GAME ~ Symbols of Easter
Treasure Hunt Idea

(John 19:16-30)

Read the Bible story.

Supplies: As many of the selected symbols of Easter as possible (may have to “plant” some in various locations), information cards for each symbol with possible discussion questions specific to that symbol, clues to move children to each area of the church, sugar cookies in as many symbol shapes as can find, frosting, decorative sugars, knives, small plates, napkins, juice.

Selected symbols: butterfly, palms, wheat & grapes, cross, dove, nail, crown, peacock, lily, moneybag & coins, nails

After reading the story, review what “symbol” means – a representation – and that the church is full of symbols and representation of our faith. Tell children that they will be going on a treasure hunt throughout the church to find symbols of Easter.

Begin with the first clue and continue until reaching the Fellowship Hall.

When the group arrives at a clue destination, find the symbol and explain its meaning using the information card and questions. Ask, “Why is this symbol in the church?” “Why not always have or why always have even though we see it as a symbol of Easter? (For example, we only see the lilies in church on Easter morning, but the cross is part of the permanent structure. What is the significance and reasoning for that?)

The last clue will lead children to the Fellowship Hall where they will find sugar cookies in the shapes of symbols. They decorate cookies and enjoy!

Clues:

#1 Begin your journey by heading to the part of the church where Pastor leads worship. (Altar – Palms)

#2 Your next clue can be found where the ladies keep their sewing supplies. (East of Men’s restroom – Peacock & rooster)

#3 Do you know where the offering plates are kept during the week? Look there for clue #4. (Cupboard in Narthex – Money bag)

#4 We celebrate the Lord’s Supper on Maundy Thursday of Holy Week. The wonderful ladies in our church prepare this for us. Where might you find the next clue? (Sacristy, room north of altar – wheat/grapes/cup)

#5 Ladders, tools, rags and buckets. Clue #6 is waiting there. (downstairs in ‘tool’ room – nails)

#6 Reading, acting, telling a story. Sometimes even the King of Glory. (Drama room – crown of thorns)

#7 The colors are beautiful, especially when the sun shines through. Black, white, and purple sometimes drape this symbol. (Crosses in the sanctuary, front and back – both crosses)

#8 Spring will be here soon. So will this symbol. Find it where it might grow. (Narthex – lily)

#9 As the flowers come alive and bloom, so does this symbol. Life, death, and resurrection are here. Sit down and visit (or fellowship) about all you’ve learned today! (Fellowship hall – butterfly cookies)

Written by Linda Norem

COMPUTER
Life of Christ CD

Note: Discovery Interactive’s "Life of Christ" CD has gone out of print (its material has been turned into an online course). Learn more here!

A Student Worksheet for use with Life of Christ CD

• Click on the books on the Professor’s Bookshelf. Click on the “Bible Words” Book. Click on “K-M”.
• Click on the word “Messiah”. The Jews had hoped that the Messiah would overthrow the Roman government, but Jesus came to destroy ___________ and bring ______________________
• Click on the following names and write down one fact about each.

Mary Magdalene:

Mary of Bethany:

Mary, Mother of Jesus:

Click “back” to get to the Professor’s Bookshelf. Click on the “Practice” book. Click on the Map Tour called “Passion Week in Jerusalem” for a narrated map about Jesus’ last days. After each segment, click on the arrow in the bottom right to get to the next screen.

Answer these questions:

• The first day of Passion Week is Palm Sunday. The crowds thought that Jesus was the ________________. Some of the women—the Mary’s—may have been in that crowd. What would they think about this scene?____________________________
• On Maundy Thursday, Jesus and His disciples went to the Upper Room. Jesus washed the feet of His disciples and also instituted the ___________ _____________ (which we call “communion)

Jesus went to pray and was then arrested in the Garden of _____________________

• On Friday, Jesus was crucified at Calvary/Golgotha between two _______________.
• On Saturday, Jesus’ body lay in the __________________.
• Which of the Mary’s did the risen Jesus appear to in the garden on Easter morning? _____________________________

Return to the Professor’s office and click on the orange “crate” by the window to hear some Bible stories. Click on “27-33: The Road to the Cross”. Click on Lesson #27: Mary Prepares….. and listen to the story.

• Why did Mary anoint Jesus?_____________________________________
• What can you do to show love for Jesus? ___________________________
• Take the quiz and return to the Lesson Index

Click on Lesson #33: Jesus Goes to the Cross. Listen to the story

• The women at the cross watched as Jesus died a terrible death. How do you think they felt?______________________________________________________
• How would you have felt? _______________________________________
• Take quiz and return to Lesson Index.

Click back to find Lesson #34: Burial……….. and listen.

• If you had been there on Easter morning and seen the angel, would you have acted like the guards or like the women and why?______________________________
• Take the quiz

Optional Activities if You have Time

• Go to the Professor’s Bookshelf and click on the “Practice” Book. Under “General”, click on the “Interactive Map of Jerusalem”. Click on the various places you heard about earlier on the Map Tour. Sometimes you can see a photo; sometimes you can see a video about this place.
• Return to the Bookshelf and click on the “Practice” book. Go to “Matching” and click on “Road to the Cross”. You can take a short matching quiz. Don’t pay attention to the mention of the clue book (we aren’t using that).

