Following Jesus means learning all we can about him. Bible Verse

Nicodemus Comes to Learn From Jesus Lesson 5 Bible Point Following Jesus means learning all we can about him. Bible Verse For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Growing Closer to Jesus Students will n understand the value of learning about Jesus, n explore what Jesus meant when he spoke of being born again, and n commit to learning about Jesus. Teacher Enrichment Bible Basis n Nicodemus comes to learn from Jesus. John 3:1-21 This passage tells of Nicodemus nighttime visit to Jesus. It s not clear why Nicodemus came at night. Nicodemus may have come at night because he didn t want to be seen. This seems logical, since he was a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of the Jews, and for that reason wouldn t have wanted to be seen as a follower of Jesus. Jesus words must have taken Nicodemus by surprise; they certainly confused him. He didn t understand that Jesus statement about being born again referred to a spiritual change so dramatic that it parallels physical birth. Jesus was telling Nicodemus that we become new people spiritually when we are forgiven of our sins and form a relationship with God. John 3:16 is probably the most frequently quoted verse in the Bible, and for good reason. It is a concise statement of the gospel message, the good news of Jesus Christ. First, it tells us that God loves every human being. And he loves us so much that he was willing to allow his only Son to die an excruciating death so that our sins could be wiped out and we could have an eternal relationship with God. All we have to do is trust in the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. The verse that follows, John 3:17, is nearly as important, and its message was certainly not lost on Nicodemus. Jesus mission wasn t and still isn t to condemn the world, even though the world was and still is sinful. Instead, Jesus mission is to provide eternal life for all who believe in him. Prayer Read 1 Peter 1:8. What about your relationship with Jesus brings you joy? How can you pass that joy on to the children in your class? Pray: Dear Lord, thank you for the joy you bring to my life. Here s an area where I need to discover your joy more Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4 55

Lesson 5 Before the Lesson n Collect the necessary items for the activities you plan to use, referring to the Classroom Supplies and Learning Lab Supplies listed on the chart. n Make photocopies of the Hands-On Fun at Home handout (at the end of this lesson) to send home with your children. n Pray for your students and for God s direction as you teach the lesson. This Lesson at a Glance Attention Grabber What Children Will Do Classroom Supplies Learning Lab Supplies Funny Facts Get to know strange things about one another. Funny Facts handout (p. 64), pencils Bible Exploration & Application Risky Business Leave their safety zones to take a treasure, and then learn about Nicodemus in John 3:1-13. Kingdom Crawl Face an impossible task, and learn from John 3:3-7 how Jesus helps us put our faith in him. Faith and Rest Experience giving up a burden, and learn from Matthew 11:28-30 that Jesus will carry our burdens. Live Forever Sing a Bible memory song and create motions to represent the words. Bibles, individually wrapped candies Bibles Bible Bible, CD player Closing New Beginnings Commit to continuing to learn about Jesus. CD player, certificates handout (p. 65), pens or pencils, scissors 56 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4

Welcome Nicodemus Comes to Learn From Jesus As kids arrive, ask them about ways they put last week s lesson into action. Ask questions such as, In what ways did you make your home safer? and How did God protect you last week? Tell kids that whenever you ring the bell, they are to stop talking, raise their hands, and focus on you. Explain that it s important to respond to this signal quickly so the class can do as many fun activities as possible. Attention Grabber n Funny Facts SUPPLIES Funny Facts handout (p. 64), pencils Photocopy the Funny Facts handout. You ll need a handout and pencil for each student, plus a handout and pencil for yourself. Say: This game will be fast and fun! When I ring the bell, you ll have one minute to get as many different people to sign your Funny Facts paper as you can. It s OK if a few people sign twice, but you ll want to get as many different signatures as possible, as long as the people honestly fit the fact in the box. When you fill all the boxes on your grid, loudly say, Happy New Year! and sit down. Ring the bell, and begin the activity. Remember to participate along with the kids. After one minute, ring the bell, and form a circle. Have kids take turns around the circle sharing their answers and seeing who has the most signatures. Then ask: How did you find the right person to sign each box? (I kept asking questions; I followed someone who was getting a lot of signatures.) Why is it fun to learn about others? (Because we can find out what we have in common; it helps to know more about friends.) How do you normally learn about people? (By spending time together; by talking; by hanging out.) How can we learn about Jesus? (By reading the Bible; by praying; by spending time with Jesus.) How is learning about Jesus different from learning about other people? (We can see other people and we can t see Jesus; no one knows everything about Jesus, and people have different opinions about him.) Say: Following Jesus means learning all we can about him. Let s hear about someone who was so anxious to learn more about Jesus that he took a huge risk! But first, let s see how willing you are to take a risk. Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4 57

