Jesus Cleanses The Temple

http://www.missionarlington.org/d/LOC10-07-JesusCleansoutTemple.pdf

Memory Verse:
"Destroy this temple," Jesus answered, "and in three days I will build it again!" John 2:19

Memory Verse Activity:

Remove all words from picture and grey scale it. Have the memory verse printed in the roof.
 Maybe the children can colour the picture?

Story:

See Exodus 23:17, 12:14,25

“Stamp, stamp.” “Swish, swish.” The oxen are restless.
“Coo, coo.” The doves are singing.
“Baa, Baa.” The sheep are bleating.
“Clink, clink.” The coins make sounds as they are dropped.
What do you think is happening? Where could you hear these sounds? In
the market, maybe? Would you ever think of hearing these sounds at church?
But that is exactly where Jesus heard them.
After Jesus went to the wedding in Cana, Galilee, Jesus had to go to Jerusalem. It was almost time for a celebration called “Passover.” Everyone was expected at the temple in Jerusalem for the Passover. And the Passover was a celebration to remember what God had done for the Jewish people when He rescued them from Egypt.
This celebration is why the people in Jesus’ day needed to buy animals. They
would sacrifice (kill) a lamb, or whatever animal they could afford to remember
those other sacrifices offered long ago. Since everyone had to be there, people
came from many different places. Some came from across town; others came from
many miles away. For those who came from far away, it was difficult to bring animals
with them. They waited until they arrived in Jerusalem to buy their animals.
When all of these people came for the celebration they also paid a tax to the temple.
To buy and sell things at the market, the people used Roman coins but to
pay the temple tax, they needed Jewish money. They needed their money
changed just like I would if I went to another country that does not use dollars.
Because there were people who needed to buy an animal and who needed to
change their money, the temple leaders had an idea. They had begun renting out
spaces around the temple for selling animals. They were making money as they
exchanged Roman coins for Jewish coins as well as checking to make sure the
animals being sold were good animals, clean and healthy. Instead of focusing on
God at church, they had a business going. They were interested in making
money!
When Jesus arrived at the temple for the Passover, and when He heard the
stamp-stamping of oxen hooves, the cooing of doves, the bleating of sheep and the
clinking of money, He did something no one expected Him to do. Jesus made a
whip out of some cords that were lying around and He ran out the oxen and the
sheep. He made the vendors take the doves away. He poured out the coins of the
money changers and turned over their tables. Jesus was upset because these
men were making God’s house, the temple, a place of business! This upset Jesus
because He knew that the temple was a place to worship God and talk to Him.
The leaders asked Jesus what permission (authority) He had to do this. Jesus
told them “Destroy this temple, and in three days, I will build it again.” They
thought he meant the building, which took years to build. Jesus was talking
about his body. He was explaining that when they killed Him, He would rise from
the dead after three days! And John tells us that after this actually happened,
they remembered what Jesus had said, and they remembered what was written in
the Bible about Him, and they believed. They understood about Jesus because
they knew what the Bible said.

Prayer:

 God, thank you for church. Thank you for giving me a place to learn about
you.

Craft:
Have the children draw their own paper money and coins on a piece of paper and cut them out.

Snack time:
chocolate coins.