Life of Christ Worksheet Answer Key:

• Jesus came to destroy SIN and bring FORGIVENESS
• Variety of facts acceptable regarding the 3 Mary’s
• Palm Sunday: thought Jesus was the MESSIAH
• Maundy Thursday: instituted the LORD’S SUPPER
• Garden of GETHSEMANE
• between 2 THIEVES/CRIMINALS
• Body lay in the TOMB
• Mary Magdalene
• All other answers are subjective

Holy Week
Games Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Features a Quiz Game

Scripture References:

Jerusalem entry: Matthew 21:1-11
Plot to kill Jesus: Matthew 26:1-5
Deal for betrayal: Matthew 26:14-16
Last Supper: Matthew 26:17-30
Gethsemane: Matthew 26:36-46
Betrayal and arrest: Matthew 26:47-56

Memory Verse/Key Verse:
"We may make a lot of plans but the Lord will do what he has decided."
Proverbs 19:21 (CEV)

Concepts:

1. God is in control and is all powerful.
2. Jesus chose to be an obedient disciple of God.
3. Even though we betray him, Jesus died so our sins would be forgiven.

Objectives:

1. The children will become familiar with the main events of Holy Week and their sequence.
2. The class will play a game in which older children will locate and read passages of Matthew’s account of Holy Week, and younger children will hear the passages. All will answer questions about the scriptures.
3. The children will discuss the meaning of the Holy Week events to their lives.

Leader Preparation:

• Read the Scripture ahead of time.
• Gather the materials.
• Make the game.

Materials List:

• Journal sheets
• Pencils
• Dry-erase marker
• Game “stepping stones” (directions below)
• Game cards (below)
• Giant die
• One or more Bibles – Contemporary English Version

Lesson Plan

Opening:
Greet the children and introduce yourself.

Open with a prayer.

Dig:
Explain: Before Jesus died, he spent a week in Jerusalem. We call that week Holy Week. Today you’re going to play a game that will take you through some of the main events of Holy Week as they are described in the book of Matthew.

Scripture/Bible Story:
Briefly summarize these events from Matthew:

1. Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey, with the crowd cheering him.
2. The religious and government leaders plot to kill Jesus.
3. Judas, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples, makes a deal to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
4. Jesus has the Last Supper with his disciples.
5. Jesus goes to a place called Gethsemane and prays.
6. Judas leads a mob to Jesus, and Jesus is arrested.

Be very brief in going over the events. The children will read or hear more detail as they play the game, but the main focus of the workshop is on the overall sequence of events, not the details of each event. After the first couple of weeks, you might be able to go straight to the game and skip the summary.

Application:

1. See end of workshop plan for details on game materials. The game pieces should be laid out on the floor like stepping stones to make a winding path (like Candyland). Have the “event” pieces (Entry into Jerusalem, etc.) in chronological order, with “question” and “scripture” pieces interspersed.
2. Divide the class into teams of 3 or 4 children, with a total of no more than 4 teams. The more teams you have, the longer it will take to finish the game.
3. To play:
   1. Kids move through the path as a team.
   2. When it’s the team’s turn, one member rolls a large die and the whole team moves the number of steps rolled.
   3. When they land on a “scripture” stepping stone, one member draws a scripture card and the team looks up the passage, reads it out loud and tells which event it is part of. If correct, they move ahead one space; if incorrect, back one space.
   4. When a team lands on a “question” stepping stone, one member picks a question card. Team moves forward one space if it answers correctly, back one if incorrect.
   5. When a team lands on an “event,” they just stay put.
4. The object of the game is to reach the “Resurrection” stepping stone. (The game includes Crucifixion and Resurrection steps to complete the path through Holy Week. Since the children don’t study those events in this rotation, the game does not include any scriptures or questions about Crucifixion and Resurrection). Keep playing until all teams have reached the end of the path or you run out of time. If the teams are progressing too slowly, remove some of the scripture and question stepping stones to make the path shorter.
5. Older children can read the cards and scriptures themselves. Read them to the younger kids.
6. During the early weeks of the rotation, put the scripture and question cards in chronological order to help connect story details with the sequence of events. (It also allows you to skip some cards if you’re getting bogged down in the early events.) In later weeks, if the kids seem familiar with the sequence and most of the details of each event, you can mix the cards up. The questions are multiple choice, but in later weeks you might want to make new cards without a choice of answers.

Reflection Time:

Recite the Bible memory verse learned in the Great Hall. “We may make a lot of plans but the Lord will do what he has decided.”-- Proverbs 19:21 (CEV)

Discuss: Do you think the disciples expected Jesus to die? Did Jesus plan to die? (No, but God had a plan that included Jesus’ death. We always make plans, but God is in control)

Do you remember what Jesus prayed? (Do what you want, not what I want. Jesus did not want to suffer or to die, but he chose to be obedient to God’s plan. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer and say “Thy will be done,” we’re saying the same thing Jesus said: Do what you want, not what I want.)

