Week 982 · about 45 minutes
Matthew 21
Matthew 21 · Memory verse Matthew 21:1
Get the free weekly Sunday school and bedtime printable pack
For a parent or teacher. Children do not make accounts here. The pack is a week of printables, not a child profile.
Queues the lesson plan, this story’s coloring page (Matthew 21), the matching word search and answer key (Matthew 21 word search), the memory-verse tracer, and a parent slip.
Five-minute object lesson
Prop: a paper crown
Hold a paper crown. Read Matthew 21 in about four minutes, stopping at Matthew 21:1: “When they came near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethsphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,” Ask, “What does this prop have to do with Matthew 21?” Let two children answer, then say the memory verse together.
Story script
Matthew 21 is a real chapter from the New Testament. It starts, “When they came near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethsphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,” That is not a motto invented for a poster. It is the first sentence a family hears when this page is opened at night.
Keep going a little further. The chapter also says, “Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, which if you tell me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things.” Matthew 21 opens with these words: “When they came near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethsphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,” The line to keep is Matthew 21:1: “When they came near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethsphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,” Carry the word “near” from that verse into the rest of the day.
The line worth learning out loud is Matthew 21:1: “When they came near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethsphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,” If the rest of the chapter feels crowded, hold that one sentence until the room is quiet.
What happens first in Matthew 21? Then try this: Read “When they came near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethsphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two…” once more. What does it show you about God? You do not have to finish every verse. You can close the book after the memory verse and still have read the Bible together.
Group game
Walk the room as if you are moving through Matthew 21. Every time you freeze, a child says one word from Matthew 21:1. The last child says the whole verse.
Craft
On a US Letter sheet, draw one picture from Matthew 21 and write Matthew 21:1 under it. Send it home as tonight’s reminder, not as a decoration contest.
Memory verse
Matthew 21:1
“When they came near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethsphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,”
Take-home prayer
Father, thank you for Matthew 21. Help us remember Matthew 21:1 when we wake up, and teach us to notice you in an ordinary night. Amen.