Here are the images you need for the hero’s attributes linked to the Religious Hypocrites (Matthew 23).
Each hero set contains a high quality graphic of the character, a take home bible card and a colouring page.
The images are displayed small here, click on the image you wish to have, then save the image that loads.
(Please note : Some images have no watermark but are not copyright free, they are only intended for classroom use.)
English
Extra’s – (English Only).
This passage is chock-full of symbolism, cultural norms and is a potential minefield to understand as a modern adult, let alone as a child. It’s also pure teaching instead of a person-based narrative, so to make it more identifiable, I’ve focused on how one Pharisee may have heard it. The word ‘Hypocrite’ is quite an adult term, and it’s worth spending a few minutes explaining the meaning to the kids. If you have a very young group, then simply omit that one reference in the retelling below.
This retold version of the Bible passage is supplied for inspiration, feel free to omit or embellish to give it your personal voice.
Main Passage : Matthew 23:1-12
The Pharisee stood towards the back of the crowd, Jesus kind of fascinated him, but something about Jesus was dangerous. Now Jesus wasn’t happy and he wasn’t going to stay quiet.
“Just look at those men” said Jesus, staring at the small crowd of religious leaders. “Look at how they are dressed, with the tassels on their prayer shawls super long, as if that makes them holy?
The Pharisee looked at the long trailing threads that came from the four corners of his garment, they held the 5 religious knots. Pharisees would make the treads longer to show their importance, they didn’t need to be long, they got dirty easily, but it was sort of like a uniform, so people could see they were super religious.
Jesus was still talking, “They take the place of Moses in the community, making laws, reading scripture, telling you how God wants you to live your life. They share God’s truth but don’t act on it. Instead, they place the heavy load of keeping rules on God’s people and don’t do anything to help them. They love the place of honour at banquets, the front seats in the synagogues, they demand to be called ‘Rabbi’ by people.”
“Ha, Rabbi? — Don’t call these men ‘Rabbi’ or ‘teacher’ or even ‘instructor’ — you only have one teacher, the Messiah, you are all brothers and sisters the same. And you all have just one father, your Father in Heaven.”
The Pharisee felt like he’d been punched. God’s people needed religious leaders, his world had just been declared wrong. He’d spent years training to be something Jesus was against. How could he take this man seriously?
“Do you want to know who will be the greatest among you?” said Jesus, his voice calming. “The greatest will be the one who is a servant. Those who try to make themselves important will be made small, but those who are willing to serve even if it makes them look foolish, they will be praised and lifted high.”
The crowd quite liked that bit, but Jesus wasn’t finished with the religious leaders yet. Jesus wasn’t kind, he told them how they had got so many things wrong, he called them horrible names, he labelled them hypocrites. It was clear, whatever Jesus was planning, the Pharisees were going to lose if they didn’t stop it.
The question about taxes isn’t really asking Jesus’s opinion on economic systems, it’s trying to trap him. These games play with the idea of questions, the odd pairing of the Herodians and the Pharisees and even give a nudge to what taxes are because sometimes kids get confused on this passage simply by this unknown word.
All Ages
Any size group
Requires setup time
Noisy game
Space needed
Have two hoops or marked spaces and ask the kid(s) a question they may know the answer to and assign two possible answers, one to each marked area. Have the kids run to the answer they think was right. At the end, explain that Jesus managed to stand in both hoops in today’s story.
All Ages
Small group
Requires setup time
Quiet game
Can be seated
Grab plenty of food types and lay them out for the kids. Get them to pick the most unlikely pairings and challenge them to see if they will taste test their combination — don’t forget the spit bucket!
Ages 7+
Any size group
Requires setup time
Noisy game
Space needed
Explain that each child must cross the room and touch the paper pinned to the wall. Some children must do so while sitting in a seat or otherwise hindered. Give each child three coins or tokens each time they do it, but say they must pay 1 token in tax. How did it feel to give your tokens away? What should we do with the tax tokens? How did it feel to be at a disadvantage?
All Ages
Any size group
Requires setup time
Noisy game
Space needed
This is a lovely, simple activity, but it does take some time to set up. Children search and find a question whose answer tells them where to find the next piece of treasure. Alongside the piece of treasure (a jigsaw piece works well) is another question whose answer is the location of the next piece of treasure and so on. Link to questions leading to truths.
