What Was Jesus Doing on Day Five of Passion Week?

“If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”
Mark 9:35

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another”
John 13:34

Read about the full day Jesus had as His impending death was fast approaching on Day Five of Passion Week.

During His Last Supper that evening, His disciples were arguing about who would have the greatest positions.  He settled the argument by washing their feet and demonstrating that the greatest among them truly was the Servant of all.  (We might use this the next time there’s an argument over who gets to sit where, etc.  Say, ‘the one with the servant attitude will have the favor’)

Read the story from a children’s Bible.  This picture is taken from My Awesome God Bible Storybook .

Act out the story.

Follow Jesus’ example. Wash each other’s feet.  All day long talk about and look for ways to serve one another.

Color Eggs. Tell your children you are serving them by boiling the eggs for them to color.  Then as you color them, talk about why eggs are colored at Easter time.

  • Eggs represent new life which can remind us of the new life Christ Jesus gives us by what He did on the Cross for us.   Share this scripture: When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun! – 2 Cor. 5:17 (Living)
  • The colored eggs remind us of how beautiful our world is as the earth comes back to life again with colorful flowers, new leaves, and green grass in the Spring as all creation seems to rejoice that Jesus is alive (Matt. 28:6)! Share these scripture:
    Jesus makes all things new.
    Revelation 21:5
    God gives us all things to enjoy. 1 Tim. 6:17
    All Your works shall praise You, O Lord . . . Psalm 145:10

 

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What Was Jesus Doing on Day Four of Passion Week?

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
John 15:13

Jesus talked a lot about giving on Day Four of Passion Week.  Of course He had every right to do that since He was about to give the ultimate gift of His life on the cross for the sins of the world.

Encourage your children to give today as you talk about how much Jesus gave.  Bake Easter cookies (see recipe below) in the shape of a cross to share with neighbors.   As you make them,  talk about Jesus’ gift to us.  Say:

Everybody has done wrong things such as disobeying, lying, being unkind, etc.   God calls this sin and there must be punishment for it. But Jesus loved us so much that He took the punishment for all the wrong things that were done or would ever be done.  He died on the cross so we would not have to.  All we have to do is accept what He did for us and we can have a happy life forever with God.

In your giving today, don’t forget to give thanks to Jesus for His gift of life to us.  Here’s some simple thankful songs  Make up your own songs together.

My mother’s old-fashioned tea cookies recipe:

3/4 cup crisco or butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 & 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 & 1/2 cup Self-rising flour
Mix all together, roll out, and cut into shapes
(If you don’t have a cross cookie cutter, roll out 2 small ropes & lay one across the other to make a cross.)
Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes.

Ice with butter cream frosting:
1 box confectioner sugar
dash of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup butter

Here’s a fun video about the ultimate Gift 🙂 https://youtu.be/8SoSGDNWT2c

 

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What was Jesus Doing on Day Three of Passion Week?

Read here about Day Three of Passion Week.  Jesus had a busy day, having his authority challenged 4 different times and spending time teaching. In your personal reading, read Mark 11 – 16 to become very familiar with the account of Jesus’ last week on earth.  Be prepared to tell some of the parables with enthusiasm. 

Read to your children from their children’s Bible some of these stories that Jesus told.   Click here for children books about the parables by Arch Publications.  Click here and here for suggestions for good children’s Bibles.  My favorite I used with my children is The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes


Jesus often taught in parables. Follow His example in teaching and use visuals or stories to get the point across:

Plant a seed as a visual to illustrate the death and resurrection of Jesus. Talk about when we put seeds in the ground we can’t see them anymore, but after a while they will push their way out of the ground.  Just like when Jesus died and friends put him in the tomb, they couldn’t see Him anymore, but after three days, the first Easter morning, Jesus came out of the tomb alive! (marigolds or zinnias sprout within three days!)

Take a family walk and notice any new growth as you talk about the fact that Easter comes at springtime when seeds begin to sprout after being dead all winter.   The plants come out to praise God and remind us that Jesus is alive! (Psalm 145:10 All Your works shall praise You, O Lord,)

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What was Jesus Doing on Day Two of Passion Week

What happened on Day Two of Passion Week? Click to find out. Tell your children the events of this day some 2000 years ago.  You can be very animated as you tell of Jesus cleansing the temple because He loved God’s house so much and people were not respecting it. Jesus said His house is a house of prayer.

Talk of ways to respect your church (keep it clean, don’t run inside, listen to your teachers, etc.)

Be thankful for your church and share Psalm 122:1 “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord'” enthusiastically as you talk of when we will all meet together again in God’s House.

Emphasize that your bodies are now the temple of God (1 Cor. 6:19) and we must take care of them.  Plan and prepare a healthy meal together and have a family exercise night.

Research ways to have better nutrition. The Adventures of Junk Food Dude is an excellent book for children to learn about healthy food choices.  Here’s the link to see and hear it read on YouTube. Another excellent children’s book about healthy eating is Eat Well Feel Good.

Jesus told the church leaders that children give the best praise.  Teach your children a praise song or have them make up their own.  Record it and send it to someone to encourage them to sing praises. Here are some I have recorded on YouTube for preschoolers 🙂

Make a cross out of twigs or craft sticks and keep it in a prominent place during the Easter season.  Point out that it is empty because Jesus didn’t stay on the cross or in the tomb . . . He is alive!!

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What was Jesus Doing on Day One of Passion Week?

Let your children enjoy the secular traditions of Easter, but be just as intentional in telling them about what Christ was doing that first Easter. This site will help you use the tangible things of Easter to teach the intangible truths about Jesus.

Palm Sunday starts what we call Holy Week or Passion Week. This name represents the passion with which Jesus willingly went to the cross to pay for our sins.

Tell the Story:

Beforehand read all about Palm Sunday at Day One of Passion Week. Then tell the story with enthusiasm to your children. Emphasize that Jesus came riding humbly on a donkey, but will one day come again victoriously riding on a white horse.  In the ancient Biblical world, a leader rode on a donkey to signify peace, but he rode on a horse if he was coming in war.

The people greeted Him as though He were an earthly king that would save them from the Romans who cruelly controlled their country.  They put their coats in His path as He entered the city and they waved palm leaves before Him which is why this Sunday is called Palm Sunday. They shouted, “Hosanna,” which means “save us,”

Suggested Activities:

Make palm leaves out of green construction paper or white paper and paint green.  Let children cut into the edges.

Act out the story:  use a stick horse or a broom as the donkey or even let dad be the donkey 🙂  Let one child be Jesus and as he rides into the city, the rest of the family can wave the leaves.  Be excited about Jesus coming to save us!!

 

Have fun teaching the Greatest Story ever told this Passion Week!!  Follow Train Up The Child for information and ideas all week. Subscribe to get ideas delivered to your inbox each morning of Passion Week

Check out these free Easter resources available for download from Ministry-to-Children

 

Here’s a great song to sing as you act out the story: https://youtu.be/Kht2SR8P0ko

 

 

 

 

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