Bible Stories
The Bible story explanation articles listed below are about Bible stories for which Sunday School Zone provides activities. These articles will provide an explanation and interpretation of the story and link to a page where you can access all of the free, printable activities for that story. Bible stories are the primary organizing principle for Sunday School Zone. That is, most of our content and activities are created to provide help for parents and teachers who are teaching these Bible stories to children. At this point, not all Bible stories on Sunday School Zone have these kinds of explanatory and interpretive articles, so the list will be growing. To see a full list of all stories covered on Sunday School Zone (with or without these kinds of articles), click here.
The Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday has become a recognized “occasion” in our culture, but many people don’t know what the day is about and even fewer understand the meaning of the original Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday is the day on which we celebrate the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on the Sunday before His crucifixion and a week…
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The Crucifixion of Jesus
The story of the crucifixion of Jesus is found in all four Gospels (Matt. 27:32-56, Mark 15:21-41, Luke 23:26-49, and John 19:16-37). This alone underscores its significance to the Gospel writers and the early church. But in addition, the fact that Jesus died as a sacrifice carries huge theological and personal importance for all of…
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Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet
The Gospel account of when Jesus washes the disciples’ feet found in John 13:1-11 is a familiar and beautifully moving story. John’s Gospel was the last of the four Gospels to be written and reveals John’s strong emphasis on the divinity of Jesus (John 1:1), but also reveals the humanity of Jesus. This is why…
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Mary Anointing Jesus’ Feet
The story of Mary Anointing Jesus’ Feet, found in John 12:1-8, is a familiar and deeply beautiful story of Mary’s devotion to Jesus at a crucial time in His life. John places this event shortly after the raising of Lazarus (John 11) and the day before the Triumphal Entry (12:12). Certainly John intended for this…
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Zacchaeus
The story of Zacchaeus, occurring in Luke 19:1-10, is one of the best loved stories in all of the Bible. All of us seem to identify with Zacchaeus in some way. The sheer drama of the story quickly captures our imagination. Luke places the story essentially at the end of Jesus’ ministry, immediately before He…
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Cain and Abel
The story of Cain and Abel, recorded in Genesis 4:1-16, reveals that evil is growing and having an impact that goes beyond Adam and Eve both in its reach and also in its intensity. The sin committed by Adam and Eve in the garden may seem small at first, but the story of Cain and…
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God Stopped the Jordan River
The story of how God stopped the Jordan river is found in the third and fourth chapters of Joshua. The Book of Joshua marks a transition from the Pentateuch (the books of Moses or the first five books of the Bible) to a new season of biblical history and a new section of the Bible…
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Adam and Eve Sin
The story of the sin of Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:1-24), what we call “The Fall of Adam and Eve,” helps us understand that sin occurs when we doubt God’s goodness. This is important because it helps us understand that sin isn’t merely the violation of a rule or law. Sin is more fundamental than…
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The Easter Season
The period of time leading up to, including, and immediately following Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection is what we’re calling the “Easter season.” It includes more than the resurrection (see below) because the resurrection makes no sense apart from His sacrifice on the cross. The Easter season had always been part of God’s plan of salvation…
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