Jesus the King (Mar. 24th)

Season of the Church Year: Lent  (purple)

Story in Scripture: John 12: 12-13

It’s hard to believe that Easter is right around the corner! Today the children learned the story of Jesus’s triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. It is truly incredble to consider the rollercoaster of emotions that must have taken place in the hearts of the disciples as they saw Jesus glorified and then so quickly turned against by the people. This is an importnat opportunity to discuss with your children how Jesus is a different kind of king than the people expected. He is also a different kind of king than those that we often think of today. Even the way in which Jesus entered Jerusalem is an illustration of this: he rode on a simple, borrowed donkey. Imagine if a Monarch today were to travel in such a way?! As the teachers share this story with the children, it is always a great discussion in which children often remark, “Yay! They all finally figured out how special Jesus is!” It can be confusing to learn that the tables turn so quickly. Celebrating the personhood of Jesus on Palm Sunday gives us a glimpse into the Easter Season. Even though this story continues into the days of strife and betrayal that precede Jesus’ death, we know that Resurrection is coming! We know that the palm leaves laid before our King are just a foretaste of the ways that we can honor him in the days to come. Throughout the story, we return again and again to the phrase, “Hosanna in the Highest, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Hosanna means “Save us, we pray!” I encourage you to begin preparing your child for Good Friday and the darkness of Holy Saturdaay as we look forward with anticipation to the joy of Easter morning. Let us all say, “Hosanna!”

Guiding Questions for Discussion:

Now I wonder how Jesus felt when the crowd wanted him to be their king?

I wonder why Jesus the King rode on a donkey instead of a horse?

I wonder why the people put palm branches down on the road too?

I wonder what the other people of Jerusalem thought then Jesus arrived?

I wonder what kind of king Jesus would be?

I wonder what it would be like to live in Jesus’ kingdom?

Prayer:

“Dear God, thank you for Jesus. Even though he is not the kind of king that the people expected, we know that he has come to rule our lives and hearts every day. Help us to share about the good news of Jesus and to think carefully about the Easter story. Hosanna! Amen.”