Jesus and His Parents: Honoring Our Mother and Father

Jesus and His Parents: Honoring Our Mother and Father

Jesus and His Parents: Honoring Our Mother and Father Table of Contents Leader Preparation...1 Lesson Overview...1 Lesson Objectives...1 Primary Scripture: Luke 2:42-51;...1 Secondary Scriptures: Exodus 20:12; Ephesians 6:1-3...2 Teaching Prep...2 Jesus Teaches Us How To Honor And Respect Our Parents...3 God commanded us to honor our parents...5 Why...5 does God make this promise?...5 Biblical Truths About A Parent's Role With Their Children...5 Parents Role with Their Children in Faith...6 Philippians 4:6...6 Proverbs 22:6...6 Proverbs 3:12...6 Deuteronomy 6:6 7...7 Ephesians 6:4...7 Colossians 3:21...7 Psalms 127:3...8 The Before & After (optional)...9 Text Message Questions...9 Parent Email...9 Proverbs 22:6...9 Lesson Guide...10 Getting Things Started (optional)...10 Getting Things Started:...10 Activity: Circle of Blessing -...11 Teaching Points...13 Annoucnements...15 Shared Prayer and Peace...15 Application...16 i

Leader Preparation Lesson Overview In the scrptures we have only three encounters documented between Jesus and His parents. Yet in these brief encounters we learn valuable lessons on how to keep the Fourth Commandment of Moses - To Honor Our Father and Mother. We will look at these three encounters between Jesus and His parents: 1. Jesus at age 12 in the Temple After being separated from his parents 2. Mary asks Jesus to perform a miracle at the Wedding Feast in Cana 3. As Jesus is Dying on The Cross He Asks His Disciple John To Take Care of His Mother Lesson Objectives 1. Students will learn that Jesus at times was in apparent conflict with his parents. Yet students will learn from Jesus how to deal with these moments of struggle and conflict. 2. Students will learn from Jesus how to honor and love our parents. 3. Students will explore the meaning and benefit from keeping the fourth commandment to honor our mother and father. Primary Scripture: Luke 2:42-51; Luke 2:42-51 - Jesus Teaches in the Temple At Age 12 and is Separated From His Parents 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you. 49 Why were you searching for me? he asked. Didn t you know I had to be in my Father s house? [a] 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them. 51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. John 2:1-12 (NIV) - Jesus Changes Water Into Wine 2 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus mother said to him, They have no more wine. 4 Woman, [a] why do you involve me? Jesus replied. My hour has not yet come. 5 His mother said to the servants, Do whatever he tells you. 1

6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. [b] 7 Jesus said to the servants, Fill the jars with water ; so they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet. They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now. 11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. John 19:25-27 - Jesus Asks John To Care For His Mother 25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, Woman, [b] here is your son, 27 and to the disciple, Here is your mother. From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. Secondary Scriptures: Exodus 20:12; Ephesians 6:1-3 Exodus 20:12 - Fourth Commandment 12 Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. Ephesians 6:1-3 - Paul speaks out about the fourth commandment 1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 Honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with a promise 3 so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. a Teaching Prep Parents and Teens have different VALUES Typically Teens value freedom self-expression friendship fun adventure humor - sarcasm Parents value hard work dependability faith giving respect to authority - manners Misunderstandings are natural and to be expected. Especially if we choose to fundamentally decide that our relationship with each other begins by the other needing to EARN respect. This cultivates distrust and easy conflict. Jesus and His Parents: Honoring Our Mother and Father So how are we to cope? Or deal with all of this? 2

