Silent

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Mark 15:1-5; 15-20

TO CHEW ON: "So again Pilate asked him, 'Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.' 

But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed." Mark 15:4,5

Judas led the soldiers into Gethsemane. He walked up to Jesus, called out “Teacher!” and gave Jesus a kiss. It looked like a meeting of good friends. But it wasn’t. This kiss was not a love kiss but a kiss of betrayal. It was Judas’s signal telling the soldiers which person to arrest.

"Judas the Betrayer" - Artist unknown

The soldiers arrested Jesus and took Him away for a trial at the High Priest’s house. There false witnesses lied about what Jesus had said and done. The Jewish leaders pronounced Him guilty of blasphemy - a crime that deserved the death penalty under Jewish law.

"Jesus before Caiaphas" - Artist unknown

Early next morning they brought Him to Pilate, the Roman Governor. They wanted Pilate to condemn Jesus to death by crucifixion - hanging on a cross.

"Jesus before Pilate" - Artist unknown

Find five things Pilate’s soldiers did to Jesus before He was led away to be crucified? (Mark 15:15-20)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.



When these things were happening to Him, Jesus did not fight back. Why do you think Jesus reacted the way He did?

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for Your example of meekness in suffering. Help me learn to trust God in suffering like You did. Amen.


MORE: Modern Trials
Our courts work differently than the courts in Jesus’ time. Can you match these modern-day trial words with their meanings?

1. Jury | 2. Judge | 3. Witness | 4. Accused | 

5. Verdict | 6. Evidence | 7. Testimony | 

8. Plaintiff | 9. Lawyer 

************** 

A.  This is what the decision of a judge or jury  is called.

B.  This is a  person who knows or has seen something.

C. This person gives advice to and acts for a person in court.

D. This is a  group of people in court who decide whether the accused is guilty or innocent.

E. This person accuses someone of a crime.

F. This is what people say they saw or heard.

G. This person pronounces the verdict of guilt or innocence.

H. This person is accused of a crime.

I. This may prove or disprove that a thing happened.

- Do you think Jesus’s trial would have been different in our courts? How?

ANSWERS


************
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Betrayed!

TODAY’S SPECIAL: John 13:18-30


TO CHEW ON: “'Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.'” - Jesus, John 13:21

• Your brother promises to wait for you after school, but then walks home without you.

• You tell your best friend a secret and ask her not to tell anyone. But the next day you find that five people in your class know your secret.

• Your baseball team has its own signals. One day you play a team that knows exactly what each of your signals means.

You have been betrayed! Whether betrayal comes from someone disappointing you, telling your secrets or helping your enemy, being betrayed is not fun.

"My Betrayer Is Here" - Artist unknown

Jesus was betrayed too. His betrayer came to the garden where He was praying. He came with soldiers who were planning to arrest Jesus.

1. Who was the traitor? (John 18:1-6)
a)____ John
b)____ Peter
c)____ Judas.

2. How did he betray Jesus: (Mark 14:43-46)
a)____ He spread bad stories about Jesus all around town.
b)____ He lost the money bag he was in charge of.
c)____ He kissed Jesus to show the soldiers which person to arrest.

"Betrayed with a Kiss" - Artist unknown

3.What was the purpose of Judas’ betrayal? (John 13:18)
a)____ to fulfill the Scripture
b)____ to help Judas get more money.
c)____ to show that Satan was more powerful than God.

I’m sure this betrayal by a friend hurt Jesus as much as being betrayed by our friends hurts us. But even this bad thing worked out to be good – for Jesus, and for us. It was one of the steps that led toward Jesus being killed. But that death and what happened later makes it possible for you and me to be friends with God now.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for taking this betrayal for me. Help me not to be a person who betrays others. Amen

MORE: Traitors

• Have you ever betrayed someone? Who? What did you do?

• Has someone every betrayed you? Who was the traitor? What did they do?

ANSWERS

**************
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Kids Rule!

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Mark 10:13-16

TO CHEW ON: “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” - Mark 10:14

Circle what you think Jesus was like: kind? gruff? liked kids? impatient? funny? mean? happy?

At different times Jesus reacted in different ways. But we know He loved kids.

"The Little Children and Jesus" - Artist unknown

When He found out the disciples were scolding people for bringing children to get His blessing, He was not pleased.

"Jesus receives children" - Artist unknown

Jesus said adults need to be childlike in the way they welcome God into their lives. What things could adults learn from children?

