BIG IDEA: Jesus is the long awaited King.
This free Palm Sunday Bible lesson, Jesus’s Triumphal Entry, will teach preschool and elementary students about the celebration of Jesus riding into Jerusalem as a King the week before He was crucified.
FOCUS BIBLE PASSAGE: Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:12-19
All of the printable activities and digital slides needed for the lesson, as well as a full printable lesson plan for both elementary and preschool are available.
Below is the outline of the free elementary Bible lesson.
PREP & SUPPLIES
- printed & trimmed “John 14:6 Palm Branches”
- Video: God’s Story: Jesus and Palm Sunday from Crossroads Kids’ Club (link)
- several Bibles for students to look up passages during large group time
- printed and cut “Retell Relay” cards
- printed “Palm Sunday Mini Booklets” and Leader’s Guide
- scissors
- hole punches
- ribbon or string
- coloring supplies
- pencils/pens
MEMORY VERSE: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’. John 14:6 (NIrV)
THIS WEEK’S MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY:
- PREP: Hide the palm branches around the room before students arrive. Leave them in stacks of like phrases. (Example: Hide the stack of “Jesus answered” branches in one spot.)
- Tell students that there are 12 palm branches hidden around the room that they will go and collect.
- After they have collected all of the branches, they will find a spot in the room to put them in order to spell out the memory verse.
- Students can work independently or in partners/small groups.
- You may want to time the group to see how long it takes them to find the branches and build the memory verse.
LESSON HOOK ACTIVITY
Leader Note: This game will be much simpler if you use the provided slides. However, if you are unable to use the slides, all of the questions and answer choices are pictured on the following pages.
For each statement, there are 2 slides:
(1) statement and action answer choices, and (2) answer/discussion
The Sunday before Easter is a very special day when we celebrate the time that Jesus rode into Jerusalem as a King.
Before we learn about this time in Jesus’s ministry, we are going to play a game to get our minds ready, and to see how much you already know about this true story from the Bible.
(SLIDE 3) This game is called “Fact or Fiction?”.
Let’s first make sure that everyone understands these two words.
What is a fact? (something that is true; it can be proven)
What is fiction? (something that is false/not true; it is made up)
To play the game, I am going to read (and you will see on the screen) a statement. It is your job to decide if the statement is a FACT (true) or FICTION (false). There will be an “action” for you to perform to make your choice.
Read each statement and answer choice “actions”. Allow time for students to make their choices before moving to the answer discussion slide.
Find the slides and discussion prompts here.
BIBLE LESSON
Now, we are going to watch a short video that teaches a little bit about Palm Sunday. Then we are going to read from the Bible and discuss the story.
Show the video: God’s Story: Jesus and Palm Sunday from Crossroads Kids’ Club (LINK)
[If the video does not work, you can read this summary: Remember how God sent His Son Jesus to rescue us? Well, not everybody believed that Jesus was really God’s Son and the Rescuer, but the ones who did believe in Him did something pretty special on Palm Sunday. It started just like any other day for Jesus. He was heading into Jerusalem with His disciples. But before they got there, Jesus did something surprising. He stopped and sent two of His disciples to go get a young donkey from a nearby village. He even told them exactly where the owner had last tied it up. They weren’t sure why He needed the donkey but they obeyed Him. Would you be willing to obey Jesus even if He asked you to do something you didn’t understand? When the disciples got back with the donkey, they threw their coats on its back like a saddle and Jesus climbed up. Pretty soon, the disciples saw why Jesus needed it. Crowds of people came to the road and started laying coats and tree branches to make a path for Jesus. When this happened, many people recognized that Jesus was a king. Only kings came into a city like this. So Jesus rode the donkey like He was a one man parade and the crowds praised Jesus by yelling things like, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” and “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” because they believed Jesus was the Rescuer. But remember how some people didn’t believe Jesus was God’s Son? Well, they told Jesus to make everybody stop yelling. They didn’t think Jesus deserved to be treated like a king. You know what Jesus said? He told them, “If they keep quiet, the rocks will cry out!” The people who didn’t believe in Jesus didn’t like thinking about people or rocks praising Him. And that made Jesus sad. He actually started crying. And not just crying, but weeping. Here the people were standing next to the Rescuer they’ve been wanting and waiting for their whole lives and they were missing it. But even though Jesus cried, Palm Sunday isn’t a sad story. Easter is all about Jesus’s amazing rescue and Palm Sunday is a reminder of just how special that rescue is and how much Jesus loves everyone.]
(SLIDE 20) The true story of Jesus’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem is recorded in all 4 of the Gospel books. Let’s name the Gospel books together. (1) Matthew, (2) Mark, (3) Luke, and (4) John.
The Gospel books tell us about Jesus’s life and ministry on the earth. They also tell us about Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection.
