Youth will have a quiz for which the losing team will receive punishment, but one of the youth leaders will step in and take the punishment on their behalf. The activity is a metaphor for the exchange that took place when Christ took our place and died for our sins on the cross.

Resources

• Bibles
• Uncracked Raw Egg
• Disposable Raincoat or garbage back with holes cut in it for arms and the head
• Garbage bags or newspaper to place on the floor to make it easy to clean up any splattered egg.
• Damp towel for clean up.

What to do

1. Divide the youth into two teams.
2. Each team of youth must choose someone to represent them for an Easter Quiz.
3. Only the team representative can answer the questions, but the team can help them with the answers by using their bibles and discussion the answer. The choice of representative is final and the team cannot choose a replacement.
4. Once a representative has been chosen, and the final decision has been made. Explain that the losing team’s representative will be punished by having a raw egg cracked on his or her head.
5. Scoring: The first team representative to answer correctly scores a point. Wrong answers lose a point. The first team get 5 points wins the game.
6. After you have declared a winner, have the losing representative prepare for his or her punishment.
7. Have him or her sit on a folding chair with a sheet of plastic underneath to protect the floor.
8. Bring out the unbroken raw egg. Talk about how the egg is going to make such a mess and how it runs down your face. Be sure to tell them to plug their ears with their fingers and close their eyes to prevent the raw egg from getting in them.
9. Then, when they are all prepared, have another leader take the place of the youth and crack the raw egg on the leader’s head.
10. Encourage the youth to cheer for the volunteer and let them leave the room to clean up.

Questions about the crucifixion

• Who was forced to carry the cross for Jesus?
   Simon of Cyrene (Matt. 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26).
• What is the name of the way that Jesus walked to His crucifixion?
  The Via Dolorosa, “Way of Suffering.”
• What is the name of the place where Jesus was crucified?
  In Hebrew, Golgotha (Matt. 27:33; Mark 15:22; John 19:17).In Greek, the skull (Luke 23:33).In Latin, Calvary.
• What was the purpose of the writing attached to the cross?
  They gave the crime for which the person was being executed.
• What inscription did Pilate put on the cross of Jesus?”
  Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (John 19:19).
• What were Jesus’s first words on the cross?
  “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
• In what languages was it written?
  Aramaic, Latin, and Greek (John 19:20).
• What is the first prophecy that was fulfilled by those who crucified Jesus after He was nailed to the cross?
  They cast lots over Jesus’ garments (John 19:24).
• Who are the three women named in scripture who stood by the cross (John 19:25)?
  Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary’s sister–the wife of Cleopas, Mary Magdalene
• What was the second thing Jesus said from the cross and to whom was it given (John 19:27)?
  To Mary: “Woman, behold, your son”; to John, “Behold your mother!”
• At what hour was Jesus actually crucified?
  The third hour–nine a.m. (Mark 15:25).
• At what hour did darkness cover the earth?
  The sixth hour (Matt. 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44).
• How long did the darkness last?
  Three hours (Matt. 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44).
• Around the ninth hour, what did Jesus cry out?
  “My God, My God, why has Thou forsaken me?” (Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani).
• What was Jesus’ next-to-last utterance from the cross and to what did it refer?
  “It is finished.” It referred to the penalty He paid on the cross (John 19:30).
• At the death of Jesus, what strange things occurred?
  a. The veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Matt. 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 21:45).
  b. There was an earthquake (Matt. 27:51).
  c. Rocks were split apart (Matt. 27:51).
  d. Tombs were opened (Matt. 27:52).
  e. There were many resuscitations of the dead. They entered into the city, appeared to many, and stayed alive until after Jesus’ resurrection (Matt. 27:52-53).
• The fear occasioned by these awesome events moved the centurion at the foot of the cross to make what profession?
  That Jesus was a righteous man and truly the Son of God (Matt. 27:54; Mark 15:39; Luke 23:47).
• How did the multitudes respond to these strange events?
  They returned to the city beating their breasts (Luke 23:48).
• What reason did the Jews give to have Pilate break the legs of those crucified?
  So as not to defile the sabbath-day Passover (John 19:31).
• Instead of breaking Jesus’ legs, they did something else to Him, since He was already dead. What?
  They pierced His side (John 19:33-34).
• What resulted from the piercing, signifying that death had occurred?
  Blood and water flowed out (John 19:34).
• What two prophecies relate to Jesus’ legs not being broken?
  a. No bone shall be broken (Exod. 12:46; Num. 9:12; Ps. 34:20).
  b. They will look on me, the one they have pierced (Zach. 12:10).
• Who asked Pilate for the body of Jesus for burial?
  Joseph of Arimathea (Matt. 27:54; Mark 15:43; Luke 23:50; John 19:38).
• How did Pilate confirm that Jesus had in fact died?
  He called in the centurion in charge of the crucifixion (Mark 15:44-45).

Take it to the Next Level

Make it Spiritual

• Ask the team leader, “How did it feel to let someone else take your punishment?”
• Ask the teams, “What were your thoughts as you watched an innocent person suffer?”
• How was this activity similar to what Jesus did on the cross?
• Why did Jesus have to die on the cross?
• How does it make you feel knowing that Jesus exchanged his life for yours on the cross?
• How do you think his mother and the disciples felt as they watched Jesus suffer and die?
• He told them many times about his death, but do you think they really understood?
• Read John 3:16.

Make it Practical

• Lets look at what really happened from Mark 15:16-37
• Ask the youth to follow along as you read the passage. Explain that when you come to a part where someone is speaking (people, soldiers, etc) you will stop and they must read aloud the words of the people in the passage. Say they words with full emotion as if you were really there at the crucifixion. (Don’t worry about different translations as it will make it seem more real like various voices in a crowd)
• If you want to add even more realism, have someone strike a hammer on a nail in wood every, or two hammers together, every few seconds while reading.
• Read the passage out loud. Pause at verses 18, 29-30, 31-32, and 35-36.
• To add even more meaning, grab some large square nails or long nails from the local hardware store and give one to each youth. Ask them to hold the nail and think about what Christ went through when he exchanged his life for theirs on the cross.

Make it Personal

• If you were the only person alive, Christ would have still died for you.
• How do you personally feel, knowing Christ, perfectly innocent, died for you?
• How does it make you want to respond? to live your life differently?

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