The Growing-Up ABCs (You might want to print this page to do this activity.)

In front of the following statements, write A if it would be true of an Adult; B if it would be true of a Baby and C if it would be true of a Child (some may have more than one letter).

1. ____ Needs to be fed and carried.
2. ____ Loves to run and play.
3. ____ Learns to read.
4. ____ Goes to work to support a family.
5. ____ A ball or a rattle makes him smile or laugh.
6. ____ Likes to jump into a parent’s arms.
7. ____ Gets up at night when a child cries.
8. ____ Goes shopping for groceries.
9. ____ Attends school.
10. ____ Waits for someone to prepare food.
11. ____ Makes meals.
12. ____ Drives a car.
13. ____ Worries about losing a job.
14. ____ Wears a diaper.


Cross out all the statements that have only an A in front of them.
Of the statements you marked with a B and/or a C :

• Underline in RED the ones that show babies and children are TRUSTING.

• Underline in BLUE the ones that show babies and children are DEPENDENT.

• Underline in GREEN the ones that show babies and children are PLAYFUL.

• Underline in ORANGE the ones that show babies and children are LEARNING.

(some may have two or more lines)

Jesus loves children. We are all like children to Him. No matter what our age, He wants us to keep coming to Him like trusting, dependent, playful and learning children.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me always to trust You, depend on You, enjoy You and learn about You. Amen.

SUPERSIZE IT: Favorite Place


Draw a picture of your favorite kid-type place to go.

ANSWERS


Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

Well Pleased

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Mark 1: 9-13

TO CHEW ON: "And a voice came from heaven: 'You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.'” Mark 1:11

One day Jesus came from Nazareth to the desert where John was preaching and asked John to baptize Him.

Jesus comes to John - Artist unknown

John didn’t feel he was good enough to baptize Jesus. But Jesus insisted.

Jesus asks John to baptize Him - Artist Unknown

So he did it.

John baptizes Jesus - Artist unknown

At the baptism wonderful things happened. The Holy Spirit in the form of a dove came to rest on Jesus. Then a loud voice from heaven said, “You are my Son whom I love; with You I am well pleased.”

The Spirit descended like a Dove - Artist unknown

Though Jesus existed in heaven with God before He was born, He left all that behind when He took on a human body. When He lived on earth He had all the limitations and temptations of a human person. Jesus didn’t have any advantages in the “being good” department. How wonderful He must have felt when His heavenly Father announced that He loved Jesus and was pleased with Him.

In what ways do you think Jesus pleased God?

We too long to hear our parents say, “I love you.” We work hard in the hopes that they will say, “You’re doing a great job” and “I’m so proud of you.” But even more than wanting to hear these words from our parents, someday we want to God, our heavenly Father, to say them to us – just like He did to Jesus.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to please You today. Amen.

SUPERSIZE IT: What Pleases God?
Make some lists:
1. Which people (characters from the Bible) pleased God?
2. What attitudes please God?
3. What actions please God?

Which of the things you listed do you think God would choose as His top three?

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

Second Place

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Mark 1:1-8


TO CHEW ON: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.” John the Baptist - Mark 1:7

You may have been to a concert where a little-known band or singer played first to get people in a good mood. Then later, the famous person came on stage to sing or play.

John the Baptist, the son of Elizabeth and Zechariah, was like that warm-up band. At first people flocked to the desert just to see him. Wouldn’t you be curious about a preacher who lived out in the wild, dressed in camel’s skin, and ate locusts and honey?

"John Preaching" - Unknown Artist

But if people came first out of curiosity, they came again to hear what John had to say. His preaching made them sorry for their sins. It made them feel like getting right with God. When they said they were sorry and decided to follow God (they repented), John baptized them in the Jordan River. Probably some of them thought he was Messiah, God’s special messenger.

"After me will come One more powerful than I." - Unknown Artist

But John knew his job was to prepare the people for Messiah. He quickly told them, “‘After me will come one more powerful than I.’” He didn’t mind that he wasn’t the most important.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to be willing to take second place if that’s where You want me. Amen.


SUPERSIZE IT: Locust-and-Honey Special!
- Find out about locusts:
1. What family of insects do they belong to?
2. How big is a locust?
3. How would you cook it, or would you eat it uncooked?
4. How many locusts would it take to make a meal?
5. What food group does it belong to?


- Find out about honey:
1. Where does honey come from?
2. What is special about it?
3. What food group does it belong to?





Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's.