What did the disciples do after Jesus was arrested? (They all ran away. We’re like the disciples because we all lose courage and do the wrong thing sometimes. But even though we betray him, Jesus died for us.)

Distribute the journal pages and pencils/markers. (TIP: Fill in the “workshop” blanks ahead of time; otherwise, the children will spend the entire journal time spelling out “Antioch Arcade.) Optional: Give the children a sticker or some other memento to paste in their journal as a reminder of the workshop.

Ask the children to write about or draw a picture of a time when they were scared to do the right thing, or a time when things didn’t work out the way they wanted but maybe what happened was what God wanted. (This will be too hard for many of them. As an alternative, they can write or draw anything to remind them of what they did in the workshop.)

Reflection:

Encourage the children to bring an offering next week. Remind them that the offering from this rotation will go to One Great Hour of Sharing. The money helps people all over the world who don’t have enough food, live in poverty, or have been in disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, and wars.

Prayer:

Making The Floor Board Game:

Supply List:
Journal sheets
Pencils
Dry-erase marker
Game “stepping stones” (directions below)
Game cards (below)
Giant die
One or more Bibles – Contemporary English Version

Game Materials

1. Make 24 “stepping stones,” each large enough for several children to crowd onto. One method: Use a box cutter to cut leftover vinyl flooring into rectangles and label them with acrylic paint. (If the vinyl is warped, it will flatten out after a few hours of kids standing on it.) There are probably many other materials that will work equally well for the stepping stones – try whatever is available!

Label eight stepping stones with events:
Jesus enters Jerusalem
Plot to kill Jesus
Judas makes a deal
Last Supper
Gethsemane
Betrayal and arrest
Crucifixion
Resurrection

Label eight stepping stones “Scripture” or draw a Bible on them.

Label eight stepping stones with a question mark.

2. Make or purchase a giant die. To make your own: Find a cubic or nearly cubic cardboard box -- 10 or 12 inches on each side is probably ideal. For strength, you can fill it with Styrofoam scraps or some other lightweight material. Tape tightly shut. Paint white (it might take several coats), then paint on the dots. A soup can, open on both ends, makes a good stencil for the dots. Cover with clear contact paper to protect the paint and make the die more slippery and sturdy.

3. Cut out cards below and paste them to index cards (see our original lesson here). Keep scripture and question cards in separate piles.

Scripture cards:

Read Matthew 21:1-3
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

Read Matthew 26:17-18
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

Read Matthew 26:42
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

Read Matthew 21: 8-9
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

Read Matthew 26:20-25
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

Read Matthew 26:47-48
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

Read Matthew 21: 10-11
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

Read Matthew 26:26-30
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

Read Matthew 26:49-54
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

Read Matthew 26:3-5
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

Read Matthew 26:36-37
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

Read Matthew 26:55-56
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

Read Matthew 26:14-16
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

Read Matthew 26: 37:41
Which Holy Week event is this part of?


Question cards:

Before Jesus entered Jerusalem, what did he tell his disciples to get for him?
A. a donkey and a horse
B. a donkey and a mule
C. a donkey and its colt

Who went with Jesus to Gethsemane?
A. Peter, James and John
B. Peter, Andrew and Philip
C. Matthew, Mark and Luke

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, what did the crowd put on the ground?
A. Flowers and tree branches
B. Clothes and tree branches
C. A red carpet and tree branches

What did the Peter, James and John do while Jesus was praying in Gethsemane?
A. Played cards
B. Fell asleep
C. Made plans for protecting Jesus

Who wanted to kill Jesus?
A. The disciples
B. Zacchaeus
C. The chief priests and the nation’s leaders

What was Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane?
A. My father, please save me from suffering.
B. My father, please send an army of angels to fight my enemies.
C. My father, if I must suffer, I will do what you want.

Which disciple agreed to help arrest Jesus?
A. Peter
B. Judas
C. James

Who came to arrest Jesus?
A. A mob armed with clubs and swords
B. The chief priests and nation’s leaders
C. A special police unit

What was Judas’ paid for betraying Jesus?
A. 30 dollars
B. 30 pieces of silver
C. 30 pieces of gold.

When Judas brought the mob to arrest Jesus, how did he identify Jesus?
A. By waving to him
B. By saying a secret password
C. By kissing him

The Last Supper was a special meal. What were Jesus and his disciples celebrating?
A. Hanukah
B. Christmas
C. Passover

After Jesus was arrested, what did the disciples do?
A. Went with him to prison
B. Ran away
C. Finished eating their Passover dinner.

After the Last Supper, where did Jesus go to pray?
A. Bethlehem
B. Gethsemane
C. The Temple

A lesson written by Catherine from: Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church,
Cary, NC

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

Holy Week
Games Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Play a life-sized board game (with game wheel) to review the story events.

