During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide, Student Page, Family Connection Card, and other resources can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
Isaiah 62:3
Before the soldiers crucified Jesus, they placed a crown of thorns on His head. They nailed a sign on His cross that read “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Jesus, the King of all kings, hung in agony while passers-by mocked Him and soldiers gambled at His feet. He hung there for hours before giving up His life for all of them. And for you.
Your eternal, all-powerful King chose to wear the crown of thorns so that you could become His crown of glory! As a follower of Jesus, you are a royal diadem that reflects His glory in this world. What an incredible honour He has given to you. This week, think about your life and witness. Ask Jesus to help you be a royal diadem in His hands, bringing glory to Him.
Let the children’s families know that this week their children will celebrate Easter, a holiday that celebrates the day Jesus was raised to life after being dead for 3 days. If possible, share copies of the Salvation Path with each family. You can download the Salvation Path below.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Welcome your children as they come into class today. Tell them that you will celebrate Easter today! Easter is the holiday that marks the day when Jesus was raised to life after being dead for 3 days.
Tell the children to spread out. Explain that they will be acting out characters. You will tell them a certain type of person. They will use their bodies and facial expressions to act like this person. They cannot make any sounds. You can use the suggested list of people below or add your own ideas. Either way, the last person the children act out should be “great king.”
List of possible types of people:
Clap for the acting and then ask the children to sit down to talk about the game.
How would you describe a king? What does he look like, and how does he act or speak?
If you have a board or large paper available, write down the children’s answers so they can refer to the list later in class.
The Jewish people had waited for hundreds of years for God’s promised Messiah. They expected him to be a great king, like the king you described. When Jesus came, He did not act the way the people expected the Messiah to act. He did not wear an expensive crown made of gold and jewels. Jesus wore a very different kind of crown. You will hear about His crown in today’s Bible story.
Listen as I tell you about this important time. Some of you may know this story already, but listen closely to hear what new thing God may show you about Himself.
The Jewish religious leaders did not like Jesus. They were good at following God’s laws outwardly, but their hearts were far from God. Jesus taught that it was good to be humble servants rather than proud leaders. He taught that God wanted true obedience from the heart, not just someone who did the outward actions. This made the leaders angry. When they heard Jesus claim to be the Messiah, they plotted to kill Him!
Teacher Tip: If appropriate, you can point out that the leaders were not managing their anger well!
The religious leaders knew the Scriptures promised that God would send a Saviour who would be King. But Jesus did not look or act like a great king. He was humble. He spent time with sinners and ordinary people instead of important people.
The leaders may have thought a king should be a warrior like King David. But Jesus did not fight in battles. Instead, He healed many people.
The religious leaders thought Jesus should obey their strict rules about obeying God. But Jesus did things that showed God’s heart, such as healing a man’s crippled hand and touching someone with leprosy. Love was the real law, Jesus said.
The leaders were convinced that Jesus was not the king God had promised. They wanted to kill Jesus, so they turned Jesus over to Pilate, the Roman governor. They insisted that Pilate have Jesus crucified.
Optional: If possible, share the images from The Action Bible.
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him whipped. The soldiers twisted thorns together to make a crown. They put it on Jesus’ head. Then they put a purple robe on him. They went up to him again and again. They kept saying, “We honor you, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face. Once more Pilate came out. He said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing Jesus out to you. I want to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Then Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. I myself find no basis for a charge against him.”
John 19:1–6, NIrV
After this, Pilate handed Jesus over to his soldiers. They made Him carry a heavy, wooden cross to outside the city. There the soldiers nailed Jesus’ hands and feet to the cross. Then they stood the cross upright. Jesus now hung on the cross to die. Pilate had the soldiers put a sign on the cross that read “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”
At noon, darkness came over the whole land for 3 hours. Then Jesus cried out and breathed His last breath. After Jesus was dead, His body was placed in a tomb.
Optional: If you are using The Action Bible have the children read the stories on pages 631–640 before you ask the following questions.
Remember the list of words we came up with that describe a king. Which of these words describe Jesus’ life on earth? Which do not?
Jesus did not wear a beautiful crown made of gold and jewels. What kind of crown did Jesus wear? How do you think that crown felt on His head?
Why did the Jewish leaders want Jesus to die?
He did not act as they thought a king should act.
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” Then they remembered his words.
Luke 24:1–8
Jesus had been raised from the dead! He was alive! And Jesus is still alive today. He is the risen King!
Lead the children in cheering and clapping at this happy news.
Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross makes it possible for our relationship with God to be restored. We cannot earn our way into relationship with God by doing good things. It is a gift provided by Jesus’ sacrifice. When we accept this gift, God welcomes us into His family. If we are in God’s family, we want to live in ways that honour Him. We can crown Jesus as King when we give Him thanks and worship. We also crown Him as King when we offer all that we are to God.
Jesus no longer wears a crown of thorns. On Easter morning, He rose from the dead. He is now crowned with glory and honour. If you want Jesus to be King of your life or if you have questions about this, please come talk with me after class.
Let’s use our creativity to create a crown for Jesus.
Share this verse with the children. If possible, read it directly from your Bible.
If you are using the Memory Verse Poster, show it to the students.
You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
Isaiah 62:3
Another way to say this verse is that you are like a beautiful crown in God’s hand. The best crown is not made of gold and jewels. It is made of God’s children—the greatest treasure of all.
If you have accepted the gift of salvation through Jesus’ death on the cross, you are a child of God. When God looks at you, He sees a beautiful crown.
Some of you may not be children of God. God also loves you and wants to have a relationship with you. He wants to adopt you into His family forever and make you into a beautiful crown.
All of us will celebrate Jesus the King. We will make the shape of a crown with our hands. If you are a Christian, think about ways you can honour God with your life. When we raise our crowns, you can pray to give your life as a crown to God. If you are not a Christian yet, you can lift your crown as a way to say that you want to know more about Jesus the King. I will be happy to talk with you after class about any questions you have.
Have the children stand in a circle. Sing a familiar song that talks about how Jesus is our King. As you sing, have the children raise their hands up to create crowns on their heads.
Optional Supplies
Give each child a piece of paper and crayons. Tell the children to draw crowns on their papers. They will then decorate it with words of praise to King Jesus.
If you are using the Student Pages, there is space for children to decorate crowns for Jesus.
End Option
Close class by speaking this blessing based on Isaiah 62:3 over the children.
Blessing: May you make Jesus your King and crown Him with praise. May you be part of God’s family and be a beautiful crown in His hand.
Lead the children in singing this quarter’s song, if possible.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
