YEA Lesson Library
The Truth and Nothing But the Truth
About This Lesson
This lesson examines why Christians should not celebrate Easter and should not mix the worship of God with pagan traditions.
Scriptures
Leviticus 23:10-11
John 8:32
John 14:6
John 20:1-7, 17
1 Corinthians 15:12-23
1 Thessalonians 4:14
1 Peter 1:3-5
Words to Know
OFFICIAL - in this lesson, people who have a trial-related job to do in court
SWEAR - in this lesson, a strong way of saying that you are telling the truth
TESTIMONY - what you say about a person or event
RESURRECTION - coming back to life from the dead
ASCENDED - having gone up
PAGAN - people who worship a god other than the one true God, the Creator of the Universe
The Lesson
Mandy's class got off the bus right in front of the courthouse. It was a big building. Old. Lots of people rushed into it. They didn't look very happy either.
Mandy and her classmates were going to see how a real court works. They weren't going to watch a murder trial or anything that serious, but it would be interesting. Mandy had seen enough TV court shows that she was expecting the court officials to swear in the defendant “to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God." Once that had happened, it was up to the judge to decide if the person was really telling the truth or not.
Being a Christian is kind of like being in court. You have all of these people around you, watching you, listening to your testimony about God. You have to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God. So what you do and what you say are really important! You have to make sure it's the truth. Always. The best that you can.
Sometimes our testimony seems easy. We know what is the truth and how we should act. But what about something many other Christians may say that seems to be all about Jesus? What do we do then? What do we do about Easter?
Many people who call themselves Christians celebrate Easter every spring. They say it is to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is very important! We want to make sure we celebrate that very important event. After all, we know Jesus rose from the dead.
What if someone asks you why you don't celebrate Easter? We've been told to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help us God. So is Easter the truth? Let's talk about it.
Did Jesus rise from the dead? Yes. That is true. Praise God! Because our Lord and Savior rose from the dead, we have the hope of eternal life with God the Father and Jesus Christ.
Did Jesus rise from the dead on Easter morning? Well, no. Not exactly. Jesus was crucified on a Wednesday afternoon, just before the First Day of Unleavened Bread. He was the Passover Lamb killed for the sins of the whole world. The Bible says Jesus would be in the grave three days and three nights. If you count three days and three nights from Wednesday evening, that gets you to the end of Saturday. Jesus would have been resurrected from the dead Saturday evening.
Jesus didn't immediately go to His Father after He was resurrected, because He was our Wave Sheaf Offering, the First of the Firstfruits. He ascended to God the Father early Sunday morning. So He wasn't resurrected from the dead Sunday morning, but He was the Wave Sheaf Offering Sunday morning.
Now you have looked at the truth and the whole truth. What about the phrase: nothing but the truth? Is Easter just about Jesus? Well, no. It was a day celebrated by pagan people a long time ago. It celebrated spring and the return of life. The pagan people saw that green things were beginning to grow again. They wanted to celebrate the return of life in the spring to their god.
Wow! What do you think would happen if you talked to a person who keeps Easter about the time of the spring holy days? You would tell about the resurrection of Jesus and how He brings life to the whole world. The other person might say, "We have a day that celebrates the return of life to earth too. When do you celebrate the resurrection of Christ?" You would talk about Passover and the Wave Sheaf Offering. The other person would say, "Hey, sometimes our celebration falls at the very same time in the spring. I can celebrate your day and my day at the same time.”
Mixing of pagan worship with Christian worship wasn't just like that. But because the ways they worshiped were similar, it made it easy to do. But, is it "nothing but the truth"? No! Not by a long shot. We are to worship no one but God.
The rest of Easter is just plain silly. Rabbits don't lay eggs that hatch into baby chicks. The Easter bunny doesn't hop around laying chocolate eggs to eat. And the Easter bunny doesn't hide colorful, little plastic eggs filled with candy for children to find Easter morning. That part of Easter is not true.
It's really funny when you think about it. Many Christians who celebrate Easter want to honor Jesus Christ. But He's the One who said, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life." He wants us to celebrate a day to Him that is only truth, not something mixed with half-truths and lies. Remember, you are His witness and He expects you to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God.
Student Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
Help me to be a good witness for you and your Son, by always telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth in what I say and do.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday: John 14:6
Monday: John 20:1-7
Tuesday: 1 Corinthians 15:22-23
Wednesday: 1 Thessalonians 4:14
Thursday: John 8:32
Friday: 1 Peter 1:3-5
Saturday: Leviticus 23:10-11
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Affirm that Jesus rose from the dead.