Lesson 5 If you have more than eight students, choose two Guards. Caution your Guards to tag players gently and below the shoulders. 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 kids remember it and apply it to their lives. Bible Insight The Pharisees of Jesus time believed their spiritual hope sprang from their direct lineage to Abraham. Through the teachings of Jesus, Nicodemus learned that man s hope of heaven rested in faith in Jesus. Nicodemus went from a man who came to talk with Jesus under cover of darkness to one who openly brought spices to assist in Jesus burial. Bible Exploration & Application n Risky Business SUPPLIES: Bibles, individually wrapped candies Lay the garland in a circle on the floor. Inside the circle, place a mini disk full of gold coins. Have each person choose one corner of the room that will be his or her safety zone. Say: I ve placed some valuable treasures in the center of the room. Whoever can take one of the treasures out of the disk will get a piece of candy. Of course, I need to guard my treasure, so I m also going to choose a Guard. If the Guard tags you, you have to sit down until someone else touches you. As long as you re touching the wall in your safety zone, the Guard can t tag you. No one, including the Guard, can run in this game. Start the game by ringing the bell. Play for two or three minutes or until the gold coins have all been taken. Allow each student who took a gold coin to trade it in for a piece of candy. Then put all the coins back in the mini disk, choose a new Guard, and have the kids play again. After the second round, give a piece of candy to anyone who hasn t earned one. Return the garland, mini disk, and gold coins to the Learning Lab. Form a circle, and ask: What was it like to leave your safety zone? (Scary since I didn t want to get caught; no big deal since I didn t care if I got caught.) What made you decide to leave your safety zone? (I wanted the candy; I wanted to join in the game.) How did you feel when you got the treasure? (Glad; happy; like I d done a good job.) What would happen if you never left your safety zone? (I wouldn t have gotten to play; I would have missed out on the fun.) Distribute Bibles to the kids. Say: Today we re going to hear the account of a man who left a real-life safety zone. His name is Nicodemus, and we ll read about him in the book of John. Nicodemus was an important man in his community. He belonged to a special group of Jewish leaders called the Pharisees. The Pharisees kept all of the religious laws and customs and were very proud of themselves. They looked down on people who didn t keep the rules as well as they did. Most Pharisees didn t like Jesus at all. In fact, some were plotting to kill him! No Pharisee would have gone to Jesus for advice. Until let s look up John 3:1-13. Choose students who are confident readers to take the roles of the Narrator, Jesus, and Nicodemus. Have these students read their parts straight from the Bible passage. Be prepared to cue them when to read and when to stop reading. After the characters have read the passage aloud, lead the rest of the class in a round of applause. Then ask: What was Nicodemus safety zone? (Being with the other Pharisees; being a ruler.) Why would someone like Nicodemus risk visiting Jesus? (He was curious about what Jesus had been teaching; he had seen Jesus do miracles and wanted to know where Jesus got his power.) 58 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4