Jesus and His Parents: Honoring Our Mother and Father We are blessed to have DIVINE HELP in this area. The bible gives us a lot of guidance on how parents and children should interact. Jesus Teaches Us How To Honor And Respect Our Parents There are three stories in the NT with Jesus and his parents. They each will tell us much about how to treat and honor our parents. 1. Jesus at age 12 in the Temple After being separated from his parents 2. Mary asks Jesus to perform a miracle at the Wedding Feast in Cana 3. As Jesus is Dying on The Cross He Asks His Disciple John To Take Care of His Mother Luke 2:42-51 - Jesus in the Temple at 12 years old In this story Jesus is taken to Jerusalem by his parents and for three days is separated from each other. jesus wanders off and goes to the temple to teach and learn. His parents eventually find him there and their encounter is revealing. Mary & Joseph are frustrated and upset with Jesus for not staying with his parents. They looked for him and were angry that he had wandered off. Jesus is at first surprised by their anger. He even asks them "Why were you searching for me?" This is because Jesus is beginning to distance himself - to individuate, if you will - from his parents as he emphasizes that he is doing He Father God's will by being here in the temple. He is giving priority to his Father God and not to his earthly parents. In truth, this story helps to clarify for even Mary & Joseph the IDENTITY of Jesus and the mission he was to have. HIS WORK is his FATHER S work so he went to his Father s house to do it. Why should they worry? He also was alluding to why did it take you SO LONG to discover me here in the temple, my Father s house? That makes sense if they knew anything of his nature and purpose. Yet in the end vs. 51 Jesus goes with his parents and was OBEDIENT to them. And Mary took these things to heart meaning she learned more about Jesus identity and its full meaning for him and her relationship with him. We learn from Jesus that despite misunderstandings or even if a parent is wrong Jesus wants us to honor them by OBEYING them even when they were wrong. John 2:1-12 (NIV) - Jesus Changes Water Into Wine In this story Jesus is with his mother, Mary, at a wedding feast in Cana near their hometown of Nazareth. The hosts run out of wine and Mary goes to Jesus and asks him to help. At first it appears that Jesus is callus and even rude to his mother when he says, "Mother, why do you involve me?" Yet he is actually not being rude but addressing Mary his mother in a normal courteous express of "Woman" which in greek is "gunai" This sort of means "ma'am" or is a respected and forma way to address a woman. "Mother" in greek is "meetros" and Jesus is beginning to again distance himself from his mother by addressing her in a formal and courteous way - he is doing this to begin his public ministry as a way to clarify their new relationship. No longer the symbiotic mother/son but soon to be an adult Rabbi/Woman relationship. No direspect intended. 3

Jesus and His Parents: Honoring Our Mother and Father Mary shows no offense - in fact - she demonstrates great confidence and understanding of Jesus' power by simply telling the stewards, "Whatever he tells you to do, do it." Mary certainly knows that her son loves and respects her. Even though he protests that it is not his time, he still does what she requests. Jesus teaches us that we are to RESPECT our parents even when they seem not to understand us or asks us something that we are not wanting to do. John 19:25-27 - Jesus Asks John To Care For His Mother Here Jesus is dying on the cross and looks down to his Mother and the disciple he loved, John. He tells his mother, "Woman, here is your son." referring her to John. And then he tells John that "here is your mother". Jesus is dying and in great pain yet he is still loving his mother by making sure that upon his death she will be cared for and taken care of. He does this by asking His mother to take John as her new son. And John to take Mary on as his mother. Which both do as he asks. Jesus teaches us that we are to honor, respect and love our parents throughout all of our and their lives. We do this by providing for their needs and comfort even upon our death. In these three stories we learn that Jesus honored his parents dispite conflict or misunderstandings. He showed honor and love in these ways: 1. Jesus OBEYED his parents even when they were wrong. 2. Jesus RESPECTED his parents even when they misunderstood him. 3. Jesus LOVED and CARED FOR his parents even at the end of his death. 4

God commanded us to honor our parents God gave MOSES the ten commandments in order to give the LAW to his chosen people. The fourth commandment tells us to Honor Our Mother and Father. Exodus 20:12-12 Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. Although this commandment seems pretty straight forward, it should be noted that this commandment comes with a promise. The promise is that when you honor your parents, your days may be long upon the land. God must place great importance on honoring parents to have given a promise with it. Why does God make this promise? God makes this promise because he values the roles and responsibilities of parents and wants children to recognize them as well and to honor them. God recognizes that our parents role and responsibilies will lead their children to a deeper and more profound relationship with him. And as a parent teaches a child about God's love, that child will then prosper and have abundant life. Ephesians 6:1-3 - Paul highlights the fourth commandment 1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 Honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with a promise 3 so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. a TWICE we read how important it is to give honor to our parents and in doing so we will be BLESSED with a long and abundant life. Biblical Truths About A Parent's Role With Their Children 5

