The Unmerciful Servant

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Alban Shaw
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1 Week 2 TWO s & PK - JUNE 10th/11th (22.2) The Unmerciful Servant Bible Passages: Matthew 18:21-25 Main Point: Jesus taught about God s forgiveness 2 s Memory Verse:...he had compassion on them -Mark 6:34 Preschool Memory Verse:...he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. -Mark 6:34 Leader Preparation Your role as a leader in the classroom is the most important role in the Loop as you are the direct connection to the whole reason we gather - to share the love of Christ with kids at Park! If you are not prepared to lead well in your service, then that affects the experience of the children in your care. To help prepare for this lesson, use the following study guide to set the context for this week s lesson. And don t forget to pray before, during and after! Jesus had been teaching His disciples when Peter asked Jesus, How many times should I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Peter suggested seven times. Jews considered it standard to show forgiveness three times (see Job 33:29-30), so Peter probably thought he was going above and beyond. Jesus answered Peter s question by telling a story about an unmerciful servant. In the parable, a servant owed his master ten thousand talents. A talent was equal to about 20 years of wages. Ten thousand talents represented a debt that could never be repaid. Faced with debtors prison, the servant begged for more time to repay the master. Instead, the master released his servant and forgave the great debt. The same servant went out and confronted a man who owed him a hundred denarii about 100 days of wages. The man begged for more time, but the servant refused and put the man in prison. When the master heard what happened, he was angry that the servant who had been forgiven a great debt did not show mercy to the man who owed a small debt. So the master put the man in prison until he could pay his debt. Jesus concluded the parable by explaining that God would react in the same way to anyone who does not forgive his brother. We are like the servant, and God is like the master. Because of our sin, we owe a debt we cannot pay. We deserve to be punished for our sin, but God the Father showed His love by sending His Son, Jesus, to pay the debt we owe. Jesus lived the perfect life we fail to live and died the death we deserve to die. We come to Him with nothing to offer but empty hands of faith. Those who trust in Jesus are completely forgiven. As you teach preschoolers, emphasize that God shows mercy to us so that we will show mercy to others not just three times or seven times, but many times not keeping count. We have been forgiven a great debt, so we can forgive others when they sin against us.

2 Welcome // (15 minutes) Leaders: Pay attention to kids as they enter the room and be sure to greet them with a big smile! Make sure that you make each kid feel special when they arrive each week. Invite them to come sit or play with you. Learn their names. 2 s Preschool Before children arrive, set out toys to engage the kids when they are dropped off and turn on background music CD/flash drive. Remember that separation anxiety is common and normal with this age. The best way to combat this is to distract them with fun right away. Consider these activities: One leader singing songs with kids Having bubbles or bubble machine in one corner of the room Blocks or Cars set up and ready to play Playdough at a table Coloring- crayons and paper Set up the two activities below before children arrive, and turn on background music CD/Flash Drive. Kids can participate in either activity as they enter the room. 1. Activity page What You Need: More or less activity pages, crayons What You Do: Circle the stack with the most coins in each row What You Say: In today s Bible story, Jesus told a story about a servant who owed a king fifty million silver coins! Another man owed the servant one hundred silver coins. Fifty million is much more than one hundred. Listen to our Bible story to discover what happened to the servant. 2. Perform actions seven times What You Do: Call out an action and lead preschoolers in completing that action seven times. Possible actions include: jumping, squatting, touching your toes, jumping jacks, patting your head, lifting arms above your head, and so forth. Count to seven out loud as preschoolers perform each action. What You Say: Good job doing those actions seven times! In today s Bible story, Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive someone. He thought seven was a good number, but Jesus said something different. 2

3 TRANSITION TO CIRCLE TIME Circle Time // (25 minutes) MUSIC While the kids finish playing, get the worship CD/DVD/flash drive ready. Decide which 3 or 4 songs you are going to sing today. Say: It s circle time! Come sit in a circle with us! We re going to sing some fun songs together that worship God! Why do we sing to God? ( Answer: To honor Him with our worship!) 2 s STORYTIME Preschool STORY TIME Say: Today s Lesson comes from God s Word, the Bible! Why do we read the Bible? (Answer: To know God s Word in our hearts!). Read the following text while showing the children this week s Bible Story Picture. The text will be printed on the back of the picture in your supplies: Peter had a question for Jesus. How many times should I forgive someone? Peter asked. Seven times? Jesus said, Not just seven times, but seventy times seven times! Then Jesus told Peter a story. He wanted Peter to know what forgiveness is like in God s kingdom. One day, a king called for his servants. How much money do you owe me? the king asked. One of the servants owed the king fifty million silver coins! The servant did not have fifty million silver coins, so the king said that the servant and his family would be sold instead. The servant begged the king, Please give me Say: Today s Lesson comes from God s Word, the Bible! Why do we read the Bible? (Answer: To know God s Word in our hearts!). Watch today s teaching video OR read the following text while showing the children this week s Bible Story Picture: Peter had a question for Jesus. How many times should I forgive someone? Peter asked. Seven times? Jesus said, Not just seven times, but seventy times seven times! Then Jesus told Peter a story. He wanted Peter to know what forgiveness is like in God s kingdom. One day, a king called for his servants. How much money do you owe me? the king asked. One of the servants owed the king fifty million silver coins! The servant did not have fifty million silver coins, so the king said that the servant and his family would be sold instead. The servant begged the king, Please give me 3

