Welcome to June!
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June, Week 1
Day 1
Primary
1. Read John 13.
2. Did you recognize some of the verses in this chapter? Listen to the song “Love One Another.”
3. Jesus loved and served the people around him. In this chapter, he washed his apostle’s feet and taught them that they should love the people around them. When we are baptized, we become disciples – or followers – of Jesus Christ. In John 13:34-35, Jesus taught how we can show that we are his disciples. How can we show love for others like the Savior did?
4. Listen to the song “Books in the New Testament.” This time, listen to the whole song.
Youth
1. Read John 13.
2. In New Testament times, people wore open sandals, walked on mostly dirt roads that accumulated the filth of beasts, and had only irregular access to bathing water. Their feet became very dirty, and washing another person’s feet could have been a distasteful task. This custom of hospitality was usually performed by the lowest level of servants. During this final supper, Christ quietly arose, girded himself as a slave or servant would, and knelt to wash the Apostles’ feet.
3. Think of a time when you were happier because you followed the Savior’s example by serving others. Read the following statement by Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
In your morning prayer each new day, ask Heavenly Father to guide you to recognize an opportunity to serve one of His precious children. Then go throughout the day with your heart full of faith and love, looking for someone to help. If you do this, your spiritual sensitivities will be enlarged and you will discover opportunities to serve that you never before realized were possible. (“Be Anxiously Engaged,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2012, 31)
4. Read John 13:34-35. What principle did Jesus teach his apostles? How do you think this is different from the commandment that already existed, to love thy neighbor as thyself?
5. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles talked about the importance of love and discipleship:
Love is the beginning, the middle, and the end of the pathway of discipleship. … In the end love leads us to the glory and grandeur of eternal life. …
When Jesus gave His disciples a new commandment to ‘love one another; as I have loved you’ [John 13:34], He gave to them the grand key to happiness in this life and glory in the next.
Love is the greatest of all the commandments—all others hang upon it. It is our focus as followers of the living Christ. (“The Great Commandment,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2007, 28–29, 30–31)
6. Listen to the song “Books in the New Testament.” This time, listen to the whole song.
Day 2
Primary
1. Today read Matthew 26:1-30.
2. The day before He died, Jesus gave His disciples something to remember Him by. He “took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood.” Today, we do the same in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday. Taking the sacrament is an opportunity for us to renew our baptismal covenants and remember the sacrifices that Jesus made for us. One of the covenants we made at baptism was to “always remember Him,” and taking the sacrament each week is one way that we do that.
3. Watch the video “The First Sacrament.”
Youth
1. Today read Matthew 26:1-30.
2. The Passover was instituted in Moses’s time to remind the children of Israel that the destroying angel passed over their houses and slew the firstborn children in Egypt. As part of the Passover, the Israelites sacrificed a lamb and sprinkled its blood over their doorposts. This lamb symbolized the coming Messiah, whose atoning sacrifice would save mankind from death and sin. What did Jesus say would happen during the Passover? (Matthew 26:1-2)
3. Jesus told His disciples to secure a room in Jerusalem for the Passover meal. During the meal, what did Jesus tell his apostles? How did they respond? (Matthew 26:20-22) What does the question “Lord, is it I?” teach us about the eleven faithful Apostles? When disciples of Jesus Christ hear the word of the Lord, they examine their own lives to see how it applies to them.
4. President Uchtdorf said of this event:
The disciples didn’t question the truth of what [Jesus] said. Nor did they look around, point to someone else, and ask, ‘Is it him?’
Instead, ‘they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?’
