House Church Guide

29 | Unraveled: The Passover Lamb | Kids Guide

Head: Know God's Word | Heart: Love God | Hands: Follow God's Way

Read Matthew 26:1-5, 14-16

The Backstory

On Tuesday, while Jesus taught His disciples at the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem, the religious leaders came together to make a plan to capture and kill Jesus. They didn’t believe Jesus was the Son of God who was sent to save them; they hated Jesus and wanted to murder Him even though He was innocent. Jesus never did anything wrong. The religious leaders were too afraid to arrest Jesus in public because they were afraid the crowds of people who listened to Jesus would get angry at them.

Then, a friend and follower of Jesus, Judas went to the temple and asked the religious leaders how much they would pay for his help to betray Jesus. The religious leaders were happy to pay Judas 30 pieces of silver, and together, Judas and the religious leaders made a plan to arrest Jesus in secret.

Greed, jealousy, pride – we don’t know exactly why Judas chose to betray His friend, but none of this surprised God. He always had a plan to rescue us - Jesus. Jesus, the only perfect person to ever live, took our punishment for all the wrong things we’ve done. Because Jesus died for us and came back to life, He defeated the enemy! He defeated sin and death! We can have a new life with Jesus forever when we follow Him! Nothing, not the enemy, not sin, not death could ever stop God’s love and plans for His people!

Life Application

Q: How did Judas betray Jesus? A: Judas agreed to help the religious leaders arrest and kill Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Q: What is one way that you have sinned or made a mistake? A: (Take turns answering the question.) God loves you so much and wants to forgive you of your sins.

Prayer

God, thank You for Jesus, Your perfect Son! We love and praise You! When we are scared or uncertain, help us remember how powerful You are. Nothing can stop You, God. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

More

Egg Hunt: Have an Easter egg hunt. You can simply hide eggs with candy OR you could hide 12 Resurrection Eggs with 12 special connections to the Easter Story. You can buy a Resurrection Egg Set or make your own set with items around the house. To make your own Resurrection Eggs, number your plastic eggs from 1 to 12. The eggs should contain the following items:

  • A tiny plastic donkey (or make a felt one) – Jesus rode to Jerusalem on a donkey. (Matthew 21:1-11)
  • A tiny perfume bottle or piece of cotton soaked in perfume – Mary poured perfume on Jesus’ feet. (John 12:2-8)
  • A tiny loaf of bread, dinner plate, or fork – The Last Supper (Matthew 26:17-19)
  • 3 pieces of silver (3 nickels, dimes, or quarters would be great) – Judas betrayed Jesus (Matthew 27:3)
  • A cross (Use a tiny cross bead or make one from toothpicks.) – Jesus carried His cross to the site of the crucifixion. (John 19:17)
  • A crown of thorns (crown bead or make a paper crown) – Jesus was crowned king of the Jews. (John 19:2-4, Mark 15:17)
  • Dice – Soldiers divided up Jesus’ clothes. (John 19:23)
  • Nail – Jesus was nailed to the cross. (John 19:18, 37; John 20:25-29)
  • Sponge – They gave Jesus a sponge soaked in vinegar to drink. (John 19:28-30)
  • Spices (whole cloves) – Jesus’ body was prepared for burial. (John 19:40)
  • A stone – They covered Jesus’ tomb with a great stone. (Matthew 27:59-60)
  • The egg is empty – The tomb was empty. He has risen! (Matthew 28:6)

Place the eggs into an empty egg carton or an Easter basket. Hide the eggs and ask the kids to help hunt for them. Then, gather the group back together to open and reveal the items in each egg and read the connected Scripture to tell the story of Holy Week. If you have time, you can review the eggs in order and ask the kids to help you retell the story from memory.

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