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Script: “Then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once. The disciples went and did as Jesus directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.” - Matthew 21: 2-3, 6-8 ESV Open the egg. What do you find inside? A little donkey. In Jesus’ day, most people walked everywhere. Sometimes, kings rode on donkeys or horses when they entered a city. The people would stop what they were doing and watch as the king rode by. On the day that Jesus rode into their city, the people were thrilled to see him. They believed that he was their new king who had come to save them and to fill their lives with joy. The people showed their happiness by spreading palm branches and coats on the road. This was also their way of showing honor to Jesus, much like we might use a red carpet today.

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Script: “Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.” - Matthew 26: 14-16 ESV Open the egg. Did you find some coins? What do coins have to do with the Easter story? Not everyone was happy to have Jesus as his king. Some people only pretended to be happy, but on the inside, they really didn’t want anything to do with him. One of those pretenders was a man named Judas Iscariot. Some other men hated Jesus so much that they wanted to kill him. But they needed the help of someone who could get them close to Jesus. Because Judas Iscariot was a pretender, and because he was greedy for money, he told these men that he would help them capture Jesus if they would pay him thirty silver coins.

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Script: “And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.- Matthew 26: 27-28 ESV Open the egg. What’s inside? A cup. Jesus had a special dinner with his disciples – twelve of his closest friends who traveled with him and learned from him. During the meal, Jesus stood up and held out a cup and gave everyone a drink. Then he said something that was hard for them to understand. He said that the wine in the cup was his blood. He didn’t mean that they would actually be drinking blood, but that the wine was a symbol (or picture) of his blood. He wanted them to remember his special night and the covenant (or promise) he was making to them and to all people. Do you know what that promise is? You’ll find out if you keep listening.

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Script: “And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” - Mark 14:32-34 ESV Open the egg. What’s inside? Praying hands. After dinner with his disciples, Jesus took them to a garden. He asked them to pray while he went to another place in the garden to talk to God alone. He began to be sad and to dread what he knew was going to happen soon. He was going to die. Jesus was willing to die, for he once said, “No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10:18). You see, one of the remarkable things about Jesus was that, like no one before or since, he was both God and man at the same time. The God part of him was willing to die because of his great love, but the human part of him did not want to experience the great pain that he would surely suffer by dying on a cross. When you are afraid or sad, you should do just as Jesus did – Pray.

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Script: “Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him.” - John 19:1 ESV Open the egg. What did you find? A whip. When Jesus finished praying in the garden, the men who wanted to kill him took him as their prisoner. Then they brought Jesus to Pilate, their ruler, and he had Jesus whipped. The whip used was long and hard, and it hurt Jesus so much That he bled. Jesus hadn’t done anything wrong. The men who wanted to kill him were afraid of losing power, so they wanted Jesus out of their way. They knew that if people really believed that Jesus was the Son of God – which he was – they would follow him.

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Script: “But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.” - Mark 14:71-72 ESV Open the egg. What did you find? A rooster. You may wonder what a rooster has to do with the Easter story. For Peter – one of the disciples of Jesus – the sound of a rooster crowing triggered great sadness and caused him to cry. Here’s what happened. Peter was one of Jesus’ closest friends, and he once promised Jesus that no matter how dangerous things might become, he would always be loyal. Jesus could depend on him. But that began to change when Peter realized that those who planned to kill Jesus might want to kill him too. In fact, Peter was so afraid that he denied even knowing Jesus. Just the evening before, when Peter had promised to be loyal, Jesus told him that he would indeed deny knowing him, not just once or even twice, but three times. And, in fact, it happened just as Jesus said it would; the rooster was still crowing when Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times” (Mark 14:30). Peter was so ashamed that he ran away and cried.

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Script: “Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” - Matthew 27: 27-29 ESV Open the egg. What did you find? A crown of thorns. After Jesus had been whipped, the soldiers took branches With thorns, twisted them into the shape of a crown, and shoved it down on Jesus’ head. Again, Jesus bled. We know that because Jesus was the Son of God, he could have stopped the men from hurting him. But he let them continue. Do you know why? Because even though he hadn’t done anything wrong – he had not sinned – Jesus was taking the punishment for all the wrong things that any person had ever done or ever would do. This includes you and me.

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Script: “So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.” – John 19: 16-18 ESV Open the egg. What did you find? Three nails formed into a cross. The soldiers took Jesus to the top of a hill outside the city. Then, using nails much larger than these, they nailed him to a rough wooden cross. He died a few hours later. The Bible tells us that Jesus was stronger than any man. The soldiers couldn’t have killed Jesus if he had not let them. He could have fought off the soldiers. Why didn’t he? Because God loves people so much, He was willing to let Jesus be punished for our sins – the things we do or the ways we act that don’t please God. And even though it hurt Jesus badly, he was willing to do what God the Father asked. Jesus loves us too.

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Script: “So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him.  But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.  But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.” – John 19: 32-34 ESV Open the egg. What did you find? A spear. Two robbers were crucified with Jesus, one on each side of him. When the soldiers came to check the three men on the crosses, Jesus had already died. Just to make sure, though, one of the soldiers stabbed Jesus in the side with a spear. It is sad to think that Jesus died, and that he died in such a cruel way. But remember that Jesus gave up his life because of his love for sinners – All sinners. This includes you and me and all who tell lies, steal from others, disobey God in any way, or even someone like the soldier who stabbed him.

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Script: “When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus.  He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.” – Matthew 27:57-60 ESV Open the egg. What did you find? A piece of cloth. After Jesus died, a man named Joseph asked if he could bury him. This was a brave and loving thing for Joseph to do. Remember that the men who killed Jesus did not believe that he was the Son of God. But Joseph did believe, and he wanted Jesus to have a proper burial. Joseph knew that this might get him in trouble with the soldiers, but he was brave and asked for permission anyway. Joseph wrapped the body of Jesus in cloth and buried him in a tomb cut out of rock, like a shallow cave. Joseph then went away sad – because Jesus was dead – and he wondered what would happen next.

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Script: “And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.” – Matthew 28:2-4 ESV Open the egg. What did you find? A stone. The stone that was rolled in front of Jesus’ tomb was much bigger than the stone in the egg. It was big as a door and probably weighed more than a car! After Jesus was buried, special soldiers were assigned to stand guard at the tomb. But these men were no match for God’s angel! It took just one angel to roll the stone away. The guards were so afraid that they fainted. Where did the angel get this strength? From God.

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Script: “But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.”” – Matthew 28:5-6 ESV Look inside this egg. It’s empty! Are you surprised? When two women came to the tomb of Jesus, they were surprised too! The heavy stone was rolled aside and the tomb was empty! Jesus’ body was not there. The angel told them, “He has risen.” Jesus had come back to life. This was the promise that Jesus made to his disciples at their special dinner just few days before – that he would die but come back to life forever, too.  Someday, because He died for us, we can meet Him and thank him in heaven. That’s the story of Easter, and it’s true!