Rotation.org Writing Team

PALM SUNDAY ROTATION

CINEMA

PASSAGES

Matthew 21:1-11
Mark 11:1-10
Luke 19:28-44
John 12:12-19

MEMORY VERSE

Mark 11:9 - Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” [NRSV]

Psalm 118:26a - “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” [NRSV]

PURPOSE

See Bible Background.

Objective(s) for Rotation

Children will:

Older students will locate the stories in their Bibles; Younger students will learn that the story is in the New Testament in the Gospels.

Know that Jesus came to Jerusalem along with thousands of others to celebrate the Jewish Passover.

Learn that Palm Sunday remembers Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem just a few days before his arrest, trial, and crucifixion. This story begins the events of Holy Week.

Discover that Jesus’ entry on a donkey signified that he was a humble, peaceful Messiah, fulfilling Old Testament prophecy.

Understand the meaning of the word Hosanna; the people expected a king to save them. Yet the crowd misunderstood what sort of Messiah Jesus was.

Objectives for Cinema workshop

Discuss what sort of king the people were expecting compared to the presentation of Jesus in his entry into Jerusalem. View this scene from the video Jesus Christ Superstar.

PREPARATION

Read Bible Background.

Materials List

• Bibles
  
• Costumes [Optional]
  
• DVD - Jesus Christ Superstar (Universal Studios, 2004)
  
• DVD player and screen
  
• Easel with paper and appropriate marker
  
• Palm branches - use artificial or real palms or create them from green paper
  
• Scissors [Optional]
  
• Snack – popcorn or whatever is appropriate
  

Advance Preparation Requirements

Preview the DVD.

Make sure you know how to use the TV/DVD, especially how to move by chapters and scanning backwards within a chapter.

Cue the DVD as follows: From the main menu select “SCENES.” Select #5. Then use the video controls to SCAN BACKWARDS into chapter 4 to the scene where the vultures are flying overhead. PAUSE the DVD.

Write the following on the easel: Jesus, Caiaphas. For non-readers draw stick figures of the characters: Jesus on a donkey, Caiaphas with a decidedly pointed hat as shown in the video.

Bookmark a Bible to Zechariah 9:9 and to Luke 19:39.

If needed, cut palm branches from green paper.

PRESENTATION

Open - Introduction

Greet your students warmly, welcoming them to the Cinema Workshop. Introduce yourself and any other adults.

Ask the students about parades that they have been to see. What was the reason for the parade? What did they see and hear?

Say: Today we will talk about a parade that Jesus took part in. We don’t call it a parade but it could be thought of as a parade. We call this event Palm Sunday.

Let’s begin with prayer. Ask for any prayer requests. Ask if anyone would like to lead the group in prayer. Be prepared to say a prayer yourself, working in prayer requests. A suggestion: “Holy One, we are thankful for opportunities for parades. We praise you for happy, joyous gatherings, such as our gathering together today. Amen.”

Dig - Main Content

Ask the students what they know about Palm Sunday. See what they know about the story.

Ask: Where would we read about Palm Sunday in the Bible? In the Old or the New Testament? Where in the New Testament?

Say: We can read about Palm Sunday in all four Gospels. Let’s find the story in Matthew.

Distribute Bibles.

Have the students find the book of Matthew. Make sure that everyone remembers the quick way to find the New Testament – dividing the Bible in half gets them near Psalms. Dividing the back half in half again gets them near the New Testament.

Have them find Matthew, chapter 21, verses 1-11.

Say: Jesus and his disciples are on their way to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.

Ask: Who remembers what Passover is?

Say: Passover was an annual Jewish holiday celebrating how God had freed the people from slavery in Egypt. What is kind of ironic is that the people in Jesus’ days were celebrating freedom from Egypt but they lived under the oppressive rule of the Romans.

Say: Passover is what is called a “pilgrimage festival.” A pilgrimage is a journey to a holy place. Everyone would travel to Jerusalem where the Temple was, to celebrate Passover. There would have been lots and lots of people in Jerusalem. So as we read these verses, picture crowds of people milling about the city.

Have the students take turns reading verses.

[Note: After the second week of the Rotation the students will become more familiar with the story. Have them locate the Scripture in their Bibles. Then ask them to tell you the story. Fill in any missing details by using their Bibles.]

Ask: On the back of what sort of animal did Jesus enter into Jerusalem? [A donkey]

Did you wonder about the part we read that said, “This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet?” What do you suppose that means?

Say: Often times what is written in the New Testament is said to fulfill what the prophets of the Old Testament had said. In this case Matthew is referring to what Zechariah said almost 500 years before that time. Zechariah is a book found in the Old Testament. Listen as I read Zechariah’s words.

