VERSES: John 2:12-17
MEMORY VERSE: John 2:15 "...and he drove them all out of the temple..."
BOOK TO REMEMBER: Colossians. Write "Colossians" on small slips of paper and hand out to the students at the end of class for memorization at home. It is a good idea to review all of the books that have been learned from time to time, so the books will stay fresh in the minds of the students.
PRAYER: Pray that we will all do things God's way and not our way. God and His Son were not pleased that the Jews were doing things their own way in the temple as we learn in our lesson.
SPECIAL SONG: Jesus Taught By Parables And Miracles (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #4 on this blog. If you click the orange circle, you can hear the tune of the song).
VISUAL AID: Large Activity (see below) or drawing on white board or chalkboard
LESSON POINTS:
- Do we remember the Passover feast? Remember how Moses told the children of Israel to remember at the Feast of the Passover how God had led His people out of Egypt and out of slavery? Jesus observed the Feast of the Passover, too, and it was getting close to the feast day, so He went up to Jerusalem.
- When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem for the Passover Feast, He found that there were people in the temple who were not doing what God wanted them to do in the temple. The people were selling oxen and sheep right there in the temple! There were men sitting at tables with money on them! Jesus was angry and made a small whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple, including the sheep and oxen. He poured out the money changers' money and turned over the tables. He told the ones who were selling the doves to take them out of the temple and not to make His Father's house a house of merchandise or like a market. Jesus' disciples remembered that it was written in the Psalms, "The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up." (Psalms 69:9). What Jesus did in the temple was what the Psalm was talking about.
- The Jews were a little upset that Jesus had driven them out of the temple and asked Him, "By what sign can you show us that you have authority to do this?" They wanted to know why Jesus thought He could make them stop doing the things they were doing in the temple. The Jews were making money and getting rich by selling things and changing money in the temple and did not want to be stopped. Jesus said to them, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it up in three days." The Jews thought Jesus was talking about the temple that they had been driven out of and answered Him, "It has taken 46 years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" They did not understand that Jesus was talking about how his body would be raised up three days after He died.
- Later, after Jesus died on the cross and was raised from the dead after three days, His disciples remembered what Jesus had said about the temple and they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus spoke.
- It was also at this time that Jesus healed people and performed miracles before them. He healed the people who could not walk or see. No one could do that unless He was sent from God. Jesus wanted the people to believe that He was the Son of God by doing miracles which were things that no one else could do.
- Discuss how Jesus died on the cross and after three days He rose from the grave. This was what Jesus had talked about to the Jews in this lesson.
ACTIVITY: Temple scene (This project might take a few minutes longer than the typical project, but the students will remember the lesson for a long time. That is the object of a good project!)
Materials needed: 6" x 18" tan construction paper, scraps of brown, tan, white, and black paper, scrap of gold paper, 2" of twine or rope, tape, glue, crayons, marker, scissors.
- Hand out 6" x 18" tan paper. This is the temple floor.
- Place tan paper landscape on table.
- Draw one line diagonally from bottom corner to a point about 3" from left edge on each side.
- Cut on lines.
- Hand out brown scraps of paper.
- Draw and cut out two simple tables.
- Glue tables on each side of tan paper, as if they had been turned over.
- Hand out gold paper.
- Cut small circles or 'coins' out of gold paper.
- Glue coins around overturned tables (see picture at very top).
- Hand out more brown scrap paper.
- Draw and cut out two oxen. (No need for perfection. If in doubt, write animal's name on it.)
- Fold oxen's legs about 1/4".
- Tape oxen's legs and secure to temple floor. Oxen should stand up. If not, add tape to other side of oxen's legs (see picture below of sheep. Oxen's legs should be taped the same way.)
- Hand out white scrap paper.
- Draw and cut out two sheep.
- Fold sheep's legs about 1/4".
- Tape sheep's legs and secure to temple floor, so the sheep stand up.
- Hand out tan scrap paper or use the triangles cut from the temple floor.
- Draw and color and cut people as a group leaving the temple from the back view. No faces should be seen.
- Tape group of people to the top middle of the temple floor. People should stand up. If not, place a piece of tape from the temple floor to the middle of the group of people. The tension of the tape should be enough to make the people stand up.
- Hand out another scrap of tan paper.
- Draw, color, and cut Jesus from the back view. One of his hands should be raised. No face should be seen.
- Tape twine in Jesus upraised hand (see picture at very top).
- Tape Jesus to the bottom edge of the temple floor. If the figure does not want to stand up, take a small piece of construction paper and fold twice, forming four sections when unfolded. Fold back one section of paper and form into a triangle. Secure with tape. Tape to the front of the figure, so he will 'rest' upon the triangle and stand up.
- Write "Jesus Cleanses The Temple" and "John 2:13-17" on the temple floor.
- Rehearse scene before leaving class.
