Easter Eggs Sunday School Lesson
Here is our FREE Easter Eggs Sunday School Lesson. Teach kids that we need to love others, without condition, and welcome them in Jesus' name. By the end of this lesson, kids will understand it's not enough to know about God. We need to love others the way Jesus did. This lesson is great for every Children's Ministry, Kids Church, and Sunday School! Plastic eggs are lovely and come in all colors, but they’re empty inside. Caiaphas looked like a holy man on the outside, but as a plastic egg, he was empty inside. We need to make sure we don’t fall into the same trap as Caiaphas. We need to love others without condition and welcome them in Jesus’ name. This Easter, I want all of you to think about your friends. Think about someone you know who may need to hear the good news of Jesus. Pray for them, and invite them to come with you. Don’t put any conditions on it. Don’t make them change who they are. Just invite them to come and hear what Jesus did for them. Jesus doesn’t want plastic eggs. He wants true believers who love Jesus and love others the way Jesus did! Take a look at our Easter Eggs Children's Ministry Curriculum. And, if you like this lesson we have over 100 more free Sunday School Lessons for Kids!

Easter Eggs Sunday School Lesson For Kids:

BOTTOM LINE:

We need to love others, without condition, and welcome them in Jesus’ name.

 

OBJECTIVE:

Kids will understand it’s not enough to know about God. We need to love others the way Jesus did.

KEY PASSAGE:

Matthew 26:3-5, 57-68. Kids will hear the story of Jesus’ trial led by Caiaphas, a religious man who knew God’s law but didn’t have God in his heart.

MEMORY VERSE:

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.’” - John 11:25

 

SUMMARY:

Plastic eggs are lovely and come in all colors, but they’re empty inside. Caiaphas looked like a holy man on the outside, but like a plastic egg, he was empty inside. We need to make sure we don’t fall into the same trap as Caiaphas. We need to love others without condition and welcome them in Jesus’ name.

SIMPLE PRAYER:

Dear God,

 

Thank you for loving us enough to die for us. Forgive us for the times we forget our salvation and judge others. Give us open hearts this Easter season, and give us the courage to invite a friend to hear the story of your resurrection.

 

In Jesus’ name,

Amen




MEMORY VERSE

 

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.’” - John 11:25 (NIV)

 

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even if he dies.’” - John 11:25 (NIrV)

 

LARGE GROUP:

Post the memory verse slide on the video screen and have the kids read it aloud together.

 

SMALL GROUP:

Ask the kids what they think Jesus means by these words. Then ask the kids what these words have to do with the Easter story.





SKIT

 

TITLE- Priest School

 

ITEMS NEEDED:

Biblical priest costumes

 

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:

2M

 

CHARACTERS:

Ted- A priest in training

Caiaphas- The high priest

Saul- Another priest in training

 

Ted enters, dressed as a student of the priesthood.

TED: Hello, my name’s Ted, and I’m here to set the record straight about my mentor - my friend - Caiaphas. Now I know you Christians don’t like Caiaphas a whole lot. He was the high priest who had that radical religious leader, Jesus, arrested and killed. But believe me, the Caiaphas I know is not a bad guy. Caiaphas was raised in the temple, just like I was. As a child, he memorized the Word of God. He learned it so well, he was allowed to enter the priesthood. And yes, as you can guess, he went all the way to the top. Caiaphas is the man who enters the Holy of Holies every year to atone for the sins of the people. He is a good man who knows the law, keeps the law, and teaches it to others. He’s also a very funny guy. Like this one time we went down to Damascus and there was this shop keeper, I think his name was Barney? Anyway...

Caiaphas enters stage right, frowning.

TED: Barney had these clay pots for sale, and Caiaphas said--

CAIAPHAS: Time’s up!

TED: Oh hey! Look, everybody, it’s Caiaphas!

CAIAPHAS: Ted, get back to your room. You’ve done enough work for the day.

TED:  But I was just getting started.

