Page1 Jesus, the Good Shepherd Matthew 18:12-14 Learning Objectives 1. The children will be able to relate the Parable of the Lost Sheep in their own words. 2. The children will explain why we consider Jesus to be our good shepherd. Memory Verse: Getting Started Activity Find the Leader Game The object of the game is to figure out who the leader is of the group. Ask one student to be it and to step out of the room so they cannot see or hear the discussion. Pick one of the remaining students to be the leader. They will lead the class in various activities (pick up pencil, touch their toes, roll their eyes, etc.). The other children need to watch the leader. Challenge the leader and other students to look around the room, to make it more difficult to tell. Call the it student back into the room. The game is over when they find out who the leader is. Was it easy to pick out the leader? How could you tell they were the leader? We have a leader, too, in Jesus, and he is known as the good shepherd. Lost and Found Game A student hides an object in the room, and the other children have to find it. The student who hid the object can use directions like, You re getting warmer, You are like an igloo and You are hot to find the objects. Explain that it is easier to find with some direction from the leader. In a similar way, a shepherd in charge of sheep gives his flock the directions to go. Jesus is known as The Good Shepherd. Whose Voice will you Follow? You will need several blindfolds. Pair up the students and have them stand on opposite ends of the room. In the center, set up an obstacle course (you can use overturned chairs or tables, it does not have to be elaborate). One of the pair of students is blindfolded. To get to their partner, they have to follow the directions of their partner s voice. However, all the partnerships will be doing this at once! They really have to listen to hear their leader s voice to get safely to the other side. After you play, discuss how we also really have to listen to the voice that is leading us.
Page2 Bible Lesson with Discussion Questions Message: God cares for His own. 12 If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn t wander away! 14 In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father s will that even one of these little ones should perish. Discussion Questions: 1. How many sheep were lost in the parable? (One.) 2. What did the shepherd do when he saw the one had gone missing? (He left the 99 to look for the one.) 3. Why did the shepherd leave the 99? (He loved and cared for each sheep.) 4. What does it mean that he is happier about the one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off? (The shepherd loves all his sheep and is happy when one who turns away from the Lord can return again.) 5. Who is our Good Shepherd? (Jesus.) 6. What makes Jesus your Good Shepherd? (He loves us and will do anything to help us follow Him. He was sent to save us by giving his life for our sins.) Application to Real Life What would you do? Activity In today s lesson we learn of the sacrifices a shepherd is willing to make in order to find his lost sheep. In the same manner, the Lord Jesus looks out for those who are lost and need help, and He wants to help them find their way back. Read the following scenarios together as a class (you may want to have them printed out for each student to have his/her own copy). After reading each one, discuss together: What would you do? Remind the students that we want to be like Jesus, follow His example, and help care for others in their hour of need. Scenario 1: Scenario 2: Scenario 3: Scenario 4: You are leaving the grocery store and notice that someone has had the bottoms rip out of their plastic bags and their groceries are all over. The person is elderly, and they are having a hard time picking everything up. Cars are passing by and it s starting to rain. What would you do? You and your parents are leaving church and the car next to you has the hood up. They have a dead battery. You have jumper cables in the trunk, but you re running late for lunch. What would you do? Sitting in the lunch room, you overhear someone asking friends if they have any money they can borrow, because they forgot their lunch money. You have a couple of extra bucks in your pocket to spare. What would you do? A new family just moved in down the street. You find out that they used to go to church but haven t now for several years. You also notice their young boys are using mild profanity as they play in the neighborhood. What would you do?
Page3 Application to Real Life - Continued Other Discussion Questions: - Even when we know what the right thing is to do, why is it sometimes hard to do it? - Why is it sometimes easier to simply ignore what should be done? Memory Work Suggestions 5 minutes 1. Recite the memory verse. 2. Practice finding the memory verse and/or Bible text in their Bible! 3. Play a game to review an article of faith (toss the bean bag/stuffed animal, the person who catches it says the next word try to go faster and faster). 4. Allow a volunteer (child) to lead the class in an opening/closing prayer. Activity Ideas Jesus, our Shepherd Thinking Activity: Write the word Shepherd on the left side of a board. Ask the students what they know about a shepherd and list them under the word shepherd. (see below). Now draw an arrow and write the word Jesus. How does Jesus do the things the shepherd does? A sample could look like: Shepherd Takes care of sheep Protects sheep with his life Leads them to pastures Looks for sheep that have strayed Talks to sheep/they know his voice Jesus Takes care of us (angels) Gave his life for our sins Leads us in life if we follow Him Forgives us when we sin Talks to us through services/ministers Digging Deeper Bible Time Look up together John 10:27-28, My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. Write it on the board as below and discuss each line and how it relates to Jesus relationship with us. My sheep listen to my voice I know them and they follow me I give them eternal life and they shall never perish We are the sheep and we listen to his voice The Lord knows us as His children we are important to Him and He wants to hear from us We allow the Lord to lead us, we follow the path He has for us. The Lord wants us to be with him forever The Lord Jesus protects his own No one can snatch them out of my hand The devil cannot separate us from the Lord.
Page4 Activity Ideas - Continued Explore John 3:16 Look up John 3:16 in your Bibles. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Explain to the children that when we sin, we are separating ourselves from God. Sometimes because of our sin we become lost, but God loves us so much that He sent His only son, Jesus Christ, to save us from our sin, and help us to find our way back to following the Lord. If we do this, our reward will be eternal life. Discuss together. Jesus is our Good Shepherd. When we develop our relationship with Him, we draw closer to God, His Father. Journal Jesus made it very clear that lost sheep are loved and are cared for by the shepherd. How easy do you think it might be for you to become lost in life, that is, straying away from the Lord? If that were to happen, what do you think you could do to help find your way back to following Jesus? Be specific. Write about it. (Teacher Note: After writing in the journals, this would be a great topic to discuss further.) Look up John 3:16 in your Bible and write it down. What does this verse mean to you? Write about it in your own words. Homework Ideas - Read: Matthew 20:1-16 about the parable of the workers in the vineyard. - Learn the Memory Verse: - Learn the Article of Faith - What kind of schedule do you keep? Write down all the things you do in a typical day from the moment your eyes are open until you go to bed at night. Tomorrow, keep a schedule of everything you do by writing things down, along with what time (how long) it takes for you to do them. Be sure to write EVERYTHING, including time used to text, play video games, talk on the phone, or use the computer. If you pray, write it down. If you read, write down what book and how long. Bring your findings to Religious Instruction next week.
Page5 Take Home Page: Jesus, the Good Shepherd Today I learned Today your child was reminded that God care for His own. The children reviewed the parable of the lost sheep. They also explored why Jesus is our good shepherd. Help me learn my memory verse Ask me 1. What happened in the parable of the lost sheep? 2. Why would the shepherd leave the 99 sheep to find only one that was missing? 3. Why do we refer to Jesus as our good shepherd? Live Your Faith Share with your child how God has taken care of you and been your good shepherd. Remind your child that we all have times in our lives when we feel lost and not as connected to the Lord. Encourage him/her to go to Him anyway, even when they don t feel like it. God will gently guide and help them to draw close to Him again.