Jesus, the most powerful
key words
biblical reference
Mark 4:35-41
lesson objective
To help the students understand that Jesus, as the Son of God, has power over the forces of nature, over diseases and over everything else. They can know that he is with us especially when we are afraid.
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
There are many things in the world that make children afraid, like storms, night noises or being away from mom and dad. There are very peculiar fears that affect every child in particular. Keep in mind that they can face very big fears in their everyday life.
Elementary-aged children have very little control over their lives. They are directed by their parents, teachers and other adults. This, in itself, can cause them fear. Although they probably will never be in a boat during a storm, their fears are equally real. It is important that as an adult who represents Jesus for their lives, you recognize that they have such feelings.
In today’s session, our children will learn that there are still strong men who are afraid of storms. It is good for children to know that adults are also afraid sometimes. Children understand the fear that comes from strong storms, thunder and lightning. This is a story with which they can identify. The foundation of the story is that we can trust God when we are afraid.
Use this lesson to give your students an important tool: trust in God. Tell them that Jesus is with them wherever they are and that he will help and protect them when fear overwhelms them.
biblical commentary
Read Mark 4:35-41. “What’s going on?” he asked twice, trying to hide the tremor in his voice. He and his wife had spent the last two hours in the emergency room. Another convulsion of pain hit the woman’s body. “I do not know,” she said weakly. He did not know either. All he knew was that he was very afraid.
A doctor and a nurse entered the room. “Please, can you help her?” the husband asked, not hiding his panic. “Sure,” said the doctor, “we’ll give her something for the pain right now. Then we’ll take her to the surgery room to repair the bleeding area. She will be alright.”
How different it is to have knowledge about something! The man did not know what was happening to his wife; that’s why he was terrified. The doctor knew what was happening and that he would be able to solve it. Therefore the doctor was not afraid.
Many times, security comes from knowledge. If we know the answers to the questions, we wo not be afraid when we take an exam. If we hear a noise in our house during the night, we wo not worry if we know who’s making it. And we can be sure when we know that a power superior to ours is there to take care of us.
The center of Mark’s story about “the storm” that struck Jesus and his disciples has to do with knowing; knowing who Jesus is and who has the power to act. Jesus was in the same boat as his disciples, literally and symbolically. Jesus slept in the stern of the ship that was taking them to the other side of the sea. This is the story as it happened. Although Jesus was also “in the same boat,” like all of us experiencing life as a human being, still he was not scared when the disturbed disciples woke him up and accused him of not caring about them. Jesus simply got up, “rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Be silent, be still!” (V. 39)
Jesus knew, that’s why he was calm. Did the disciples know? They had asked each other, “Who is this?” (V. 41). They had been with Jesus for a long time, but this demonstration of his power amazed them. He also filled them with fear. They wondered if they really knew who Jesus was. In fact, they knew him a little, but they still had a lot to learn. That question at the end of the chapter makes us ask ourselves, “Who is this?”
Do we know Jesus? Do we know him as the one who has all the answers to the most complex problems? Do we know him as our protector when we go through the darkest nights? Do we know that his power is greater than any other power in the universe? If we do not know Jesus in that way, we will be continually anxious, because life is full of storms. On the other hand, if we truly know him, we will have peace in the middle of the storms. May we hear Jesus whisper to our storms, “Be silent, be still!”
introduce the lesson
Welcome your students with affection and ensure that the room is clean and tidy before they arrive. Before starting today’s topic, briefly review the two previous lessons and ask your students to give some examples of how faithful they have been to God during this past week.
Choose one of these following activities to get the children’s attention for the lesson.
Storm noises
Place the children in a circle. Ask them to make noise imitating various types of storms (rain, thunder, wind). For the rain, have children hit the palms of their hands quickly on their legs. For thunder, ask them to hit the ground with the soles of their feet, as if they were running. For the wind, ask them to blow hard and make noise saying: Wooo! Wooo!
