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The Garden of Gethsemane
Lesson  Matt. 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:2-12

Discussion points:
  • Prayer
    • Jesus used prayer to strengthen himself
      • He also asked for his friends to pray for him
    • It's ok to ask for relief, as long as we accept that God can say no
      • It's very important to share our feelings with God. It's ok to be angry or fearful. Those feelings should be shared with God, not harbored against Him. But we must always be willing to accept God's answers and go ahead and do what we fear. He will help us through it.
    • Jesus asked his friends for help
      • His friends failed him by falling asleep
  • Betrayal
    • Judas kissed Jesus as the sign of betrayal
  • Arrest
    • The leaders brought soldiers and armed men to arrest Jesus
    • Jesus did not hide from them
    • The disciples fled in fear
  • Malchus
    • Peter attempted to stop the arrest physically
    • Jesus rebuked Peter and healed Malchus
Sing:Be Careful Little Eyes what you see.

Life of Jesus Bingo Activity: Play a game of Simon Says or Mother May I? to emphasize Jesus' obedience to God's will.

Worksheet:
True or False
  1. Jesus was very upset about the trial to come.   T
  2. Jesus was being rebellious by asking God to "let this cup pass."   F
  3. Jesus was overpowered by the armed mob.    F
  4. Peter killed one of the soldiers.   F
  5. Judas pretended to be a friend of Jesus.    T
Memory Work:

Matt 26:41 "Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Review Questions for gameboard
  linguistic questions
  1. Spell Gethsemane.
  2. What was the name of the soldier Peter attacked? (Malchus)
  3. What has the phrase "Judas kiss" come to mean? (a sign or act of betrayal from a close friend)
  activity questions
  1. Act out the scene where Peter attacks Malchus.
  2. Put together a small puzzle of the Malchus scene.
  3. Sing the apostles song.
  emotion questions
  1. Has a friend ever disappointed you? How did it make you feel?
  2. Was God angry that Jesus wanted to avoid the pain of the cross?  (no, He sent an angel to comfort Jesus)
  3. Does Jesus understand when we are very scared or sorrowful?
application questions
  1. What can we do when we are sorrowful? (pray, ask friends to pray)
  2. What should we do when God does not allow us what we want? (whatever His will is)
  3. In what ways can we "fall asleep" when we should be watching and praying? (by ignoring God's will in our lives, by giving into fleshly temptation, by neglecting prayer and study)
  4. How do we make our spirit stronger than our flesh? (We "exercise" our spirit by practicing prayer, study and good works. We weaken the flesh by practicing restraint)
fact questions
  1. Who all came to arrest Jesus? (Jewish leaders, armed mob, and soldiers)
  2. How many times did Jesus pray for relief? (three times)
  3. Who did Jesus bring with him into the garden? (Peter, James and John)
review questions
  1. Why was Jesus sorrowful? (the coming crucifixion would be very painful and difficult to endure)
  2. Why did the apostles keep falling asleep? (their spirit was not strong enough, they probably didn't understand the seriousness of the situation.)
  3. Why didn't Jesus resist arrest? (He had come to earth to give his life. His time had come and He would not resist it.)