CAIAPHAS: Ted!! It’s the Sabbath! You know the rules! No more than a quarter page monologue on Sunday or it’s considered work! Now go upstairs!

TED: But master, I--

CAIAPHAS: Just look at your finger nails too! Don’t you know how to get ceremonially clean?

TED: I was going to wash them after I spoke to the kids.

CAIAPHAS: What shame! What an abomination!

TED: Hey, it was an honest mistake.

CAIAPHAS: Mistakes are work too! No work on the Sabbath!

TED: Really? That’s work now? Making mistakes?!

CAIAPHAS: Making anything!

TED: That’s ridiculous!

CAIAPHAS: Do you dare question God?

TED: No, just you.

CAIAPHAS: Know your place, student!

TED: You know, this is the same kind of arrogance that made you kill Jesus.

CAIAPHAS: He had it coming!

TED: He did not! He never did anything wrong!

CAIAPHAS: He claimed he was God! That’s blasphemy!

TED: Not if he really was God!

CAIAPHAS: Don’t you start that again!

TED: You’re the one who prophesied that one man would die for all our people! How do you know that he wasn’t the one--

CAIAPHAS: Don’t question me, boy! I’m the teacher; you’re the student, so--

Saul enters.

SAUL: Forgive me, master, but you all have argued for a whole minute now. Any longer, and you will be in violation of the law that says how much arguing on the Sabbath is work.

CAIAPHAS: We will continue this another time, my son.

TED: Fine.

Ted storms off.

CAIAPHAS: What is your name, son?

SAUL: Saul of Tarsus.

CAIAPHAS: Saul, you’re a bright boy. I predict you will lead your people one day.

SAUL: I hope so, sir.

CAIAPHAS: Now go wash your hands properly with Ted.

SAUL: Yes, sir.

Saul exits the way Ted did. Caiaphas exits the other way.



OBJECT LESSON

 

ITEM NEEDED:

A hollow chocolate bunny

 

How many of you are looking forward to one of these in a few weeks? I don’t know anybody who doesn’t love chocolate bunnies. The only question is, will you get a solid bunny...

 

Break the bunny open.

 

Or a hollow one?

 

Solid bunnies are heavy, jammed full of chocolate. Hollow bunnies look bigger and grander, but they’re empty inside. They’re just a thin chocolate shell around a big empty space with nothing inside.

 

Kinda sad, isn’t it?

 

Caiaphas and the Pharisees were a lot like a hollow bunny. They looked good and religious on the outside, but they were empty inside. They cared more about the law than about God, and they failed to recognize the Son of God when they met him.

 

As Christians we need to be careful we don’t fall into the same trap. We need to love others the way Jesus did - as they are, where they are. It’s not up to us to clean people up and bring them to Jesus. It’s up to us to love them and bring them to Jesus. Period.

 

This is a great time of year to invite your friends to church. Pray about it, and if God puts someone on your heart, invite him to Easter Sunday. Bring them as they are, and welcome them the same way Jesus did, with open arms.




LARGE GROUP GAME

 

NOT AN EGG TO STAND ON

 

ITEMS NEEDED:

Table

Salt

Six eggs

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

Choose one contestant for this game. This is a sixty second challenge, in which the contestant must get all six eggs to stand on their bigger end. They can use the salt to give the eggs something to stand on, but nothing else. If they complete the challenge in 60 seconds or less, they get a prize.

 

VARIATION:

For younger kids, use fewer eggs.

For older kids you can add more eggs, cut the time to 30 or 45 seconds, or take away the salt.




LARGE GROUP LESSON

 

BOTTOM LINE:

We need to love others without condition and welcome them in Jesus’ name.

 

OBJECTIVE:

Kids will understand it’s not enough to know about God. We need to love others the way Jesus did.

KEY PASSAGE:

Matthew 26:3-5, 57-68. Kids will hear the story of Jesus’ trial led by Caiaphas, a religious man who knew God’s law but didn’t have God in his heart.

