Preschool Teacher Guide Session Title: Jesus at the Temple Bible Passage: Luke 2:41-52 Big Picture Question: Why did Jesus go to the temple? Jesus went to the temple to worship God. Key Passage: John 1:14 Unit Christ Connection: Old Testament prophecies looked forward to the birth of Christ. Jesus roles as Son of God and Messiah are established. TEACHER BIBLE STUDY Prep Time The Book of Luke records just two narratives about Jesus childhood: His dedication (Luke 2:21-40) and His time at the temple when He was 12 years old (Luke 2:41-52). Both stories set the stage for Jesus ministry on earth as an adult. Mary and Joseph were faithful Jews. They had dedicated the baby Jesus according to the law of Moses, and they traveled to Jerusalem each year to celebrate Passover. God had commanded the men to appear before Him three times a year to observe certain festivals. (See Deut. 16:16.) Once a year, those who followed God s law would travel to Jerusalem, often in large groups. In Bible times, a Jewish boy became a man around age 12. His father would train him to take on all the responsibilities of adulthood, social and spiritual. Joseph was a carpenter, and he likely trained Jesus in his trade. When Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem, Joseph might have taken Jesus around the city to teach Him the significance of the temple and explain the purpose of the Passover feast. Jesus parents started the journey back home after the feast. They assumed Jesus was among their traveling companions, but He wasn t. Jesus had stayed behind at the temple. Mary and Joseph traveled for a day before they noticed Jesus was missing. They went back to Jerusalem and found Him at the temple. Jesus said to them: Didn t you know that I had to be in My Father s house? Mary and Joseph did not understand Jesus words. But Jesus is God s Son, and it was necessary that He honor His true Father. In all this, Jesus did not sin. The Bible does not give many details about Jesus childhood, but we do know that as Jesus got older, He grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people. Jesus carried out God s plan to reconcile the world to Himself. (2 Cor. 5:19) Welcome/Transition Time (15 minutes) Lesson Snack/Video Activities WELCOME/TRANSITION TIME (15 minutes) Greet boys and girls as they arrive. Direct them to work on the color/activity page. After that, they may choose to play with a favorite toy or do another activity that you have provided. 1 2013 LifeWay Christian Resources
Color Page/Activity Sheet: Where s Jesus? - provided Crayons or colored pencils Color/activity sheet, 1 per child Guide kids to carefully examine the Where s Jesus? picture. Invite them to circle the boy Jesus when they find Him. Say In our Bible story today, Mary and Joseph discovered that Jesus was missing! While this was very scary for Jesus family, it was not scary for Jesus. He was in the temple worshiping God, His true Father. Match Churches provided If you have a large number of preschoolers, you may need to invite kids to play in smaller groups. Position the church cards facedown in a grid. One kid will flip over two cards at a time. If her cards match, she may take the cards from the grid. Say Churches come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some people don t have a big church building, so they meet in homes or schools. Other people around the world aren t allowed to worship God, so they have to worship secretly. We are blessed to live in a country that lets us worship God freely. Coming to church is important. Why did Jesus go to the temple? Jesus went to the temple to worship God. WORSHIP Classroom DVD contains worship songs for each unit that the children will enjoy learning. Unit 24 DVD Transition to Lesson Use your usual transition cue to signal that it is time for Bible study. Ring the bell, show the countdown video, flip the lights, or clap a simple rhythm for children to copy to gain attention. LESSON Story Time Say In today s Bible story, Mary and Joseph traveled to Jerusalem with Jesus to celebrate Passover. Passover was a special feast to celebrate that God had delivered the Israelites from Egypt. Jesus family traveled a long way to celebrate Passover, and then they went home. Well, at least part of Jesus family went home! Jesus was missing! Mary and Joseph looked everywhere for Him. They looked and looked. As you listen to the Bible story today, whenever you hear the word look, make binoculars with your hands like this. 2 2013 LifeWay Christian Resources
THE BIBLE STORY Jesus at the Temple Luke 2:41-52 Every year, Jesus parents took a trip. They went to the city of Jerusalem for a special holiday called Passover. On Passover, the Jewish people got together to celebrate and remember when God saved His people from slavery in Egypt. When Jesus was a boy 12 years old He went with Mary and Joseph to Jerusalem. After the celebration, Mary and Joseph started to go home. They traveled with a large group of people, and they did not notice that Jesus was not with them. They thought Jesus was somewhere among the group. But Jesus was not with them; He had stayed behind in Jerusalem. Mary and Joseph walked for a whole day. Then they started looking for Jesus. They searched among their friends and relatives, but they could not find Jesus anywhere! Mary and Joseph hurried back to Jerusalem to look for Jesus. They looked for Him, but they could not find Him. Jerusalem was a big city, and Jesus was just a boy. Finally, Mary and Joseph found Jesus. He was in the temple, sitting with the teachers. Jesus was listening to the teachers, and He asked them questions. The people with Jesus were surprised that Jesus understood so many things. Jesus parents were surprised too. Mary said, Son, why have You done this? Your father and I were worried. We ve been looking everywhere for You. Jesus asked, Why were you looking for Me? Didn t you know that I had to be in My Father s house? God is Jesus Father, but Mary and Joseph did not understand what Jesus was talking about. Jesus went home with Mary and Joseph, and He obeyed them. Mary remembered these things. Jesus grew taller and wiser. God was happy with Him, and so was everyone who knew Him. Christ Connection: Jesus went to the temple to worship God. Jesus is God s Son. He taught people about God. Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose from the dead so that we can worship God too. * Use only the words in bold to review the Bible story or tell it to younger preschoolers. 3 2013 LifeWay Christian Resources
Review/Key Passage Key Passage Poster Ask the following questions about the Bible story: 1. How old was Jesus in our story? (12) 2. Who looked for Jesus when He was missing? (Mary and Joseph) 3. Where did Mary and Joseph find Jesus? (in the temple) 4. What was Jesus doing? (sitting with the teachers, listening to them, asking them questions) 5. Was Jesus worried or scared? (No, He was happy to be in His Father s house.) 6. Who is Jesus true Father? (God) 7. Why did Jesus go to the temple? Jesus went to the temple to worship God. Say Jesus went to the temple to worship God. Jesus is God s Son. He taught people about God. Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose from the dead so that we can worship God too. SNACK/VIDEO Snack Signal for cleanup time using the countdown video or whatever method you prefer. Take a bathroom break and wash hands before the snack. Ask for volunteers to help set up and serve the snack. Remind kids to wait until everyone has been served before eating. Thank God for your snack. Watch Video Show the video Jesus at the Temple (from Classroom DVD) ACTIVITIES What is Missing? - provided Place several objects on a baking sheet. Objects should be recognizable items such as a toy, car, block, and plastic cup. With younger preschoolers, start off with just three objects. Add more if that appears to be too easy. Give the children a little time to study and touch the objects. Cover the items with a towel and secretly take one item away. Preschoolers must figure out which item missing. Play several rounds of this game. Say In our Bible story today, Jesus went missing! His parents were very worried and searched all over for Him. They 4 2013 LifeWay Christian Resources
finally found Him in a place they did not expect. Pick up Preschool children need to be picked up by a parent/grandparent and the adult must show the parent receipt with matching I.D. number. If the tag is missing, the adult can go to the Welcome Center and have a receipt reprinted. Welcome the second session teachers and tell them what they need to know about the children who are present. 5 2013 LifeWay Christian Resources