Children's Ministry Update, November 5, 2023

All four Gospel accounts of Jesus’ trial revealed the innocence of the Son of Man amid the injustice of the court’s proceedings. From the plotting of the chief priests to the scoffing of those in the crowd, each detail revealed the reality of the Savior’s choice to step forward as the substitute for our sins.

Why did this court case unfold in the manner that it did, with the religious leaders taking their troubles to the Roman courts? How do we see God at work amid Christ’s suffering? The answers to this lay in the Old Testament prophecies and in Christ’s fulfillment of all they entailed.

The unjust treatment of the innocent Son of Man cannot be understated throughout these accounts. The Scriptures report some people—Pilate, Herod, and Judas—testifying to Christ’s innocence, all the while conspiring against Him and allowing the unfair verdict to proceed. Even still, Jesus’ righteousness remained apparent as He continued on, allowing God’s will to be done through His death for the sake of our eternal life. We truly see the Son obeying the Father to the point of death, as an innocent lamb led closer and closer to the slaughter.

Throughout these events in the Scriptures, we read that Judas and Herod, as well as Pilate and his wife, each acknowledged Jesus’ innocence. The Bible reveals, too, that the religious leaders' only hope of execution was found through crafting inaccurate accusations of Christ’s wrongdoings through the Roman court. Despite the falseness of their fabrications, Jesus kept His composure through it all with eyes set on entering into His glory.

Led by a mob mentality that spurred on their scoffing, the people cried out that His blood would be not only on themselves, but their children as well (Matthew 27:25). In these moments, they failed to see the depth of the injustice they thrust upon the only sinless One.

Explain to kids that the mankind’s sinfulness led to Christ’s sacrifice and that this paradox establishes the gospel’s great news—that only the perfect sacrifice of God’s own Son could lead to our salvation. Despite our unworthiness, Christ remains worthy and invites us into His promise of everlasting life.