Jesus Without Language

Kingship is quite a simple concept to describe to children on one level. It’s the idea that one person has the authority to make decisions for others. Like so many things, Jesus turns this Kingship idea on its head. By the time we reach the passage with Pilate, it certainly doesn’t feel like a very kingly setting. Jesus is seen at one of the weakest moments, he’s arrested, questioned like a criminal, and about to be sentenced to die by the brutal execution process of crucifixion. It may seem tempting to act out this passage, but playing the role of one who thought they had authority over Jesus, or Jesus himself, is a lot for anyone to take on. These games skit the passage, look at it sideways and spark conversations.

Who am I?

Also known as the Sticky Note game. Write the name of someone the child will know and stick it to their forehead. The child then has to guess who they are by asking questions that can only be answered with a yes or no.
Link: Pilate was trying to work out who Jesus was.

Sticky crowns

Give each team one hat and one roll of sticky tape. The “crown” must be worn by one player. The aim is to attach as many different things to the crown as possible. At the end of the game, each king or queen must walk a full circle of the room before the teams are scored.
Link: Jesus’s crown was unexpected for a king.

Card circles

Mix up one suit from a pack of playing cards and have the children make a circle, so each card gets progressively bigger. (Aces beat kings but are beaten by 2s.) Do this either as a timed race or by giving each child a card and standing in a circle.
Link: The Sunday of “Christ the King” is the last Sunday in the Church year, forming a circle that never ends.

These are the Character resources provided for: Christ the King (John 18).

For each passage, there is a collectable card alongside high-quality character images and a colouring page. All other graphics are extra’s!

Click on the images below to see a larger version. Save the images by right click + ‘save image as’ (computers) OR long press + ‘save image’ (mobile).

These images are NOT copyright free.

These resources are provided for personal/classroom use only.
Use can use them for teaching, games, publicity, decorations, big screen presentations, flannelgraphs, stickers, or any other non-commercial activity in your church, school, home, or organised group.
You may not use them in products you are going to sell (both printed and digital). Nor may you upload the original images online, on websites, social media or in YouTube videos.
Any questions, please reach out to me using the contact page link at the end of the page.

The church year isn’t the same as the usual calendar. It starts in Advent as we get ready for Jesus to be born, and this is the last week before we start that journey again. This week we look back at the whole year and remember that Jesus is, was, and will always be King.

But Jesus isn’t like the other kings, and Jesus’s kingdom isn’t like other kingdoms.

Most kings are born in palaces and sleep in grand beds; Jesus’s first bed was a feeding trough, and for many years he had no home.

Most kings are big and powerful and have armies to fight for them, but Jesus was a servant to everyone.

Most kings wear royal robes and golden crowns, but the only crown we see Jesus wear is one made of thorns.

Most kingdoms fight over land and resources; Jesus’s kingdom fights for people’s hearts.

When Jesus was arrested, a man called Pilate tried to understand what kind of king Jesus was. The Jewish leaders had called him “King of the Jews,” but the man who stood before him didn’t look like a king.

“Are you a king?” asked Pilate.

“My kingdom is not of this world,” said Jesus.

“So you are a king then?” said Pilate.

“You say that I’m a king,” Jesus replied. Then, he continued, “I was born for this, and I have come into the world for this: to testify to the truth.”

Pilate was confused. What was this truth that Jesus spoke of? But Jesus wasn’t confused. He knew that sharing the truth of God’s kingdom would end with him dying and then coming back to life.

Confused, Pilate had the crowd decide, and the crowd had Jesus killed. The king of all Heaven and Earth had a crown of thorns placed on his head and died between two thieves. But we know there is still more story to tell, and that the story of Jesus never ends. We know that the story of Jesus is still being told in the things his followers are doing today.

Next week, we will begin the story again for a new year. Jesus will be born and die and rise again; then his followers will spread the word of his Kingdom around the whole world.
 

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