Scripture References:

(1) The entry into Jerusalem: Matthew 21:1-11; (2) Jesus clears the Temple: Matthew 21:12-13; (3) The Plot against Jesus: Matthew 26:3-5; (4) Judas agrees to betray Jesus: Matthew 26:14-16; (5) Jesus washes the disciples feet: John 13:4-15; (6) The Last Supper: Matthew 26:17-30; (7) In the garden of Gethsemane: Matthew 26:36-46; (8) Jesus arrested: Matthew 26:47-56; (9) Jesus is questioned/condemned/put on trial: Matthew 26:57, 59-66, 27:1-2; & 27:11-26; (10) Crucifixion: Matthew 27:27-66; (11) Jesus’ resurrection: Matthew 28:1-10

Workshop Objectives — children will:

• Be able to retell the events of Holy Week.
• Understand the importance of the events of Holy Week specifically that it is through Jesus death and resurrection that our sins are forgiven.

Leader Preparation:

• Read the scripture for this lesson.
• Read and reflect on the overview material provided for this lesson.
• Gather the materials.
• On the whiteboard write the key Bible verse & what colors on the game wheel represent: Green: move ahead 2, Red: stay put, Yellow: move ahead 1, Blue: move back 1.
• For the first couple of weeks, ask the questions in numerical order to reinforce the sequence of events. In later weeks, if the children seem to know the story, you might mix them up.
• For 1st and 2nd grade eliminate questions with an asterisk. (*)

Materials List:

• Bibles (for 3rd grade and up)
• Whiteboard; appropriate marker
• Game cards (see attached)
• Life-sized game board – canvas tarp with painted spaces (4 colors)
• Game wheel (with corresponding 4 colors)
• Pictures to represent the 12 story events: (Pages from book Big Picture Bible Time Line)
  (1) The entry into Jerusalem: page 57
  (2) Jesus clears the Temple: page 58
  (3) The Plot against Jesus: page 45
  (4) Judas agrees to betray Jesus: image found on-line
  (5) Jesus washes the disciples feet: image found on-line
  (6) The Last Supper: page 58
  (7) In the garden of Gethsemane: image found on-line
  (8) Jesus arrested: image found on-line
  (9) Jesus is questioned/condemned/on trial: image found on-line
  (10) Crucifixion: page 59
  (11) Jesus’ resurrection: page 60

Lesson Plan

Opening:
Greet your students warmly welcoming them to the Games Workshop. Introduce yourself and any other adults. Pass around a basket to collect any offering.
[Note: The Shepherd will quietly take attendance, etc. while you are starting your lesson.]

Ask for any prayer requests. Ask if anyone would like to lead the group in prayer. Be prepared to say a prayer yourself, working in prayer requests. Finish with the Lord’s Prayer. A prayer suggestion: “Dear Jesus, Help us to use this time before Easter that we call Lent, to prepare for Easter. Help us to quiet our minds and our hearts. Help us to see the wonder in each event that lead up to your death and your resurrection. Join with me now as we say the prayer that you taught us…(say the Lord’s prayer) Amen.”

Say: The week before Jesus died, he spent in Jerusalem. We call that week Holy Week. Today you’re going to play a game that will take you through some of the main events of Holy Week. Let’s review these events.

Dig:
Ask: Does anyone know the event that happened one week before Jesus rose from the dead? [If necessary show the picture of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.]
Say: We call this event Palm Sunday, when Jesus entered Jerusalem to a palm parade.

Run thorough the other 10 events fairly quickly (Students will read or hear more detail as they play the game. After the first couple of weeks, you might be able to go straight to the game and skip the summary). Asking…
Ask: What was the next significant event that happened in Holy Week? [If necessary showing the appropriate picture.] If you need words to say for each event use the following:

(2) Jesus clears the Temple:
Say: Jesus went to the Temple; he was distressed at what he found. He found people selling things and exchanging money – and cheating people.

(3) The Plot against Jesus:
Say: The religious and government leaders did not like Jesus’ popularity and they plotted to kill him.

(4) Judas agrees to betray Jesus:
Say: Judas, one of Jesus’ own disciples, makes a deal with the leaders to betray Jesus.

(5) Jesus washes the disciples feet:
Say: At the start of the Passover meal Jesus washes his disciples feet.

(6) The Last Supper:
Say: During the meal Jesus blesses the bread and wine and tells his disciples that the bread and wine are symbols of his body and blood and that when we eat the bread and drink the wine we are to remember him.

(7) In the garden of Gethsemane:
Say: Jesus goes to Gethsemane, where he prays.

(8) Jesus arrested:
Say: Judas arrives with a crowd, gives Jesus a kiss, and Jesus is arrested.

(9) Jesus is questioned/condemned/on trial:
Say: Jesus was put on trial.

(10) Crucifixion:
Say: Jesus was killed on a cross, a horrible way to die.

(11) Jesus’ resurrection:
Say: But after 3 days, Jesus was resurrected – he rose from the dead!

Play the Game:
Explain that students will work in teams to move across the game board – squeezing onto spaces as needed. The object of the game is not to be first to reach the end, but for all teams to reach an end, or to get as far as time permits, and to have fun doing it.

Lay out the game board(s). Have everyone take off his/her shoes. Ask the Shepherd to help you divide the class into teams of 2 or 3 players each. [Preferably in 2’s but 3 is ok if needed]. Have the team with the person whose birthday is closest to today’s date go first.
Students may work from either end of the board.

Students draw a game card. All the people on a team should confer/work on an answer. If they are correct, they get to spin the wheel. The color they spin determines what happens (refer to whiteboard).

