Lesson 4: The expensive perfume.
Passage: Matthew 26:1-13 - A few days before the Passover, Jesus explained to his disciples what was to come - that he would be handed over to be crucified. The religious leaders had been scheming to have Jesus arrested and killed. Meanwhile, when Jesus was in Bethany, he was at the home of a man named Simon, when a woman took a jar of expensive perfume and poured it on Jesus’ head. The disciples were indignant, feeling that this was a waste, that the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor. But Jesus defended the woman, telling them that she had done a beautiful thing for him, preparing his body for burial.
Big Idea: Giving our best to Jesus.
For Teachers:
Lesson plan.
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Welcome Activity: (5 minutes)
Greet the children with the iPad roster outside the classroom door. Check-in the children in your classroom as they arrive.
Invite the children in to sit in a circle on the circle time rug.
Once everyone has arrived introduce yourselves and explain what they will be doing today.
Ask if the children would like to share one thing they are excited for this week. Example: (Going to see a friend, a playdate, a birthday etc.)
Warm Up Activity: — Bug in a Rug (5 minutes)
Setup: Children dance or move around while music plays.
Action: When the music stops, kids curl up small like bugs with heads down.
Hidden Bug: One child is covered with a blanket or rug.
Guessing: The other children stand up and try to guess who is hidden under the blanket.
Play for several rounds if there is interest.
Transition to Bible Lesson (2 minutes)
That was amazing kids! You guys are great guessers, and great bugs!
Now it’s time to have a seat, can you let me know you are ready to listen by giving a thumbs up?
Great work, let’s begin…
Bible Lesson: (8 minutes)
Today we are going to talk about a story in the bible where Jesus was given a very special gift. In this story Jesus was given a special bottle of perfume.
1. Was there ever a time when you gave a gift to someone you loved? What did you give them?In this story Jesus was given a special bottle of perfume. It was very expensive.
Let’s watch today’s video and find out more.
Play Challenger Lesson 3 The expensive perfume from the playlist
Follow Up Discussion
Why do you think the people were mad at the woman for pouring the perfume over Jesus’ head? (They thought she should have sold the perfume and gave the money to the poor)
Why do you think she did it? (Because it was a gift for Jesus and it was all she had)
Thank you kids for listening it’s time to move to our craft activity but first I am going to pray for us.
Prayer:
“Dear God, thank you for the story about the woman who gave her best to Jesus by pouring her jar of expensive perfume on him, to show how much she loved him. Thank you that we can also be like this woman when we do something kind for other people, and when we love God with all our hearts. Please help us to keep on learning about you, and help us to become more like Jesus, by loving God and others and doing our best every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Coloring sheet and stickers
Kids will use circle stickers and markers to decorate their activity sheets
If a child is uninterested in the activity, allow them to move to free play.
Dismissal: Dismiss children using the iPad and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome:
Invite children to join you on the carpet at the front of the class
Using the Roster iPad check in all children to the classroom.
Introduce yourself and the other leaders today.
Warm Up Activity: — verb charades (7 minutes)
Children will take turns selecting a charade card and miming the action to the rest of the class without talking.
The rest of the class will try to guess what the verb on their card is.
Play until everyone has had a chance to participate.
Transition to Bible Story — (2 minutes)
That was fun! We have some great actors here and great guessers.
We are going to start our bible lesson soon so can we make sure we are facing the TV?
When you are ready to begin could I get you to give a thumbs up? Great!
So today we are going to be learning about how Jesus was given a surprising gift from one of his followers. The story goes like this…
A few days before the Jewish Passover festival, Jesus warned his disciples that he was soon going to be arrested. The religious leaders had been plotting this together, but they didn’t want to do it during the festival. Meanwhile, Jesus was at his friend’s house with a bunch of his disciples, and a woman came to him with a jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head. This made the disciples really angry. They said, “Why are you wasting this perfume? We could have sold it for a lot of money and given the money to the poor.” But Jesus said, “Stop bothering this woman, she did a beautiful thing for me! What she has done will always be remembered.
