1 Unit 3: Miracles of Jesus NT3.14 Jesus Raises the Widow's Son Scripture: Luke 7: 11-17 Lesson Goal: Jesus was a very powerful teacher. He proved to everyone that he was really God by his teaching and miracles. He proved to everyone that he was really God by his teaching and miracles. In this lesson we will see how Jesus showed his power and compassion to a widow whose only son had died. Introduction: This is the fourteenth lesson in Unit 3:The Miracles of Jesus. The life and ministry of Jesus is told to us in the first four books of the New Testament. Jesus was a very powerful teacher. He proved to everyone that he was really God by healing the sick and forgiving people of their sins. In this lesson we will see how Jesus showed his power and compassion to a widow whose only son had died. The Gospels are the first four books in the New Testament. The gospels tell about the life and ministry of Jesus. The word "gospel" means the good news about Jesus. Let's say the names of the gospels together. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Attention Getter: Do you know what this word is? It is compassion. Compassion means to care about and help someone who is sad or hurt. When we want to show compassion we have to take time to think about what another person might be feeling. That is called "walking in someone else's shoes." Think about times that you have felt sorry for someone else. Who are some people who might feel sad or lonely? It could be a kid who is in the hospital. Or maybe it is an older person who lives all alone. Someone whose husband or wife died could be lonely. Or it could be a kid whose friend just moved away. God wants us to treat everyone around us with compassion and kindness. When Jesus was here on earth he showed compassion to many people. One day Jesus showed compassion and love to a widow whose only son had died. Opening Prayer: Let's pray, "Father in heaven. Thank you for loving and caring for people who were sad and lonely. We praise you for raising the dead son back to life! Help us to be loving and compassionate like You. Help us to be sympathetic to people who need our help. In Jesus' name. Amen. Memory Verse: Our memory verse is I Peter 3: 8 "Live in harmony with one another, be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/tg-17humzfc One day Jesus and His disciples were walking through the countryside near a town called Nain. A large crowd of people were following along with them. As they got near to the town of Nain, they saw a huge crowd of people. The crowd was all crying and looking sad. It was a funeral procession. In Bible times the family of a person who had died would hire mourners. These were people who would walk along in the funeral procession and cry very loudly. This was a very sad thing to see! "That older woman walking along crying so hard--she must be the mother of the one who died," one of the disciples may have whispered. The disciples became curious as they got closer to the crowd. If they could hear what some of the people in the procession were saying, they might find out more about the person who died. They listened carefully. "Can you imagine how she must feel? First her husband died, leaving her an widow, and now this!" "To think that she lost her only son--what a pity!" two older ladies might have said. A younger woman spoke up. "If only she'd had one more son! Then she wouldn't be all alone now!" Who will provide for her? Oh poor thing! Poor thing!
"Ah, so that's it," the disciples sighed sadly. "A widow--and this was her only son. How terrible! Too bad we got here after the young man had already died. Otherwise Jesus could have healed the son so that he wouldn't have died." Jesus saw the woman's sad, hopeless face. He knew how helpless and empty she felt and He felt sorry for her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry." The disciples and everyone else who heard Jesus' words must have gasped in astonishment! They couldn't believe their ears. What an unusual thing to say to a grieving mother! It was natural that a mother who had lost her only son would show her sorrow! Of course she's going to cry! the people thought. Why tell her to stop? The Jesus did something even more amazing! He stepped forward and touched the dead man's coffin. The men carrying the coffin stopped in surprise! According to Jewish law, touching a dead body or its coffin made a person unclean, and no one would become unclean if he or she didn't have to! But Jesus cared too much for the widow to let that stop Him! Then Jesus leaned over the dead body and spoke. He said, "Young Man, I say to you, "Get up!" The dead man sat up and began to talk! Everyone was astonished! Jesus had brought that man back to life! That was why He told the widow not to weep--he knew that soon she would see her son alive again! And the woman was overjoyed to see her son alive again! The crowd who was following in the funeral procession were all amazed and they began to praise God. The sad funeral procession turned into a wonderful celebration. Because of this miracle, the news about Jesus and His power spread throughout the countryside. Just like Jesus we can show compassion to people who are sad and hurting. When we someone at school who is having a bad day or when a brother or sister gets hurt, we can use our words and actions to help that person. Treating others with compassion is a great way to follow Jesus' example and show we are His children. One of greatest people in history who showed compassion was a woman by the name of Florence Nightingale. She was named after the city of Florence Italy where she was born in 1820. Florence wanted to be a nurse even though her parents