Other game hints:

• Display the pictures of the 12 story events for use in answering the Scripture cards.
• Bibles are an important tool, especially for the Question Cards (for readers).
• Use every opportunity during game play to allow discussion that may occur from a particular question/answer. There are some discussion questions mixed in.
• More than one team lands on the same spot? Squeeze together as best you can.
• Read the game cards for the 1st and 2nd graders. Offer 1st graders just two choices on the question cards.
• Remind the children that only the team in play should be talking.

Allow time for a closing (4 minutes).

Reflection:
Using the key verse written on the white board, have everyone read the key verse. Then ask a student to erase one word. Then have everyone read the verse filling in the missing word. Have students take turns erasing words, each time reading the verse aloud as a group. You may consider that each time you read the verse you say it in a different way – whispering, while standing on one foot, slowly, quickly, etc.
Say: Jesus spoke these words during the Last Supper. Because of Jesus’ resurrection we now know the way to have everlasting life with Jesus.

Resources:

• Eide, Carol. Big Picture Bible Time Line. Ventura, CA: Gospel Light, 1991. (some story pictures)
• Faith Quest Lesson Sets at Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church. “Holy Week: Antioch Arcade.” 2003.
  http://www.kirkofkildaire.org/quest/FQlessons/HolyWeekA...chArcadeUpdate2.html
• Haidle, Helen. Journey to the Cross. Zonderkidz, 2001. (ISBN 0-310-70023-X)
  
  Some story pictures were obtained from http://www.truthinlove.com/concise/gospel.html
  
  Scripture quoted is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Attachment: Game Questions
[Poster’s note: I added discussion questions to some of these questions. They were from Helen Haidle’s book Journey to the Cross. Because it would be a copyright violation for me to reproduce that material here, those discussion questions are not shown.]

Scripture cards – these are scripture from the Bible
1. Matthew 21:4-5
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey.”
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

4. Matthew 21: 9
The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

6. Matthew 21:12b
He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the benches of those selling doves.
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

9. Matthew 26:3-4
Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him.
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

11. Matthew 26:14-15a
Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?”
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

13. John 13:4
So he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

15. Matthew 26:20
When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve.
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

19. Matthew 26:38
Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

22. Matthew 26:49
Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

25. Matthew 26:57a, 59-60
Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the high priest. The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

31. Matthew 27:22-23
“What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

33. Matthew 27:41-42
In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.”
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

36. Matthew 28:5-6
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.
Which Holy Week event is this part of?

Question cards (answers in bold) – Note: The discussion questions are not printed on the game cards.
2. Before Jesus entered Jerusalem, what did he tell his disciples to get for him? (Matthew 21:2)
A) Donkey and a horse
B) Donkey and a mule
C) Donkey and its colt

3. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, what did the crowd put on the ground? (Matthew 21:8)
A) Flowers and tree branches
B) Clothes and tree branches
C) A red carpet and tree branches

* 5. What kind of king did the people want?
A) A military hero who would overthrow the Romans
B) A mighty king of all the nations
C) Burger King

7. What did Jesus tell the people in the Temple? (Matthew 21:13)
A) My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.
B) My house is not for your marketplace.
C) My house is a very nice house.
A DISCUSSION QUESTION TO ASK THE STUDENTS… (see poster’s note above)

8. Who wanted to kill Jesus? (Matthew 26:3-4)
A) The disciples
B) Zacchaeus & Elijah
C) The chief priests & the nation’s leaders

*10. What did the religious leaders say when they were plotting to kill Jesus? (Matthew 26:5)
A) We should go after him today.
B) What shall we have for lunch?
C) But not during the Feast or there may be a riot among the people.

12. What was Judas’ paid for betraying Jesus? (Matthew 26:15)
A) 30 dollars
B) 30 pieces of silver
C) 30 pieces of gold
A DISCUSSION QUESTION TO ASK THE STUDENTS… (see poster’s note above)

14. Why did Jesus wash the feet of his disciples? (John 13:14)
A) As a symbol of service, to serve others.
B) To show the disciples how to properly wash.
C) Because they were filthy dirty.
A DISCUSSION QUESTION TO ASK THE STUDENTS… (see poster’s note above)

16. The Last Supper was a special meal. What were Jesus and his disciples celebrating? (Matthew 26:17)
A) Hanukah
B) Christmas
C) Passover

17. While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying ______________. (Matthew 26:26)
A) Take and eat; this is my body.
B) Want some?
C) Take and eat; this is my offering.

18. After the Last Supper, where did Jesus go to pray? (Matthew 26:36)
A) Bethlehem
B) Gethsemane
C) The Temple

20. What did the Peter, James and John do while Jesus was praying in Gethsemane? (Matthew 26:40)
A) Played cards
B) Fell asleep
C) Made plans for protecting Jesus

21. What was Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane? (Matthew 26:39)
A) My father, please save me from suffering.
B) My father, please send an army of angels to fight my enemies.
C) My father, if I must suffer, I will do what you want.

