Aim to learn that we celebrate Palm Sunday each year to remember Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem

Aim
* To learn that we celebrate Palm Sunday each year to remember Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem
* To learn that ordinary people welcomed Jesus, but the Jewish leaders were against him

Materials
• Bible passages – Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:29-44 and John 12:12-19.
• Visual Aids – large pictures of the story
• Worksheets
• Hosanna board game, dice, counters
• Green card, glue, scissors

Lesson Outline
1. Introduction
2. Story
3. Questions
4. Activities – worksheet, paper palm leaf, maze, board game, act out the story
5. Review the aims
6. Prayer

1) Introduction
today’s story is about the time Jesus went to the temple in Jerusalem at the the time of the Passover festival. Can you explain what Jerusalem, the temple, the Passover and pharisee are?

1. Jerusalem – The capital city of Judea at the time of Jesus (show picture)

2. Temple – Built by King Herod, a place to pray and worship God like a church.(show picture)

3. Passover – The time Jewish people remember when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. Each time Pharaoh refused to release the Israelites, God punished the Egyptians with terrible plagues.
(blood, frogs, gnats, flies, blight of the livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and the death of the first born). The final plague was the death of the first born. God told Moses that the Israelites should mark their doorposts with lamb’s blood so that God could ‘pass over’ their houses and spare them from this plague. This is why the festival is called Passover.

4. Pharisee – one type of religious leader among the Jews, at the time of Jesus, who very strictly obeyed God’s word.

2) Story
Jesus’ Enters Jerusalem
Bethany, where Jesus was staying, was not far from the city of Jerusalem. Hundreds of people had travelled from all over the country to visit the temple for the Passover festival. News of Jesus’
miracles had reached the ears of many of the people, and they were eager to see him for themselves. 
Meanwhile, Jesus was also planning to head for Jerusalem. He said to the disciples, “Go to the village, and just as you enter it you will find a young donkey tied there. No one has ever ridden it
before.” Jesus continued, “Untie the donkey and bring it here. If anyone asks you what you are doing, tell them that the Lord needs it and will send it back soon.” 

So, the disciples went and found the donkey just as Jesus had said. When the people were told it was for Jesus, they were happy to let it go. Jesus’ followers brought the donkey to him, and threw
their cloaks across its back. Although no one had ever ridden it before, the young animal was quite content to let Jesus sit on it. So, Jesus and his disciples set off for Jerusalem. 
As Jesus drew near to Jerusalem, the crowds cheered. Some people spread their cloaks on the road in front of him, while others threw down palm branches to pave his way. Everyone waved to Jesus and welcomed him. 

“Hosanna!” they cried. “Blessed is the one who comes in God’s name! He is the king we have all been waiting for!” When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is
this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

When the Pharisees saw and heard these things, they were even more worried. “Look how everyone adores him!” they muttered to each other. “Somehow, we have to be rid of this man, Jesus.”

Jesus Cleanses the Temple
The next day Jesus and his disciples went to the temple in Jerusalem. But Jesus was angry and upset once they arrived. In the courtyard of the temple, traders had set up market stalls to sell their goods to the pilgrims flooding in to celebrate the Passover. The visitors wanted to buy animals or birds to sacrifice to God, and the salesmen were charging high prices and taking advantage of the poor. 

Tax-collectors and money-changers also cheated the Jews who had travelled from far away to worship at God’s holy place. Other traders were using the courtyard as a shortcut through the city
streets, and were carrying all kinds of merchandise back and forth. 
Jesus could not believe his eyes. He was horrified. This was his Father’s house, a holy place, built especially for prayer and worship. Yet the temple priests allowed all this shady business to be done within its walls. In a fit of rage, Jesus lashed out at the traders and knocked over their stalls. “God said that his house was to be a house of prayer, where people from every nation could come to worship him!” cried Jesus. “But you have turned it into a den of thieves!” And he drove out the moneylenders and hurled their coins to the floor. 

The people were amazed at Jesus’ courage. He was not afraid to speak the truth and stand up to the priests and tradesmen. The Jewish people understood what he was saying, and listened well to his teaching. But, when the chief priests and teachers of the temple heard about this outburst, they were more determined than ever to kill Jesus.

3) Questions
1. How did Jesus get a donkey? – He told two disciples to go to the nearest village where they would find one
2. Where did Jesus go on the donkey? – Jerusalem
3. What did people do when Jesus rode on the donkey? – cheered, spread their cloaks on the ground, and threw down palm branches in front of him.
4. Why were they excited to see Jesus? – They had heard he was the prophet promised by God
5. What did they shout out? – “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in God’s name! He is the king we have all been waiting for!”
6. Which people were not happy to see Jesus? – the chief priests and Pharisees
7. Where did Jesus go on the second day? – the temple
8. Why was Jesus angry when he came to the temple? – They were using it to buy and sell things
9. What did he do? – he knocked over their stalls, drove out the money lenders and threw money on the ground
10.What did the chief priests and pharisees of the temple want to do to Jesus? – kill him
11.Why did they want to kill Jesus? – They didn’t like what the people were saying about Jesus, that he was the king they had all been waiting for. They thought he was a false prophet.
12.What did God want to happen? – God wanted Jesus to be accepted and all the people to listen to his words, so that they could restore God’s ideal and build the kingdom of heaven on earth.
13.What is Palm Sunday? – The day we remember Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem
14.Why is it called Palm Sunday? – because palm leaves were spread out in front of Jesus

4) Activities
* Worksheet – Fill in the missing words, colour the picture, complete the palm leaf

* Make a paper palm leaf
1. Cut the palm leaf template along the dotted line.
2. Fold a piece of green construction paper in half and paper clip the template so the dotted line is along the fold.
3. Cut through the template and both layers of construction paper along the black lines.
4. Discard the template, unless you want to make more leaves.
5. Unfold the construction paper to see your finished palm leaf.
Optional – Tape a green pipe cleaner or thin rolled tube of construction paper to the centre as a stem.

* Maze – Help Jesus find the way to Jerusalem

Hosanna board game
How to play: Paste game board onto cardboard. Cut out question cards and write in questions from the story. Children draw a card and if they answer correctly let them roll dice to move their player. 
First one to Jerusalem wins!

Act out the story
Assign someone to be Jesus, two people to get the donkey Jesus will ride on and the rest of the class can be the crowd greeting him. They should place coats and palm branches on the ground in front of Jesus. Give the crowd lines from the story such as “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” or “Hosanna.”

5) Review the lesson aims
* To learn that we celebrate Palm Sunday each year to remember Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem
* To learn that ordinary people welcomed Jesus, but the Jewish leaders were against him

6) End with a Prayer