said, "No!" She wanted to help soldiers who had been wounded in the war. She saw how dirty the hospitals were so she helped clean the hospitals. She became known as the "lady with the lamp" because she would walk around the hospital at night caring for the sick people. When Florence returned from the Crimean war to England she was famous. She set up her own hospitals and trained nurses. Florence s nurses were the first to wear proper uniforms. They saved many lives by keeping the hospitals clean. Florence is remembered in museums worldwide for making hospitals clean and encouraging nurses to care. Her work is credited in developing the nursing profession today. She was truly a loving and compassionate person like Jesus! Remember show compassion by loving and caring for others! Review Questions: Rock, Paper Scissors! Students form pairs and play Rock, Paper, Scissors. After three rounds several students who won two out of three rounds tell the answer to one of the questions below. Repeat as time permits. 1. Why was the widow so sad? Her son had died. 2. Why was the widow's situation so sad? She did not have a husband and with her son's death she would not have anyone to care for her. 3. How did Jesus feel about the woman? He had compassion--"his heart went out to her". 4. Why were people surprised when Jesus touched the coffin? It was against Jewish law and a person would become unclean. 5. What did Jesus say to the dead boy? Jesus said, "Young man, I say to you, "Get Up." 6. What happened after Jesus spoke to the dead boy? He sat up and began to talk! 7. How did the widow feel when she saw what Jesus had done? She was so happy and began to praise God. 8. How did the crowd who was following Jesus and in the funeral procession feel? They were all amazed and began to praise God. They told everyone in Judea and the surrounding country about Jesus. 9. In 1 Peter 3:8 "Live in harmony with one another, be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." what is the hardest thing for kids your age to obey? Answers may vary. 2
3 Bible Memory Verse Activity: "Word Work" (Hang Man) Our memory verse is I Peter 3:8 says "Live in harmony with one another, be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." Have student locate the verse in their Bibles. Read verse aloud together. Say: "Jesus commands us to live together in unity and love. We are to respond to one another's needs and treat each other like brothers and sisters." Let's read our verse again. I Peter 3:8 "Live in harmony with one another, be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." Materials: Bibles; large sheet of paper or white board; marker Procedure: Play a game similar to Hangman. Draw blank lines for each letter of the word "harmony" on the large sheet of paper or on a white board. Students are to guess letters of the alphabet. Write correct letters on the appropriate blank lines. List incorrect letters to the side of the blank lines. Instead of the "hangman" sketch draw one line of an open Bible for each incorrect guess. (see sketch). Students try to guess the word before the open Bible outline is completed. Repeat activity with the words "sympathetic," "compassionate" and "humble" Say: "Today's Bible verse 1 Peter 3:8 has all of these words in it." Discuss the meaning of the words "harmony" (peace between people); "sympathetic" (understanding how another person is feeling); "compassionate" (seeing someone who is hurting and wanting to help them); and "humble" (not thinking of yourself or your actions as better than others,) What are some ways that you can obey 1 Peter 3:8? Group Learning Activity: Compassion Check (Grades 3-5) On a chart lead a discussion and brainstorm some ways that kids your age could show compassion to people. Discuss the following situations: a. Be kind to a new kid at school, be a friend to a kid whose parents just got a divorce b. help a younger kid who is lost, c. be kind to someone whose best friend just moved away d. visit an older person in a nursing home e. be kind to someone whose husband, wife, or child just died f. send flowers to people who are sick g. send a card with a note of encouragement h. spend time talking with a person i. pray for a person who is going through a difficult time. Compassion Check Game--Give a volunteer a bean bag. Other students stand behind the volunteer. Without looking at other students volunteer describes a person who needs compassion (refer to large sheet of paper) and then throws the bean bag over his head toward the other students. Students who catches the bag hides it behind his back and then passes it off to another person who passes it off to someone else. Pass object three times. Everyone says together, "Compassion Check." Then the person who threw the ball now tries to guess who has the bean bag. If volunteer is correct, the person with the object now has to tell a way to be compassionate. Group Learning Activity: "Live! Interview" (Grades K-5) Supplies: cell phone video Procedure: Invite volunteers to respond to interview questions as if they were characters in the story (disciples, widow, person in the crowd, widow's son.) Tape record the questions and the answers. For example, ask the widow, "What did you think when Jesus stopped the funeral procession?" A student might respond, "I didn't know what He was going to do, but I'm so glad He cared!" At the end of the story play the tape back for students to enjoy." Sample interview questions to ask: 1. (disciples) How did you feel when you saw funeral procession and the older woman walking along crying so loudly? The disciples probably wished that they had arrived earlier so Jesus could have healed the son before he died.)