I wonder what each of us would do. … Would we look at those around us and say in our hearts, ‘He’s probably talking about Brother Johnson. I’ve always wondered about him,’ or ‘I’m glad Brother Brown is here. He really needs to hear this message’? Or would we, like those disciples of old, look inward and ask that penetrating question: ‘Is it I?’ (“Lord, Is It I?” 56)
5. As the Savior ate the Passover meal with His Apostles, He instituted the ordinance of the sacrament. The emblems of the sacrament represent the body and blood of Jesus Christ, which He sacrificed for us. Jesus Christ instituted the sacrament for us to remember Him and His Atonement for our sins. Merely eating the bread and drinking the water during the sacrament does not automatically qualify us to receive a remission, or forgiveness, of our sins. We must exercise faith in Jesus Christ, repent, and partake of the sacrament with real intent by always remembering Him and striving to keep His commandments. By worthily partaking of the sacrament, we renew our baptismal covenants. When we repent and partake of the sacrament with real intent, we can receive a remission of our sins.
6. Watch the video “Always Remember Him.”
Day 3
Primary
1. Read Matthew 26:31-75.
2. This chapter talks about Jesus suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane.
3. Watch the video “Other Teachings at the Last Supper.”
4. Watch the video “Jesus Suffers in the Garden of Gethsemane.”
5. Listen to the song “Did Jesus Really Live Again?”
Youth
1. Read Matthew 26:31-75.
2. This part of the chapter focuses on Jesus’s suffering in Gethsemane. As he suffered for the sins of the world, he asked God if there was any other way. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, explained what Jesus was asking the Father for when He asked for the cup to pass from Him:
The Lord said, in effect, ‘If there is another path, I would rather walk it. If there is any other way—any other way — I will gladly embrace it.’ … But in the end, the cup did not pass. (“Teaching, Preaching, Healing,” Ensign, Jan. 2003, 41)
3. Watch the video “The Savior Suffers in Gethsemane.”
Day 4
Primary
1. Read Mark 14:26-72.
2. Jesus suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, atoning for the sins of the world. Every week when we take the sacrament, we remember his sacrifice for us.
3. Listen to the song “Behold the Great Redeemer Die.”
Youth
1. Read Mark 14:26-72.
2. Mark’s language bears witness of the reality and severity of the Savior’s suffering. The Greek word translated ‘sore amazed’ in the text can refer to a range of emotions, including amazement, awe, astonishment following great shock, and overwhelming distress. The Greek verb translated ‘very heavy’ can mean depressed, dejected, and full of anguish or sorrow. Together, these words depict a deep and extreme agony. The Savior said that His soul was ‘exceedingly sorrowful unto death’ — that is, His anguish was so intense that He felt He was at the point of death.
3. Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of the suffering of the Atonement:
‘In Gethsemane, the suffering Jesus began to be “sore amazed” (Mark 14:33), or, in the Greek, “awestruck” and “astonished.”
Imagine, Jehovah, the Creator of this and other worlds, “astonished”! … He had never personally known the exquisite and exacting process of an atonement before. Thus, when the agony came in its fulness, it was so much, much worse than even He with his unique intellect had ever imagined! …
The cumulative weight of all mortal sins — past, present, and future — pressed upon that perfect, sinless, and sensitive Soul! All our infirmities and sicknesses were somehow, too, a part of the awful arithmetic of the Atonement. (‘Willing to Submit,’ Ensign, May 1985, 72–73)
4. Watch the video “Jesus is Tried by Caiaphas, Peter Denies Knowing Him.”
Week 2
Day 1
Primary
1. Read John 14.
2. During His life, Jesus had guided and comforted his disciples. Jesus knew that He would be leaving, but he promised that He would leave another Comforter with his apostles. That Comforter is the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost can comfort us, guide us, and testify of truth. Can you think of a time that the Holy Ghost has comforted or helped you in your life?
3. Listen to the song “Love One Another.”
Youth
1. Read John 14.
2. Following the Passover meal, Jesus taught His Apostles how to return to Heavenly Father and how to show their love for the Savior. Jesus then promised His Apostles that He would send them another Comforter.
3. Only through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and by following His way can we enter Heavenly Father’s kingdom. What will happen if we try to follow a way that is not the Savior’s way? Read the following statement by Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge of the Seventy.