2. State that Jesus rose from the dead on Saturday evening and was our Wave Sheaf Offering early Sunday morning.
3. State that pagans worshiped the return of life around the time of God's spring holy days.
4. State the Easter bunny and Easter eggs are fictitious.
5. Explain why it is so important for a Christian to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
6. Accurately recite their memory verse (John 14:6).
Topics & Themes
Easter
Holidays, Easter
Honor God
Jesus, Lamb of God
Jesus, Resurrection of
Letting Your Light Shine
Pagan Traditions
Three Days/Nights
Truth
Wave Sheaf
Witnesses
Materials Needed
Bible, YEA Students' and Teacher's books, attendance and memory verse charts, star stickers, songbook, CD and player, dry erase board and markers
Preparation
This age group is very black and white in their outlook to life. They will have no trouble in ascertaining that Easter is not something we should do to worship God. Be gentle in how you present the lesson. Be sure to emphasize there are many Christians who believe they are honoring God; God just hasn't opened their eyes to see the truth of the matter yet. We are called to be lights in this world, shining the truth of God for all to see. We are not called to be hammers, harshly alienating people who are moving away from a worship of God which has truth mixed with errors.
Set up the classroom to look like a court. Appoint one student to be the judge so you can write down the evidence as true or false as it is presented by the students.
How to Teach This Lesson
Setting up court: Once students have assembled, assign jobs to them: judge, prosecuting (not wanting to celebrate Easter), and defense lawyers (wanting to celebrate Easter), jury members or audience. You'll be the court recorder (with poster paper, blackboard, or dry erase board), and facilitator (although that's not exactly how the courtroom works).
Set the Scene: Announce: Now in the matter of Easter vs. the Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing But the Truth, the judge will now hear arguments for and against. Make two columns on the dry erase board. Title one "Truth" and the other "Not truth.”
Resurrection: Announce: The first question before the court today is the matter of the resurrection from the dead. Is this true? Allow the prosecuting and defense attorneys to respond. Then say, The second question hinges on the first question. Since we know that there is a resurrection from the dead, was Jesus Christ resurrected from the dead? Again, allow the lawyers to respond. Write "resurrection" and "Jesus' resurrection" on the truth side of the dry erase board.
Time of Resurrection: Announce: Since we know Jesus was resurrected, we have to find out when this happened, if possible. What does the defense attorney have to say about when Jesus rose from the dead? Allow each attorney to present his side. Use official-sounding questions to draw out answers about the Wave Sheaf Offering, anything students know about the time of Jesus' resurrection, and when He was seen by His disciples. Record on the dry erase board.
Pagan Celebrations: Announce: We are interested in finding the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth in this case. As far as nothing but the truth is concerned, what facts do you have concerning Easter? Allow the lawyers to present. Record on the dry erase board.
Trappings of Easter: Announce: We've determined that Easter has its roots in pagan worship. Even if Christians are only thinking of Jesus' resurrection on this day, it still does not pass our "nothing but the truth" rule. Additionally, what do the Easter bunny, chicks, and eggs have to do with Jesus being resurrected?Allow the lawyers to present. Record data.
Summary of the court: Have the judge call a short recess to review all of the data before making his/her ruling. Prep the judge to say: In the matter of Easter vs. the Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But The Truth, we find Easter does not fit all of these requirements. Therefore, it is the opinion of this court that Easter should not be celebrated by Christians. (You'll want to have this speech already written down in fairly large letters for the judge to read to the court. Practice a couple of times before the judge presents it to the court.) Call the court to order again. Say: All Stand. Have the judge read the statement. Court is dismissed.
Debriefing: Ask: How did you like this lesson? Do you have any questions?
Review Questions
1. Was Jesus resurrected from the dead?
2. Did He rise on Easter morning?
3. When did He come back to life? How do we know this?
4. What did Jesus do early Sunday morning?
5. What event in the keeping of God's Holy Days is like Christ's ascension to the Father?
6. Who celebrated Easter before Christ was born?
7. What can you tell me about the Easter bunny, eggs, and chicks?
8. What is your memory verse?
9. If Jesus is the truth, why would we want to celebrate His resurrection with an event which is not the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Teacher-Directed Activity
Light or Hammer
Tell the students that, although we don't believe Easter is the right way to celebrate Jesus' resurrection, there are a lot of Christians who do believe it is good to do. Have them write on a piece of paper what they would say to someone who asks them why they don't celebrate Easter. When everyone is finished, talk about their answers. Emphasize that we don't want to be a hammer which is harsh; we want to be a light which draws others to Jesus gently.
REACH Activity
Back to the Bible: Three Days and Three Nights
Find the scripture reference to answer each of these questions.