2. (person in the crowd) How did you feel about this woman who was a widow and had lost her only son? People in the crowd wondered how the widow would be provided for. 3. (person in the crowd) Tell us what happened after Jesus brought the dead son back to life. "We were all amazed. We began shouting praises to God. Nothing like that has ever happened like that in our town. We knew that Jesus was a great prophet and that God had come to help His people." 4. (disciples) What do you think this miracle shows us about Jesus? "He has the power of God to not only heal people but to bring them back to life. Jesus showed that He has great compassion for all people because His heart went out to her." 5. (widow's son) How did you feel after Jesus brought you back to life? "I could not believe or understand what was happening. I was very glad to be alive. I love my mother and want to care for her. I was so glad that she was not going to be alone.!" Group Learning Activity: Interview a Guest Speaker (Grades K-6) Materials: Bibles, index cards, markers, paper bag, paper Procedure: Arrange for a person in a different life situation to visit your class (older person, single parent, person with a physical disability, teenager, etc.) Let the guest know your class is learning ways to show compassion to others and will ask questions about his or her life. Print the following questions on separate index cards: "What are some things you love to do?" "What is hard for you to do?" "What are some ways kids could help or encourage someone like you?"; "How has God helped you and shown compassion to you?" Think of additional questions that relate to the special life situation of your guest speaker and write them on other cards. Place all the index cards in the paper bag. Introduce the guest you invited. Ask volunteers to briefly tell the guest how Jesus showed compassion to a widow in this lesson. Invite a student to read I Peter 3:8 aloud and ask the guest to describe ways in which others have acted toward him or her in the ways listed in the verse. Continue the discussion by allowing students to pick an index card from the paper bag and then ask the guest the question printed on it. Students may also want to ask other appropriate questions. After the guest has left encourage students to talk about ways to show compassion to the guest by asking, "How can we show compassion to our guest today? What are some ways you can continue to show compassion when you see him or her the next few weeks? Have students tell ideas based on what they learned from the guest during the interview. Say: "Why do you think it is important to show God's compassion to others? Students can make thank you cards for the guest and plan one or more ways to show compassion to the guest. Group Learning Activity: "What's It Like to Walk in Your Shoes?" (Grades K-6) Materials: Bibles, index cards, markers, paper bag, paper; several different kinds of shoes that different people might wear (women's dress shoes, slippers, orthopedic shoes, construction boots, etc. ) Procedure: Each student takes a turn putting on a pair of the shoes, describing a kind of person who might wear those shoes. Answer the questions on the index cards as if she or he were that person. Print the following questions on separate index cards: "What are some things you love to do?" "What is hard for you to do?" "What are some ways kids could help or encourage someone like you?"; "How has God helped you and shown compassion to you?" Think of additional questions that relate to the special life situations of the people who would wear those shoes. Place all the index cards in the paper bag. 4
5 Group Learning Activity: "Books of Bible Skill: Edible Spelling" (Grades 3-5) Materials: Bibles, index cards, markers, paper plates, pretzel sticks Procedure: Print the names of the Gospels, Acts, and Paul's letters on index cards.(matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon). Pour a large amount of the pretzel sticks on two paper plates. Set the paper plates on a table at the side of the room. Say: "In which book of the New Testament do we find the story of Jesus raising the Widow's son back to life? (Luke) What are the names of the Gospels which tell about the life and ministry of Jesus? (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) The names of those books are not too hard to spell because they are familiar names but some of the books after them are a little more difficult to spell." Show cards naming Paul's letters and review spelling these names with the students. Using the list of books in the front of their Bibles help students find the books in the New Testament. Mix up the cards. Divide the students into two teams. Teams are to line up in single file lines at opposite side of classroom from table holding pretzel sticks. Have volunteers from each team stand near their teams' paper plates with pretzel sticks on them. Give half of the index cards to each team. At your signal the first two students from each team run to the paper plate