There is only one way to happiness and fulfillment. He is the Way. Every other way, any other way, whatever other way, is foolishness. …
… We can either follow the Lord and be endowed with His power and have peace, light, strength, knowledge, confidence, love, and joy, or we can go some other way, any other way, whatever other way, and go it alone—without His support, without His power, without guidance, in darkness, turmoil, doubt, grief, and despair. And I ask, which way is easier? …
There is only one way to happiness and fulfillment. Jesus Christ is the Way. (“The Way,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 34, 36)
3. Read John 14:16-17, 26. What did Jesus promise his apostles? The phrase “another Comforter” in verse 16 refers to the Holy Ghost. Because the Savior had been a comforter to His Apostles during His mortal ministry, He called the Holy Ghost another Comforter. The Holy Ghost can comfort us, teach us all things, and bring all things to our remembrance.
4. The Prophet Joseph Smith explained:
There are two Comforters spoken of. One is the Holy Ghost, the same as given on the day of Pentecost, and that all Saints receive after faith, repentance, and baptism. …
The other Comforter spoken of is a subject of great interest, and perhaps understood by few of this generation. After a person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized for the remission of his sins and receives the Holy Ghost, (by the laying on of hands), which is the first Comforter, then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted. When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will find his calling and his election made sure, then it will be his privilege to receive the other Comforter, which the Lord hath promised the Saints, as is recorded in the testimony of St. John, in the 14th chapter, from the 12th to the 27th verses. (in History of the Church, 3:380)
5. Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained the role of the Holy Ghost as the First Comforter:
As long as Jesus has been with them, he has been their Comforter; he has spoken peace to their souls; those who were heavy laden with the sorrows and sufferings and struggles of the world came to him and found rest for their souls. He comforted the widow and was a father to the fatherless. His words lifted believing souls to new heights of serenity and peace. Now he is leaving, but he will send another Comforter — the Holy Ghost — to abide with the faithful forever.
For all men except those few who heard his voice in mortality, the Holy Ghost is the first Comforter. This member of the Godhead speaks peace to the souls of the righteous in all ages. The Holy Ghost ‘is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him, as well in times of old as in the time that he should manifest himself unto the children of men’ (1 Ne. 10:17), and, as well also, in times to come. He is the Spirit of truth — as also is Christ — but the world cannot receive the Holy Ghost because the Spirit will not dwell in unclean tabernacles. (Mortal Messiah, 4 vols. [1979–81], 4:74–75)
Day 2
Primary
1. Read John 15.
2. Jesus spoke to his apostles about love. He told them to love one another. He said that someone who laid down their life for their friends had great love for them. Jesus gave his life for us, because he loves us very much. Read John 15:10-14. What did Jesus tell his disciples about love?
3. Listen to the song “Behold the Great Redeemer Die.”
Youth
1. Read John 15.
2. TThe Savior has commanded us to love one another as He loves us. What do you think it means to love someone the way Jesus Christ loves you? Take a closer look at verses 12-17. What did Jesus teach his disciples about love?
3. According to verse 13, what did the Savior say is the greatest manifestation of love? How did He demonstrate this kind of love? Read the following statement by Elder Claudio R. M. Costa of the Seventy:
Jesus Christ gave us the supreme example of love when He declared, ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends’ [John 15:13]. He later atoned for all our sins and finally gave His life for all of us.
We can lay down our lives for those we love not by physically dying for them but rather by living for them — giving of our time; always being present in their lives; serving them; being courteous, affectionate, and showing true love for those of our family and to all men — as the Savior taught. (“Don’t Leave for Tomorrow What You Can Do Today,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2007, 74)
4. President Gordon B. Hinckley shared his feelings about John 15:13:
Jesus is my friend. None other has given me so much. ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends’ (John 15:13). He gave His life for me. He opened the way to eternal life. Only a God could do this. I hope that I am deemed worthy of being a friend to Him. (“My Testimony,” Ensign, May 2000, 71)
Day 3
Primary
1. Read John 16.
2. Jesus talked to his apostles more about his upcoming death. He knew that he would have to leave them, and that they would feel sorrow or great sadness when he died. He told them not to be sorrowful, because he would be resurrected and see them again. What can we do when we have sadness in our lives, to “be of good cheer” and have faith that good things will come again?