Play for a while. Direct the frequency and loudness of the noises of the storm. Start very smoothly, then stronger, faster, etc. Ask them, “How do you feel when it begins to rain really hard and you hear thunder and see lightning?” (Let the children respond.)
Say: “In today’s Bible story, Jesus was with his disciples when a very strong storm hit them. Let’s see what happened. Be silent! Be still! This is a fun game.” Ask the children to stand in a row at the side or at the end of the room. Tell them, “When I cover my eyes, you can move to where I am. When I say, ‘Be silent! Be still!’, you must stop immediately. I will open my eyes and if I see anyone moving, they will have to return to the starting place.”
Play this game as time allows. Say: “Be silent! Be still! Let’s see what happened when Jesus said those words.”
teach the lesson
Winds and waves are silent!
It was late. Jesus had taught many people throughout the day, therefore he was very tired. Before dark, he decided to take a break. He told his disciples, “let’s go to the other side.” They all climbed into the boat, untied it and started sailing. Jesus leaned back in the boat and fell asleep on a pillow. While they were sailing, a big storm arose. The wind began to blow with fury. It rocked the boat from one side to the other. Then, it started to rain so hard that they almost could not see anything. A powerful storm surrounded them.
The disciples trembled with fear. They were so scared that they did not know what to do. Everyone feared that the boat would sink. “What will we do now? We will drown!” they shouted. As they looked around, they noticed that Jesus was not helping them get water out of the boat. He was still asleep in the back of the boat. The disciples were shocked. How could he do that? How could Jesus sleep in the middle of that terrible storm?
“Teacher!” exclaimed one of his disciples, “do not you worry that we will die?” Rubbing his eyes, Jesus got up and looked around. He saw that the wind was shaking the boat from one side to the other. The rain hit his face as he watched the dark sky. Then he turned, looked at the sea and ordered the wind to stop blowing. “Be silent! Be still!” was Jesus’ order. The wind stopped. The rain stopped. The storm subsided. Everything was quiet. The drenched disciples looked surprised.
The Master looked them in the eyes and asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do not you have faith?” The disciples were amazed. “Who is this?” one of them asked. “Even the wind and the sea obey him!”
connect the lesson
When we are afraid
Give each child Student Activity Sheet #221-A and #221-B and a variety of colored pencils or markers. Ask them, “What things make children or adults afraid? What makes you afraid?” Be prepared to tell children something that you fear now or that you were afraid of when you were little.
Ask the children to draw on Student Activity Sheet #221-B something that makes them feel afraid. As they do so, ask them, “What can you do when you are afraid? (Pray, remember that God is with them.) How can Jesus help you when you are afraid?” (By giving them peace of mind, helping them to think about what to do, changing the situation.) Once the drawings are finished, they can be placed on a mural for a few weeks. Write on the mural as the title: “Jesus, the most powerful.”
Guide the children to color the figure in Student Activity Sheet #221-A. Tell the students to follow the instructions. As a review, ask the questions that appear on the sheet. Encourage them by saying: “All people, both children and adults, often feel fears in different ways. Do not be ashamed, remember that you are not the only ones to be afraid.”
Have the children take home the activities and share the lesson with family and friends.
practice the memory verse
Write the memory verse on the board. After repeating it as a group several times, erase one word at a time, starting with the first, until the children have memorized the verse completely. Ask several of them to write two or three words of the verse on the board. You can divide the board into several spaces and give the opportunity for several to come and write parts of the text. Help those who are wrong, or ask whoever already knows the text to help those who do not know.
wrap-up
Pray
Teach the children to pray when they are afraid for some reason. Encourage them to always remember that Jesus is the most powerful, that he is always with us, that his presence shines in the darkest corners, and that he is the solution to fear. Put them in a circle. In this way, a child can pray for the fears of his partner on the right, and so on until it is finished with you, and you will pray for the whole group.
Encourage
Sing a song or chorus the encourages that children to always trust God and pray.
Invite
Before they depart, encourage the children to attend the next session by saying something interesting about it. Remind them that God also desires to hear their friends' prayers too.
* 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.™