23. Did any of the disciples fight to keep Jesus from being arrested? (Matthew 26:51)
A) Yes, one of them swung his sword cutting off the ear of the servant of the high priest.
B) Yes, one of them clubbed one of the guards.
C) No, no one did anything.
A DISCUSSION QUESTION TO ASK THE STUDENTS… (see poster’s note above)

24. After Jesus was arrested, what did the disciples do? (Matthew 26:56b)
A) Went with him to prison.
B) Ran away.
C) Finished eating their Passover dinner.

26. True or False: Jesus had a fair trial.
A) True
B) False
A DISCUSSION QUESTION TO ASK THE STUDENTS… (see poster’s note above)

27. True or False: When he was brought before Pilate, Jesus did not reply when the chief priests accused Jesus of many crimes. This amazed Pilate. (Matthew 27:12-14)
A) True
B) False

*28. Jesus was taken to the governor Pilate. Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” What did Jesus answer? (Matthew 27:11)
A) “Yes, it is as you say”
B) Jesus didn’t answer
C) “No, I am not”

29. The governor Pilate did not think that Jesus was guilty. It was the custom at the Passover Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. Whom did Pilate release? (Matthew 27:24-26)
A) Barney
B) Barabbas
C) Jesus

*30. Pilate tried to reason with the crowds who shouted for Jesus to be crucified. Why so you suppose the crowds wanted to kill Jesus? (Matthew 27:20)
A) Crowds will be crowds.
B) The chief priests paid them to say that.
C) Maybe because the chief priests and elders persuaded the crowds.
A DISCUSSION QUESTION TO ASK THE STUDENTS… (see poster’s note above)

*32. The soldiers who crucified Jesus did what? (Matthew 27:35,37)
A) Divided up his clothes by casting lots.
B) Placed a sign above Jesus’ head that said: “This Is Jesus, The King Of The Jews.”
C) Both of these.

*34. The moment that Jesus died what else happened? (Matthew 27:51)
A) The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
B) There was an earthquake.
C) Both of these.

*35. Who buried Jesus’ body? (Matthew 27:57-60)
A) Joseph of Arimathea
B) Mary
C) No one did

37. What does Jesus’ death and resurrection mean to us today?
A) Nothing, it is just a story.
B) It means that our sins are forgiven.
C) It means that we have something to talk about.
(although "c" is technically true also!)

A lesson written by Carol Hulbert from:
First United Methodist Church in Ann Arbor, MI.

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

I originally created this for my software company's resource site and have copied it here for more people to use. You can use the Holy Week Vocab in any type of game, and it can be used in computer quizzes as well.

Holy Week Vocabulary List

Stories are stickier and more quickly learned when they’re less confusing to read and hear. Yet, the Holy Week stories are full of new names, strange place names, and challenging vocabulary words. To improve familiarity, recall, and comprehension of these important stories, each year many of us in Sunday School create game-shows, quizzes, word searches, and crossword puzzles. If you have a computer and a program like Fall of Jericho, you can put the vocab into a mutliple-choice computer game.

Note: Fall of Jericho software is FREE to supporting members, Learn more here!

The thing I like about this list, is that in learning it, –it opens up all sorts of opportunities to dive into the story. The length of this list also points up the daunting challenge of teaching the Holy Week story to children, especially younger ones, and why we need to cover different parts of the story every year.

I’ve gone through all four Gospels in the NIV version to create the following list. Several of the following words appear in more than one Gospel, so I have only listed them once below.  <>< Neil

List of Key Words Found in the Events of Holy Week:

Luke 22, 23, 24

• Unleavened Bread

• Passover

• Chief Priests

• Judas Iscariot

• Mount of Olives  (elsewhere called Gethsemane)

• temptation

• betray

• Temple guards  (those who came to arrest Jesus)

• Servant of the High Priest

• High Priest  (elsewhere named as Caiaphas)

• Prophesy! (what the guards shouted at Jesus)

• Pilate  (Roman Governor)

• Herod  (Jewish King)

• Barabbas  (rebel for whom the crowds chanted and won his release)

• Simon of Cyrene (man compelled to carry cross)

• Golgotha (place of the skull)

• criminals

• Joseph of Arimathea

• Sabbath

• Spices and Perfume

• Mary Magdalene

• Joanna

• Emmaus

• Cleopas (named disciple who met resurrected Jesus on road)

• Bethany (where Jesus and Cleopas shared bread)

John 18, 19, 20

• Kidron Valley  (valley disciples crossed to get to Gethsemane)

• Annas   (Father in law of Caiaphas)

• Caiaphas  (elsewhere named the “high priest”)

• Courtyard  (of the High Priest…where Peter denied Jesus)

• What is truth  (what Pilate asked Jesus during trial)

• King of the Jews

• Hyssop  (reed used to give Jesus wine on cross)

• Nicodemus  (named as one who helped Joseph of Arimathea wrap and bury Jesus)

• Rabboni!  (what Mary Magdalene called the risen Lord)

Mark 14-16

• Upper room (where disciples gathered for Last Supper)

• Temple courts (where Jesus said to Judas he had been teaching)

• Day of Preparation (the day/Friday afternoon before Sabbath when they crucified Jesus. They had to bury him on that day because Sabbath was coming.)

