Passion Week -- John 19

For some reason this post never went through on Saturday. But here ya go....

Sorry for the delay in getting questions up today. We had a lock-in last night, and it was great! But tiring!

1. Point out that Pilate tries to threaten Jesus in verse 10 with his "authority," but Jesus responds by telling Pilate, "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above" (v. 11). If you think about it, Jesus is telling Pilate that God the Father is giving him (Pilate) authority to sentence Jesus to death and crucify Him. That seems odd at first! But discuss with your kids why it is that God the Father would give Pilate that authority. ((If He did not, then Jesus would not have been able to die for our sins, and we would never be forgiven.))

2. In verse 30, as He is about to die, Jesus says, "It is finished." What's finished? What might Jesus be trying to say here? ((The most clear answer is that Jesus' work here on earth is done. His life is ending of course. But more specifically, His suffering at the hands of the Father for our sins is finished; His sacrifice is finished.))

3. This is not something that is explicitly in the text, but remind your kids that four different men wrote an account of Jesus' life (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Point out that these men each included different parts of Jesus' life. Some of the stories they told are exactly the same, but there are a LOT of differences too. They each include different stories and leave others out. But all four of them spend a lot of time talking about Jesus' death and resurrection. Discuss with them why they think that all four men made such a big deal about His death and resurrection, since they varied so much on what to include about the rest of His life.