INTRO

Easter Sunday is coming, and with Easter comes Easter eggs! Easter eggs come in all sizes and colors. We can make Easter eggs with stripes, dots, faces, and words. We can make them just about any way we want if we get creative.

 

But Easter eggs aren’t limited to the hard-boiled variety. There are Reese’s Peanut Butter eggs, Cadbury eggs, Snickers eggs, marshmallow eggs, and plastic eggs. Like their hard-boiled counterparts, plastic eggs come in every size and color, but unlike hard-boiled eggs, plastic eggs contain a candy surprise. It could be M&M’s. It could be jelly beans. It could be almost anything!

 

The candy’s a nice treat, but take away the candy, you’ve got nothing but a hollow egg. It’s lovely on the outside, but empty on the inside. And what was inside is hardly enough to keep you healthy and growing - not like a hard-boiled egg.

 

As we start our egg-cellent series on Easter, we’re going to talk about a man who was sort of like a plastic Easter egg. He’s a man we meet in the Easter story. He was a very important man, one of the most important men of his time. On the outside, he was significant, respected, and admired. But on the inside, he was empty. His name was Caiaphas, and he was the high priest of Israel.

 

Looking back on the Easter story, it’s easy to paint Caiaphas as an evil man, but that’s not the case. Caiaphas grew up studying the word of God. He lived and served in the temple from his boyhood, and as high priest, it was his job to enter the Holy of Holies once a year to atone for the sins of Israel.

 

But Caiaphas, like the other priests and Pharisees we meet in the gospels, had a problem: he was more concerned with the law than with the God behind the laws. When Jesus came along, Caiaphas and the priests didn’t recognize Jesus as the Son of God. All throughout the gospels we hear the priests asking questions:

“Why is he eating in the house of a sinner?”

“Why didn’t he and his men wash their hands properly before they ate?”

“Why is he healing that person today? Doesn’t he know this is the Sabbath?

Many of the laws these men complained about were man-made, not God-made. That’s one reason why Jesus thought nothing of violating them. But the more Jesus crossed the priests, the more they wanted to stop him. That’s where Caiaphas comes into the story.

READ Matthew 26:3-5

Isn’t it interesting they planned to grab Jesus after dark? Caiaphas knew they would never get away with arresting Jesus in the daytime, but under the cover of night, they could try and convict him before anyone knew what was happening. That’s exactly what they did.

READ Matthew 26:57-68

What a sad scene! Dozens of witnesses were brought forward to accuse Jesus of a crime, and not a one of them could make their story stick. Jesus was without sin, and there was no evidence against him. But Caiaphas was determined to convict Jesus, so he accused Jesus of blasphemy.

Blasphemy is the act of claiming you are God. It was sin punishable by death. Jesus did claim to be God, just as Caiaphas said. But Caiaphas never saw that Jesus WAS God! He was so blinded by his love of the law, he missed out on knowing the Son of God.

MAIN POINT

Caiaphas and the Pharisees looked like true believers. They wore the right clothes. They could quote Scripture by heart. But they were empty inside. Jesus described them as white-washed tombs - beautiful and clean on the outside but full of death on the inside. That’s not a pretty picture, is it?

Sadly, there are many Christians today who are empty inside. They are more concerned with how people are dressed at church than whether they go to church. If you don’t dress in nice pants and a shirt, or a dress, don’t even bother! Plastic eggs want non-believers to clean up their life before they can come into the church. If you won’t clean up your act, don’t even bother coming to church!

That’s not how Jesus lived. Jesus went in the home of sinners. Jesus accepted them as they were. That’s how Jesus wants us to welcome non-believers as well.

DRIVE IT HOME

This is a great time of year for telling others about Jesus. Easter gives us a chance to share the good news of Jesus as we remember all he did for us on the cross. But if we act like plastic eggs, no one’s going to want to come and hear.

Only Jesus can change a heart. Our job isn’t to fix people up, but to introduce them to the man who can fix them.