3. Listen to the song “Did Jesus Really Live Again?”
Youth
1. Read John 16.
2. After Jesus had eaten the Passover meal with His disciples, He told them that the time would come when people would hate them and that these people would believe they were doing a service to God by killing them. Read John 16:5-6. How were the disciples feeling about the news that Jesus would go away and that they would be persecuted?
3. Think of a time when you had to say good-bye to a family member or a friend. What did you say to comfort each other as you said good-bye? Read John 16:16. What did Jesus tell the disciples that may have comforted them? The disciples would see Jesus again after He was resurrected. Although their sorrow over His death would be great, the joy they would feel at His Resurrection would be lasting.
4. Sometimes the things we have to go through in life are hard. President Thomas S. Monson explained why we can be of good cheer in spite of the trials and difficulties of this world.
Let us be of good cheer as we go about our lives. Although we live in increasingly perilous times, the Lord loves us and is mindful of us. He is always on our side as we do what is right. He will help us in time of need. … Our lives can also be filled with joy as we follow the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Lord admonished, ‘Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world’ [John 16:33]. What great happiness this knowledge should bring to us. He lived for us and He died for us. He paid the price for our sins. May we emulate His example. May we show our great gratitude to Him by accepting His sacrifice and living lives that will qualify us to return and one day live with Him. (“God Be with You Till We Meet Again,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2012, 110–11)
Day 4
Primary
1. Read John 17.
2. There is a doctrinal mastery in today’s chapter, John 17:3! (And there is a song you can listen to!)
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
3. Jesus Christ taught that “life eternal” is to know “the only true God, and Jesus Christ.” As we come to know Them, we will find spiritual strength that will bless us throughout our lives and help us achieve eternal life. What are some ways that we can come to know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
Youth
1. Read John 17.
2. There is a doctrinal mastery in today’s chapter, John 17:3! (And there is a song you can listen to!)
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
3. At some point between the time when the Savior and His disciples had eaten the Last Supper and when they entered the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus offered a prayer that is traditionally known as the Intercessory Prayer. One meaning of the word intercede is to speak to someone on behalf of another person. In this case, Jesus Christ spoke to Heavenly Father on behalf of His disciples, pleading that they might receive eternal life.
4. To understand what it means to know God, read the following statement by Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
It is one thing to know about God and another to know him. We know about him when we learn that he is a personal being in whose image man is created; when we learn that the Son is in the express image of his Father’s person; when we learn that both the Father and the Son possess certain specified attributes and powers. But we know them, in the sense of gaining eternal life, when we enjoy and experience the same things they do. To know God is to think what he thinks, to feel what he feels, to have the power he possesses, to comprehend the truths he understands, and to do what he does. Those who know God become like him, and have his kind of life, which is eternal life. (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [1965–73], 1:762)
5. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are to be in the world but not of the world. What do you think it means to be in the world but not of the world? Read the following statement by Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
In the Church, we often state the couplet: ‘Be in the world but not of the world.’ …
Perhaps we should state the couplet … as two separate admonitions. First, ‘Be in the world.’ Be involved; be informed. Try to be understanding and tolerant and to appreciate diversity. Make meaningful contributions to society through service and involvement. Second, ‘Be not of the world.’ Do not follow wrong paths or bend to accommodate or accept what is not right. …
Members of the Church need to influence more than we are influenced. We should work to stem the tide of sin and evil instead of passively being swept along by it. We each need to help solve the problem rather than avoid or ignore it. (“The Effects of Television,” Ensign, May 1989, 80)
6. As we come unto Jesus Christ and receive the blessings of His Atonement, we can become one with the Father and the Son.
Week 3
Day 1
Primary
1. Read Luke 22:1-38.
2. Jesus told Peter that he needed to be converted to the gospel in order to strengthen the other apostles. Peter already had a testimony, but he needed to have a change of heart in order to be truly converted to the gospel.
