Lesson Summary:

Students will watch and discuss scenes contrasting portrayals of Jesus on Palm Sunday, one from Jesus Christ Superstar, and two scenes from "Son of God" (2014). They will answer the question, "Why were some people afraid of Jesus?" and "What do I risk in following him?"

Scripture:

Luke 19: 28-40  Luke's account of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Of the four gospel accounts of this scene, Luke's is the only one that remembers his response to the Pharisees, "the stones will cry out!"

Key Verse: Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" "I tell you," he replied,"if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."  Luke 19: 39-40

Objectives for the Rotation

See Bible Background at rotation.org for this set's complete list of objectives.

Note: Perhaps more than any other lesson in this set, if you include viewing the second video clip below, this lesson will delve into the reasons why Jesus posed a threat to the authorities in Jerusalem.

Preparation

• Bibles
• Preview the DVD(s) - Jesus Christ Superstar (Universal Studios, 2004), and "Son of God" (2014) -see the scene numbers to cue in the lesson below.
• DVD player and screen.
• 4 sheets of paper, each with one of the four different Gospel accounts of Palm Sunday written on it.
• Snack – popcorn or whatever is appropriate.

Lesson Plan

Teacher: Cue Jesus Christ Superstar DVD  by beginning at Chapter 4, then fast forwarding to the scene where the vultures are flying overhead, then PAUSE the DVD (this cues it to the start of the entry scene).

Open

Greet your students and introduce what you'll be doing today.

Ask the students about parades that they have been to. What was the reason for the parade? What do people do at parades?

Say & Ask: Today we will talk about a parade that Jesus took part in. Does anyone know what we call this event? (Palm Sunday).  Ask the students to tell you what they know about Palm Sunday.

Let's Play a Game of "Where is it in the Bible"

Here are four passages, when you find out which one has the Palm Sunday story in it, shout out the Book, Chapter and Verse.  Tip: Tell them not to all start at the top of the list, because the fact, is, the story is found in all four locations!

Matthew 21:1-11
Mark 11:1-10
Luke 19:28-40 [Special emphasis for this lesson]
John 12:12-19

Once they've discovered that all four gospels have the story, pass out sheets of paper on which you've written the four gospel citations, one Gospel per sheet of paper. (In effect, creating four teams.) Then state the following:

I will describe something found in the Palm Sunday story.  If you think it is YOUR assigned Gospel, raise your hand.

1. Which Gospel refers to children?  (Matthew)
   
   
2. Which Gospel account does not mention "palms"?  (Luke)
   (What do people wave today to cheer?)
   
   
3. Which Gospel does not mention Jesus saying the "stones will cry out"?  (Matthew, Mark, John)
   (What does Jesus mean that God will make the stones cry out?)
   
   
4. Which Gospel includes a quote from the Prophet Zechariah about how the king will come riding on a donkey?  (John and Matthew)  
   (What would Jesus ride into town on today?)
   
   
5. After which Palm Sunday story is Jesus said to look at Jerusalem and weep? (Luke)
   (Why did Jesus weep over Jerusalem?)
   
   
6. In which Gospel do the crowds shout the word, "Hosanna!"?  (Matthew, Mark, John)
   (What does Hosanna mean? It means "save us now!")
   
   

Say: Obviously Jesus' triumphant ride into Jerusalem was so important that all four Gospels had to tell you the story!  And like all of us when we try to remember a story, we emphasize different parts of it.

Ask: Palm Sunday happened on a Sunday. What's going to happen five days later? (Good Friday)  

Ask: Jesus is going to go from hero to zero in the eyes of most people. Why?  (Because they think he wasn't the kind of king they expected after all.)

Ask: What kind of king did they expect?

What kind of king did Jesus want to be?

NOTE:
You've just conducted the Bible Study. By the time they've gone through this quiz they will have read the Bible passage and be familiar with the story from all four Gospels.  If you feel the need to read through it one more time, do so now. The video will reinforce the story's meaning.

