Jesus wants us to be fair.

Transcription

1 Praise Jesus! Zacchaeus Changes His Ways Lesson 13 Bible Point Jesus wants us to be fair. Bible Verse Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you (Matthew 7:12a). Growing Closer to Jesus Children will n discover what it s like to be treated unfairly, n determine what s fair in different situations, and n choose a way to treat others fairly. Teacher Enrichment Bible Basis n Zacchaeus changes his ways. Luke 19:1-10 Zacchaeus story occurred towards the end of Jesus long journey to Jerusalem, near the end of his ministry. Tax collectors were despised by the Jews of Jesus day because they represented Roman oppression. Zacchaeus was not only a tax collector, but a chief tax collector, which meant that he dealt and contracted directly with the Romans. This would have made him the richest and the most despised of tax collectors. It was not mere chance that Jesus looked away from the throng of people who surrounded him and looked directly up into the tree to see this seeker who wanted to see Jesus for himself. Zacchaeus didn t even have to say anything when Jesus spotted him; Jesus already had a plan for Zacchaeus. After spending some time with Jesus, Zacchaeus was apparently convinced that Jesus was who he said he was. Zacchaeus decision to repay those he had cheated must have been a result of his trusting in God s grace a proof of a changed heart. Prayer Read 2 Corinthians 5:17. How does this Bible verse pertain to Zacchaeus life? to your life? Pray: Lord, thank you for showing us how to be loving and just. Help me to show fairness to my students as I 153

2 Lesson 13 Before the Lesson n Collect items for the activities you plan to use, referring to the Classroom Supplies and Learning Lab Supplies listed in the chart. n Make photocopies of the Growing Together handout (at the end of this lesson) to send home with your children. n Pray for your students and for God s direction in teaching the lesson. This Lesson at a Glance Welcome Attention Grabber What Children Will Do Classroom Supplies Learning Lab Supplies Welcome! Receive a warm welcome from the teacher, and decorate name tags. Whose Shoes? Walk a relay in someone else s shoes to help them understand about fairness. Name tags from Lesson 9, construction paper, tape, safety scissors, markers Pair of men s shoes, pair of toddler s shoes Bible Exploration & Application Marketplace Earn money, lose it to an unfair tax collector named Zacchaeus, and listen to Matthew 7:12a. Closing Story Symbols Create a picture story of Zacchaeus meeting with Jesus in Luke 19:1-10. Fair Solutions Listen to Philippians 2:3-4, and work in groups to decide what s fair in several situations. Do Right Talk about ways to do right and be fair. Bible, newspapers, magazines, construction paper, safety scissors, tape, markers Bible 154

3 Welcome SUPPLIES: name tags from Lesson 9, construction paper, tape, safety scissors, markers Greet each child individually with an enthusiastic smile. Thank each child for coming to class today. As children arrive, ask them about last week s Growing Together activities. Use questions such as How did you help your family have fun last week? and What chores did you do to help around the house? Say: Today we re going to learn that Jesus wants us to be fair. Pass out the name tags children made during Lesson 9, and help them write the word fair on one of the fingers. Suggest to any non-writers that they draw a face instead showing an expression that represents the word fair. As you help children with their name tags, review this module s lessons by discussing the words printed on the fingers of the name tags. Then help the children attach the name tags to their clothing. If some of the name tags were damaged, or if children weren t in class that week, have them make new name tags using the instructions in Lesson 9. Tell the children that you ll raise your hand to get their attention. They should respond by raising their hands and focusing on you. Rehearse the signal and encourage the children to respond quickly so you ll have time for all the fun activities in this lesson. Attention Grabber n Whose Shoes? SUPPLIES: pair of men s shoes, pair of toddler s shoes Say: There is a saying that we should not judge people until we ve walked a mile in their shoes. Let s play a game right now that will help us understand people instead of being mean or unfair to them. In this game, you ll get to walk in someone else s shoes. Have children form four teams and line up at one end of the room. Give the first child in each line one shoe. Tell those children to put the shoes on as best they can. Say: When I say, go, you ll hop on that shoe to the opposite end of the room and back. Then give your shoe to the next person on your team. When everyone has had a turn, have children sit in a circle on the floor. Ask: What was it like to walk in someone else s shoe? (It was hard; I almost fell; it made me laugh.) How can walking in someone else s shoes help us understand how they feel? (It must feel funny to be a grown-up with such big feet; it makes me glad that I m not that small anymore.) Say: When we walk in someone else s shoes, we are more sensitive to their feelings. If we understand how they are feeling, it s easier for us to treat them fairly, the way we would like to be treated. Ask: Have you ever been treated unfairly? What happened? (Once I got in trouble for something I didn t do; a couple of times my big brother beat me up, and that was really mean of him.) Zacchaeus Changes His Ways It s important to say the Bible Point just as it s written in each activity. Repeating the Bible Point over and over will help children remember it and apply it to their lives. Be sure and stress to children that safety comes first, so no running is allowed. If a child begins to stumble or fall, have everyone stop until that child is steadied again, then resume activity. First- and second-graders have a black-and-white view of justice. They insist on their view of fairness, and when a situation doesn t turn out the way they want it to, they may feel they ve been treated unfairly. Watch for teachable moments when you can reinforce to children how much easier it is to treat others with fairness when we try to see things from their perspective. 155

