Sunday School Palm Sunday 2021
Good morning, friends,
Thinking that, unless someone comes with something else to be discussed (which takes priority over any lesson plan I may bring), we will look at these two passages of Scripture, which include part of the designated Bible readings for today, Palm Sunday, and also Mark's presentation of the Resurrection (seeing our Sunday School class will not be meeting next Sunday, Easter Day).
As well as the worship bulletin for today, these will be our Bible lookups/handouts for class this morning, and we'll see how it goes!
Philippians 1:27-2:11 (NRSV)
1:27 ... live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, 28 and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. 29 For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well— 30 since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had.
Imitating Christ’s Humility
2:1 If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2 make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
6
who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,*
7
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
8
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.
9
Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
10
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
* ἁρπαγμὸν something to be seized, grasped. especially by force
Mark 14
BereanStudyBible
The Plot to Kill Jesus
(Matthew 26:1–5; Luke 22:1–2; John 11:45–57)
1 Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread a were two days away, and the chief priests and scribes were looking for a covert way to arrest Jesus and kill Him. 2 “But not during the feast,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
(Matthew 26:6–13; Luke 7:36–50; John 12:1–8)
3 While Jesus was in Bethany reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, b a woman came with an alabaster jar of expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke open the jar and poured it on Jesus’ head.
4 Some of those present, however, expressed their indignation to one another: “Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for over three hundred denarii c and the money given to the poor.” And they scolded her.
6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone; why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful deed to Me. 7 The poor you will always have with you, d and you can help them whenever you want. But you will not always have Me. 8 She has done what she could to anoint My body in advance of My burial. 9 And truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached in all the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus
(Matthew 26:14–16; Luke 22:3–6)
10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted to hear this, and they promised to give him money.
So Judas began to look for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
Preparing the Passover
(Matthew 26:17–19; Luke 22:7–13)
12 On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, e when the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”
13 So He sent two of His disciples and told them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jug of water will meet you. Follow him, 14 and whichever house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is My guest room, where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?’ 15 And he will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”
16 So the disciples left and went into the city, where they found everything as Jesus had described. And they prepared the Passover.
The Last Supper
(Matthew 26:20–30; Luke 22:14–23; 1 Corinthians 11:17–34)
17 When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18 And while they were reclining and eating, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, one of you who is eating with Me will betray Me.”
19 They began to be grieved and to ask Him one after another, “Surely not I?”
20 He answered, “It is one of the Twelve—the one who is dipping his hand f into the bowl with Me. 21 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it; this is My body.”
23 Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 He said to them, “This is My blood of the covenant, g which is poured out for many. 25 Truly I tell you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God.”
26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial
(Zechariah 13:7–9; Matthew 26:31–35; Luke 22:31–38; John 13:36–38)
27 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, h for it is written:
‘I will strike the Shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.’ i
28 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
29 Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I never will.”
30 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.”
31 But Peter kept insisting, “Even if I have to die with You, I will never deny You.” And all the others said the same thing.
Jesus Prays at Gethsemane
(Matthew 26:36–46; Luke 22:39–46)
32 Then they came to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus told His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”
33 He took with Him Peter, James, and John, and began to be deeply troubled and distressed. 34 Then He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch.”
35 Going a little farther, He fell to the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour would pass from Him. 36 “Abba, Father,” He said, “all things are possible for You. Take this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.”
37 Then Jesus returned and found them sleeping. “Simon, are you asleep?” He asked. “Were you not able to keep watch for one hour? 38 Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
39 Again He went away and prayed, saying the same thing. 40 And again Jesus returned and found them sleeping—for their eyes were heavy. And they did not know what to answer Him.
41 When Jesus returned the third time, He said, “Are you still sleeping and resting? That is enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise, let us go. See, My betrayer is approaching!”