The Main Feature! ~ Movie Clip 1

Say: Today our first movie clip is a scene from a movie called Jesus Christ Superstar. Jesus Christ Superstar was a musical-play that was famous on Broadway in the 1970’s and is still performed today. It was written by the same famous composer who wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Phantom of the Opera (Andrew Lloyd Weber).  As you watch, see how much the movie version is like your Gospel version.

PLAY Jesus Christ Superstar - approximately 7 minutes long from your cue.

PAUSE when the scenery changes to arid wasteland.

Reflection 1

Why did Caiaphas the High Priest want Jesus to "tell the rabble to be quiet"?  ("we anticipate a riot" —the priest were afraid the Roman soldiers would think it was a rebellion)

What did Caiaphas say in your Gospel version to Jesus? (have them look up their assigned Gospel for the answer)

The Bonus Feature!  ~ Movie Clip 2

Son of God (2014) Scene 16 and 17: Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem  (about 4 minutes) and Caiaphas then Pilate discuss the "threat" of Jesus (about 2 minutes).

Say:  This next popular movie introduces the character of Barabbas into the Palm Sunday story. Ask:  What do we know about Barabbas?  (Barabbas was the zealot who was set free from prison instead of Jesus.)

Ask: Is he found in any of your Gospel versions of the Palm Sunday story?  (the answer is "no" because he's not in that part of the story). Tell them that after they have watched this short scene, you want them to answer the question:  Why did the producers of the movie include Barabbas in their version of the Palm Sunday story?

Say: In this clip, among other key characters, you will see Barabbas, Caiaphas, Judas, and Pilate, and I will call them out.

Teacher: Be sure to announce "who's who" as they appear in the scenes, Caiaphas, Peter, Barabbas (the bald zealot), then Judas and finally, Pilate.

PLAY Son of God, Scene 16 and 17.

A possible answer:  By including him in the Palm Sunday story, it highlights the dangerous nature of Jesus' triumphal parade into a city that was hoping for a leader who would help them throw out the occupying Roman army. Notice how Jesus deals with the situation and talk about it.  Whether Barabbas was really in the crowd we do not know, but we know that Caiaphas and the priests were afraid the zealots would take advantage of the situation, and they wanted Jesus to stop it.

The Romans had put down other rebellions in the past. A group of Jews known as "zealots" were hoping for a rebellion. They expected God would help them, and some thought Jesus was going to lead them. How wrong they were about the kind of King God had sent!

Reflection 2

Ask: Why do you think they included Barabbas in the Palm Sunday scene?

Ask: What was Caiaphas worried about?   What was Pilate worried about?  (rebellion, slaughter, his own position and wealth?)

Ask: What do WE have to give up if Jesus really is "The One"?
What are the risks of being a Christian in today's world?  (Think personally, how people might treat you, etc.)

Pray that we would have the strength to follow Jesus, to risk our reputation, to give up things that aren't good for us or for others, to give up our time to study and prayer, to reject those who use force or fear to try and make people believe a certain way.

Adaptations for Younger Children

Skip the game about finding the story in the Bible. Read the story from a children's Bible and proceed to the movie clips.  During the first clip, provide them with palms and have them wave them wildly whenever they see people in the movie doing so.  Be sensitive with the idea in the second clip that Jesus was not liked by some people as young children may not understand that.

Resources

MacQueen, Neil. "A Brief Introduction to Teaching with Video,” 2002, updated 2019.
https://www.rotation.org/topic...-video--a-v-workshop

MacQueen, Neil. “Outline and Discussion Guide for Jesus Christ Superstar.” 2004. https://www.rotation.org/topic...-superstar-the-movie

MacQueen, Neil. "Outline to the Son of God Movie," 2016.
https://www.rotation.org/topic...f-god-the-2014-movie

Originally written by Carol Hulbert, with lesson additions by Neil MacQueen
after the Son of God movie was released.

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