4 Lesson 13 What is it like when you re treated unfairly? (It makes me angry; sad; I feel like I want to cry.) Say: Unfair things happen sometimes, and they make us angry and sad. But if we imagine how others might be feeling, we can treat them more fairly. Today we re going to talk about fairness. Jesus wants us to be fair even when unfair things happen to us. Are you ready to learn some more about that? Here we go. Understanding how your first- and second-graders think concretely will give you insight into ways you can help them grasp the abstract concept of fairness. At this age, the children are interested in concrete learning experiences such as dramatization and rhythms. They have a limited concept of time and space and are more interested in the present than in the past or future. They yearn for competence in developing skills but are not overly competitive yet. Bible Exploration & Application n Marketplace SUPPLIES: none Form three groups. Give each group six plastic coins from the Learning Lab. If your class has more than 12 children, form four groups and give each group five plastic coins. Let each group choose one person to be the boss. Everyone else is a worker. In each group, the boss hides a coin behind his or her back. One worker guesses which hand the coin is hidden in. If the worker guesses correctly, he or she has earned that coin and gets to try again with another coin. If the worker guesses incorrectly, the boss keeps the coin. Then the boss picks up a new coin, and the next worker gets a turn. Have the children keep playing until all the coins have been earned. Some workers might earn several coins. Other workers might not earn any coins and might not even get a turn. When all the coins have been earned, raise your hand to get children s attention. Wait for children to raise their hands and stop talking. Then bring the class together. Have each child keep the coins he or she has earned. Say: It looks like some of you have become rich during this game. I m going to pretend to be Zacchaeus, a tax collector in Jesus time. You have to pay taxes on the money you earned today. The taxes go to the government. Every person must pay two coins to the government. If children protest that they don t have two coins, just say: It s the law. I have to collect two coins from everyone. Collect two coins from each child. If some children don t have two coins, send them to jail in a corner of the room or under a classroom table. After you ve collected the taxes, say: Look at all the money I collected today. I think I ll give the government half the money and keep the rest for myself. Divide the money. Put the plastic coins that go to the government in the Learning Lab. Put the rest of the coins in a pile in front of you. Say: Look how many coins I have. How many do you have? Wow! I have more than you do! This is exactly what Zacchaeus did. He took more money from the people than he was supposed to. Matthew 7:12a tells us to treat others as we d like to be treated. That s our Bible verse for today. Listen to what it says: Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. Ask: What do you think people thought of Zacchaeus? (I bet they didn t like him much; I bet they hated him; he probably didn t have any friends.) 156

