Jesus feeds the crowd
key words
biblical reference
john 6:1-14
lesson objective
To teach the children that Jesus cares for their needs.
memory verse
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
The feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle recorded in all the Gospels (Matthew 14: 13-21, Mark 6: 30-44, Luke 9: 10-17. and John 6: 1-15). These wonderful events that Jesus did demonstrated the power he had to meet human needs, his compassion, and above all, his divine nature. Only God could do what Jesus did.
In this miracle, Jesus demonstrated that he was able to use anything at his fingertips. But he could also have done so without using the boy’s lunch, which consisted of five barley loaves and two fish. However, when we are close to him, there will always be enough, and we will have some left over.
In verse 14 we can see what people’s response to this miracle was. Reflect on your own life: What does this mean for you? How do you respond to the grace and miracles that God does in your personal life? How can you tell this to the children in your class?
Try to increase the confidence that children have in Jesus. Help them understand that he is not someone who always gives us everything we want. However, he is a friend who loves us and cares at all times. During the lesson, talk to the children about the help and provision we receive from God.
Usually, children make friends easily, so it will not be difficult for them to identify Jesus as their Friend. They do not care about the reasons for affection, nor about how their parents provide them with clothing and food. Encourage in them the desire to thank God for all they have. It is important for your children to identify that everything we have comes from God, as a gift of love for us.
Remember that the learning process is different for each child, so watch your children and identify how they respond to the teaching. Watch their actions, listen to their conversations, and talk to them to find out what they are learning about Jesus.
introduce the lesson
Let’s cook!
You will need cooking utensils and toy food.
Young children have a special liking when it comes to preparing food. They like to imagine making their meals and serving them.
Say: “Imagine that today many friends will come for lunch. What can we cook for them?” (Let the imaginary food be prepared). Continue: “One day when Jesus taught his disciples, many people from various villages came to hear him. But time passed and they began to feel hungry. Do you know what Jesus did? Something special that we will discover in today’s Bible story.”
How much?
You will need a basket, cut outs in the form of bread, and paper fish.
Put the basket and the illustrations on a table.
Ask: “How many loaves of bread and how many fish could you eat by yourself?” (Allow time for them to respond). “How many loaves and how many fish could your family eat?” (Let them respond). “How many loaves and how many fish would we need to feed the whole church?” (Allow them to calculate the amounts). “How many would we need to feed the whole city?” (Let them respond).
Say: “In today’s Bible story, we will talk about an occasion when Jesus fed thousands of people with very little food.”
teach the lesson
Baskets of bread
Prepare in advance five pieces of bread (or 5 buns) and a basket. Put the bread inside the basket and ask: “What is inside this basket?” (allow some children to guess) Then open the basket and say: “Let’s count the pieces of bread (or buns) we have. Very well, there are five! Now let’s hear how Jesus fed many people, more than those in the church, with only five loaves and two fish.”
If you want, you can make two paper fish and use them to accompany the bread.
Then tell the Bible story found in John 6:1-14.
connect the lesson
Lunch in a basket
Give the children Student Activity Sheet #8-A and #8-B, pencils, scissors, and glue. Give them time to trace the Word of Faith (Miracle) and write their name on the worksheet. Help them cut out the loaves of bread and fish in Student Activity Sheet #8-A, and while they remember the Bible story, they must stick them in the basket that corresponds to them. Supervise them while trimming to avoid accidents.
Help the children glue one of each of loaves of bread (bottom of SAS #8-A) in each of the baskets provided in Student Activity Sheet 38-C. Encourage the children to take home their activity sheets to share the lesson with their families and friends.
practice the memory verse
Cut out several fish from construction paper or cardboard. Using masking tape, tape them to the floor giving the shape of a fish path. As the children walk down the path, they can recite the Bible verse together.
wrap-up
Pray
Sing a chorus of thanksgiving and end the class with a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s care.
Encourage
Encourage your children to trust God’s provision and care for their lives.
Invite
Conclude the class and emphasize that just as Jesus fed the crowd, he also has the power to meet all our needs. Invite the children to come for the next session and begin a new unit.
* 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.™