Who knows what the word “resurrection” means? (raising back to life)
LEADER NOTE: Show students the references on each of the slides and allow a volunteer to look up the passage and read it aloud. Alternatively, the passages are in bold green text for you to read aloud.
(SLIDE 21)
The story begins with Jesus sending two of His disciples to a nearby town to find the mama donkey and her donkey colt (baby).
“He said to them, ‘Go to the village ahead of you. Just as you enter it, you will find a donkey’s colt tied there. No one has ever ridden it. Untie it and bring it here. Someone may ask you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ If so, say ‘The Lord needs it. But he will send it back here soon.’ So they left. They found a colt out in the street. It was tied at a doorway. They untied it. Some people standing there asked, ‘What are you doing? Why are you untying that colt?’ They answered as Jesus had told them to. So the people let them go. They brought the colt to Jesus. They threw their coats over it. Then he sat on it.” [Mark 11:2-7 NIrV]
Can anyone remember, and tell me, from our “Fact or Fiction” game why the donkey is so important in this story? (allow responses)
Jesus riding on a donkey was a fulfillment of a prophecy from the Old Testament.
What does “fulfillment” mean? (to come to pass; to be completed; to finish a task)
What is a prophecy? (something that was spoken of before it happened; prophets were spoken to by God and told things that would happen in the future)
When a “prophecy” is “fulfilled” it means that something happened, that we were told would happen, before it happens!
(SLIDE 22)
In the Old Testament book of Zechariah we can read a prophecy about the King riding into the city on a donkey.
“People of Jerusalem shout! See, your king comes to you. He always does what is right. He has won the victory. He is humble and riding on a donkey. He is sitting on a donkey’s colt”. [Zechariah 9:9 NIrV]
The book of Zechariah was written about 600 years before the birth of Jesus, but is still so accurate (correct) in what it says about Jesus.
Why do you think Jesus rode a donkey instead of a horse? (allow responses)
Typically, we might think of a horse being more fit for a king to ride on, but at this time, donkeys were often ridden by rulers in times of peace.
(SLIDE 23)
We talked about how a young donkey or horse that has never been ridden will not like someone riding on its back, so it will try to buck the person off.
This baby donkey had never been ridden before, so why do you think it calmly carried Jesus into Jerusalem? (allow responses)
“The Son is the exact likeness of God, who can’t be seen. The Son is first, and he is over all creation. All things were created in him. He created everything in heaven and on earth. He created everything that can be seen and everything that can’t be seen. He created kings, powers, rulers and authorities. All things have been created by him and for him. Before anything was created, he was already there. He holds everything together”. [Colossians 1:15-17 NIrV]
Jesus has total authority over all of creation because He IS THE CREATOR! The fact that Jesus rode the donkey that had never been ridden, and it was not out of control, shows us further that Jesus is the King that we know He is!
(SLIDE 24)
As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the people did something we might think of as strange, but was part of their culture.
“The disciples went and did what Jesus told them to do. They brought the donkey and the colt. They placed their coats on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their coats on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.” [Matthew 21:6-8 NIrV]
“The officers quickly grabbed their coats. They spread them out under Jehu on the bare steps of the house. Then they blew a trumpet. They shouted, ‘Jehu is king!’” [2 Kings 9:13 NIrV]
It was part of the culture in welcoming a king, to lay down something for the king to walk on. The people were showing that they believed that Jesus was the King they had been waiting on.
(SLIDE 25)
The people thought that Jesus was coming to be a King to rescue them from the power of earthly rulers, and they didn’t realize that He was going to save them from their sins by dying on the cross just a few days from the time He rode into Jerusalem.
“Those in front and those in back shouted, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!’” [Mark 11:9-10 NIrV]
“LORD, save us. LORD, give us success. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD. From the temple of the LORD we bless you”. [Psalm 118:25-26 NIrV]
The words the people were shouting as Jesus rode into Jerusalem had a deep meaning! The word “Hosanna” means “SAVE NOW” and many of the other words are the same words that were written in the Psalm, which would have been written many years before Jesus was born as a man.
(SLIDE 26)
Does anyone remember who the Pharisees were? (religious leaders; Jewish teachers who followed God’s Law/the Law of Moses; didn’t believe Jesus was the promised King)
“Some of the Pharisees in the crowd spoke to Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘tell your disciples to stop!’ ‘I tell you,’ he replied, ‘if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.’” [Luke 19:39-40 NIrV]
Why do you think the Pharisees wanted Jesus to tell His disciples to stop shouting praises? (allow responses)
The Pharisees were worried that Jesus’s entry into the city and the people shouting would upset the Romans who ruled in the area at that time.