Parents Role with Their Children in Faith Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. This hits hard. There s no leeway here the surrounding verses don t give us any exceptions or escape clauses. We should be anxious for nothing. Easy for Paul to say, right? Probably not. Paul was in prison when he wrote these words. Like Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, Paul doesn t stop with a feel-good don t worry, mon! message. He follows up with the instruction to pray in a spirit of thanksgiving! to God. When you re anxious, lay your requests at the feet of God, and thank him for all the times he has provided for you already. Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; Even when he is old he will not depart from it. This may be the best-known parenting verse in the Bible. It s easy to see why: there s a clear-cut correlation between the way you parent and the way your sons and daughters turn out as adults. That s encouraging for parents who think they have it all together. It can be condemning for parents who realize they ve made mistakes. But there s a reason I haven t mentioned this verse until now. The book of Proverbs is filled with principles for making godly decisions and leading a godly life. However, it s not a book of absolute promises. The Proverbs are general statements about how life works, and the Bible itself shows us a lot of exceptions that prove the rules. Solomon, who wrote this line, is an example. Solomon s son, Rehoboam, was presumably raised to fear God and rule the country well. However, after Solomon s death, Rehoboam s hotheaded leadership splits the kingdom apart! (Granted, there are greater spiritual forces behind the scenes.) You re charged with training your children no matter what happens afterward. And generally speaking, well-trained kids become principled adults. So train well! Proverbs 3:12 For the LORD reproves him whom he loves, As a father the son in whom he delights. Discipline isn t fun for any parties involved, but Solomon says that both God and the good parent will discipline the children they love. 6

This verse is encouraging, but challenging. It s encouraging because it shows that parental discipline is a mark of love. It s challenging because the way you discipline your children may influence the way your children think of God s love and discipline. Deuteronomy 6:6 7 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. Moses gives this command to the children of Israel as they are about to enter the promised land of Canaan. He is about to give them a long set of rules for how to love and obey God in the land they are about to possess. The land is supposed to be an inheritance for Israel generation after generation, and so God s law must be passed down through the generations, too. Notice how Moses tells parents to talk about the Word of God. It s not relegated to bedside prayers or after-dinner devotions. It s something that should be intentionally talked about throughout the day. What does that mean for parents? Be intentional about talking to your kids about the Bible. Study it with your kids, and bring it up throughout the day. Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. This one may sound like it s calling dads out, but Paul has also just told children to obey their parents in the Lord (Ep 6:1). But why is Paul giving parenting advice? When we zoom out and look at the book of Ephesians as a whole, we see Paul telling the church at Ephesus how to walk in a manner worthy of their calling (4:1). He later encourages them to follow Christ s example of walking in love (5:2). Paul addresses friendships, marriage, and work relationships in this part of the letter, and in the middle of it all, he takes time to talk to fathers and children. This is how parents and kids will walk in love with one another in Christ. Children obey parents. Parents don t exasperate the kids. But there s another nugget in here: Paul tells kids to obey their parents in the Lord, but how will they know what the Lord wants? The parents should be teaching them. Paul says that parents shouldn t just foster loving relationships they should be raising kids in the ways of the Lord. Colossians 3:21 Jesus and His Parents: Honoring Our Mother and Father Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. This is a sister verse to the one we looked at in Ephesians. Here, Paul tells us why it s important for parents not to provoke their kids: they will discourage them. 7

But what does Paul mean by provoke? In this sense provoke means to challenge, or to irritate. An example would be the so-called helicopter mom, who hovers over her kids at all times. Another example would be the father who is never satisfied with his son s performance in school, sports, work, etc. This verse cannot be taken too seriously. When Paul says, discouraged, he literally means to lose heart. Training children is important but needs to be done in a way that does not cause them to lose heart. Psalms 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb a reward. If you have kids, you ve been blessed! Jesus and His Parents: Honoring Our Mother and Father 8

The Before & After (optional) Text Message Questions Want to have help with dealing with your parents? Then come to IGNITE! Great practical ways on how to get along better with your mom and dad! Parent Email The Ignite Lesson will be about How Jesus Helps Us Honor Our Parents. You don't get a better lesson than this for family harmony. Please take the tim to ask your teen what they learned at Ignite this weekend or next. And do your best to encourage your teen to go to Ignite. As it says in the Bible: Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; Even when he is old he will not depart from it. 9

