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As the time of his death drew near, Jesus told his followers that they would soon lose faith and leave him.  Even as Jesus then prayed through the night, his closest followers fell asleep instead of keeping watch.  Afterwards, Judas leads an angry group to Jesus. Knowing his time has come, Jesus allows himself to be arrested.  Although his followers had been dismayed at Jesus’ earlier statement, they now did exactly as he had said.  They all left him and ran away.

Even when friends disappoint us, we can talk to God.

Bible verses used in this episode:

• Matthew 26:30-56

Outline:

1. Jesus says his followers will leave him (Matthew 26:30-35)
2. Jesus prays while his disciples fall asleep (Matthew 26:36-46)
3. Jesus is arrested (Matthew 26:47-55)
4. The followers run away (Matthew 26:56)

Tips for teaching:

• Explain the word "betrayal" to children in a way they can understand.  Betrayal can be described as providing information to an enemy that causes your friend or loved one to be hurt.  An example would be if your friend were in a hiding place to keep safe from "bad people" and you told the bad people about the hiding place.  You would be "betraying" your friend, and they would get hurt.
  Judas betrayed Jesus because he gave information to the Jewish leaders and Jesus was arrested.
• Play the Gethsemane video so children (or adults) can hear Claire Crosby sing about this event. To avoid unhelpful ads appearing before this and any live online video, teachers find it helpful to download the video first.
• Talk about Jesus praying in a garden where olives are grown.  Children can eat olives as well as touch and smell olive oil.

Full teaching instructions available free from Mission Bible Class:
Bible Lesson:  Night of Betrayal and Prayer

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org