- The music from Jesus Christ Superstar plays as pupils enter.
- The leader explains that the story today connects the music pupils have just heard with the following objects
- The cardboard donkey (placed on the OHP to create a silhouette)
- The golden crown
- The palm cross (these last two are held up and shown).
It is a story from the Christian faith, found in the New Testament. According to the gospels, it happened a week before Jesus was put to death.
- Paraphrase the story from Luke 19:28-44 and Matthew 21:1-11 e.g.
(Show the map of Jerusalem and Bethany on the OHP)
Jesus and his disciples were walking to Jerusalem and they stopped a little way outside near a village called Bethany. Jesus said to two of his disciples, 'Go into that village and when you see a young donkey untie it and bring it to me.' The disciples said, 'We can't do that - it's stealing! What will the owner think?' Jesus said, 'Don't worry, just say to the owner "The Lord needs him."'
(Put the cardboard donkey on the OHP).
The disciples went into the village and as they were untying the donkey; the owner rushed out and said, 'Oi! What are you doing? That's my donkey!' The disciples said, 'The Lord needs him.' The owner smiled and replied, 'That's O.K. then.' When they took the donkey to Jesus, he sat on it and started to ride into Jerusalem. When people saw him they became very excited and grabbed palm leaves from the trees to wave. They put coats and palm leaves on the ground in front of the donkey. Everybody shouted out 'Hosanna to the Son of David!'
- Point out that the pupils have seen how the donkey and music are connected to the story and they might have realized that the cross is made up from palm leaves which have been dried out, but where is the connection with this? (Hold up the crown). Has anyone any ideas? If appropriate in the school, each person tells her or his neighbour. Otherwise, hold a short question and answer session.
- Put up the OHT showing the Old Testament text. Say that it was written before Jesus' life. It says
'Your King comes to you:
triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt the foal of a donkey.'
Zechariah 9:9
The connection is with Jesus being like a king. The text was written many centuries before Jesus lived by a prophet called Zechariah. When the people saw Jesus riding on a donkey they thought that he was the King who had been prophesied as coming to save them.
- Think about the answer to this question: 'Were the people right?'
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