The Betrayal of Jesus
(Matthew 26:47–56; Luke 22:47–53; John 18:1–14)
43 While Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, scribes, and elders.
44 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The One I kiss is the man; arrest Him and lead Him away securely.” 45 Going directly to Jesus, he said, “Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
46 Then the men seized Jesus and arrested Him. 47 And one of the bystanders drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
48 Jesus asked the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would an outlaw? 49 Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, j and you did not arrest Me. But this has happened that the Scriptures would be fulfilled.”
50 Then everyone deserted Him and fled. 51 One young man who had been following Jesus was wearing a linen cloth around his body. They caught hold of him, 52 but he pulled free of the linen cloth and ran away naked.
Jesus before the Sanhedrin
(Matthew 26:57–68; Luke 22:66–71; John 18:19–24)
53 They led Jesus away to the high priest, and all the chief priests, elders, and scribes assembled. 54 Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he sat with the officers and warmed himself by the fire.
55 Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin k were seeking testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but they did not find any. 56 For many bore false witness against Jesus, but their testimony was inconsistent.
57 Then some men stood up and testified falsely against Him: 58 “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this man-made temple, and in three days I will build another that is made without hands.’ ” 59 But even their testimony was inconsistent.
60 So the high priest stood up before them and questioned Jesus, “Have You no answer? What are these men testifying against You?”
61 But Jesus remained silent and made no reply.
Again the high priest questioned Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”
62 “I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power l and coming with the clouds of heaven.” m
63 At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “Why do we need any more witnesses? 64 You have heard the blasphemy. What is your verdict?”
And they all condemned Him as deserving of death.
65 Then some of them began to spit on Him. They blindfolded Him, struck Him with their fists, and said to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers received Him with slaps in His face.
Peter Denies Jesus
(Matthew 26:69–75; Luke 22:54–62; John 18:15–18)
66 While Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the servant girls of the high priest came down 67 and saw him warming himself there. She looked at Peter and said, “You also were with Jesus the Nazarene.”
68 But he denied it. “I do not know or even understand what you are talking about,” he said. Then he went out to the gateway, and the rooster crowed. n
69 There the servant girl saw him and again said to those standing nearby, “This man is one of them.”
70 But he denied it again.
After a little while, those standing nearby said once more to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you too are a Galilean.” o
71 But he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak!” 72 And immediately the rooster crowed a second time.
Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
Footnotes:
1 a Literally and the Unleavened ; see Exodus 12:14–20.
3 b Aramaic Simon the Potter or Simon the Jar Maker
5 c A denarius was customarily a day’s wage for a laborer; see Matthew 20:2.
7 d See Deuteronomy 15:11.
12 e Literally On the first day of the Unleavened ; see Exodus 12:14–20.
20 f Literally the one who is dipping
24 g BYZ and TR the new covenant
27 h BYZ and TR include on account of Me this night ; see Matthew 26:31.
27 i Zechariah 13:7
49 j Literally the temple
55 k Or the whole Council
62 l Or the right hand of the Mighty One
62 m See Psalm 110:1 and Daniel 7:13.
68 n NE and WH do not include and the rooster crowed .
70 o BYZ and TR include and your speech is similar .
Mark 15
BereanStudyBible [Online]
Jesus Delivered to Pilate
(Matthew 27:1–2)
1 Early in the morning, the chief priests, elders, scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin a devised a plan. They bound Jesus, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate.
2 So Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
“You have said so,” Jesus replied.
3 And the chief priests began to accuse Him of many things.
4 Then Pilate questioned Him again, “Have You no answer? Look how many charges they are bringing against You!”
5 But to Pilate’s amazement, Jesus made no further reply.
The Crowd Chooses Barabbas
(Matthew 27:15–23; Luke 23:13–25)
6 Now it was Pilate’s custom at the feast to release to the people b a prisoner of their choosing. 7 And a man named Barabbas was imprisoned with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection. 8 So the crowd went up and began asking Pilate to keep his custom.
9 “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” Pilate asked. 10 For he knew it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over.
11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas to them instead.
