We show Jesus’ love
key words
bible reference
Luke 10:38 - 42
lesson objective
To help the children understand the importance of loving Jesus.
memory verse
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God” (1 John 4:7, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
Mary, Martha and Lazarus were three siblings who lived in Bethany, a town three kilometers from Jerusalem. They loved Jesus. They were good friends and every time he was near their house he visited them.
The Bible tells us that on one of those visits, the sisters showed love to their friend in two different ways. Martha was a practical woman, and she wanted to show that she loved Jesus by satisfying his need for food. It was her way of making him feel welcome.
On the other hand, Mary was more philosophical. Surely she was the dreamer of the family. While her sister was busy with the housework, Mary sat at the Master’s feet and listened to him as the most faithful of his followers.
As it usually happens when there are two different personalities in a family, these sisters had a disagreement. Martha began to feel ignored, because only she was doing the household tasks, while Mary had her whole attention set on Jesus.
Jesus understood them both. They were demonstrating their love for the Lord with different actions. However, Jesus emphasized an important point: “All our daily duties and activities are not important compared with the time we spend with Him.”
As you prepare for this week’s lesson, reflect on your motivations and priorities. What is your motivation to teach? What other ministries are you doing in your church? Do you work with joy or do you work out of obligation? The answers to these questions will help you discover if you are acting correctly. Pray and ask God to help you, so that your ministry and your daily duties do not distract you from your intimate relationship with Him.
adaptation
Teachers have the responsibility to teach children through words and actions – and show what it means to spend time with Jesus every day. That idea can be confusing for young children. Help them understand by giving examples that are concrete, easy to understand.
For example: They spend time with Jesus when they pray and talk with Him; also when reading Bible stories or during their family devotionals.
Preschoolers like to show their love for others. They want to collaborate in the class and participate in projects to help others. They are experts in making friends, so it will please them to know that they can know Jesus as their friend. Be sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit through this lesson. If children show a desire to accept Jesus, explain the plan of salvation and lead them in prayer.
introduce the lesson
A special meal
For this activity you will need plates, glasses and other toy utensils for cooking, a table, other available kitchen items, and molding clay or Play-dough.
Using these materials, make up an area of the room as if it were a small kitchen and allow the children to play there. While they are doing so, ask them: “What is your favorite food?” (Allow them to respond.) “What food would you give your best friend if they went to your house?” Listen to their answers carefully and tell them: “You would like to prepare something very special for your friend. That way you would be showing love. Our Bible story today is about two women who showed their love to a very special friend.”
teach the lesson
Study Luke 10:38 – 42 before the session and be prepared to tell the story.
Let’s visit our friends
Line up the children and stand at the front of the line. Lead the row around the room a few times. Explain that you are making an imaginary trip to visit some friends. As they walk, talk with them about what they do when they visit their best friends’ house.
Guide the line to their seats and ask them to sit down. Tell them that the story is about a very special visitor that Mary and Martha received.
Keep your Bible open in the study passage while telling the Bible story. This way your children will realize that the story is in the Word of God.
A special visit
Jesus and his disciples had traveled many places. They walked along long paths and visited different villages. Everywhere people gathered to hear him speak of the love of God.
One day, Jesus and his disciples passed through a village called Bethany. It was very hot and the road was dusty and long. The trip had been exhausting.
They entered Bethany and went to Mary and Martha’s house. They were friends of Jesus and loved him very much.
When Martha knew that Jesus was in her house, she ran to put everything in order. She cleaned the dust from the furniture, swept the floor and rushed to make delicious bread to share with Jesus and his disciples. “Where is Mary?” Martha wondered as she worked.
Mary also loved Jesus. She had longed to see her friend again. So when Jesus came to her house, she sat close to him to hear all the wonderful things that the Master spoke about.
When Martha realized that Mary was sitting with Jesus, she asked her, “What are you doing?”
Then she looked at Jesus and said, “Mary has left me doing all the work alone. Tell her to help me!” Martha felt tired and upset.
“Martha, Martha,” Jesus said, “you worry about a lot of things. Mary is acting well. She has chosen to listen to God’s message and that is what is really important.”
Mary and Martha loved Jesus very much and wanted to show him their love. Both did it in a different way. Jesus knew they loved him and he loved them too.
connect the lesson
Mary and Martha
For this activity, you will need Student Activity Sheet #94-A and #94-B, paper plates or cardboard circles, scissors, glue and colored pencils or markers.
Hand out the activity sheets, and follow the instructions to make the vertical cuts on each plate. Let them trace the word of faith of this unit (love), write their name and decorate their plates.
Provide scissors to cut the two strips of drawings from the activity sheet. Help the children to join the strips by gluing the two sections marked with the letter A.
Help them put the strip of drawings between the openings of the plate or cardboard circle. When they have finished, paste the sections marked with the letter B.
Review the Bible story using the finished crafts. Encourage the children to take their activities home so they can share today’s lesson with their families and friends.
practice the memory verse
Ask the children to walk backwards. For every step they take, they must say a word of the memory verse.
Repeat the verse until they have gone around the room. Then review with them individually and help those who have difficulty learning it.
wrap-up
Pray
Pray by giving thanks to God for Jesus and for the love you feel for each other. Intercede for prayer requests before saying goodbye.
Encourage
Encourage them to find ways to show love to their family and friends during the week.
Invite
Remind the children that in the next session they will study how to talk about Jesus to others.
* 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.™