CrossKids Devo | Jesus Bad Day
Activity – How RU Doing
Draw a line on a sheet of paper. Place a 1 on the left end of the line, a 10 on the right, and a 5 in the middle. As kids arrive, ask them to pencil in their initials on the line.
Say: If your day was so awful you wish you'd slept through it, place your initials by the 1. If it was a great day and you wish you could repeat, put your initials by the 10. Place your initials anywhere on the line that shows how you feel today.
Bible Time – Jesus Bad Day – Matthew 27:32-50 If there's a way to die more painfully or slowly than crucifixion, the Romans couldn't find it. That's why they reserved crucifixion for criminals--but not most Roman criminals. Crucifixion was considered too painful for Roman citizens, but Jesus wasn't a Roman citizen.
So after being beaten until his back was slashed through to the bone, Jesus was nailed to a cross to die, a public reminder that crossing the Romans was a mistake that brought swift and brutal consequences.
A sad day? Most of Jesus' disciples hid, fearful for their lives. Jesus' mother stood, weeping, watching her son die a criminal's death. It was a day that cut short the life of an innocent man.
A bad day? Not at all--because although he was innocent, Jesus had come to die, to be the sacrifice that let us come to God through him. The Romans weren't murdering Jesus; he was giving his life willingly.
For us, that day on the cross was a gift of love that has never been equaled. And the first step leading to a day, three days later, that changed everything . . . forever.
All because Jesus loves us.
Give each child a some white paper and a pencil (or crayon).
Say: We've never seen someone die on a cross--and I'm glad about that. It's such a painful way to die that Romans almost never killed each other that way. They saved that punishment for non-Roman criminals. The torture warned others not to disobey Roman law.
Jesus was crucified, but we've heard about it so often maybe we don't think about it anymore. It's just a story . . . but it happened. As I read aloud an account of what happened to Jesus, listen for words or images that especially move you. Write a word or sketch a picture on your plate to show what happened or how it makes you feel. (Suggestions might include drawing crosses, tears, clouds, or hearts--or writing words such as sad, painful, sacrifice, and love.)
Age-Alert Tips
If you have mostly younger children, consider telling the story in your own words. Young children may find it hard to illustrate emotions, so having them draw simple crosses on their paper and decorating them with hearts will help express how they feel.
Read: Matthew 27:32-50 Pause often between verses so the story can sink in and so kids can write and draw. Let children work on their art for three or four minutes.
Ask children to show their papers and talk about what they've written or drawn. Then tape the paper to a wall. Pray