Jesus Christ carrying cross – click on picture for coloring page.

I would like to write a children’s picture book about Easter, but I keep stumbling over this question, “How much can children understand?” The message of Easter includes some really gruesome scenes leading up to and including his crucifixion. Without the crucifixion, you can’t have Easter. But how much is enough, and how much is too much?

Some parts are easy enough. We can breeze through Palm Sunday singing praises and glorifying Jesus as the Son of God, the long-awaited Messiah. But it doesn’t stay this easy.

Jesus turns the tables on the money changers and the people selling animals for sacrifice. We can emphasize the importance of Jesus’ determination to keep the temple pure and not let swindlers use the temple for buying and selling and taking advantage of the people who come to worship.

Jesus teaches in the temple using parables, but the stories make the religious leaders angry enough to want to kill him because they expose the wrong things the religious leader do. Jesus heals people on the Sabbath. The religious leaders are both angry and jealous of the attention the people give to Jesus. Children should be able to understand their hypocrisy.

The account of the Disciples meeting with Jesus in the upper room for the Passover Meal includes so much. Jesus teaches about putting others first and serving them as he washes the Disciples’ feet. He tells the Disciples that he is going to be put to death and gives them bread and wine saying this is his body and blood. He tells them to eat the bread and wine to remember him after he is gone.

We can teach the importance of staying awake to pray when we tell children about Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane while the Disciples kept falling asleep.

Then it starts getting rough when Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. How much do children need to know at various age levels about what Jesus went through from this point up to the crucifixion itself?

Before we can decide what to include and what to leave out, we need to answer this question: What are the most important teaching points in the crucifixion and resurrection for children? I come up with these three:

1. All people sin and grieve God. Jesus came to earth and willingly died to save us from our sins.
2. When Jesus died on the cross, those who loved and trusted him lost all hope. Their light was gone.
3. Jesus rose from his grave on Sunday morning and appeared to many people. This proved to the world that Jesus was the Son of God. Hope was restored for all who love him.

Using these three points as a framework what would you include to teach your children (or grandchildren, nieces or nephews . . .) the message of Easter? What ages are the children?

Photo copyright: regina555 / 123RF Stock Photo

For your convenience – links to Scripture passages about the week between Jesus’ triumphal entry to Jerusalem and his resurrection: Matthew 21-28 Mark 11-16 Luke 19:28-24:53 John 12:12-21:25 (John 12:12-18:40 & John 19-21)

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