4 The king felt sorry for the servant, so he let the servant go and forgave his debt. The servant did not have to pay the king anything at all! Then the servant saw a man who owed him one hundred silver coins. He grabbed the man and said, Give me my money! The man begged the servant, Please give me But the servant did not forgive the man. He threw the man into jail. Some other servants told the king what happened. The king called for the servant he had forgiven. You are an evil man! the king said. You owed me more money than you could ever repay, and I forgave you; but that man owed you a little bit of money and you did not forgive him. The king was angry. He punished the servant and made him pay back all the money he owed. After Jesus told the story, He said, This is what My Father in heaven will do if you do not forgive each other. Christ Connection: Because of our sin, we owe God more than we could ever repay. We deserve to be punished. But Jesus came and died on the cross for our sin. He was punished instead of us. He paid what we owe God. When we trust in Jesus, God forgives our sin all of it! We can forgive others because God has forgiven us so much. The king felt sorry for the servant, so he let the servant go and forgave his debt. The servant did not have to pay the king anything at all! Then the servant saw a man who owed him one hundred silver coins. He grabbed the man and said, Give me my money! The man begged the servant, Please give me But the servant did not forgive the man. He threw the man into jail. Some other servants told the king what happened. The king called for the servant he had forgiven. You are an evil man! the king said. You owed me more money than you could ever repay, and I forgave you; but that man owed you a little bit of money and you did not forgive him. The king was angry. He punished the servant and made him pay back all the money he owed. After Jesus told the story, He said, This is what My Father in heaven will do if you do not forgive each other. Christ Connection: Because of our sin, we owe God more than we could ever repay. We deserve to be punished. But Jesus came and died on the cross for our sin. He was punished instead of us. He paid what we owe God. When we trust in Jesus, God forgives our sin all of it! We can forgive others because God has forgiven us so much. After the story, ask the children the following review question: Let s answer today s important question about today s story: 1. Why did Jesus tell stories? ( To teach people about God ) 2. What did Jesus teach in this story? (about how Jesus forgives) After the lesson, ask the children the following review questions: 1. Why did Jesus tell stories? ( To teach people about God ) 2. What did the servant do to the man who owed him? ( threw him in jail) 3. What did the king do when he heard how the servant treated the other man? (punished the servant and made him pay back what he owed) 4

5 4. What did Jesus teach in this story? (about how Jesus forgives) MEMORY VERSE Say: Now, let s practice this month s memory verse that comes from God s word, the Bible! 2 s VERSION He (point up towards Jesus in Heaven) had compassion (hold hands in x across your chest) on them... (point both thumbs to yourself) Mark 6:34 (open your hands like a book) PRESCHOOL VERSION He (point up towards Jesus in Heaven) had compassion (hold hands in x across your chest) on them, (point both thumbs to yourself) because they were like sheep without a shepherd. (pretend you have a staff in your hand) Mark 6:34 (open your hands like a book) OFFERING Pass around the offering bag or bucket to collect any offering for today. Say: Why do we collect offering? (Answer: To pass the blessings God has given us back to His church!) PRAYER & SNACK Say: Why do we pray? (Answer: To open our hearts to God and talk to Him!) Tell the children to close their hands and bow their heads. After praying give each of the children a graham cracker and some water while you review the day s lesson. 5

6 TRANSITION TO ACTIVITIES Application Activities // (30 minutes) Choose from the following review activities that best fits the age of your class. 2 s Preschool 1. Coloring Page What You Need: Coloring page and crayons What You Do: While children are still seated at the table from snack time, start handing out coloring pages and crayons. While children are coloring, review the memory verse and today s Bible story. 2. Practice Counting to Seventy Seven What You Do: Count aloud to 70 What You Say: After counting to seventy and saying aloud that you would do that seven times, say I forgive you! 1. Forgiving Makes Us Happy What You Need: Forgiving Makes Us Happy Activity Sheet What You Do: Draw happy faces on the children What You Say: Jesus taught about God s forgiveness. Jesus said we should forgive seventy times seven times. That s a lot! Jesus is right to tell us to forgive. Because of our sin, we owe God more than we could ever repay. Jesus died on the cross to pay what we owe God. Jesus forgives us way more than seventy times seven times. Forgiving other people again and again is a way to show Jesus that we love Him and are thankful for His forgiveness. And in the end, forgiving others makes us happy! 3. Practice Counting to Seventy Seven What You Do: Count aloud to 70 What You Say: After counting to seventy and saying aloud that you would do that seven times, say I forgive you! Free Play & Dismissal For the remainder of the hour, let kids have free play time. Begin cleaning up the room. And set any take-home creations where you or parents can get them easily at pick-up. 2 s Take Homes Coloring Page ASK ME sticker Preschool Take Homes Activity Page ASK ME sticker 6

7 Greeter should stand at the door with the attendance sheet. They should check the parents security tag at the door to confirm pick up of the correct child. If parent does not have security tag, greeter should send parent to the check-in desk for approval. Greeter should make sure child is wearing their Ask Me sticker and hand any take home creations to parents. 7

The Unmerciful Servant

UNIT 22 Session 2 Use Week of: 2 The Unmerciful Servant BIBLE PASSAGE: Matthew 18:21-35 MAIN POINT: Jesus taught about God s forgiveness. KEY PASSAGE: Mark 6:34 BIG PICTURE QUESTION: Why did Jesus tell