• Centurion  (Roman officer at the cross who proclaimed Jesus the Son of God)

This list was originally created by Neil MacQueen for Sunday Software and has been donated to Rotation.org. All rights reserved.

Matthew 26, 27, 28

• Hosanna

• Bethany (where Jesus found a donkey to ride into Jerusalem)

• Gethsemane

• Sanhedrin  (otherwise called the “Chief Priests” or “council” in other Gospels)

• Field of Blood  (where Judas hung himself)

• Blood money  (what the priest called the coins thrown by Judas)

• Potter’s field  (where Judas was buried)

• Praetorium   (Matt 27: 27, where Jesus was beaten by soldiers)

• Casting lots (to divide robe)

• “Eloi, Eloi lama sabachthani”  (“my God, my God, why have you forsaken me” Ps 22)

• Elijah  (what the crowd said when they heard Jesus quoting Ps 22)

Symbols of Holy Week Computer Lab Project

Another project, check out the Easter Symbols computer ideas by Neil using Kid Pix 4 (or 3D) or a Word Search program.

Computer

Life of Christ "map" activity

"(suggested by Sunday Software)"

You can use this Life of Christ "map" activity with any Holy Week story, as well as, with Cathy Walz's "A Student Worksheet for use with Life of Christ," found above.  

Note: Discovery Interactive’s "Life of Christ" CD has gone out of print (its material has been turned into an online course). Learn more here!

“Last Two Days of Jesus in Jerusalem” lesson detail to get you started:

1. Go to the Professor’s Bookshelf in the Life of Christ CD and click the “Practice” book. Click on the “Tour…Passion Week in Jerusalem.” This is a narrated map of Jerusalem that traces Jesus’ last days with eight audio clips to hear. Note: in the online program it is found under Practice ~ Geography: Maps ~ Life of Christ.
2. Click and hear the events in the order you believe they happened. Fill in the location names on your map as you move through the events of Jesus’ last days. Then trace his route through the city on your map just as the program traces it. It get’s a little complicated between Pilate and Herod. See if you can figure it out!
3. When finished with the tour, answer the questions below.
   
   

a. What one word might describe Jesus’ emotions at each location? Think about what was happening to him at each spot and list that one word next to each location.

b. How would you describe the Disciple’s behavior in the last days of Jesus’ life?

c. Why did they act like that?

d. Why did the leaders and priests want to get rid of Jesus?  What were they afraid of losing or happening?

e. What could you have said to the leaders to convince them to release Jesus?

Easter Computer Quiz Questions:

Here is Neil's Quiz Set about Easter that covers the whole story.

It is for use with the popular Fall of Jericho quiz game program. Update: Sonsoft has donated Fall of Jericho software as a free downloaded to our supporting members.  Learn more and get the software.

The set needs about 5 to 10 more questions added to it (using the Jericho question editor), and if you're covering a particular story on Easter, example: Palm Sunday, you could write several questions focusing on that story. The quiz questions are formatted as a text file for use by the software, but you can also copy the questions out of the file for use in any other quiz software or non-computer workshop uses.

Downloadable file is attached to this lesson, called jericho-easter.zip, it includes two files jericho-easter.txt and readme.txt.

<>< Neil

Create Easter Slideshow in Kid's Pix 4 (or 3D)

See this idea from Luanne. Students created Easter Scenes using Lego and photograph them. These photos are then imported into Kid Pix 4 to create a slideshow. See here for details.

The SunScool Bible App for Kids is a wonderfully deep and interactive program with a lot of Holy Week content for younger and older children, home and Sunday School use.

Each lesson presentation narrates and animates/illustrates the NIV scripture. Each story also has ACTIVITIES throughout the presentation that reinforce content and meaning.

• You could use it with the whole class each week on one or more tablets/computers/screens.
• Or you could designate a series of lessons to be completed in an "independent study"-style classroom -- tracking which lessons each student has completed whenever they attend. They can also complete them at home if they miss any.
• You could also use the app in an intergenerational study (the adults would enjoy the Level 3 and 4 activities).

• Use it on tablets, smartphones, Macs, or PC.
• Ages 5 to 15 with four different age levels of stories.
• It's free.
• Require an internet connection to download the app and stories (which can be done ahead of time).
• You could use it in a lab setting or classroom with multiple tablets, show it on a big screen TV, or project it on the wall with an LCD projector.

Learn more about it here at our SunScool App resource page

We liked it so much we created a DETAILED OUTLINE to the entire program, including the following breakdown of all the Holy Week-related stories found in the app for all four age-levels (L1, 2, 3, 4).  Level 2 is for Pre-K and Level 3 is for readers (approx).

Here is a comprehensive listing of all the Holy Week ~ Palm Sunday, Last Supper, Cross, and Resurrection stories found in all four levels of the SunScool Bible App.  The following entries are also found in our complete listing of all Bible stories found in the app.

We created this listing because the app splits up the stories of Holy Week across several different sub-menus. WHICH stories appear in your story menu depends on which age-level you have selected (L1, L2, L3, or L4). Level 3 presentations are the sweetspot for readers ages 7 to 12.

