Jesus, the best teacher
key words
biblical reference
Mark 1:21-28
lesson objective
To help the students understand that Jesus acted and taught in a wonderful way, so that they would believe and have faith in him.
memory verse
“While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I’m well pleased. Listen to him!’” (Matthew 17:5, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
Many of today’s cultures are visual cultures, rich in images. This reminds me of an Easter service that I attended. While the choir sang, the images of Jesus suffering on the cross came to my memory, adding another dimension to the music.
As children grow up with visual stimuli, it is very difficult to communicate with them when we do not use those resources. Also, the little ones in our groups do not have the benefit of having been present when Jesus taught in the synagogue. It is difficult for us to understand the admiration that people felt in biblical times when listening to Jesus. It must have been incredible to witness the miracles and healings that took place during his ministry.
These lessons will give you the opportunity to help children experience some of that admiration. Use the activities to attract attention and encourage their imagination to better understand the stories. Guide them to the times when people listened to the teachings of Jesus. Help them understand why this Teacher was so different from all the others. His authority came from God, because he is the Son of God.
biblical commentary
Read Mark 1:21-28. When you were a child, did your teacher teach you with figures or objects? My teacher did. Over the years, I saw biblical stories illustrated with flannel graphs, with drawings on the blackboard, and also with puppets. I was exposed to a variety of newspaper objects to guide me during the lesson.
One of the lessons that I remember very vividly was when my father explained the gospel through a chemical experiment. He had a glass with a transparent liquid, to which he added another dark liquid, while he told us about how sin had stained our lives. The second liquid muddied the first until it was almost black. Then, when talking about Jesus shedding his blood for our sins, Dad added a red liquid to the cloudy glass. Amazingly, the liquid became transparent. It was wonderful!
Seeing the transformation was an important experience for me. Remember that “seeing” is part of our learning, regardless of how the information reaches us. Let me explain. When we learn, how do we receive the information? Sometimes it comes through touch: touching an object, feeling its contours. Other times we learn by listening: when someone tells us a story. We also teach ourselves through reading (most of our biblical learning is done that way). And you may ask yourself, But how do we “see” that way? When we learn by touch, our fingers transmit the sensations to a kind of map in our brain.
When we read a story, we see scenes in our minds. Later, when someone reminds us of that story, the images return immediately. When we read, we translate the words into figures that represent those words. For example, if we say “fork,” we will immediately draw in our mind the image of a metal, plastic or wooden article, with a handle and three or four teeth. We do this hundreds of times, every time we read a page, without being aware of what we are doing. Therefore, everything is “seen”, either with our fingers, with our eyes, with our sense of smell or with mental images.
In Mark 1:21-28, the people “saw” the teachings of Jesus. Although Jesus used words, people could “see” that things were changing. His authority was physically present to them. The power of Satan was destroyed before their very eyes. Something new, extraordinary, was happening. The teachings of Jesus had the authority of God’s power. Another important aspect of “seeing” is understanding. Through the words of Jesus and the healing of the man possessed by the devil, the multitude “saw” (that means they understood) who Jesus was: the Son of God.
In your role as a children’s teacher, how do you teach? Do you depend solely on your human strength, your natural creativity and some of the talents that God gave you; or do you feel God’s authority behind the truths you teach your students? Whether you give them objects to touch, tell them a story, or give them a Bible reading, children will learn better when they see in you the radiance of Jesus.
introduce the lesson
Important words
Write on 10 cm x 10 cm cards the words: “Son of God” and “miracle”. On the other side, the meaning.
Son of God: it is a special name for Jesus. When we know Jesus, we know who God is and what he is like.
Miracle: it is an incredible event that shows the power of God. It cannot be explained in any other way.
Place the cards in a bag, and after having reviewed the meaning of the words several times, ask some volunteers to take out a card and say the meaning of that word. Remember that the game will help the children learn. Repeat this activity for each lesson of the unit. If you wish, add other words to each lesson.
teach the lesson
Surprise in the synagogue!
Read Mark 1:21-28 in advance. “Here we are!” said Jesus. He and his disciples were in the city of Capernaum. It was the Sabbath and they had arrived at the synagogue, as they did every week. When the service began, Jesus was ready to teach about God.
The people in the synagogue had a habit of listening to the teachers. Each week, the teachers of the law explained the Scriptures to them. But when Jesus spoke, everyone immediately paid close attention. “Jesus teaches differently than the other teachers of the law!” mentioned a man to his friend. “I know, you can tell he knows what he’s talking about,” said another. “I agree,” said someone else. “He makes you feel that he really knows God.”
Suddenly, there was a loud noise in the synagogue. Everyone jumped! (If you have a picture of Jesus in the synagogue with a group of people, this is the time to show it.) “What was that?” “Look at that man, he is controlled by an evil spirit!”
Jesus went to where the man was who was screaming without stopping. The evil spirit that controlled the man said very angrily, “Ah! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? We know who you are: the Holy One of God.”
“Be quiet and leave him!” said the Lord. The unclean spirit, shaking him with violence and shrieking, came out of the tormented man, who immediately felt good. The evil spirit was gone. It did not control him anymore.
Everyone in the synagogue was amazed. “What is that?” they were asking each other. “It is a new teaching!” some said. “And with such authority! He gives the order to the evil spirits and they obey him!” commented others. Jesus and his friends left the synagogue. But the people did not forget him. People told their friends what had happened that day. The news spread throughout the country.
connect the lesson
Review of the biblical story
For this review activity, give everyone Student Activity Sheet #219-A and #219-B. Draw the group’s attention to “Who said it?” Guide the children to cut, paste and assemble the review wheel. You can give them a few minutes to form teams of two and play while you ask the questions about the story that appear on the wheel. Children should remember who said what is mentioned in the three biblical verses.
Encourage the children to take home the activity and share the lesson with family and friends.
practice the memory verse
Who is the winner?
For this unit, write the memory verse on pieces of cardboard in the form of clouds or another form of your liking. Place in each of them a word from the text of Matthew 17:5.
Mix them up on a table, with the words down. After repeating the memory verse several times, encourage the children to put the passage in order. For this memorization activity you can divide the children into two or three small groups. If so, you must prepare two or three sets of memory verses. Make it into a competition. The team that learns the text and puts it in the correct order first can receive a small prize, such as a pencil, stickers or stamps. This activity can be repeated every session while teaching this unit.
wrap-up
Pray
Ask the children to be very quiet. Prepare a series of 3 or 4 questions about the lesson and the Bible story. At the end of the review, ask a child to pray that they can remember the lesson during the week. Pray to dismiss them.
Encourage
Ask the children to tell the Bible story to their parents, siblings and friends. If you used the wheel “Who said it?” activity, they can use the for that.
Invite
Tell the group something interesting about the next session to encourage them to attend. Tell them that their friends are also welcome.
* 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.™