The Gospel Project at Home: Jesus at Passover

Read Scripture

Read all or parts of John 2:13-25 from your Bible or watch the Bible story video.

Preschool Bible Story Video

Elementary Bible Story Video

Talk About Scripture

Have you ever had a messy room that needed a serious clean-up? Maybe toys were everywhere, dirty clothes were on the floor, and snack wrappers were hiding under the bed. Sometimes, a room gets so messy that it takes energy and focus to clean it up and make it right again. 

That’s kind of like what Jesus saw when He went to the temple in Jerusalem. The temple was supposed to be a holy place where people came to worship God, pray, and bring offerings. But when Jesus arrived, He saw people buying and selling animals, cheating others for money, and treating the temple like a marketplace. 

Jesus was filled with righteous anger—not because He hated people, but because He loved God’s house. He flipped tables, cleared out the sellers, and said, “My house will be called a house of prayer!”  

This story shows us that Jesus cares deeply about how we treat places meant for worship—and even more, how we treat our own hearts. The Bible says that now, our hearts are like temples, places where God’s Spirit lives when we trust in Jesus (1 Corinthians 6:19). He wants to clean out anything in us that doesn’t belong—like selfishness, dishonesty, or unkindness—and fill us with His love and truth. 

Jesus showed His desire to honor God by cleansing the temple of sinful practices. All sin offends God's glory and will be punished. Jesus took the punishment our sin deserves so that anyone who trusts in Him will be cleansed of sin.    

Pray: Jesus, help us love what You love. Make our hearts clean so we can worship You with joy and honesty. Amen.

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Learn Scripture

Preschool Scripture Music Video

Elementary Scripture Music Video

Family Prayer

Mornings: Ask Jesus to help you live with a pure heart today—free from selfishness, distractions, or anything that doesn’t honor Him. Pray for a heart that’s ready to worship, listen, and obey.        

Evenings: Thank Jesus for showing you what matters most to Him. Ask Him to reveal anything in your heart that needs to be cleaned out so you can grow closer to Him.    

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Family Activities

For Fun: Choose a room in your home that needs tidying up, like the living room or a playroom. Set a timer for 10–15 minutes and have a fun “clean-up race” as a family. Play worship music while you clean. When you're done, sit together and read Matthew 21:12–13. Talk about how Jesus cleansed the temple of all the things that distracted people from honoring God and how He wants to do the same in our hearts so we can focus on loving and honoring God.   

To Serve: Volunteer as a family to deep clean a designated space in your church, like the nursery, the kitchen, or storage closets. Make sure toys are clean, clutter is organized, and spaces are free from distractions, so people are free to worship God and make ministry happen in those spaces. Talk about how important it was to Jesus—and how important it is for us—to have space where we can focus on God and worship Him for His goodness.        

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