Jesus Arrested Sunday School Lesson

Jesus Arrested Sunday School Lesson
Take a look at our FREE Jesus Arrested Sunday School Lesson! Teach kids that God sent Jesus to die for us. By the end of this lesson, kids will be able to state why Jesus came to earth. This lesson is great for every Children's Ministry, Kids Church, and Sunday School! Our top story tonight. It seems strange that Jesus would allow himself to be arrested, but that was part of Gods plan. God loves us so much that he sent his son to die for us. Whether youre hearing the Easter story for the first time, or whether youve heard it many times before, I hope youll take some time to think about what it means. Jesus, the Son of God, left Heaven behind so he could save us. He did what we could never do for ourselves because he loves us so much. After you reflect on the story, I want you to do one more thing. I want you to share the news with a friend. Tell others that Easter is coming, and tell them what Easter means to you. Invite them to church, or share the story with them yourself. This is the most important story you can ever share with your friends. Dont keep it to yourself. Check out our Breaking News Easter 4-Week Children's Ministry CurriculumAnd, if you like this lesson we have over 100 more free Sunday School Lessons for Kids!

Jesus Arrested Sunday School Lesson For Kids:

BOTTOM LINE:

God sent Jesus to die for us.

OBJECTIVE:

Kids will be able to state why Jesus came to Earth.

KEY PASSAGE:

Matthew 26:36-56, Jesus Arrested

MEMORY VERSE:

"He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." Mark 16:15 (NIV)

SUMMARY:

Our top story tonight. It seems strange that Jesus would allow himself to be arrested, but that was part of Gods plan. God loves us so much that he sent his son to die for us.

SIMPLE PRAYER:

Dear God,

Thank you sending Jesus to die for us.

In Jesus name,

Amen

 

MEMORY VERSE

"He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." Mark 16:15 (NIV)

He said to them, Go into all the world. Preach the good news to everyone.’” Mark 16:15 (NIrV)

LARGE GROUP:

Have the kids read the verse together. Read it normally, then in a whisper, then really, really loud!

SMALL GROUP:

K-2nd: Give all the kids a Bible and help them locate the verse. As you read the verse aloud, encourage the kids to follow along with their finger.

3rd-5th: Give all the kids a Bible. Let the kids race to see who can find the verse first. Let that kid read to the group.

 

SKIT

TOP STORY

ITEMS NEEDED:

A news desk and chair

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:

2M

CHARACTERS:

Rock Stone - A TV newsman

Mark Storm - A weather guy

Rock sits at the news desk.

ROCK: Good evening, and welcome to Jerusalem Eye Witness News. Im Rock Stone. Our top story tonight, Jesus of Nazareth has been arrested by the High Council on charges of blasphemy. The arrest came shortly before midnight in the Garden of Gethsemane, where soldiers from the temple found Jesus with his closest friends. A temple spokesman says they believed Jesus might have been plotting with those friends in the garden, but a source close to Jesus says they were only praying. Jesus is standing trial before the High Priest at this hour, and well have more as the story develops. Now heres a check of the weather with our buddy, Mark Storm. Mark?

MARK: Hey, Rock, weve got a pretty nice forecast for this coming weekend, but before I get to that, did you say Jesus of Nazareth was arrested?

ROCK: Thats right.

MARK: For what?

ROCK: Were still waiting to confirm that, but it seems the High Council is charging him with pretending to be God.

MARK: Pretending? Thats crazy.

ROCK: I know.

MARK: He doesnt have to pretend. He is God! Ive seen the miracles myself!

ROCK: You mean youre a believer?

MARK: Well, sure! Who wouldnt be?

ROCK: Well, according to sources down at the temple, theres a large crowd of people turning against him.

MARK: Well that just doesnt sound right to me. Hes healed the sick, and the blind, and the crippled. Shoot, he even raised the dead! Why in the world would anyone want to arrest Jesus? Unless

ROCK: Unless what, Mark?

MARK: No, thats too crazy. Even for me.

ROCK: What is?

MARK: What if getting arrested is the plan? What if Jesus wants to be put on trial?

ROCK: Why would he do that?

MARK: Hes Gods Son, Rock. If he let those men arrest him, I know he has a reason!

ROCK: Mark, can we get a forecast, please?

MARK: The forecast? Sure, its gonna be a nice sunny weekend, all the way til Sunday. But if you ask me, something big is coming. Its not on radar, but I have a feeling were in for an earth-shaking event this weekend. Back to you, Rock.

 

OBJECT LESSON

ITEMS NEEDED:

An acorn

A pot with soil

Have any of you ever gone out and gathered acorns? Acorns are awfully cute, and while they make a nice treat for squirrels, they also make some cute decorations. But what happens when we collect a bunch of acorns to decorate our homes? They stay acorns. They stay nice for a long while, but they never become anything more.

If you plant an acorn, something amazing happens. The acorn is a seed that grows into a giant tree. But if the acorn never falls to the ground and dies,it wont grow into anything big.

It seems crazy that Gods Son would allow himself to be arrested and put to death, but Jesus knew there was only one way to save us from our sin. He loved us so much, he was willing to die for us.

Jesus died so we could have new life. Lets remember that as Easter approaches, and lets thank God that he loves us so much!

LARGE GROUP GAME

EGG SHUFFLE

ITEMS NEEDED:

Twelve plastic Easter eggs of various sizes

INSTRUCTIONS:

Take all the eggs and split them in half. Mix up the egg halves and spread them on a table. Choose one player and give him sixty seconds to match up all the eggs.