1) How do we know that Jesus was in the tomb for three days and three nights? Since we know he was in the tomb for three days and three nights, we know He couldn’t have been crucified on Friday and resurrected Sunday morning.
2) Jesus was the first of the firstfruits. Where does it say that in your Bible? As the first of the firstfruits, He was the wave sheaf offering.
3) When was the wave sheaf offering made?
4) When was Jesus taken down off the cross? What time of the day was it when they put him in the sepulcher?
5) Since Jesus was put into the tomb at the very end of daylight before the sabbath began, we need to count three nights and three days - to the end of the daylight period before the wave sheaf offering. The wave sheaf was always made on the morrow after the Sabbath. Backing up, what day of the week was three days earlier? But Thursday isn’t a Sabbath, is it? What Sabbath was it?
To make all of the pieces fit, Jesus would have been crucified and put into the tomb as the sun was going down on Wednesday, just before the first Day of Unleavened Bread. He would have been resurrected at the end of the Sabbath and become the wave sheaf offering on the morrow after the Sabbath. There’s your three days and three nights.
Journal Jot: The Reason Why
Do you know why your family and your church family don’t celebrate Easter? If you do, write about it in your Bible notebook. Make sure you use scripture references to explain why you shouldn’t celebrate this holiday - even though you absolutely believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you don’t know, ask your parents to explain it to you. Then write this information down, with scriptures, so that you’ll remember the next time someone asks you why you don’t celebrate Easter.
Word Study: alētheia
The word “truth” in John 14:6 is alētheia. It means “truth, as the unveiled reality lying at the basis of and agreeing with an appearance. . . Truth as opposed to types, emblems, or shadows.” (Source: Zodhiates’ NAS Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible, 1990.) Jesus was real. He wasn’t just a shadow or a type. He really existed. He was not a falsehood. Write this word, its definition, and scripture reference in your Bible notebook.
What do you think Jesus Christ, the One who said He was Truth, would think about a celebration that is only partially true? What would He think about people taking a pagan holiday and using it to honor Him? If you don’t know the answer to that, ask your pastor or parents to explain God’s reaction to the golden calf in Exodus 32.
Just Toolin’ Around: Easter Research
Using a Bible encyclopedia, look up Easter. Look up the origins of the pieces of Easter - the rabbit, eggs, sunrise service. Write down what you find in your Bible notebook.
Did you Know? Easter and Acts 12:4
Did you know that “Easter” is in the Bible? The King James Version states that Peter was in prison and that Herod planned to bring him out after Easter. But when you look at the word that is translated “Easter” a little closer, you find out that it really should have been translated “Passover” - like it is translated in all of the other Bible translations. Look it up for yourself. It’s the Greek word pascha - which is translated “Passover.”
Stretch It Out: Role Play
With a partner, take turns explaining why you don’t celebrate Easter. Be gentle in your explanation. If you’re unsure how to do this, ask your mom or dad to model it for you first. It’s always a good idea to practice so that you will be ready with an answer if someone asks you why you don’t celebrate Easter.
Music Notes: Take Time to Be Holy
This hymn is found on page 168 of the CEM Hymnal.
The tune to this hymn was written by George Stebbins who started as a farmer, but decided to “sow the seed of the gospel” instead. He wrote the music for hymns like “Have Thine Own Way,” “Jesus, I Come,” “Saved By Grace,” and “Ye Must Be Born Again.” The words were written by William Longstaff, who was the son of a wealthy English ship owner. He wrote the text after hearing a sermon on 1 Peter 1:16 - the admonition to be holy because God is holy. It was the only hymn William Longstaff wrote. (Sources: Near to the Heart of God, Robert Morgan, 2010, September 1st and Amazing Grace, Kenneth Osbeck, 1990, pg. 245.)
God has exhorted us to be holy. What does that mean to you? Do you make every effort to be truthful and obedient to God? Do you tell others God’s truth in a loving way? Do you stand firm on what you know is right? You know that God will help you to be faithful to Him, if you ask, right? We’re talking about pleasing the Creator and King of the universe. It’s important to strive to be holy as He is holy! Write about this in your Bible notebook after you sing this hymn.
Questions?
Remember to write down any questions that you think of as you are reading your lesson, daily devotionals, or doing the REACH activities. Plan to ask your parents or your pastor these questions.
Song
"Thy Word Have I Hid In My Heart” is on page 75 of Kids Classics Collection. Remind students that by hiding God's word in their heart, by reading the Bible, and listening to what our pastor and parents tell us, we can learn what is true and right and good.
Closing Prayer
Ask for a volunteer to lead in prayer thanking God for the truth and asking that he will help us to be a light to others around us.
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