Why do you think Nicodemus went at night? (He might not have wanted the other Pharisees to see him; he might have been trying to avoid the crowds that were following Jesus.) What might have happened if another Pharisee saw Nicodemus talking to Jesus? (They might have made fun of Nicodemus; he might have gotten in trouble.) If you were Nicodemus, how might you have felt that night? (Nervous about being seen with Jesus; curious about who Jesus was.) Would talking to Jesus be worth the risk? Why or why not? (Yes, because Jesus is so important; no, because the danger was too great.) Say: Following Jesus means learning all we can about him. Nicodemus knew that learning about Jesus was worth the risk of being caught. We don t have that risk we re free to learn all we can about Jesus. Let s find out what Jesus told Nicodemus that night. Nicodemus Comes to Learn From Jesus n Kingdom Crawl SUPPLIES: Bibles Say: Let s reread John 3:3-7. Listen for what Nicodemus thought was impossible. Have a volunteer read the the passage aloud as other students follow along in their Bibles. Ask: What did Jesus say people must do that Nicodemus thought was impossible? (Be born again.) Say: Let s see what it feels like to face an impossible task. Lay the garland and the bell along one wall of the classroom. Have students line up along the opposite wall. The garland represents the kingdom of God. I m going to give you 15 seconds to get to the garland and ring the bell. Wait until I say go to begin. Oh and one other thing you can t use your hands or feet. Ready? Go! Immediately begin counting to 15, even if students protest that they need more time. Kids can actually accomplish this task by crawling on their knees and elbows or by rolling without letting their hands or feet touch the floor. But since they don t have much time to think about that strategy, most kids will be unable to get to the garland and bell in the time allowed. After 15 seconds, say: Time s up. Well, I guess you didn t make it. Ask: Do you think the task I gave you really was impossible? (Yes; no, I can think of how to get there.) Now that you ve had a little time to think about it, do you understand what I was asking you to do? Explain. (Yes, I could have gotten there if I had more time to plan; no, I still don t see how to get there.) Share the secret of crawling on knees and elbows or of rolling if the kids have not already figured this out. Then ask: What about the task Jesus gave Nicodemus? Was it really impossible? Why or why not? (It s impossible for people; it s only possible with God; it was possible, but Nicodemus couldn t do it on his own he needed Jesus help.) If someone does make it to the garland, congratulate that student for quick thinking; then point out that the task Jesus gave Nicodemus really was impossible without God s help. Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4 59

Lesson 5 Say: Part of the problem for Nicodemus was that he didn t understand what Jesus really meant, just as you didn t understand what I meant in our game at first. You needed to learn more. Ask: What do you think Jesus meant by being born again? (Starting life over with God; being like a baby depending on God; believing in Jesus.) Say: Jesus explained what he meant in John 3:16, which is our Bible verse this week. Let s read this verse aloud together to see what it means to be born again: For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. After you ve read the verse aloud, ask: How does someone become born again? (By believing in Jesus; by believing that Jesus is God s Son.) Why did Jesus say that we had to be born again? (So we could have eternal life; because doing right things isn t enough.) Say: Following Jesus means learning all we can about him. When we put our faith in Jesus, we re born again born into God s family this time! And just as babies have to learn everything about life, we have to learn about life with Jesus. Even Nicodemus, who was a very wise man, didn t understand the things that Jesus was saying. As you can see, we re never too old to learn about Jesus! n Faith and Rest SUPPLIES: Bible Gather the gold coins and the bag of paper straw. Have the kids stand in a line facing you. Say: Let s do something to help us understand a little bit more about what Jesus told Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a Pharisee. That means he was one of the rulers of the Jewish people; he helped make the laws for the people. Jesus told Nicodemus something brand-new about how to get to heaven. Until that time, people thought that following all of the religious laws was the way to get to heaven. Let s see what that might have been like. Imagine that I m your leader. I believe that in order to get to heaven, you must never break any law, so I want you to keep each old law. On top of that, every new law I think of you must keep, too. Pretty complicated, huh? Ready to try? OK. Here s the first law. Keep looking up. Instruct the kids to look up at the ceiling. Here s the second law. This is a new law that I think will help you keep the first law: Keep this gold coin on your forehead. Walk around and place a gold coin on each child s forehead. Congratulate the kids on the fact that they are keeping their heads up. Now you must go on with your daily work. Part of that work is harvesting in the fields. After I put this paper straw on the ground, I want you to pick it up, but remember, you must keep all the laws as you are harvesting. Scatter the paper straw on the floor, and encourage the kids to pick it all up. As you notice individuals who lower their heads or lose gold coins from their foreheads, have 60 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4

