Youth Teacher: April- June 2022

By R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation

Youth Teacher is a quarterly resource for instructors that assists with discussing issues pertaining to youth ages 12-17. Sections such as Biblical Emphases give background knowledge of the lesson. All lessons include relevant life concerns and lesson applications to help the teacher relate the Bible to the lives of young people. It is used for Seekers for Jesus and Teen Scene.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
• Release date: Mar 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781681679402

Book preview

Lesson 1 for Week of April 3, 2022

A HUMBLE LEADER

UNIFYING TOPIC:

Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

LESSON SECTIONS

I. Jesus Enters Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1–6)

II. Jesus Praised as Messiah (Matthew 21:7–11)

KEY VERSE

The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven! (Matthew 21:9, NRSV)

BIBLICAL EMPHASES

1. When they reached Bethphage, Jesus gave His disciples instructions to acquire the donkey and colt. This reminds the reader of the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, indicating the humbleness of Zion’s coming King.

2. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was met by crowds of people, some who came to see Jesus, but many others who just happened to be in Jerusalem for the Passover celebration and got swept up into the parade.

3. The shout of Hosanna! is reminiscent of the last of the Hallel psalms sung at Passover and in Psalm 118.

UNIFYING PRINCIPLE

People long for leaders who can liberate them from tyranny and be worthy of their praise. What does humility teach us about leadership? Matthew describes Jesus’ humility and the crowds blessing Him.

LESSON EMPHASES

•Youth see connections between Jesus’ life and teaching and the prophecies about the Messiah in the Hebrew Scriptures.

•Youth should seek to learn more about Jesus’ leadership and follow His example.

Consider Your Students

SEEKERS FOR JESUS: Younger teens are learning what it means to be godly leaders.

TEEN SCENE: Older teens are learning how to be the leader God has called them to be.

Materials Needed to Teach

For further reference, see today’s lesson from Boyd’s Commentary, and The New National Baptist Hymnal, 21st Century Edition.

Need more teacher helps?

Visit www.rhboyd.com for online activities.

Suggestions for Effective Teaching . . .

SEEKERS FOR JESUS

STEP 1: — Greet the students as they enter the classroom. Begin class with prayer. Ask if the students can remember what last week’s lesson was about and any facts they can recall. Tell the students that today’s lesson is about Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.

STEP 2: Intro Activity — Find and play a video clip from a famous parade, like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade or Rose Parade. Compare and contrast Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and the parade clip you just watched. Ask the students if they have ever been in a parade and invite those who have to share what it was like.

STEP 3: Today’s Word — Invite a volunteer to read the print passage for today. Discuss with the students why it was important for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey. Explain the prophecy of Zechariah 9 and its significance to this passage. Ask the students to consider how the Bible is connected by way of prophecies of the Messiah.

STEP 4: Consider This — Read and discuss the Consider This section found in the student books. Explore together how the story relates to today’s lesson. Discuss how this story can impact their interactions with parents, siblings, friends, and classmates.

STEP 5: Last Thoughts — Read the Last Thoughts section together to review the lesson. Have the students share what they learned in today’s lesson that they’ll apply to their lives going forward.

STEP 6: Closing — Ask students if they have any questions or prayer requests. Close the class in prayer.

TEEN SCENE

STEP 1: — Bring to class enough paper and writing utensils for each student. Greet the students as they enter the classroom. Begin the class with prayer. Inform the students that today’s lesson is about Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

STEP 2: Intro Activity — Divide the board into two columns: The King Jesus Is and The King the People Wanted. Brainstorm qualities and attributes or actions for each column. Discuss how the people misunderstood what kind of king Jesus was and how that had an impact on how the people treated Him later on in the week.

STEP 3: Dissect and Digest — Invite a volunteer to read today’s Bible passage. Invite the students to discuss the significance of Jesus’ entry. Point to things such as the palm branches being used traditionally for victorious kings. Also go over the fulfillment of Zechariah 9.

STEP 4: Heart of the Matter — Read and discuss the Heart of the Matter section found in the student books. Explore together how the story relates to today’s lesson and to the students’ daily lives.

STEP 5: Activity — Obtain sidewalk chalk or spray chalk and create or purchase stencils to decorate the sidewalks and parking lot with palm branches, donkey hooves, and footprints.

STEP 6: Closing — Ask students if they have any questions or prayer requests. Close the class in prayer.

— Lesson Overview —

Introduction

Modern day parades are events with floats, live music, and various performers. It’s a big party in a community that everyone gets to be a part of for certain holidays and other special occasions. Parades are not a modern invention, though. In fact, in today’s Scripture we see a parade happening. It was a crowd of people celebrating Jesus as He entered Jerusalem. People lined the streets to welcome in a King, one whose execution they would be calling for the very same week.

I.Jesus Enters Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1–6)

Before this day, Jesus tried to keep a low profile when traveling. He never entered cities with a big parade like in today’s Scriptures. Even though Jesus tried to stay away from the attention His actions brought about, the news of what He did spread far and wide. We know that at this point, there was a large crowd that had followed Him from Jericho, the last city He had passed through. Keeping away the masses wasn’t easy. Those masses knew He was coming to Jerusalem. And they believed He was coming to raise up an army in Jerusalem to overthrow their Roman oppressors. Be sure that your students understand this. It will help them better understand why these same people would be calling for His execution soon after they learned Jesus’ purpose was not the same as what they had in mind.

But Jesus knew He was coming to Jerusalem to die. There is such beauty in the scene that is about to take place. This week is what everything previously mentioned in the Bible has been leading toward. The crowds were gathering and the excitement was swelling. He was here; the promised Messiah of God’s people! The one who would free them from oppression! It was all organic adoration. But this adoration was misled and confused. Explain to your students that like these people, we can often lose sight of what God’s purpose is in our lives. We can begin to forget that His purpose for us is to bring Him glory and do good things for Him. Often, we become side tracked, believing that God is still supposed to only do good things for us instead of us doing good things for