The best book tells us about Jesus
key words
biblical reference
Luke 4:14-32; John 3:16; 1 John 4:9-10
lesson objective
To help the preadolescents know that the Bible tells us about Jesus, who came to show us the love of God
memory verse
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
The preadolescents in your group come from different backgrounds and situations. Maybe some do not receive the proper love in their homes. Others have loving families who give them the care and guidance they need. Whatever the situation, each child needs to know that God’s love does not change. They need to understand that God loves them and values each one as special.
One way to know God is to see how Jesus acted with other people. The Bible tells us about them. Students will learn that the Bible is the book that talks about God’s love for his people. And even more, they’ll also discover that the Bible shows us how Jesus made it possible for everyone to experience his love through a personal relationship with him.
Pray that through this session, your students will be challenged to give an answer of love to God. If they have already accepted Jesus as their Savior, encourage them to develop their relationship with him by studying his Word. If there are some who are yet to accept Jesus, this lesson will give you an excellent opportunity to invite them to do so.
biblical commentary
The biblical story today is centered in the synagogue. During the time that Jesus lived on earth, it was an important part of the Jewish community. Gathering in synagogues began after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. They had conquered Judah, destroyed their temple, and taken the people as captives. Now the Jews were in foreign lands, surrounded by Gentile religious practices. To preserve their faith, the Jews came together to worship and teach the Word. At first they met in houses. Then they built the synagogues. The literal meaning of the word “synagogue” is “meeting” or “meeting place.” The synagogues became the center of Jewish life and community while they lived in Babylon.
For an activity, they could draw a synagogue of adobe or bricks, or they could place windows, seats, etc. to decorate one of the walls of the room, or they could make a model with a cardboard box.
During the time of Jesus, a synagogue could be built in any city where 10 or more Jews lived. When Jesus traveled from one place to another teaching and preaching the kingdom of God, he always attended the synagogues. The synagogue became the ideal place for the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in the community. The services that were offered in them had three parts: prayer, the reading of the Law and the prophets, and an explanation of the Scriptures. It was the custom of the time to ask a visiting rabbi (teacher) to read the scriptures and explain them. This was followed by questions and debates.
Jesus was considered a rabbi or teacher. So when he visited Nazareth, his hometown, he was asked to read the Scriptures in the synagogue. People had heard that in other villages he taught and performed miraculous healings. Possibly they were curious to see what Jesus was doing.
As was the custom of the time, when the assistant handed him the written scrolls, Jesus stood up and began to read the writings of Isaiah. They were the prophecies about the promised Messiah. When Jesus finished reading, he sat down (the teachers usually sat down to teach). Then, he said these wonderful words: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled before you.”
Can you imagine the commotion that there would be among the people? Could Joseph’s son declare himself to be the promised Savior? Was it possible to hear something like that? The people of Nazareth were not ready to accept that truth about Jesus. On the contrary, the statement he made confused them and made them angry. The people of Nazareth rejected his message.
Jesus said that even though they rejected him, others would not. Just as the prophets of the Old Testament went to the Gentiles when Israel did not listen to them, so Jesus would bring God’s salvation to all nations, both Gentiles and Jews.
The Jews in Nazareth could not believe what they were hearing. Although the people were waiting for the promised Messiah, they expected a king, not the son of a known carpenter. Although the people of Nazareth were ready to reject him, there were others who were eager to hear him. In Capernaum, people were amazed at his teachings and the authority with which he spoke. He spoke to them with all the authority that God had given him. And what was his message? The same that we’re called to believe today: God is love and offers salvation to everyone who decides to believe in his Son, Jesus Christ.
You’ve already decided to follow him. Have those in your group decided to follow him? Pray that those who need to know him will come to Jesus through your words and actions as a teacher of the group.
introduce the lesson
What is love like?
Give your group Student Activity Sheet #369-A. Ask them to look at and discuss the figures that are there, and draw a cross next to each figure that shows a way Jesus expressed his love for people.
Ask: “Which figures show Jesus’ love to others?” (All: Jesus showed his love by sharing his food with others, speaking to them and lifting up children, healing the sick, teaching people, and forgiving them in many ways. And he even asked for forgiveness for those who crucified him on the cross of Calvary.)
Say: “Jesus showed his love in many ways. We can learn to show love to others by reading the stories of Jesus in the Bible; let’s see what he did in today’s story.”
teach the lesson
Read together the Bible story from Luke 4:14-32. You can divide the reading among several who wish to do so. Stop reading to ask short review questions to see if everyone is following along. Find out if they have questions.
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.
Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’ Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”
All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way. Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he taught the people. They were amazed at his teaching, because his words had authority.
connect the lesson
Review
Distribute Student Activity Sheet #369-B and #369-C. Then, guide the students to review the lesson.
The Bible tells us
Distribute Student Activity Sheet #369-D and say: “Let’s look at what the Bible tells us about knowing God personally.” Have students work in small groups to read and complete the 5 sentences of this activity sheet.
Say: “Sometimes there are people who know a lot about God but still do not have a relationship with him. Use your Bibles to know how to have a personal relationship with God. Look up the verses and order the letters to complete the sentences.” (In parentheses we give the answers for you.)
Romans 3:23; ADMIT that you have _______ (sinned). This means that you disobeyed God.
1 Peter 3:18; _______ (BELIEVE) that God loves you. God sent his Son (Jesus Christ) to die on the cross, so you can be forgiven for your sins and be God’s friend.
1 John 1:9; Pray and _______ (confess) your sins. Tell God that you do not want to disobey him anymore. Ask him to forgive you.
Ephesians 2:8-9; Have _______ (faith) that God will fulfill his promise to forgive your sins and make you his child.
John 1:12; _______ (Receive) Jesus as your Savior. Tell others what God has done for you. Love God and follow Jesus.
At the end of the work, say: “We’ll have a moment of prayer. If someone accepted Jesus as their Savior, we praise God for his Son Jesus Christ. If you now wish to accept Jesus as your Savior, pray and tell the Lord that you’re sorry for having disobeyed him, ask him to forgive you, and then give him thanks for his forgiveness. Promise to love him and follow him.
Ask those who accepted Jesus to talk with you after the session.
practice the memory verse
Have 1 piece of paper and form two teams (maybe girls and boys). First, one or two boys will write the first two words of the memory verse on one paper; then one or two girls will write the two words that follow, until the verse is completed. If a child does not remember the words he (or the pair) will leave the game. Congratulate the team that finishes with the most participants. The verse has 16 words, including the Biblical quotation. Ideal to compete!
wrap-up
Pray
You can say something like: “We thank You Dear God for your great gift of salvation, given freely for us to accept. I thank You for salvation in my life. I thank You that You love children and they can also receive Your gift of salvation. Please help us to always follow You in Your ways. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” If some students prayed to receive Jesus, pray specifically for them and show them how happy you are for the decision they made today. Tell those who accepted Jesus that you want to talk to them and their parents that same week.
Encourage
Say: “God gave all of us a chance to receive this free gift of salvation. I hope you will all receive this gift. Don’t forget to review your memory verse of 2 Timothy 3:16. And continue to review the books of the New Testament.” Embolden parents to continue praying and encouraging their children. Be sure to visit them during the week and pray for them. To those who had already accepted Jesus as their Savior, encourage them to remain faithful and obedient to Jesus. It is the best and most important decision of their lives, and will have eternal repercussion! As a teacher, feel privileged to have been the bearer of the most wonderful message of presenting the “good news” of salvation to your students.
Invite
Tell the group to come back for the next session and invite a friend to also come.
* 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.™