VARIATION:

Use more eggs for older kids but fewer eggs for younger kids.

WHATS THE POINT?

Jesus died so he could be reunited with us, like two halves of an Easter egg.

LARGE GROUP LESSON

BOTTOM LINE:

God sent Jesus to die for us.

OBJECTIVE:

Kids will be able to state why Jesus came to Earth.

KEY PASSAGE:

Matthew 26:36-56, Jesus Arrested

INTRO:

Every day, kids head home from school. They do their homework, they play for a bit, they enjoy dinner, and then they get ready for the best part of the day. You put on your favorite pajamas. You grab a teddy bear or a blanket. You cuddle up on the couch with your Mom or Dad, and you settle in to watch the nightly news. How many of you think thats the very best part of the day?

Not many kids would say that the news is the best part of the day. There may be a few who enjoy it, particularly older kids who are concerned about their world, but the news is mostly for adults.

The news tells us all the top stories of the day. Some of them can be fun, like the entertainment news or the sports news. And some is actually useful for kids. Dont you want to know the forecast before you get dressed for school in the morning?

But most of the news is kind of a downer. Every day you hear mostly bad things on the news. A company did something bad and released a bad product. Someone was robbed or killed, and police are baffled. Politicians are fighting with each other. Countries are going to war with one another. Terrorists. Earthquakes. Tornadoes. Hurricanes. Black Friday shopping riots. Why would anyone want to watch the news?

The news reminds us every day that we live in a broken, fallen world. It reminds us that theres sin, and with sin comes death and suffering. But remembering how broken and fallen our world is can also remind us that God did something to save us from sin. Its not news, what Jesus did for us at Easter, but its a story thats just as important today as it was when it first broke.

When the news begins, they always start with the top story of the day. Even though the Easter story is nearly 2000 years old, its still the top story any of us will ever hear.

READ MATTHEW 26:36-56

MAIN POINT:

Wait a minute! Did I just say this was good news? Wasnt I just saying that God did something good to save us from the pain of this world of sin?

Yes, I did, but before we can get to the best part of the story, we have to start with the saddest. The Bible tells us that the punishment for sin is death, and the only way Jesus could save us from our sins was to die for us.

The Easter story doesnt start out happy. Its sad, and its troubling. Why would Gods Son allow anyone to harm him? Jesus knew it had to happen. It was all part of the plan. Jesus died so that he could save us from our sins.

DRIVE IT HOME:

Its fitting that we celebrate Easter in the springtime. Several months ago, in the fall, we saw nature diewhen the leaves fell from the trees and the flowers withered into the ground. Its sad to see the green turn to brown, but if it didnt die back in the fall, it would not be raised to new life in the spring.

Jesus died so that he could give us new life. Thats the greatest news ever spoken, and the greatest news any of us will ever hear. Thats why every year at this time, we break in to our regular routine to remember what Jesus as done for us.

Whether youre hearing the Easter story for the first time, or whether youve heard it many times before, I hope youll take some time to think about what it means. Jesus, the Son of God, left Heaven behind so he could save us. He did what we could never do for ourselves because he loves us so much.

After you reflect on the story, I want you to do one more thing. I want you to share the news with a friend. Tell others that Easter is coming, and tell them what Easter means to you. Invite them to church, or share the story with them yourself. This is the most important story you can ever share with your friends. Dont keep it to yourself.

The nightly news isnt going to spread the Easter story for us, so lets break the news to the entire world that Jesus died for our sins.

CLOSE WITH A SIMPLE PRAYER:

Dear God,

Thank you sending Jesus to die for us.

In Jesus name,

Amen

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (K-2ND)

ICEBREAKER:

How often do you watch the news with your parents?

MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY:

Mark 16:15

Give all the kids a Bible and help them locate the verse. As you read the verse aloud, encourage the kids to follow along with their finger.

SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY:

Have the kids act out their own newscast announcing the story of Jesus arrest.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Read Matthew 26:36-56

Where did Jesus go to pray?

What was Jesus praying about?

What did the disciples do while Jesus prayed?

How was Jesus arrested?

Why did Jesus come to earth?

SIMPLE PRAYER:

Dear God,

Help us to spread the good news that Jesus died for us.

In Jesus name,

Amen

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (3RD-5TH)

ICEBREAKER:

How often do you watch the news with your parents?

MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY:

Mark 16:15

Give all the kids a Bible. Let the kids race to see who can find the verse first. Let that kid read to the group.  

SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY:

Have the kids act out their own newscast announcing the story of Jesus arrest.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Read Matthew 26:36-56

What was Jesus praying about?

Do you think Jesus wanted to die if he didnt have to?

Why did Jesus come to earth?

What is the good news of Easter?

How can we help to share that good news with others?

SIMPLE PRAYER:

Dear God,

Help us to spread the good news that Jesus died for us.

In Jesus name,

Amen 

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

Here's a video from Holy Tales: Bible that you might find helpful to go along with your Sunday School Lesson on Jesus' Arrest. 

Take a look at the links below for other ideas for teaching a Jesus Arrested Sunday School Lesson: 

 

Judas Iscariot Betrays Jesus: Children's Bible Lesson

 

 

Jesus on Trial Bible Lesson for Young Children

 

 

The Garden of Gethsemane: Free Sunday School Lesson