Lesson Plans: Palm Sunday (B)

Old Testament Lesson Plans: God gives; God opens; and God helps

Scripture: Isaiah 50:4-9a

In this section of Isaiah we hear what is sometimes called the third servant song. Isaiah 40-55 are passages that talk about the image of a suffering servant. The lectionary preparers likely chose this reading for Palm Sunday as a foreshadowing of the suffering Jesus was going to endure in Jerusalem. The servant illustrated in the servant songs is a wise and loyal follower of God who will have a gentle heart, a trained tongue, a listening ear, and the courage to love with sacrificial love. The way the passages are written invites the reader to imagine him/herself as the servant just as we so often try to insert the image of Christ into this servant role.

New Testament Lesson Plans: Walk with Jesus

Scripture: Mark 14:1-15 or Mark 15:1-39( 40-47)

Abundance, not scarcity. The costliest of ointments poured out for Jesus. A man carrying a jar of water – work usually reserved for women – shows the way to the Passover meal. Pilate may have had generosity as one of his motives in offering the crowd Jesus’ release, but they choose Barabbas; and so Jesus is crucified. The words pierce us across the centuries. A soldier who had stood guard exclaims: “Truly this man was God’s Son.” This conviction continues to penetrate our souls, creating a space to house the incredible news of Easter.