Ages 7+
Any size group
No Setup time
Quiet game
Can be seated
Challenge your kids to find an answer to these questions. Let them mime out the encounter, starting with the question. Talk about how sometimes it’s better not to answer a question directly.
1. If lying is always wrong, is it OK to ruin a surprise if asked directly?
2. If a Cyclops were to close its eye, is it winking or blinking?
3. When did time begin?
4. If you punch yourself, and it hurts, are you weak or are you strong?
5. If you expect the unexpected, doesn’t that make the unexpected expected?
6. Is your answer to this question ‘no’?
7. Does this outfit make me look fat?
| A simple coin silences the Pharisees and Herodians question about taxes and it’s that coin that’s celebrated in this craft. Make your own coin papercraft. It’s a basic paper model but if you have very young children do use card, craft foam, or any thick material in the middle to make it easier. The beauty of this craft is that it carries the message on the coin. |  |
Here are the images you need for the hero’s attributes linked to the Parable of the Banquet Guests (Luke 14).
Each hero set contains a high quality graphic of the character, a take home bible card and a colouring page.
The images are displayed small here, click on the image you wish to have, then save the image that loads.
(Please note : Some images have no watermark but are not copyright free, they are only intended for classroom use.)
English
Extra’s – (English Only).
| This craft uses the coins imagery to reinforce the answer Jesus gave about Taxes to the Pharisees and Herodians. Some crafts have pretty outcomes, some are less aesthetically beautiful and more likely to get a ‘wow’ response – this is very much the latter! It’s a little fiddly and if you’d like a simpler craft do check out the alternative one using the links at the end of this post (coming tomorrow). |  |
This passage shows two groups become unlikely allies. The Herodians are a bit of an unknown factor, we know they wished to restore a member of the Herodian dynasty to the throne in Judea, and they fought for political independence but little else. As long as Rome let them fully rule themselves, they probably would have been happy. The Pharisees would have found these terms totally offensive, nothing but an offspring of David should rule as king over the land and the only higher authority for their king would have been divine. Bringing the Herodians along for a political question concerning Rome was a clever play, they would have no problem getting Jesus arrested for not paying taxes.
This retold version of the Bible passage is supplied for inspiration, feel free to omit or embellish to give it your personal voice.
Main Passage : Matthew 22
Jesus was making a lot of noise. Lots of people were gathering wherever he went. People were chatting about him in the streets, passing on his stories and his teaching. It made the religious leaders very nervous.
There were lots of types of religious leaders. There were those who followed all the rules, even making up new rules; they were called the Pharisees. Some of the Pharisees liked Jesus, but most of them didn’t. Jesus broke the rules; so they didn’t want people to follow his example. If they started breaking some rules, where would they stop?
Another group of religious leaders were called the Sadducees. There weren’t so many of them, and they liked to think they were the most important. Being a religious leader made them rich and powerful. Some of the Sadducees were puzzled by Jesus’s wise teachings, but many hated Jesus because he made them look greedy for money and power.
Jesus had to be stopped. They had to find a problem with his teaching, one they could use to prove he was wrong and they were right. So, they made a plan. They would ask Jesus some questions that didn’t have a right answer.
First, a Pharisee tried to trap Jesus with a question on taxes, but Jesus was too clever to be trapped so easily. Then, a Sadducee tried to trap Jesus with a question about marriage, but Jesus made him look foolish! As the Sadducee had failed, another Pharisee tried once again. This Pharisee was an expert on scripture and the law. “Which commandment is the most important?” he asked.
Jesus smiled. He liked this question. There were hundreds of commandments to choose from and were all important, but he knew just two would cover everything. Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and most important command. And the second command is like the first: ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself.’” The crowd was silent. Every single law could be simplified to one of these two sentences. Even the Pharisee looked impressed.
Jesus had had enough of them trying to trap him. He was happy to answer their questions, but they didn’t really want to know the answers; they wanted to trip him up. So, he asked them a question about the scripture, which nobody could answer. Embarrassed, they left him alone. I wonder what things about God you would like to ask Jesus?
Here are the images you need for the hero’s attributes linked to the Parable of the Banquet Guests (Luke 14).
Each hero set contains a high quality graphic of the character, a take home bible card and a colouring page.
The images are displayed small here, click on the image you wish to have, then save the image that loads.
(Please note : Some images have no watermark but are not copyright free, they are only intended for classroom use.)
English
Extra’s – (English Only).
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