King of the Jews
Children's sermon
Object:
a crown
There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews." (v. 38)
Good morning, boys and girls! Today's gospel lesson talks about Jesus' crucifixion. It talks about how the men who crucified Jesus put a sign over his head saying that he was "King of the Jews." It seems at first like this sign is an honor to Jesus -- like putting this crown on his head to show that he is the greatest! (show crown) But… that's not how it happened. People teased Jesus for being "King of the Jews." They did give him a crown, but it wasn't a crown of honor! Who can tell me what kind of crown they gave Jesus? (allow answers) A crown of thorns. Ouch! It dug into his scalp and made him bleed! It was not a crown like this one, a crown to symbolize honor and glory. It was a crown created to make fun of Jesus. Those who crucified Jesus did not want him to be seen as honorable. And yet, Jesus is the most honorable of all!
Sometimes what we say or do is less important than how we say or do it. These people could easily have been honoring Jesus with their words and their crown -- but instead, they used them to mock Jesus.
This can be hard to understand. If Jesus is so great, why would these people mock him? Do you have any answers? (allow answers) Well, for one thing, this was part of God's plan. Without these people to mock and crucify Jesus, we would not be able to share the good news of Jesus' resurrection. So even these mockers had a place in God's plan!
Perhaps part of the reason they mocked Jesus was because they were afraid of what he taught, or because they felt insignificant compared to him. Do you know what "insignificant" means? (allow answers) If you feel insignificant, you feel worthless. You feel like you are nothing. When people feel insignificant, they often resort to bullying and mocking to try and bring others down to their level. For example, sometimes kids in school get made fun of and mocked. Kids get made fun of for just about anything! Have you ever gotten made fun of for something? (allow answers) What was it? (allow answers)
Although these words are hurtful and cruel, sometimes we just have to bear it. Sometimes we can't make people stop their hurtful words and cruel actions. If you ever feel run down by bullies or mockers, think about Jesus' suffering. Jesus was the greatest of all, and even he was put down by others! Despite the way others treated him, Jesus replied to their cruelty with kindness and love. No matter how others treat us, we should follow his example. And if you ever have troubles that you don't think you can bear, bring it to your pastor or take it to God in prayer. Even Jesus couldn't do his work alone. He relied on his disciples and his heavenly Father to help him through his trials. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls! Today's gospel lesson talks about Jesus' crucifixion. It talks about how the men who crucified Jesus put a sign over his head saying that he was "King of the Jews." It seems at first like this sign is an honor to Jesus -- like putting this crown on his head to show that he is the greatest! (show crown) But… that's not how it happened. People teased Jesus for being "King of the Jews." They did give him a crown, but it wasn't a crown of honor! Who can tell me what kind of crown they gave Jesus? (allow answers) A crown of thorns. Ouch! It dug into his scalp and made him bleed! It was not a crown like this one, a crown to symbolize honor and glory. It was a crown created to make fun of Jesus. Those who crucified Jesus did not want him to be seen as honorable. And yet, Jesus is the most honorable of all!
Sometimes what we say or do is less important than how we say or do it. These people could easily have been honoring Jesus with their words and their crown -- but instead, they used them to mock Jesus.
This can be hard to understand. If Jesus is so great, why would these people mock him? Do you have any answers? (allow answers) Well, for one thing, this was part of God's plan. Without these people to mock and crucify Jesus, we would not be able to share the good news of Jesus' resurrection. So even these mockers had a place in God's plan!
Perhaps part of the reason they mocked Jesus was because they were afraid of what he taught, or because they felt insignificant compared to him. Do you know what "insignificant" means? (allow answers) If you feel insignificant, you feel worthless. You feel like you are nothing. When people feel insignificant, they often resort to bullying and mocking to try and bring others down to their level. For example, sometimes kids in school get made fun of and mocked. Kids get made fun of for just about anything! Have you ever gotten made fun of for something? (allow answers) What was it? (allow answers)
Although these words are hurtful and cruel, sometimes we just have to bear it. Sometimes we can't make people stop their hurtful words and cruel actions. If you ever feel run down by bullies or mockers, think about Jesus' suffering. Jesus was the greatest of all, and even he was put down by others! Despite the way others treated him, Jesus replied to their cruelty with kindness and love. No matter how others treat us, we should follow his example. And if you ever have troubles that you don't think you can bear, bring it to your pastor or take it to God in prayer. Even Jesus couldn't do his work alone. He relied on his disciples and his heavenly Father to help him through his trials. Amen.
