The Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ

OBJECTIVE

The emphasis will be on the book of Isaiah the prophet, which is sometimes called the fifth gospel, because it gives many details about the Lord's crucifixion. Also, the Book of Psalms by King David as many of his psalms prophesied about his crucifixion and resurrection.

The objective is to show the Holy Bible is one Book with its two parts, The Old and New Testaments. The main character is our Lord Jesus Christ; hidden in the Old Testament and revealed in the New Testament.

INTRODUCTION - 5 Minutes

Begin by asking the children what the final events of our salvation were. Ask what happened after Jesus Christ died on the cross.

Start with these QA and give the children a chance to answer:

Q. What happens when you accidentally get a cut in your finger?

A. Hurry and put a band-aid on it.

Q. What if someone hurt you intentionally and you started bleeding?

A. May be angry from the person doing this and want to get back at him or her, or maybe

crying because it hurts so much.

Q. How about a person who received many wounds and insults and never opened His

mouth? Who would this person be?

A. Our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God who suffered on the cross

Q. Has he done anything wrong on earth all His life?

A. No

Q. Then why was he crucified? This is a question we will focus on today.

Q. Is Christ's crucifixion considered a punishment for His deeds?

A. No.

Q. Why?

A. Because He turned it into a cause of salvation for all who believe in Him.

HOLY SCRIPTURE - 5 Minutes

See inside the content of the lesson.

Memory Verse
"He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities" (Isaiah 53:5)

CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 15 Minutes

As you know Jesus was hated by the Israelites and was ultimately sentenced to Death. They sent Him to the Romans (who governed Israel at that time) and they condemned him upon the insistence of the Jews to be crucified.
Today we will look into the events of Christ's death and Resurrection with a different look; a look through the Old Testament.
You might ask why should we do that? For two or three main reasons:

The first one is to show the ties between the OT & the NT and how they really are one cohesive book. The OT says Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is coming to save us as promised to Adam and prophesied by the prophets. In the NT, Jesus Christ is incarnated and is among us to complete His mission and save us by dying on the cross.
The second one is related to Jesus Christ Himself. The first time He preached in the temple, He opened the Old Testament and read a passage from Isaiah 61 (please read Luke 4:19-21) and told them this prophecy has been fulfilled upon hearing it. Another time after His resurrection, when He met the two disciples of Emmaus while walking, He explained to them all the prophecies from Moses and the prophets (Luke 24:25-27), and fulfilled them. So He shows how important it is to make these connections together for us to understand the Bible and its meanings.

Let's take some of the events surrounding Christ's crucifixion and their corresponding prophecies from the Old Testament:

1 Betrayal - The prophets warned that someone who had broken bread with the Messiah (Psalm 41:9) would betray Him for 30 pieces of silver, which would later be used to buy a potter's field (Zechariah 11:12-13). Upon His betrayal, the Messiah's closest friends would flee from him (Psalm 31:11).

Jesus Christ was betrayed in the manner prophesied.
As predicted, Jesus was betrayed by the Apostle Judas Iscariot for 30 pieces of silver (Mat. 26:14-16; 47-50). That blood money was later used to buy a potter's field (Mat. 27:3-10). Also, after Judas's betrayal, Jesus' other disciples "deserted him and fled" (Mark 14:50).

2 Death - The prophet Isaiah was by far the prophet with the most accurate and detailed prophecies about Christ. Isaiah describes how the Messiah would remain silent in the face of false accusations and would be beaten, mocked, and spat upon (Isaiah 53:7; Isaiah 50:6). The Savior would also be "pierced for our transgressions" so that by His wounds we would be healed (Isaiah 53:5).

As predicted, Jesus remained silent in the face of false accusations, and was beaten, mocked, and spat upon before His crucifixion (Mark 14:57-61; 15:16-20).

3 Resurrection - David the prophet and king said about the Messiah's resurrection that God would not abandon the Messiah into death or let the Messiah's body see decay (Psalm 16:10). David also wrote that the Messiah would ascend to Heaven and sit at God's right hand (Psalm 110:1).

These are samples of many prophecies written about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There are more than 400 prophecies written several hundred years ago in the Old Testament all pointing to a part of Christ's life and they were fulfilled very precisely.

DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 5 Minutes

Why is Christ rising from the dead important to us? How does it affect us?
Have the students share their favorite part of the resurrection lesson or their favorite resurrection icon.

LIFE APPLICATION (Action) - 5 Minutes

As we learned today, we now can look into the scriptures with new understanding and new ways to read them. As St. Clement of Alexandria said "explain the Scriptures by the Scriptures". This is what Jesus did while He was on earth. We too should do the same and ask Him to guide you while reading the Bible to get the most benefit out of it.

ACTIVITY - 10 Minutes

Have the students create a Resurrection craft.

Materials needed:

Paper plate
Construction paper (Green, blue and purple and grey)
Popsicle sticks
Brass paper fasteners
Markers
Glue

Pre-cut the paper plate and construction paper and have the students assemble the craft as shown in the image below.

Alternatively, the children can work on the following word search attached.

COPTUNES+ LINK

PARENTS CORNER/HOMEWORK

Express to your children the importance of the Resurrection and that our Orthodox faith exceedingly cherishes and values this event.
As such, encourage them to live in ways that befit the Resurrection on a daily basis, including thanking God for each new day in the morning when they wake up, as the sunrise is a symbol and reminder of the Resurrection.
Teach them that every day is a chance to grow, through constantly striving for a life of prayer, reading the Bible, going to Church, partaking of the Sacraments, and building a deep relationship with God.