Lesson Guide Getting Things Started (optional) WELCOME - Take time to make every student feel valued and missed from your last session. Especially engage with those students who have not attended recently. Make them feel extra welcomed! HIGH AND LOWS: Take time to let your students share what is happening in their lives. Getting Things Started: SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Let's look at the biggest reasons why teens struggle with parents or parents with their teens. We are going to MAKE A LIST of each item and refer to it later. 1. For Teens What issue is where the most conflict occurs with parents? 1. Curfew 2. Not Understanding what we go through and have to deal with each day 3. Unrealistic Expectations on us 4. Not liking my friends 5. Not letting me make my own decisions 6. Too many rules 7. Forcing their values on me 8. Not giving us respect 2. What do you think it is for parents - the issue where the most conflict occurs with teens? 1. Disrespect 2. Not Listening 3. Not doing something when asked 4. Breaking Rules 5. Breaking Trust Say Something Like: It is easily apparent here that PARENTS and TEENS see things differently. That they even may have different VALUES - let's explore that. 1. What do most Teens value? (freedom self-expression friendship fun adventure humor - sarcasm) 2. What do most Parents value? (hard work dependability faith giving respect to authority - manners) Say Something Like: Misunderstandings are natural and to be expected. Especially if we choose to fundamentally decide that our relationship with each other begins by the other needing to EARN respect. That cultivates distrust and easy conflict. 10

We are blessed to have DIVINE HELP in this area. Activity: Circle of Blessing - (You will need a large hoola hoop or rope that you can make into a circle - and - a squirt gun or spray bottle with clean water in it.) Getting Attention: Set up the circle and a few of the props while the teens are watching. Do not make any comments except to say how excited you are about today s lesson. The students will build interest and excitement to match your own. Active Listening: Before you read the Bible verse, ask your students to listen carefully for the answer to these questions. What can I do to make my life better? What could I do to make my life worse? For added emphasis you could display these questions on a marker board or poster board. I chose red colored for the negative and yellow for the positive question. Then carefully read the key Bible verse: Jesus and His Parents: Honoring Our Mother and Father READ: Ephesians 6:1-3 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (this is the first commandment with a promise), that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land. SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Let's think on those two questions we asked earlier. "What can I do to make my life better? What could I do to make my life worse? As we take a closer look into this bible passage. INVITE A STUDENT - Ask for a series of volunteers to model the following scenarios using the circle of blessing. Have the student stand in the middle of the circle while you tell the story. Move them outside the circle if the character in the story as you ask the questions after the story if they clearly disobeys their parents. Pretend like you are talking about the teen who has volunteered. At the end in the story ask the class to respond if the person is still in the circle or not. IF they are no longer in the CIRCLE OF BLESSING - then SQUIRT THEM GOOD! After each repeat the main concept that obedience brings safety and disobedience brings peril. SAY SOMETHING LIKE: This is the circle of blessing. It s a way to imagine the way obedience keeps us out of danger. Just like our Bible verse says, God will watch over us while we obey our parents. To move outside the circle is like disobeying. Moving outside the circle brings danger. (Now bring out your squirt gun or spray bottle of clean water. As long as they are in the circle they are safe, but outside the circle they are in danger. Demonstrate by shooting a jet of water outside the circle not hitting your student. Then ask the student to step outside the circle to the spot you just shot. Then give them a short blast of water.) SAY SOMETHING LIKE: When we obey our parents it s like staying inside the circle, God will keep us safe and has promised to bless us with abundant and long life. But when we disobey it is like stepping outside the circle. When we do that we cause bad things to happen to our lives. (Now get your first volunteer and have them stand in the circle while you READ Your STORY - get a new volunteer for each story. Read each story as if the person in the circle is really the person in the story) 11

Story #1: Chad s Story Chad is a freshman in high school and is a really good student. He works a few hours a week at his father s hardware store mainly cleaning up and doing odd chores for minimum wage. He works on some week day nights but mainly weekends. One weekend Chad is invited to a senior party which is going to be at a park all day and into the night. He know there will be alcohol and probably hot girls and lots of fun. He tells his dad that he can t work because of a study group and he goes to the party. 1. Is Chad still in the Circle of Blessing? NO (force the volunteer out of the circle and SQUIRT HIM or HER) 2. What did Chad do to break the Circle of Blessing? (lied disrespected their parents broke trust) Story #2: Jason s Story Jason is a stud. He is a sophomore in high school and already a star on the varsity football team. He has the hottest cheerleader for his girlfriend a senior! All of the students at school already know his name and think he is the coolest. With all this attention Jason is really busy with his social opportunities and responsibilities. It is hard to be the BMOC (Big Man On Campus). At home Jason ignores his basic chores he rarely remembers to take the trash out on Thursday nights he doesn t clean his room like his mother asks he ignores giving the dog HE ASKED FOR water and food in the morning before school and at night. 1. Should Jason still be in the Circle of Blessing? (NO not doing what he is asked to do.) 2. What did Jason do that is so bad? Story #3: Angela s Story Angela is a junior in high school and has not yet had a boyfriend until just this past weekend when she met Curt. Curt is not like the other boys. He is a senior at the local University and thinks she is smart, funny, mature and really hot. He treats her like a woman not a girl like the stupid boys at her high school do. He took her out to dinner and a movie and then a college party. And he is so romantic. He told her that he loved her under the stars oh tres romantic! Angela knows she is supposed to let her parents meet any possible boyfriends. But she is certainly mature enough to handle this situation. 1. Is Angela still in the Circle of Blessing? 2. What did Angela do that puts the circle of blessing at risk? 3. How is she not honoring her parents as the bible tells us to? Story #4: Rachel s Story Jesus and His Parents: Honoring Our Mother and Father Rachel is a junior in high school and lives with her mom most of the time after her parents got divorced. Rachel is still mad at her dad because she knows he is the reason their family was torn apart. Her dad had an 12

