Sold for the Price of a Slave

Judas Betrays Jesus

Scripture reference: Zechariah 11:4-12 Luke 22:1-6

bananas

I need a helper today. [Choose a child and ask …. What’s your name?]

Now I need one more helper who doesn’t mind wearing this on their eyes. (Choose a second child and ask … What’s your name?]) Come and sit down here beside me. [Tie blindfold on the second child].

Today we’re going to talk about choosing. And I’ve brought some things along for ______ and _____ to use. Let me show them to you first.

With the first child:

[Hold up items: a banana: big, yellow  and another banana: black, mushy, and rotten]

Now: It’s your turn. Look carefully. Can you choose one that you’d like to share with your family?  [the child will generally choose the appropriate response]  That was a good choice!

[Hold up items again: an orange: big, heavy and another orange, somewhat wrinkled, small]

With the second child:

Now, It’s your turn. [Check to make sure the blindfold is still on, and don’t have the child touch the fruit]

Are you ready to choose one you’d like to share with your family? —– hmmm  —- wait —- this looks hard! How can you choose like this? Oh, oh,  what shall we do? [some child will respond – She/he can’t see!]. O.K. let’s take off the blindfold. Now you can make a good choice, can’t you!

Thank you for helping,  ___ and ___

Jesus had helpers, too. One of them was called Judas. At first Judas loved Jesus and wanted to be near him. That was a good choice.

But then Satan came along—just like a big blindfold—and covered up Judas’ eyes and his heart. And Judas let Satan stay there and didn’t push Satan away.

Soon, Judas stopped loving Jesus. He chose a very evil thing. He went to visit some bad men who wanted to kill Jesus and said “I choose to help you catch Jesus. What will you give me if I help you?” The bad men said, “We will give you some money” and so Judas chose the worst thing of all: he took the money and put it in his pocket – to help them kill Jesus.

Now you may keep your good choices—off you go to church school.