Jesus came to serve
key words
biblical reference
John 12:12-19; 13:1-17
memory verse
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8, NIV*).
lesson objective
To help your children follow Jesus’ example by serving the Last Supper to others.
prepare yourself to teach
The triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem precedes the Last Supper. He entered the city on a donkey being welcomed by the crowd, who shouted, “Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” and “Blessed is the King of Israel!”
When a king triumphantly entered a city mounted on a donkey it symbolized that they came in peace. Entering on a horse signified greatness and power. Jesus came riding on a donkey, a sign that he came in peace, even though the people wanted a military Messiah who would liberate them from Roman power.
People lost sight of the meaning of Jesus’ peaceful entrance. Although he accepted the praises, the manner in which he entered denied his military ambitions.
The disciples had prepared the place for the Passover meal (John 13:1-17), and they arrived without washing their feet. It was customary for a servant to wash the feet of those who entered a house. This custom was necessary because, at that time, people walked barefoot or wore open sandals on dusty roads, so their feet were dirty and tired; after walking great distances, they would wash their feet to clean and refresh them.
When they arrived, there was no servant to perform this task. It was impolite for people to wash their own feet, and the disciples did not want to or were unwilling to do that humiliating work; especially because they wanted to assume positions of power in the kingdom of God, which they believed Jesus was going to establish on earth.
Jesus knew about this conflict and, removing his cloak, he put a towel around his waist and washed the feet of each of his disciples. Peter was shocked, he could not believe that his Master was willing to wash his dirty feet, and he did not want Jesus to wash his feet. But Jesus insisted. When Jesus had finished this work, he asked them if they knew what he had done. With this act he gave them a lesson in service, not only because he washed their feet, but because of the attitude he had. He told them that if they served one another then they would be blessed.
adaptation
At this age, it is common for children to think only about themselves. They find it hard to serve others. Through Jesus’ model of serving others, children will see how the most important person, Jesus, became a servant to others. They need to understand that Jesus did this voluntarily. Help your children understand that they too can serve others.
introduce the lesson
Allow the children to describe the pictures and tell what they think about these people. If possible, bring photographs or magazine clippings of people who are helping others to illustrate this lesson. Probably the children have already formed a concept of who Jesus is. For them there is no doubt that he is the most important character in this story. You can expand this knowledge by telling them that he is the most important character in the history of mankind. In fact in many parts of the world, years are counted before his birth and after his birth.
Added to that is the fact that he is the Son of God and that he is God made man. (You may need to consult a dictionary of the Bible and Christian doctrine to study more about the Trinity to explain this point.)
teach the lesson
Before the session read John 12:12-19; 13:1-17 and be prepared to tell the story in your own words. Following the introduction, say that Jesus is the most important man that has existed or will exist, and yet he gave us an example of service. Tell the story in an interesting way, highlighting the points that accentuate the purpose of the lesson.
Sing a few choruses with your children that have motions. If you want and if it is possible, dramatize the foot-washing (for this you will need, basins, containers of warm water and towels.) Narrate the story, and at the end ask your children to participate (those who want to.) Have them take their shoes off and then wash their feet in the water. After drying them with a towel, have them put their shoes back on them.
During this time, you can play appropriate background music. Maintain an atmosphere of reverence and if you need to, ask for the help of some assistants. Give examples of people your children know who have the gift of service. This will help them better understand this act of humility. (They can be people of the church, in their school, community, or country. Just make sure that the majority of the children know who you are talking about.)
Tell your children about a time when you helped other people and you were not ashamed to do so, but you did it out of an attitude of service. (You as a teacher are a role model for them, so your personal experience is very significant.)
connect the lesson
Jesus gave us an example of love and service
You will need scissors, crayons, markers and an envelope for each child to store the pieces of the today’s worksheet.
Tell children to color Student Activity Sheet #115 and fill in the spaces of the verse with the correct letters. (Answer: example.) Ask, “What is happening in the picture?” (Allow time for your children to respond; expand on the information and take the opportunity to review the lesson.) Then, following the lines on the activity Sheet, have them cut it into a puzzle. (Write their name on the back of each piece, to prevent confusion with other children’s pieces.)
After they have cut the pieces out, ask them to mix their pieces up and then try to put their puzzle together again. After the activity, give each child an envelope so that they can take the pieces home. Encourage your children to share the puzzle with their family and friends and to tell today’s Bible story to them.
practice the memory verse
Cut out a large silhouette of a heart (it can be the size of a poster board, preferably red.) Then write the verse on the heart; if it does not fit use both sides of the heart. Paste a picture of the crucifixion of Jesus on the heart.
Also prepare small hearts from the same material. Make one heart for each of your children and put their names on them. Tell them that when they can say the memory verse to you, you will place their heart on the board (or on a wall of the room); this will motivate them to learn the verse.
You can divide the class by gender and put up signs that say “boys” and “girls.” As they learn the verse put their heart under the appropriate sign. Then give a prize to the group that learns the verse faster. Tell them that it is important to review the verse at home.
wrap-up
Pray
End the class as follows: form two circles (boys and girls) and assign a child in each circle to pray. At the end, you pray for everyone. Be sure to ask if they have prayer requests. Explain the importance of prayer and encourage them to pray every day.
Encourage
Help your children to gather everything that they should take home. Thank everyone for attending today’s session.
Invite
Share something from the next lesson that will make them want to come for the next session. Tell them to invite their friends.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™