affair with her mom s best friend. And he is now marrying her. She doesn t answer his emails ignores his phone calls or texts and gives excuses why she can t come visit him during their court ordered visitation time. She also has decided not to go to the wedding. 1. Should Rachel still be in the Circle of Blessing? Maybe (NO Rachel is not honoring her dad by at least answering his communication to her. Rachel needs to be honest with her dad and talk to him about her feelings. Rachel should HONOR her dad by spending time with him in respect. 2. But her FATHER has broken her trust and doesn t deserve her respect right?) 3. Does the 4 th Commandment give qualifiers on when and how to give honor to our parents? Like only if they respect you or don t mess up or are nice to you? Story #5: Steve s Story Steve is a senior in high school and is a good student who works hard on his studies. He has earned a partial scholarship to go to the state university. He also goes to Church most weekends and is a part of the Church s youth group. He volunteers often to serve at the local food shelter and goes on mission every summer. He has a job that he has kept for two years. And he has a girlfriend and has always been faithful to her. He doesn t really drink or party even though he gets invited often. He follows the rules that his parents have given to him and his siblings. But at home with his mother he loses his patience often. His mom has always been a stay at home mother. She struggles to read because of an undiscovered dyslexia and so Steve thinks his mom is stupid. He is quick to anger with he and often uses harsh words with her. Steve never shows this side of his behavior when his dad is home. Only when they are alone together. Is Steve living inside the Circle of Blessing? (In so many areas of his life YES but certainly not in regards to the Fourth Commandment. He is disrespecting his mother.) Is Steve's behavior worse than the others? (Maybe - because Steve follows God's commandments in all other areas of his life - school - work - honoring adults at work school sports etc... But he doesn't honor his mother and ridicules her and shows her no respect or honor.) Teaching Points Say Something Like: We have already read a little about our lesson topic tonight. "Honor Our Mother and Father". Now let's take a look on how Jesus treated his parents and what we can learn from those encounters. READ: Luke 2:42-51 Jesus and His Parents: Honoring Our Mother and Father 1. How do you think Mary and Joseph felt when they finally found Jesus after three days of looking? (upset - frustrated - maybe even angry) 2. What was Jesus' first reaction to his parents whent hey found and confronted him? (He was surprised and a little bewildered why they were looking for him.) 13