5 Zacchaeus Changes His Ways How do you think Zacchaeus might have felt if someone had cheated him? (Mad; upset; hurt.) What should happen to a person like Zacchaeus? (He should get in trouble; I think he should be put in jail.) Say: Zacchaeus wasn t a fair person. He didn t treat people the way Jesus wanted him to. It would be easy to be mean to Zacchaeus because of all the unkind things he did. But Jesus wants us to be fair. Now let s find out what happened to Zacchaeus. Put the other plastic coins back in the Learning Lab. n Story Symbols SUPPLIES: Bible, newspapers, magazines, construction paper, safety scissors, tape, markers Provide newspapers, magazines, construction paper, safety scissors, tape, and markers. Say: Let s imagine that Zacchaeus lives in our country today and make a picture story of what his life would be like. This story comes from Luke 19:1 10. Open your Bible to Luke 19:1 10, and show children the words. You can help me tell the story. I ll tell each of you what to do. Have all the children listen while you give the following instructions so they ll all hear the story. Have children use the materials you set out to complete their tasks. Give each child one of these instructions: Cut out a picture of someone who looks like Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was very rich. Cut out pictures of some of the things he might own if he were rich and lived in our country. Zacchaeus collected money from people even if they were poor. He kept some of the money for himself. Cut out a picture of some of the people Zacchaeus collected money from. One day Jesus came to town. Cut out a picture of a town. Zacchaeus knew that Jesus was coming. Because Zacchaeus was short, he climbed a tree so that he could see Jesus better. Cut out a picture of a tree. Jesus told Zacchaeus that he wanted to go to Zacchaeus house. Cut out a picture of Zacchaeus house. The people were angry and jealous because Jesus decided to visit Zacchaeus instead of them. They didn t think this was fair because Zacchaeus did such bad things. Cut out pictures of what the angry people looked like. Have children draw angry faces if they can t find them in the magazines or newspapers. When Zacchaeus listened to Jesus, he was sorry for what he had done. Cut out pictures of sad faces and cut out teardrop shapes from the construction paper. Zacchaeus was so sorry for what he had done that he paid back the money he had taken. He even gave back more money than he had taken. Cut out a heart shape to show that Zacchaeus heart was changed and that he became a fair person. Bible Insight In Luke 19:5, Jesus calls Zacchaeus by name even though Jesus had never met him. Jewish people normally considered this ability to be the sort of thing only a prophet could do. 157

6 Lesson 13 Help the children tape their pictures to a wall or bulletin board in the order of the story. Then have each child explain his or her part of the picture. Ask: Why did Jesus go to Zacchaeus house? (Because he was being fair; because he loved Zacchaeus; because he wanted to tell Zacchaeus about God.) Would you have wanted to go to Zacchaeus house? Why or why not? (No, he wasn t a nice person; no, you shouldn t go to a person s house if he steals; yes, because Jesus did.) What do you think Zacchaeus thought when Jesus came to his house? (I bet he was surprised; he probably felt guilty; he was excited.) Say: Jesus knew that Zacchaeus had treated people unfairly. But Jesus still loved Zacchaeus and was kind to him. He gave Zacchaeus a fair chance to say he was sorry for the wrong things he had done. Jesus is our friend, too, and that s why he came to earth to die for the wrong things we have done. If we tell God we are sorry for the wrong things we do we call them sins and if we believe in Jesus, we can live with him in heaven someday. Jesus is fair, and he wants everyone to be able to live with him in heaven one day. Jesus wants us to be fair, too. That means that even when others are unfair, we can treat them kindly and fairly, the way Jesus would. HANDS-ON BIBLE For this activity, set aside a pitcher of water, two clear glasses, and food coloring. Have the children open their Hands-On Bibles to Luke 19 and help them find the activity called Clean Up Your Act. Read the activity out loud for the children, and then set up your water experiment. Ask for volunteers to drop the red food coloring and the blue food coloring into the water glasses per the instructions provided. Pour the blue water into the red water, and then ask: What happened? (The blue water turned the glass of red water a different color; the red water turned purple.) Say: When I mixed the blue water with the red water, the water in the glass turned a purple color. That s a big change! We learned about a big change that happened in Zacchaeus life, too, when Jesus talked with him. What big change did Jesus make in Zacchaeus life? (Jesus forgave him for being a mean person; Zacchaeus changed and started being nicer.) How does the big change in the water glass remind you of the big change that Jesus made in Zacchaeus life? (They were both big changes; you could see the change right away.) Say: Jesus made a big change in Zacchaeus life because he treated the man fairly. Jesus wants us to be fair, too, and treat other people the way he would. Then we might see big changes in their lives, too. 158