nearest the volunteer from their team. Each volunteer reads for his or her team member the book name on the first card in his or her pile. Students spell the name of the book using pretzel sticks and return to the team. Next two students in line repeat the action, continuing until all students have had a turn. Students eat book names they spelled. Craft Learning Activity: Mirror Images of Jesus (Grades K-3) Materials: Small mini-mirror (available at craft or discount stores) for each child in the class. You can use anything that is shiny enough that will show a reflection of the child as they look into the mirror; self adhesive package labels, colored markers. Procedure: Say: "In this lesson we learned how Jesus showed compassion to the widow whose son had died. We are to be like Jesus and show a compassionate and kind heart toward others. Today we are going to make a craft that will help us to remember to be like Jesus! (Pass out mirrors.) Let's all look into your mirror. Who can tell us who can be compassionate like Jesus?" (Everyone!) Pass out the adhesive package labels. Ask students to write the words "I will be like Jesus." Decorate the label with the markers as desired. Help student remove the label and stick it to the back of the mirror. If your mirror has a plastic frame consider offering students the opportunity to decorate the frame of the mirror with ribbon, flowers, shells, beads, etc. Craft Learning Activity: Slideshow of "Jesus Raises the Widow's Son" (Grades K-3) Materials: Heavy weight card stock copy of the slideshow pattern below (one per student); crayons. markers, scissors. Purpose: Students will make slideshows to recall the key events from the story of Jesus raising the widow's son from the dead. Distribute copy of the slideshow pattern below one per student. Have students dolor the four pictures and the slide show viewer with crayons, markers, or colored pencils. Have student cut out the film strip as one piece and the slide show viewer. Cut the two slits in either side of the window to allow the film strip to slide through. Slip the film strip through the slits to retell the key events from the story. As students are working on their slide shows, remind them that the news of Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country. Good news spreads rapidly. Encourage the students to share the "good news" that Jesus died for the sins of the world with their friends and family. The miracle of raising the boy from the dead was a picture of what Jesus would do with our spiritual lives. We were dead in sin but through Christ we are alive in Him.
Group Learning Activity: Service Project "Time to Care" Materials: Bibles; materials for the service project you choose; make arrangements to visit a preschool class near the end of class time Procedure: Say: "God wants us to treat everyone with compassion and kindness. Today we are going to take time to show God's love and compassion to younger children. Let's say our memory verse again together, (1 Peter 3:8) How can we obey this verse in the way we treat younger children? (Students tell ideas such as reading aloud to them; playing games with them, or perhaps helping them with snacks.) Younger children need to know that they are loved and accepted. You can help by asking them questions about things that they like to do and listening to them. Lead students to prepare one of the service projects below to show God's love and care to younger children. Students choose from a variety of preschool books to practice reading aloud to younger children. Ask children to think of questions they might ask younger children about the story. Have students choose a toy to play with a child. Toys might include play dough, large ball, blocks, small cars or baby dolls. Students are to think of things that they might say about the toys to younger children. Bring snacks or juice to give to younger children. Assign students different jobs such as washing tables, helping younger children wash their hands, passing out snacks, pouring juice, passing out napkins, clean up, etc. Ask children some of the following questions as they prepare the project. "Who are some younger children you know? What are some things that they can do by themselves? What do they need help with? Who are some other people to whom you can show compassion? What are some other ways kids your age can help older people? kids at school? kids in your neighborhood?" Life Application Challenge: Intercessory Prayer Have students think of one person they know who has a special need. Invite the students to silently complete this sentence as a prayer. "Thank you God for (name of person). Please help me to show compassion to him or her this week by..." Close prayer time by thanking God that He shows compassion to all people and asking for His help to follow His example. 6
7 Jesus Raised the Widow's Son I Peter 3: 8 "Live in harmony with one another, be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble."
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