3. Listen to the song “Love One Another.”
Youth
1. Read Luke 22:1-38.
2. Near the end of His mortal ministry, the Savior met with His Apostles to observe the Passover. During that time, the Savior announced that one of His disciples would betray Him, instituted the ordinance of the sacrament, commanded that it continue to be administered in remembrance of Him, and taught His Apostles that those who serve others are the greatest of all. The Savior also commended His Apostles for continuing with Him and promised them that one day they would sit on thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel.
3. Read Luke 22:31-32. Wheat is sifted by separating kernels of grain from the rest of the wheat. What have you learned about Peter that shows he already had a testimony? (see Matthew 16:13–17) According to verse 32, what did Peter still need to experience before he could strengthen his brethren?
4. What is the difference between having a testimony of the gospel and being converted to the gospel? Having a testimony of the gospel means we have received a spiritual witness of the truth through the Holy Ghost. Being converted to the gospel means “changing [our] beliefs, heart, and life to accept and conform to the will of God (Acts 3:19).” Based on what the Lord told Peter, what can we do when we are converted to the gospel? When we are converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ, we can strengthen others.
5. Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles confirmed the importance of being converted:
In order to strengthen his brethren—to nourish and lead the flock of God—this man who had followed Jesus for three years, who had been given the authority of the holy apostleship, who had been a valiant teacher and testifier of the Christian gospel, and whose testimony had caused the Master to declare him blessed still had to be ‘converted.’
Jesus’ challenge shows that the conversion He required for those who would enter the kingdom of heaven (see Matt. 18:3) was far more than just being converted to testify to the truthfulness of the gospel. To testify is to know and to declare. The gospel challenges us to be ‘converted,’ which requires us to do and to become. If any of us relies solely upon our knowledge and testimony of the gospel, we are in the same position as the blessed but still unfinished Apostles whom Jesus challenged to be ‘converted.’ We all know someone who has a strong testimony but does not act upon it so as to be converted. …
Now is the time for each of us to work toward our personal conversion, toward becoming what our Heavenly Father desires us to become. (“The Challenge to Become,” Ensign, Nov. 2000, 33)
Day 2
Primary
1. Read Luke 22:39-71.
2. Jesus told Peter that he would deny knowing him. Peter said he would never do such a thing. But later, when Jesus was being tried, Peter was afraid. He was afraid that if anyone knew that he was Jesus’s friend, then he would be taken prisoner, too. Later, Peter regretted denying Christ.
3. Watch the video about Peter denying knowing Jesus.
Youth
1. Read Luke 22:39-71.
2. After the Passover, the Savior and His Apostles went to the Garden of Gethsemane. Luke’s account of the Savior’s suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane includes an important detail that is not included in the accounts given by Matthew and Mark. Read Luke 22:44. How did Luke describe the Savior’s suffering in Gethsemane?
3. After the Savior suffered in Gethsemane, He was betrayed by Judas Iscariot. Read Luke 22:49–51. What did Peter do when the chief priests and others came to arrest Jesus? (see John 18:10) What is remarkable about what the Savior did for the servant? After that event, the Savior asked why the chief priests and others were arresting Him during the night instead of during the day when He was at the temple.
4. When the Savior was taken to the high priest’s house to be tried, Peter followed. Look at verses 54-71. Why do you think Peter might have been tempted to deny knowing Jesus to each of these people? What happened after Peter denied knowing the Savior? How does Peter’s experience illustrate the difference between having a testimony of the gospel and being converted to it? Although Peter had a testimony of the gospel, he was not yet completely converted. However, he recognized his weakness, became wholly converted, and devoted his life to serving God and sharing the gospel.
5. President Gordon B. Hinckley noted that we can make errors similar to Peter’s, but through repentance we can be forgiven of those errors:
Peter, affirming his loyalty, his determination, his resolution, said that he would never deny. But the fear of men came upon him and the weakness of his flesh overtook him, and under the pressure of accusation, his resolution crumbled. …
As I have read this account my heart goes out to Peter. So many of us are so much like him. We pledge our loyalty; we affirm our determination to be of good courage; we declare, sometimes even publicly, that come what may we will do the right thing, that we will stand for the right cause, that we will be true to ourselves and to others.