This Easter, I want all of you to think about your friends. Think about someone you know who may need to hear the good news of Jesus. Pray for them, and invite them to come with you. Don’t put any conditions on it. Don’t make them change who they are. Just invite them to come and hear what Jesus did for them.

Jesus doesn’t want plastic eggs. He wants true believers who love Jesus and love others the way Jesus did!

CLOSE WITH A SIMPLE PRAYER

Dear God,

Thank you for loving us enough to die for us. Forgive us for the times we forget our salvation and judge others. Give us open hearts this Easter season, and give us the courage to invite a friend to hear the story of your resurrection.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (K-2ND)

ICEBREAKER

Which is worse - to find a candy you don’t really like inside an egg, or to find no candy at all?

MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY

John 11:25

Ask the kids what they think Jesus means by these words. Then ask the kids what these words have to do with the Easter story.

SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY

Who is the least picky candy eater in your group? Have all the kids stand up. Read the kids a list of candy you might find in an Easter egg. If the kids like that candy, have them keep standing. If you come to a candy they don’t like, the kids will sit down. See if you can keep going until only one kid remains.

Examples of candy you might find in a plastic egg include: jelly beans, Skittles, M&Ms, SweetTarts, Reese’s Pieces, Red Hots, Gummy Bears. If you run out, have the kids suggest more.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Read Matthew 26:3-5

Who was Caiaphas?

What plan did Caiaphas and the others make?

Why did they agree to execute their plan after dark? What were they afraid of?

Read Matthew 26:57-68

What crime did Caiaphas ultimately accuse Jesus of committing?

Why was Caiphas like an empty plastic Easter egg?

How can we show others that they are welcome at church?

SIMPLE PRAYER

Dear God,

Thank you for loving us enough to die for us. Remind us that we are all sinners in need of salvation, and help us not to judge others. Give us open hearts this Easter season, and give us the courage to invite a friend to hear the story of your resurrection.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (3RD-5TH)

ICEBREAKER

Which is worse - to find a candy you don’t really like inside an egg, or to find no candy at all?

MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY

John 11:25

Ask the kids what they think Jesus means by these words. Then ask the kids what these words have to do with the Easter story.

SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY

Who is the least picky candy eater in your group? Have all the kids stand up. Read the kids a list of candy you might find in an Easter egg. If the kids like that candy, have them keep standing. If you come to a candy they don’t like, the kids will sit down. See if you can keep going until only one kid remains.

Examples of candy you might find in a plastic egg include: jelly beans, Skittles, M&Ms, SweetTarts, Reese’s Pieces, Red Hots, Gummy Bears. If you run out, have the kids suggest more.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Read Matthew 26:57-68

Who was Caiaphas?

With what crime did Caiaphas accuse Jesus?

Why didn’t Caiaphas recognize that Jesus was the Christ?

How was Caiaphas like an empty plastic egg?

What are some things Christians today do that makes them like plastic eggs?

How should we treat non-believers when they come to church?  

How can we be show others that they are welcome at church?

Is there at least one person you can think of whom you might invite to church on Easter?

SIMPLE PRAYER

Dear God,

Thank you for loving us enough to die for us. Remind us that we are all sinners in need of salvation, and help us not to judge others. Give us open hearts this Easter season, and give us the courage to invite a friend to hear the story of your resurrection.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen
 

For your convenience, you can also download the entire PDF version of this Easter Eggs Children's Ministry Lesson (just click the link). 

Here's a video from Wright Ideas with Susan that you might find helpful to go along with your Sunday School Lesson on Easter Eggs. 

Take a look at the links below for other ideas for teaching an Easter Egg Sunday School Lesson: 

 

A Real Easter Egg - Sermons4Kids

 

 

Easter Egg-citement - Children's Sermons from Sermons4Kids.com

 

 

Easter Egg Object Lessons for Kids - Ministry-To-Children

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