Now let’s watch our video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Why were they mad at the woman for pouring the perfume over Jesus’ head?
Why do you think the woman did it?
Was there ever a time when you gave a gift to someone you loved? What did you give them?
What are some things we can do to show that we love God and give our best to Jesus?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the story about the woman who gave her best to Jesus by pouring her jar of expensive perfume on him, to show how much she loved him. Thank you that we can also be like this woman when we do something kind for other people, and when we love God with all our hearts. Please help us to keep on learning about you, and help us to become more like Jesus, by loving God and others and doing our best every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Unique Perfume Craft
Kids will create their own unique perfume and decorate their papers using markers and other supplies.
Dismissal: Dismiss children using the roster IPad and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome
Introduce yourself, welcome the kids to class.
Check in each student using the iPad.
Warm Up Activity: Verb Charades
Kids will pick a card and have to mime it to the rest of the class.
The rest of the class will try to guess what the action is.
Play until everyone has a chance to participate.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today is the last week of the Challenger series, which is all about the times when Jesus was challenged by those around him.
Can anyone remember who Jesus was challenged by in stories we talked about so far? (The Villain, the people from his hometown, and the religious leaders)
In today’s story we’ll learn about a time when Jesus was challenged by his very own followers. It goes like this…
A few days before the Passover festival, Jesus warned his disciples that he was soon to be arrested and killed. The religious leaders had been plotting this together, but they didn’t want to do it during the festival, because they didn’t want to cause an uproar. Meanwhile, Jesus was at his friend’s house with a bunch of his disciples, and a woman came to him with a jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head. This made the disciples really angry. They said, “Why are you wasting this perfume? We could have sold it for a lot of money and given the money to the poor.” But Jesus said, “Stop bothering this woman, she did a beautiful thing for me. What she has done will always be remembered.”
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Why do you think the religious leaders hated Jesus so much that they wanted him arrested and killed?
Why do you think the disciples had such a hard time understanding when Jesus warned them what was going to happen to him?
Why were the disciples so mad when the woman poured her expensive perfume on Jesus’ head?
What are some ways that we can follow the woman’s example and give our best to God?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the stories we’ve been hearing about in this series, about some of the different challenges that Jesus faced in his life, and how it shows us that you understand us when we face challenges as well. Jesus was challenged by almost everyone, from the Villain, to his neighbours, to the religious leaders, and even his very own disciples who didn’t understand him and his plan. There will be many times in our lives when we also won’t understand your plan, and it’s okay to have questions and doubts. But we ask you to help us to trust in you even through the difficult or confusing times, and to follow the example of the woman who gave her very best to Jesus, in whatever ways we can. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Create a perfume/cologne— Activity Leader
Kids will create their own perfume/cologne and describe it’s scent using the paper and drawing supplies provided.
Dismissal: Use Roster IPad to dismiss children and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
For Parents:
Follow-up questions.
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Why do you think Jesus had to go through so many challenges?
Do you think sometimes the Bible stories we learn about are hard to understand? What can we do when we don’t understand something?
Why do you think it was so special when the woman poured her expensive perfume on Jesus?
What do you think would be the best gift you could give to someone to show you care about them?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Why do you think that people and even the disciples sometimes didn’t understand Jesus?
What can we do when there are things in the Bible or in Jesus’ teachings that we don’t understand?
Why do you think the woman was willing to use her expensive perfume on Jesus?
What’s something special that you can do for someone else to show that you care about them?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Why do you think it was so hard for people and even the disciples to understand what Jesus was telling them about what was going to happen to him?
Can you think of anything in the Bible or about Jesus’ message that you find hard to understand? What can you do when you don’t understand something?
What can we learn from the woman’s example?
What are some ways we can also give God our best and show our love for others?