Pilate Delivers Up Jesus
(Matthew 27:24–26)
12 So Pilate asked them again, “What then do you want me to do with the One you call the King of the Jews?”
13 And they shouted back, “Crucify Him!”
14 “Why?” asked Pilate. “What evil has He done?”
But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him!”
15 And wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
(Isaiah 50:4–11; Matthew 27:27–31; Luke 22:63–65; John 19:1–15)
16 Then the soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called the whole company together. 17 They dressed Him in a purple robe, twisted together a crown of thorns, and set it on His head. 18 And they began to salute Him: “Hail, King of the Jews!”
19 They kept striking His head with a staff and spitting on Him. And they knelt down and bowed before Him. 20 After they had mocked Him, they removed the purple robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they led Him out to crucify Him.
The Crucifixion
(Psalm 22:1–31; Matthew 27:32–44; Luke 23:26–43; John 19:16–27)
21 Now Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and the soldiers forced him to carry the cross of Jesus.
22 They brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull. 23 There they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He did not take it.
24 And they crucified Him.
They also divided His garments by casting lots to decide what each of them would take. c
25 It was the third hour d when they crucified Him. 26 And the charge inscribed against Him read:
THE KING OF THE JEWS.
27 Along with Jesus, they crucified two robbers, e one on His right and one on His left. f
29 And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save Yourself!”
31 In the same way, the chief priests and scribes mocked Him among themselves, saying, “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself! 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” And even those who were crucified with Him berated Him.
The Death of Jesus
(Psalm 22:1–31; Matthew 27:45–56; Luke 23:44–49; John 19:28–30)
33 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour g darkness came over all the land. 34 At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” h
35 When some of those standing nearby heard this, they said, “Behold, He is calling Elijah.”
36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine. i He put it on a reed and held it up for Jesus to drink, j saying, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to take Him down.”
37 But Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed His last. 38 And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
39 When the centurion standing there in front of Jesus saw how He had breathed His last, k he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
40 And there were also women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, l and Salome. 41 These women had followed Jesus and ministered to Him while He was in Galilee, and there were many other women who had come up to Jerusalem with Him.
The Burial of Jesus
(Isaiah 53:9–12; Matthew 27:57–61; Luke 23:50–56; John 19:38–42)
42 Now it was already evening. Since it was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath), 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent Council member who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God, boldly went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus.
44 Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead, so he summoned the centurion to ask if this was so. 45 When Pilate had confirmed it with the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.
46 So Joseph bought a linen cloth, took down the body of Jesus, wrapped it in the cloth, and placed it in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph m saw where His body was placed.
Footnotes:
1 a Or the whole Council
6 b Literally Now at the feast he would release to them
24 c See Psalm 22:18.
25 d That is, nine in the morning
27 e Or insurrectionists
27 f BYZ and TR include 28So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “And He was numbered with the transgressors.” See Isaiah 53:12 and Luke 22:37.
33 g That is, from noon until three in the afternoon
34 h Psalm 22:1
36 i Or a sponge with wine vinegar
36 j See Psalm 69:21.
39 k BYZ and TR saw how, having cried out, He had breathed His last
40 l Joses is a variant of Joseph ; see Matthew 27:56.
47 m Or Joses
Mark 16
BereanStudyBible [Online]
The Resurrection
(Matthew 28:1–10; Luke 24:1–12; John 20:1–9)
1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could go and anoint the body of Jesus. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, a just after sunrise, they went to the tomb. 3 They were asking one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, even though it was extremely large.
5 When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here! See the place where they put Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.’ ”
8 So the women left the tomb and ran away, trembling and bewildered. And in their fear they did not say a word to anyone. b
Footnotes:
2 a Literally And very early on the first of the Sabbaths,
8 b Early manuscripts end the Gospel of Mark after verse 8. Other manuscripts contain only a short ending, a version of the following: 9But they quickly reported all these instructions to Peter’s companions. Afterward, Jesus Himself, through them, sent out from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. Amen.