: Cultural Dimension Sometimes when we read back through the accounts of the disciples, we think, How did they not get it? It s easy to forget that we have the luxury of seeing the full picture of what Jesus mission on earth was. It s also easy to forget that we miss the point, sometimes daily. In this lesson your students will learn how the Israelites got part of the picture of who Jesus was right, but at the same time, totally missed what he was all about. Our students are living in a culture that sometimes relates Jesus to just one way to get to heaven he s just one good teacher, one good philosopher. In his book, Soul Searching, Christian Smith calls this moralistic therapeutic deism. In other words, Jesus is about being good, and he s there when I need something. Other than that, he s just this guy sitting up in the sky whom I don t think about very often. This is a prevalent belief system for many preteens in America today. The fact that we live in a culture that has reduced the power, sacrifice, and love of Jesus down to this is both sad and frightening. Our preteens need to experience the real Jesus in all his glory, power, and love. They need to understand his mission and what it means for their lives. As your students work through this unit, make it a priority that they understand who Jesus is and what he is doing. Biblical Commentary The entry of Jesus into Jerusalem brings the end of him avoiding crowds and the beginning of him proclaiming his mission in the Holy City. Up until this point, Jesus only speaks of being the Messiah and what he will do in other places such as Syria. Before entering Jerusalem, he tells his disciples to fetch a colt that has never been ridden, showing his foreknowledge of what will happen. They obey and find things exactly as Jesus said they would be. In riding in on the colt, Jesus switches drastically from his usual mode of transportation. Whenever not in a boat, he has walked everywhere. But now Jesus enters Jerusalem as Israel s Messiah. Where once he tried to keep a low profile, he now embraces the crowds and attention. Jesus enters Jerusalem at the time of Passover, a time ripe with anticipation for Jews. The celebration of Passover was a time to remember and thank God for his rescue of his people from the Egyptians. As Jews celebrated this time in Jerusalem, an occupied city, they would have had many expectations for a Messiah coming into town. This is seen clearly in what the crowd chants: Hosanna (which means Save us) and Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David (verses 9 10). Many Jews during this time would refer back to the victory that was David s and hope for a royal Messiah from the kingly line of David. Many like to talk about the capriciousness of the crowd when looking at their reaction to Jesus as he enters the city compared to their reaction of calls to crucify him. In truth it was probably Jesus followers that incited the crowds to excitement. After all, as we saw earlier in Mark, they did not fully grasp the mission of Jesus, and would have been excited that, at last, their king had come to free them. Their excitement, combined with the already anticipatory atmosphere in Jerusalem, led to the celebration of Jesus entry. Reflect on these themes: How do you view Jesus? What do you think some of our culture s misconceptions about Jesus are? When was the last time your celebrated your relationship with Jesus? Think about your students: How do your students view Jesus? Are there any special ways your group has celebrated Palm Sunday? What are some obstacles to your preteens seeing Jesus as he is? Resources Bibles Pens and markers Clothes and props David Platt s Jesus Is presentation: Copies of handout 2

3 Messages to Parents and Preteens For Preteens: The following are a couple of text messages, Tweets, or Facebook statuses you could send out to preteens in order to promote the meeting and prepare them for it. Read Mark 11:1 11 this week. Come hear about the parade for Jesus! This week we are talking about Jesus parade into Jerusalem. When was the last time you saw a parade? For Parents: Here are some text messages to get parents and preteens talking before your next meeting, and a follow-up to equip parents to continue encouraging their preteens to engage in the mission of God. Read Mark 11:1 11 with your preteen. Talk about why you think the people were so excited. This week we are looking at Jesus entry into Jerusalem. When was the last time you got really excited about Jesus? Dear Parents, This week we continued our unit called Passion. We looked at Jesus entry into Jerusalem. The crowd cheered for the Messiah because they mistakenly thought he would be a king to free them from Rome. They didn t get why he had come. We talked about the misconceptions we often label Jesus with. Here are some questions to keep your dialogue going with your preteen: What are some of the wrong thoughts you have about who Jesus is and what he came to do? When was the last time you got really excited about your relationship with Jesus and celebrated it? What is one way our family could celebrate this week what Jesus has done for us? Let me know if you have any questions as we continue through this series. Thanks for sharing your preteen with us. 3