7 Zacchaeus Changes His Ways Have children shout out big changes they think could happen when they treat people the way Jesus would. Close in prayer, asking the Lord to help these small children make big changes by being fair with others. n Fair Solutions SUPPLIES: Bible Say: Listen to what the Bible says about how we should treat others. Read Philippians 2:3-4 from the Hands-On Bible or another easy-to-understand version of the Bible. The Bible says we should treat others as though they re more important than we are. That means that we should think of their side first. Ask How does it make you feel when someone thinks of your side first? (It feels good; I feel special.) How can you show you re thinking of someone else s side? (I can listen; I can be fair; I can give in.) Form groups of three. Say: I m going to read some situations in which the people have to decide to be fair or unfair. In your group, decide what the people should do to be fair. Remember to think of what would be fair for both people. Read each of the following situations aloud. After reading each situation, give the children a minute to decide what the people should do. Then have volunteers share their ideas with the class. Ask how they decided what was fair and why their ideas were fair to everyone. Situation 1: It s time for recess, and Anthony and Jacob are excited about going out to play. The teacher tells them to put on their coats before they go out. Jacob remembers that he left his coat on the school bus. Anthony has a warm coat. What should they do to be fair? Situation 2: Halley and Brandon s mother tells them they can have a snack after school. Halley decides to have a piece of cake. Brandon says he wants one, too. But there s only one piece left. What should they do to be fair? Situation 3: It s time for Becca to practice for her piano lesson. Her sister Alexa is watching her favorite TV show right next to the piano. What should they do to be fair? Situation 4: During lunchtime at school, Travis sees a big kid take a kindergartner s lunch. The kindergartner is crying. What should Travis do to be fair? Say: You all had great ideas about how to be fair. Being fair isn t always easy. Sometimes what we want seems more important than what others want. The Bible says that instead of being selfish we can be interested in others. That means being fair to others rather than thinking of ourselves first. Jesus wants us to be fair even when it s hard. But he ll give us the help we need to treat others right. It is loving to treat others with kindness and mercy. Children may have a hard time understanding that, unfortunately, people don t always treat others that way. Explain that God s idea of fairness is giving people a second chance. 159

8 Lesson 13 Closing n Do Right SUPPLIES: none Have children form a wide circle. Then ask: What are some ways to be fair that you ve learned from the Bible? (To share; to be kind; to say thank you; to be helpful.) Hold up the comet ball. Say: Today we learned that Jesus wants us to be fair. Say that with me: Jesus wants us to be fair. Think of a time at home, at school, or at church that you can do the right thing and be fair, such as when you re taking turns on the playground. We are going to take turns tossing the comet ball to one another. When it s your turn to hold the ball, share with the group what you thought of. Then toss the ball across the circle to someone else who hasn t had a turn yet. Toss the comet ball to a child standing across the circle from you. Give that child a minute to respond; then have him or her toss the ball to someone else. Continue until each child has had at least one turn, and then ask for whoever has the comet ball to toss it back to you. Raise your hand to get children s attention, and wait for children to raise their hands and stop talking. Then say: You acted fairly just now, sharing the ball with your classmates so that everybody got a turn. And those are some good ideas for ways you can do the right thing and be fair to others outside of class. Let s ask for God s help in being fair. God, thank you for treating all of us with love, kindness, and fairness. We want to treat others the way you treat us. Help us to be fair with everyone we meet. In Jesus name, amen. Growing closer to Jesus extends beyond the classroom. Photocopy the Growing Together handout (at the end of this lesson) for this week, and send it home with your children. Encourage children and parents to use the handout to plan meaningful activities on this week s topic. Follow up the Growing Together activities next week by asking children what their families did together. 160

9 Jesus Ministry 13: Jesus wants us to be fair. Bible Story Zacchaeus changes his ways. (Luke 19:1-10) Key Verse Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you (Matthew 7:12a). The Great Divide Today your child learned from the story of Zacchaeus that it s important to treat others fairly. The children learned that even when others treat them unfairly, God still wants them to be fair. It s a tall order, but you can reinforce this point by making your home a place where fairness is practiced regularly. Use these ideas to help. Fair Punishment Keep Away Use this method to keep things fair around your house. If two family members want to share the last piece of cake or the last cookie, have one person divide the piece in half and have the other person choose which of the two pieces he or she wants. Play Keep Away with your family. Talk about how it feels to be the person in the middle who doesn t get a turn with the ball. Is it more fair for the shortest person or the tallest person to be in the middle? Together, modify the game so everyone can enjoy playing. Help your child understand the way God combines fairness with mercy. When your child does something wrong, discuss what happened. Then have your child decide what a fair punishment would be. You ll find that many times your child will be much harder on himself or herself than you would be. Together choose a reasonable punishment. Don t forget to be merciful make sure your child knows he or she can make a fresh start, with all past mistakes forgotten. Fairness Forum Make sure it s OK for family members to tell each other when they think they ve been treated unfairly. Give each family member the power to call a meeting. Ask, How did you feel when that happened? Why do you think it was unfair? and What could we do differently? Have family members apologize when they ve treated someone unfairly. Permission to photocopy this handout from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 1 & 2 granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO group.com 161