Jesus visits the temple
key words
biblical reference
Luke 2:39-52
lesson objective
To show children that God was with Jesus while he grew up.
memory verse
“And the child grew and became strong” (Luke 2:40a, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
The Gospel of Luke is the only one that talks about the childhood of Jesus. The brief story of when he was twelve years old is told in these verses (Luke 2:39-52). It also tells us something about his growth and development. It tells us he grew intellectually, morally, physically, and spiritually.
According to the Scripture, Jesus went through the normal stages of development of a child.
According to custom, Joseph and Mary attended the Passover celebration in Jerusalem each year. When Jesus was twelve, he went with his parents to visit the temple. Because it was tradition, the children received instructions using a question and answer method with the religious leaders. It was during one of the lessons, that Jesus amazed the religious leaders with his knowledge.
When preparing for this lesson, consider that each of your children is going through a different stage of growth. It may seem overwhelming to consider every child, but remember that they are all attending with different needs. Remember your own childhood. Was it hard growing up? It is possible that some of the children are facing difficulties, but you as their teacher can impact their lives.
Emphasize the idea that Jesus grew in different aspects, just as they do. Help them desire to grow in wisdom, strength, height and spiritually.
The children experience the important moments of their life together. They are willing to celebrate their achievements with enthusiasm.
It is important that they recognize that Jesus grew up and went through challenges just like them. Make the experience of the Lord’s childhood meaningful to your children by relating it to your own life.
The children need to know the temple (church) is a place where family and friends come together, and everyone is loved and accepted. Pay attention to how your children react to the experiences during class. Do they enjoy the company of their peers? Is church a place they like to be?
For children of that age, the church can be a special place. For some, it is a place for them to be with their friends. For others, it is God’s house.
As the children enjoy positive and nice experiences at church, their desire to attend will increase day to day. But if their experiences are negative, their resistance to attend church will grow. Accept your children as members of the church family. Show that acceptance through words and actions to help them and their faith grow.
introduce the lesson
Know the differences
You will need a poster for this activity, pictures of babies, children, and teenagers. (You can get them from magazines and newspapers.)
Prepare a mural that says: “And the child grew and became strong.”
Talk to your children about the differences that we notice as a person grows - how they talk, walk, run, think, etc. Ask them to give examples and help them understand the concept of growth.
Tell the children: "When Jesus was twelve, he went to visit the temple with his parents. Because it was tradition, the children received instructions using a question and answer method with religious leaders. It was during one of these lessons that Jesus amazed the religious leaders with his knowledge."
The children need to know the temple (church) is a place where family and friends come together, and everyone is loved and accepted. Pay attention to how your children react to the experiences during class. Do they enjoy the company of their peers? Is church a place they like to be?
teach the lesson
Gather the children so they can listen to the Bible story. If you are developing with the children a Book about Jesus, give them time to work on it. Give them Student Activity Sheet #2-C. Help them to cut out a picture of Jesus in the temple.
Ask: “How old do you think Jesus was here?” (Allow them to answer.) Continue: “After Jesus and his family went to Egypt, many years went by. Now he is twelve years old.”
Talk about the growth of Jesus and everything he can now do. Allow the children to glue the picture where it corresponds in their Book about Jesus and let them put their books away. Tell them that today’s story is about a trip that Jesus took with his family. They made a long trip by foot to Jerusalem to visit the temple. Tell the story and use the children’ activity book as an example.
A very special visit
Ask beforehand for help from an older child to visit your class and share. Make it clear to this child why you are inviting him and the objective of the lesson.
When you finish telling the story, ask the child to come into the classroom and tell the children about some of his current responsibilities at home, school, or church. Allow time for the children to ask questions. Emphasize the importance of the story for your children.
Tell the visitor: Today we heard about the day that Jesus visited the temple and spoke to some people about God.
When this is over, thank the guest and dismiss him from the room with applause.
connect the lesson
My book about Jesus
Give the children Student Activity Sheet #2-A and have them paste the picture of Jesus (from SAS #2-C) in their Book about Jesus in the right place.
Jesus visits the temple
Give the children Student Activity Sheet #2-B. Then, explain the directions. Reinforce in them the idea that Jesus visited the temple because he loved God and wanted to learn more about him.
Tell them: “Church is a special place to worship God. People that love him go to church with joy to listen, learn, and worship the Lord”.
Craft
You will need blank paper and colored paper, colored pencils, and glue.
Ask your children to draw the church. They may use the color pencils and colored paper to decorate their drawing. As they are doing this, ask them what they enjoy about church and why they think it is a special place.
Tell them to take their drawings home so they can remember that church is the best place on earth.
practice the memory verse
While the children finish the activity, write the Bible verse on the paper where they drew the church, and repeat it with them. Encourage them to memorize the verse. Tell them to review it at home with someone who can read.
wrap-up
Pray
Lead your children in prayer, give thanks to God for the opportunity to learn more about his word.
Encourage
Encourage them to take care of the church and to behave the same way Jesus did.
Invite
Give a preview of what is coming up in the next session, trying to make a connection and spark interest in the children so they do not miss it.
* 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.™