Then the pressures begin to build. Sometimes these are social pressures. Sometimes they are personal appetites. Sometimes they are false ambitions. There is a weakening of the will. There is a softening of discipline. There is capitulation. And then there is remorse, self-accusation, and bitter tears of regret. …
… Recognizing his error, repenting of his weakness, [Peter] turned about and became a mighty voice in bearing witness of the risen Lord. He, the senior apostle, dedicated the remainder of his life to testifying of the mission, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the living Son of the living God. …
… These mighty works and many more unmentioned were done by Peter who once had denied and sorrowed, and then rose above that remorse to carry forward the work of the Savior. …
Now, if there be any … who by word or act have denied the faith, I pray that you may draw comfort and resolution from the example of Peter who, though he had walked daily with Jesus, in an hour of extremity denied both the Lord and the testimony which he carried in his own heart. But he rose above this, and became a mighty defender and a powerful advocate. So too, there is a way for you to turn about, and add your strength and faith to the strength and faith of others in building the kingdom of God. (“And Peter Went Out and Wept Bitterly,” Ensign, May 1979, 65–67)
Day 3
Primary
1. Read John 18:1-20.
2. Jesus allowed the officers to arrest Him. They took Him to Annas, one of the Jewish leaders, and then to Caiaphas, the high priest who sought to condemn Jesus to death. Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. When three different people asked Peter whether he was one of Jesus’s disciples, Peter denied knowing Him each time. After Caiaphas questioned Jesus, the Jewish leaders took Jesus to Pilate, the Roman provincial governor of Judea, to be tried and sentenced. Only the Romans had the authority to carry out a death sentence in Jerusalem.
3.Listen to the song “Behold the Great Redeemer Die.”
Youth
1. Read John 18:1-20.
2. In John 18:5–8 Christ said “I am he.”
These words are translated from the Greek phrase egō eimi, used in many other places in John in reference to the divinity of Jesus Christ. … After the Savior said these words, the men and officers ‘went backward, and fell to the ground’ (John 18:6), ‘apparently unable to exercise power over Jesus unless permitted to do so’ (Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:780).
‘The simple dignity and gentle yet compelling force of Christ’s presence proved more potent than strong arms and weapons of violence’ (James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, 3rd ed. [1916], 615).
This detail shows that the Savior had the ability to overpower his captors but voluntarily submitted to arrest and crucifixion” (New Testament Student Manual [Church Educational System manual, 2014], 256).
3. Jesus allowed the officers to arrest Him. They took Him to Annas, one of the Jewish leaders, and then to Caiaphas, the high priest who sought to condemn Jesus to death. Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. When three different people asked Peter whether he was one of Jesus’s disciples, Peter denied knowing Him each time. After Caiaphas questioned Jesus, the Jewish leaders took Jesus to Pilate, the Roman provincial governor of Judea, to be tried and sentenced. Only the Romans had the authority to carry out a death sentence in Jerusalem.
Day 4
Primary
1. Read John 18:21-40
2. The Jewish leaders accused Jesus of claiming to be the king of the Jews because if Jesus claimed to be a king, He could be charged with sedition, or treason, against the Roman government, a crime that was punishable by death. Pilate said that he didn’t think that Jesus had done anything wrong. He tried to release Jesus, but the crowd did not want him to be released. They wanted Pilate to release a robber instead.
3. Watch the video “The Trials of Jesus.”
4. Listen to the song “Did Jesus Really Live Again?”
Youth
1. Read John 18:21-40
2. What did Pilate want to know about Jesus? (John 18:33) The Jewish leaders accused Jesus of claiming to be the king of the Jews because if Jesus claimed to be a king, He could be charged with sedition, or treason, against the Roman government, a crime that was punishable by death.
3. What did Pilate conclude about Jesus? (Verse 38) As a result, Pilate tried to have Jesus released according to a custom of the Romans releasing a prisoner at Passover. However, the people did not want Jesus to be released, and instead asked for a robber to be released.