How did Jesus reply to the Pharisees? What do you think He meant by what He said? (allow responses)
Jesus told the Pharisees that if the people don’t shout, then the rocks/stones will! It is possible for this to have many meanings, but the most likely is that Jesus is saying that there is a lot of reason for the people to praise Him, and they shouldn’t be silenced. So, if the people aren’t shouting praises, then “something else” will. He is not saying that the rocks will literally start shouting.
(SLIDE 27)
Jesus did something else that we don’t really expect as He enters Jerusalem.
“He approached Jerusalem. When he saw the city, he began to weep. He said, ‘I wish you had known today what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes.’” [Luke 19:41-42 NIrV]
When someone “weeps”, it means they are crying without a lot of emotion. They are very sad and have a lot of sorrow.
Why do you think Jesus started to weep? (allow responses)
Jesus was very sad and sorrowful because He knew many of the people didn’t truly believe He was the promised Savior who would save them from their sins. The religious leaders were not leading the people in the way they should go, and they were trying to find a reason to have Him killed. The people’s hearts were not open to Him. He is God! And He was right in front of them!
(SLIDE 28)
The people didn’t see Jesus as the King when He was right in front of them, but Jesus is the long awaited King! (BIG IDEA)
Jesus came to live a sinless and perfect life, die on the cross for our sins, and be raised back to life on the third day!
This week, on Palm Sunday, we celebrate the entry of Jesus as a King.
Next week we will celebrate His resurrection!
A lot happened during that final week of Jesus’s life on earth. He had a trial, was killed, and then on the third day, He rose back to life! That is why we celebrate Easter.
Dear God,
Thank you for the Bible. We learned today that you came into Jerusalem many years ago and showed us that you are King. Thank you for being our King, and thank you for dying on the cross to save us from our sins. Please help us to understand the gift that you offer to us and help us to make good choices in our lives.
We love you and we pray all of these things in Jesus’ sweet name, Amen.
LARGE GROUP ACTIVITY
We are going to review today’s true story from the Bible with a relay game.
Can anyone tell me what a relay race is? (when teams line up and each person takes turns completing a task and “tagging” the next team member for their turn)
This game is called a “Retell Relay”. With your team, you are going to collect parts of today’s Bible story in relay style and then you will all work together to put the story together in order so that you can “retell” the story.
Allow students to form teams of 3-4 students and line up on one side of the room. On the opposite side of the room, place the “Retell Relay” cards.
SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY
Today you are going to be making your own mini booklet to tell the story of Jesus’s Triumphal Entry. You will each get 3 pages. Each page is a different part of the story. You will cut each page in half using the center line as a guide. Then, you will punch two holes on the left side and tie your pages together to create a mini booklet. Finally, you will read through the story and fill in the blanks with the correct words.
Leader’s Guide is included to prompt students as needed.
BREAK INTO SMALL GROUPS TO COMPLETE THE ACTIVITY.
Discussion Prompts for Leaders:
- Why did Jesus ride into Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt? (to fulfill the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9)
- Which of the four Gospel books can we find the story of Jesus’s Triumphal Entry? (all of them; Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
- Why did the people lay down their coats and tree branches? (This was part of the culture when welcoming a king, so the people were showing that they believed that Jesus was the King they had been waiting on.)
- What does “Hosanna” mean? (“Save now”)
- Why were the people shouting “Hosanna”? (Many of them thought Jesus was a political leader who was going to save them from the Roman rulers. Instead He came as a spiritual King to save them from their sins. Some of the people probably understood that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior, but may not have understood what His Kingdom would look like, or how He will establish His Kingdom.)
- Why did the Pharisees want to have Jesus killed? (they were scared of Him; they didn’t believe that He was the promised Savior)
- What is this week’s Big Idea? (Jesus is the long awaited King)
- What does that mean? (God promised to send a Savior and the people waited for a long time for Him to come)
- What was special about how the donkey hadn’t been ridden before? (Jesus has total authority over all of creation because He IS THE CREATOR! The fact that Jesus rode the donkey that had never been ridden, and it was not out of control, shows us further that Jesus is the King that we know He is!)
- What is this week’s memory verse? (John 14:6)
- Does anyone have any questions about today’s lesson?
CLOSING REFLECTION
We learned that Jesus entered into the city of Jerusalem as a King a few days before He died on the cross. We celebrate this day called Palm Sunday the week before Easter. Not all of the people believed that Jesus was the long awaited King, but those who did shouted praises and treated Him like the King He is that day. He fulfilled an Old Testament prophecy when He rode on a donkey’s colt, but He was sad because some of the people didn’t have their hearts ready for Him.
Reflection Questions:
- Why did Jesus ride into Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt? (to fulfill the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9)
- Which of the four Gospel books can we find the story of Jesus’s Triumphal Entry? (all of them; Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
- Why did the Pharisees want to have Jesus killed? (they were scared of Him; they didn’t believe that He was the promised Savior)
- Does anyone have any questions about today’s lesson?
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