3. In your opinion, was Jesus in the wrong in this situation? He is a 12 year old boy who wandered off from his parents in the biggest city in the land - Jerusalem. He was lost for THREE DAYS! 4. Why do you think Jesus went off by himself to to listen and teach in the temple? (Jesus has a greater calling from his Father God in heaven. Jesus is beginning to understand his mission and the will of God. Jesus is beginning to push back from the control and influence of his earthly parents.) 5. In the end, what did Jesus do? (He went with his parents as they asked) 6. What can we learn about honoring our parents from Jesus in this story? (Jesus OBEYED his parents even though he didn't think he did anything wrong and in fact he thought his parents were wrong.) Say Something Like: In this story the adolescent Jesus really upset his parents by going off on his own. Yet he is beginning to discover his identity and the mission that God sent him to do. And at the same time he is starting to push away from his parents to "discover himself" like all teens do. Yet Jesus still OBEYED his parents and went with them. Ultimately here is an example where Jesus humbled himself to honor his parents. How many times have we needed to be more humble when confronted or in conflict with our parents? READ: John 2:1-12 1. What did Jesus' mom, Mary ask him to do? (Help the hosts who had run out of wine.) 2. What did Jesus first say to his mother? (Woman, why do you involve me?") 3. What would happen to you if you suddenly called your mom, "Woman"? Say Something Like: The term "Woman" in greek is the word "gunai" which is used as a formal and courteous term for a woman with whom you are friends and companions. Jesus is not actually being rude here. He is beginning to separate himself from the role of mother/son to a more formal teacher/companion. 1. Looking at verse 5 what did Mary do and say after Jesus' appears to rebuke her request? (She simply tells the stewards to do whatever Jesus tells them to do.) 2. What does Jesus teach us about how to honor our parents in this story? (Jesus shows RESPECT to his mother even though she asks him to do something that he doesn't want to do or is prepared to do.) Say Something Like: In this story Jesus gives us an example of how to honor our parents by doing whaat they ask even if you don't want to or they don't understand your situation. Jesus clearly says, "it is not my time yet Mom!) But he still did it. How many times in our lives with our parents have we been asked to do something and we just didn't want to or the parents didn't know what we were going through at the time - Jesus did it anyway because he loved and wanted to honor his mother. VIDEO: (optional) Finding In The Temple: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6mvzhrvnms READ: John 19:25-27 - Jesus Asks His Disciple John to Take Care of His Mother Jesus and His Parents: Honoring Our Mother and Father 1. Jesus is dying on the cross and despite his immense pain he looks down at his Mother and the disciple that he loved, John and says what? (Woman - here is your son.) 2. Who is Jesus referring to when telling Mary "Here is your son"? (John) 14

3. Why do you think Jesus is making these arrangements? (to show honor and love to his mom by caring for her future needs upon his death.) Say Something Like: Again with the "WOMAN" thing. This just proves that this term is not disrespectful or rude. Jesus is arranging for the future care of his mother as he dies. He is going to be loving here. 1. What do we learn from Jesus here about how to honor our parents? (No matter what is happening in our lives we are to still LOVE and CARE FOR our earthly parents. Jesus does this as he is painfully dying!) 2. What are some ways in which we can honor our parents? Concrete ways - let's look back at our LIST of CONFLICTS... (Get the LIST OUT of the typical conflicts on both sides. Stick mainly to the teen side so that you can turn those conflicts into a POSITIVE BEHAVIOR). 1. Disrespect - so we can respect our parents even if we feel misunderstood or disrespected 2. Not Listening - we can LISTEN before judging or acting out 3. Not doing something when asked - Do what you are asked to do even if you don't want to or you don't think it is FAIR. 4. Breaking Rules - Keep the rules even if you don't like them. 5. Breaking Trust - Be honest and deal with the consequences - that builds respect and trust! VIDEO: Father Helps a Son Try To Watch Without Crying - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcawxb9n7ey Annoucnements 1. Our high school youth are again doing the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Miller Park. Please support our teens who are braving frigid water for this good cause through prayer and if possible, financial donation. Each youth is asked to raise $100. Contact Steve to help. 2. CHAOS is meeting in the Senior High Youth Room this Wednesday! Come for a relaxing encounter with friends and God. 3. Work Camp 2017 meeting is Sunday, February 26 at 6 PM in the Fellowship Hall. All work campers and their parents are asked to attend this important meeting. 4. Work Camp Garage Sale is Saturday, March 4 from 8 to 1 PM. All donations can be dropped off on Friday, March 3 starting at 1 PM in the atrium of the Church. If you have larger items or need help please contact Steve to arrange a pick up. 5. Confirmation Information Meeting Wednesday, March 8 from 7:00 to 8:15 PM in the Fellowship Hall. All teens who wish to participate in the Rite of Confirmation for 2017 need to attend this important meeting. Contact Steve Terry at the Church if you have any questions. Shared Prayer and Peace At the end of the lesson and after the announcements take time to PRAY as a group. Offer each other a sign of peace. Jesus and His Parents: Honoring Our Mother and Father 15

Application Jesus and His Parents: Honoring Our Mother and Father Dedicate a few days to write up a LIST of things you can DO and STOP DOING! 1. DO - do your chores right after being asked 2. DO - go to Church with your parents as a family 3. DO - be respectful even when you disagree 4. DO - listen first before getting your opinion heard 5. DO - tell the truth even if it is painful or could bring a consequence 6. DO - forgive your mom or dad when they do something wrong 7. DO - answer a text or call promptly or get back to them as soon as possible 16