Read Zechariah 9:9 to the class.

Ask: How would you picture a king in Jesus’ time; what would he ride into town on? [Accept all answers – looking for answer of a kingly horse]

How about a king today, how would he come into town?

Do you suppose the people in Jesus’ time would expect a king to be riding a lowly donkey?

So what do you suppose people would think if today’s king came riding a bicycle?

Ask: How did the crowds react to Jesus coming into Jerusalem? [They were excited, spreading their cloaks on the ground and they cut branches]

Why do you suppose they spread their cloaks on the ground? [It was fitting treatment for a king]

What was it that the people were shouting? [Hosanna]

What does “Hosanna” mean?

Say: Hosanna means “Save us now.”

Ask: What do you suppose the people expected to be saved from? [Allow all responses]

Say: The people had been waiting for a Messiah for 1000 years. At that time they were waiting to be saved from Roman rule by their Messiah. They thought that Jesus was this king that would save them.

Pass out snack.

Say: We are going to watch a movie called Jesus Christ Superstar. Jesus Christ Superstar was a play that showed on Broadway in the 1970’s. This play was made into a movie that has people playing the parts of Jesus and the crowds but they don’t speak, they sing. This format is called an opera. Because the format of the music was rock and roll, it was called a rock opera.

Introduce the characters you want the students to watch for. Refer to the list you made on the easel. Tell the students that Caiaphas was the chief religious official for the Jewish people.

VIEW the video - 7 minutes.

PAUSE when the scenery changes to arid wasteland.

Ask: Did you notice how the crowd reacted to Jesus?

Say: Let’s watch the video again but this time let’s listen with the sound off and we’ll provide the sounds. We don’t have to sing but let’s narrate the action and provide the background noise!

Allow the students to put on costumes, if desired. Pass out the palm branches. Have the students stand if they are able.

Turn off the sound.

Go to the MAIN MENU; choose SCENES, and #5.

VIEW the video. Encourage the students to make the sounds of the cheering crowds. Have them shout Hosanna!

PAUSE when Caiaphas appears. [The PAUSE button is one of the most powerful tools in your workshop. Don’t be afraid to use it!]

Ask: What was Caiaphas saying?

Turn the sound up.

Use the CONTROLS to SCAN BACKWARDS, to hear what he had to say.

PAUSE after listening to Caiaphas’ words.

Ask: Why do you suppose Caiaphas wanted Jesus to quiet the crowds?

Say: Caiaphas wanted Jesus to stop the crowds. Caiaphas and the Pharisees considered their acknowledgment of Jesus as king would be going against Herod, who was the Roman ruler. They were afraid of the Romans.

Then SCAN BACKWARDS again, to begin from the start of this SCENE. [Turn off the sound.]

Select a student to be the voice of Caiaphas and while you’re at it, for Jesus.

PAUSE when Jesus turns and addresses the crowd.

Ask: What was Jesus saying?

Again SCAN BACKWARDS and turn the sound up to replay what Jesus was saying.

PAUSE after Jesus finishes telling about the stones and rocks singing.

Say: What Jesus just said wasn’t told in Matthew’s Gospel but it was in Luke’s Gospel.

Read Luke 19:39-40 to the students.

Ask: Rocks and stones are God’s creation. What do you suppose the rocks would say if they cried out?

SCAN BACKWARDS to the start of SCENE 5.

Turn off the sound and play the video one more time having the students provide the sounds.

STOP when Jesus stands at the top of the rock.

Reflect - Closure

Ask: Did Jesus turn out to be the kind of king that the people expected? [No]

What kind of king was Jesus? [Allow all answers – looking for words like humble, peaceful]

What sort of mistaken beliefs do people have about Jesus today?

Say: The people were expecting a warrior type of king. Jesus saved the people in a way that they didn’t expect – by dying on the cross Jesus saves all of us from our sins.

ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS

Adaptations - Younger Children

Skip the task of finding the story in the Bible. Read the story to the younger students.

Adaptations - Older Children

Add an additional video that shows the entry into Jerusalem. Compare and contrast the two videos. A suggestion: The Visual Bible Matthew.

SOURCES

MacQueen, Neil. "A Brief Introduction to Teaching with Video,” 2002.
http://www.sundaysoftware.com/video-tips.htm

MacQueen, Neil. “Outline and Discussion Guide for Jesus Christ Superstar.” 2004. http://www.sundaysoftware.com/superstar.pdf

CONTRIBUTOR: Carol Hulbert