4 Lesson Guide Before your meeting, gather up some random clothes and props for the Explore section. You can ask students to bring some things with them if you want, or you can hit the thrift store and pick up some items. Everything should be random and cheap. You will be able to reuse these items in the Encounter section of today s lesson. Explore Student Goal: Students will learn that Jesus last week started with a celebration. SAY something like: This week we are beginning to look at the events that led up to Jesus death on the cross. And would you believe it all started with a parade? So, in honor of Jesus entry into Jerusalem, we are going to have our own fashion parade! Explain to students that you are going to put on your own fashion show/parade. Make sure you have lots of fun stuff for your preteens to dress up in. Break your group into teams. While one team is showing off, the other team can be the audience and paparazzi. After the first team is finished, have them switch. Make sure you take pictures! ASK: When was the last time you were at a parade? Has anyone here ever been in a parade? What was it like? Why do you think we have parades? What are they for? SAY something like: We have parades for lots of different reasons. Sometimes it s to remember an important event. Sometimes it s to celebrate something good. Jesus parade into the city of Jerusalem was a little bit of both. Encounter Student Goal: Students will understand how we sometimes get it right but wrong at the same time. SAY something like: The story we are going to look at today is found in the book of Mark, but it is in other gospels as well. We often celebrate this day as Palm Sunday, the Sunday before we celebrate Easter. ASK: Does anyone remember some of the things we do on Palm Sunday? SAY something like: As little kids, on Palm Sunday, we may have waved palm fronds around and sang songs with the word Hosanna in them. All those things are good, but today we are going to look a little deeper at what happened on that day. Explain that you are going to act out the parade as you read the passage. You will need someone to play Jesus, his colt, a few disciples, and a keeper of the colt. Everyone else can be the crowd. You can use some of the same props that you used earlier for cloaks and palm fronds. Be creative. Read Mark 11:1 11 while your students act out the scene. ASK: Why is the crowd excited about Jesus coming in? Who do they seem to think he is? SAY something like: The timing of Jesus coming into the city is very important. The Jewish people were there to celebrate Passover. Passover was a holiday designed to celebrate how God had rescued the Israelites from Egypt and the angel of death had passed over them as the final plague. During Jesus time, many Jews were longing for the promised Messiah to come and rescue them from Rome. Jerusalem was a city that was occupied by Rome and oppressed by them. So when they heard that Jesus, who some had said was the Messiah, was coming into town, they started to get really excited. ASK: Have you ever gotten caught up in something before you really knew what was going on? SAY something like: Many of Jesus followers had come with him into Jerusalem and they were excited about what this could mean. Their excitement got everyone else excited, too. Before they knew it, a parade was underway! But did they really know what they were celebrating? Reread Mark 11:9 10. SAY something like: Hosanna means save us. The people were crying out for the Messiah to save them from their oppressors. And what s all this stuff about David? The Messiah was supposed to be from the line of King David. King David represented a good time in Israel s history were they were victorious over their enemies. They are looking for another mighty king to lead them to freedom and power over their enemy. They are right, but they are also wrong. How can that be? Here is where they are right: Jesus is the Messiah. He has come to save them and he is from the line of David. Here is where they are wrong: Jesus didn t come to be a warrior king who would liberate them from Rome. He didn t come to lead armies into battle. He came to give his life as a sacrifice for the sin of the world. It would seem the people knew who he was but missed what he had come to do. 4

5 Engage Student Goal: Students will understand how they misunderstand what Jesus mission is. SAY something like: It s easy to look at the disciples and the Israelites and think, How could they not get it? We forget that we have the ability to see what is coming next for Jesus and what comes after. We also forget that we too often don t get it, just like the disciples and Israelites. Write the following labels on a whiteboard or on power point. Ask students if they have ever thought of Jesus as any of these: Vending machine (put prayers in and get stuff out) Good teacher (just one of many in the world) Religious man (often confronted the religious leaders) A prophet (like Elijah or Mohammed) A philosopher (like Confucius or Socrates) Your ideas: Ask your students what they have heard people say about who Jesus is. ASK: Have you ever thought of Jesus as any of these things? If someone asked you to answer the question, Who is Jesus? what would you say? Why do you think we sometimes get the wrong idea about who Jesus is? Watch David Platt s Jesus Is presentation via YouTube. SAY something like: So often we reduce Jesus down to what we want or expect him to be. The Israelites did the same thing. They wanted a king to come and free them here on earth. They wanted it so much that they failed to see who Jesus was even when he was right in front of them. Let s not make that same mistake. Let s see Jesus for who he is and respond appropriately to what he is doing in the world. Closing SAY THE FOLLOWING PRAYER TO CLOSE YOUR MEETING: Jesus, you are: Son of God Emmanuel, God with us The image of the invisible God The Good Shepherd The Word of life The Light of the World The Bread of Life King of Kings The Messiah Our Savior Amen. 5

6 Spur-of-the-Moment Fashion Show EXPLORE: Take your kids to the mall and pick a department store to have your fashion show. Explain that each student has 10 minutes to shop for an outfit. They then need to meet back up at the fitting rooms and put their outfit on. Next have them model it for you as they walk your designated runway. Make sure they have fun, but are respectful of other shoppers and put stuff away when they are done. Word on the Street encounter: Take your students to the mall or some other busy place. Break them into groups of 3 4 and make sure each group has an adult leader. Ask them to walk around and interview people, asking one question: Who do you say Jesus is? Have them use their cell phones to video tape it. Set a specific amount of time and then meet back up to have them share what they heard. Praise God Together Creative Options ENGAGE: The picture of Jesus riding into Jerusalem might have been colored by the expectations of what the Israelites thought the Messiah would do, but it does gives us a wonderful picture of God s people praising him. When was the last time we shouted our praises to Jesus? Spend some time in worship with your group. You can take it outside in God s creation with a guitar or play music on your phone. If you choose to stay inside, you can create a PowerPoint presentation with pictures and words on the screen. The setting is up to you. 6