How to use this listing:
Pick the Holy Week event you want to teach in the listing below to see what lessons are available in the app for that event/story. Make note of the  title of the lesson, its age "level" and the name of the sub-menu so you can find it in the app.

Palm Sunday

Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 under the "Bethany" menu:

• Looking at Jesus (L 1,2) On the way to Jerusalem (L3, 4) Palm Sunday!
  Luke 19:28-41; Zechariah 9:9-13

Last Supper. Feet. Judas.

Levels 3 and 4 under the "Peter" menu:

• An Example of Love (L3), Lessons in Humility (L4), Jesus washes disciples' feet
  John 13:1-17; Luke 22:13-20,24; Philippians 2:5-8

Levels 1 and 2 under the "Death of Christ" menu:

• C4-1: Judas (Judas' betrayal, Last Supper, Gethsemane)
  Matthew 26:14-50

Level 4 under the "Way Ahead" menu:

• B8-3 : The Lord's supper
  Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-31

Level 3 under the "Death of Christ" menu:

• C4-1: The Betrayer's Kiss (Judas, "this very night," Gethsemane)
  Matthew 26:30-55

Gethsemane

Levels 1 and 2 under the "Peter" menu:

• Peter falls asleep (Levels 1 and 2 only) Gethsemane
  Matthew 26:36-46

Arrest

Levels 1 and 2 under the "Peter" menu:

• Peter has a fight, Peter with sword in Gethsemane
  Matthew 26:47-56

Peter's Denial

Under the "Peter" menu:

• Peter Lies about Jesus (Levels 1 and 2)
  Matthew 26:34, 69-75
• He denied his Lord (L3), Lessons in Loyalty (L4) Peter in the courtyard
  Luke 22:37-34, 39-62; John 18:10-11

Trial

Levels 1 and 2, under the "Who is Jesus" menu:

• The Darkest Day - Trial
  Luke 23:13-16, 18-25

Levels 1 and 2 under the "Death of Christ" menu:

• C4-2: Pilate (Jesus before Pilate, are you the king?)
  Matthew 27:1-31

Level 3 under the "Death of Christ" menu:

• C4-2: The Governer's Choice (Pilate, Barrabas)
  Matthew 27:1-31

Crucifixion

Levels 1 and 2, under the "Who is Jesus" menu:

• The Darkest Day - Execution
  Luke 23:26, 32-47

Level 3 under the "Peter" menu:

• The Lord Jesus Dies (Level 3)
  Mark 15:22-40

Under "The Cross" menu:

• B4-1: Jesus dying (Levels 1, 2), Dying (L3), His Death (L4)
  "Criminals, Forgive them"
  Luke 23:32-56; Psalm 22; Isaiah 53; John 19:16-42
• B4-2: Jesus dies and is buried (L1,2) Cries out, dies
  Luke 23:44-56

Levels 1 and 2 and 3 under the "Death of Christ" menu:

• C4-3: Joseph of Arimathea, Jesus is buried (L1 and 2)
  Matthew 27:57-66
• C4-3: The Rich Man's Tomb ...Jesus is laid to rest (L3)
  Mark 15:37-47

Level 4 under the "Death of Christ" menu:

• C4-1 : Tried and Crucified
  Luke 23:1-33; Matthew 5:43-48; Mark 15:6-15; John 18:39-40

Resurrection

Levels 1 and 2, under the "Who is Jesus" menu:

• The Brightest Day
  Luke 23:55-56, 24:1-12

Level 4 under the "Peter" menu:

• Lessons in Sorrow and Joy (Level 4 only) Peter visits the empty tomb
  Luke 24:1-12, 33-49; John 16:20-22

Under "The Cross" menu:

• B4-2 Rising (Level 3), His Resurrection (L4)
  John 20:10-18, Mark 16:9-11
• B4-3: Jesus rising (Levels 1 and 2)
  John 20:1-18
• B4-3: Leaving (L3), His Ascension (L4)
  Luke 24:45-53; Acts 1:1-12, 4:31-33; Mark 16:19-20
• B4-4: Jesus leaving and returning (Levels 1,2) Ascension
  Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:4-12
• B4-4 : Returning (L3) His Second Coming (L4)
  John 14:1-6; Acts 1:9-11

Under the "Death of Christ" menu:

• C4-2 : Buried and Risen! (Level 4)
  Luke 23:44-56, 24:1-12; Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 16:1-7; John 19:38-42

Road to Emmaus, Appearances. Doubting Thomas

Under the "Peter" menu:

• Peter talks with Jesus (Levels 1,2), Do you love me?" (L3), Lessons in Love (L4) Peter meets Jesus on the shore after the resurrection, Feed my sheep
  John 21:1-20; Psalm 116:1-6; Luke 7:36-50, 22:61

Under the "Death of Christ" menu:

• The two travelers - Road to Emmaus (L1 and 2)
  Luke 24:13-35
• The Stranger's Words (L3)
  Luke 24: 13-35
• Seen and Heard (Road to Emmaus) (Level 4)
  Luke 24:13-35
  
  
• C4-4 : Doubted and Believed (Thomas)
  John 20:19-31; John 11:5-16; 1 Corinthians 15:3-7; 1 John 5:10-13; Mark 14:50