Jesus Was Arrested (Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22)
Christ’s arrest and betrayal remain some of the darkest accounts we read in the Scriptures. The sinless Savior experienced rejection at the hands of His closest friends, knowing the darkness of death He would soon encounter in the hours that followed. The recurring theme that resurfaced throughout each unfolding event was that Christ foreknew all that would come next, yet He took to the cross for our salvation anyway.
The all-knowing Jesus recounted to His disciples the deceitfulness of not only the chief priests and elders, but also of His own follower, Judas, and of the other disciples who would likewise flee in fear of persecution. Each time the Lord shared the truths of the darkness to come, His followers failed to acknowledge the reality of their own faithlessness.
Christ foresaw the betrayals of them all yet forgave them of their sins and continued to walk toward the cross. With each new turn, the Savior remained faithfully in step with the Father’s love. Amid the striking and scattering of His disciples–just as Zechariah 13:7 prophesied–Christ remained resolute, His trust in the Father unfaltering.
We see His dedication to God through His time spent praying in the garden, as well as in His invitation to the disciples to join Him in prayer. While Jesus earnestly poured out His prayers to the Father, the disciples chose sleep over prayer. And yet, Christ remained steadfast in following his Father's plan; His eyes toward the suffering He would endure on the cross for sinners.
Explain to kids that Jesus knows our greatest sin, struggles, and inconsistencies but still loves and pursues us despite it all, just as He did with His disciples. Our faith in Him as the Savior was never based on our ability to follow Him perfectly, but rather on Christ’s abilities to obey the Father perfectly. In Him we place our faith as the One who knew our darkness and chose us anyway. Though we do not know what awaits us, we know who remains steadfast amidst the darkness and the unknown: Jesus alone.
Christ Connection: Jesus knew that His death was God’s plan to save people from sin. Jesus’ friends turned against Him and He was arrested and put on trial, but Jesus followed His Father’s plan in order to bring salvation to the world.
Key Passage: We are memorizing Isaiah 53:1-12 during this quarter. Primary children will be memorizing Psalm 23.