Nicodemus Comes to Learn From Jesus those children sit down. Finally, have everyone sit on the floor together. Leave the paper straw on the ground, and let the kids keep their gold coins as you ask: Which of the laws you were asked to keep do you think was more important? Why? (They were all important; keeping your head back seemed most important.) How do you think this game is like following real laws? (It s hard not to break any laws; it s impossible to follow every law.) Say: Much of the people s lives in Bible times were taken up with trying to follow laws. In our game, the first law was to keep looking up. That law was given to remind you to think about God. But its importance got lost among the rest of the rules. That s what the people and the Pharisees experienced. They worked hard to keep the laws, both the ones that God had given them and the ones that were made by people. They believed that if they worked hard enough to keep all of the laws as they did their daily work, they would get to heaven. But the real importance of the laws got lost. Now I want to give you an idea of what Jesus was telling Nicodemus. Stand up and get ready to follow all the laws again. Have the kids look up and put the gold coins back on their foreheads. Now listen to what Jesus says in the book of Matthew. Read Matthew 11:28-30 aloud. I ll come around to each of you and offer to take your coin. If you choose to give me your coin, you can also think about God without looking up. Go to each child and offer to take the coin. After you ve gone to each child, say: Now let s harvest again. Those of you who chose to give me your gold coins can bend down to pick up the straw. And you can think about God without looking up. If some children chose not to give up their gold coins, tell them to keep following the earlier laws. Have kids bring the paper straw to you. Place the paper straw and gold coins back in the Learning Lab, and have the children sit in a circle. Ask: Which was easier, the first way you harvested or the second? Why? (The second, because I didn t have to look up; the second, because the rules were easier.) How did you feel when I offered to take the coins from you? (Glad that I didn t have to do it anymore; relieved.) How is that like Jesus offering to carry our burdens for us? (Jesus does the hard things for us; Jesus doesn t make it hard for us to follow him.) Say: Jesus told Nicodemus that believing in him was the only way to get to heaven. And it s the same for us today. Believing in Jesus is the only way to heaven. We can t work our way there or earn our way there. All we have to do is believe. And when we do, he ll take our burdens and carry them for us. Ask: What is one burden you d like to give to Jesus? (Worrying about my grades; being afraid that my parents will get divorced; being afraid of someone in my school.) Say: Jesus loves us so much, and he wants to carry our burdens for us. Let s open our hands, as if we are handing our burdens to Jesus, and pray, asking him to take these burdens for us. Pray: Dear Lord, thank you for loving each one of us. Thank you for caring enough about us to carry our worries and burdens. We give you the things that are hard for us to handle. Please help us trust you with these cares. Amen. As you teach third- and fourthgraders, keep in mind the following aspects of their spiritual development: They are able to accept that there are some things about God we don t understand. They are ready to relate individual Bible events to the scope of Bible history. They recognize the difference between right and wrong and are able to make deliberate choices about actions. Encourage active participation as students report back by following up kids answers with questions such as What did you mean by that? and Can you tell me more? Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4 61

Lesson 5 Say: Following Jesus means learning all we can about him. And the more we learn about him, the more we ll want to follow him and do what he tells us. Instead of following laws to try to earn our way into heaven, as the Pharisees thought they had to do, we can trust in Jesus to lead us to heaven. That s why it s so important to learn all we can about him. HANDS-ON BIBLE Say: John 3:16 is probably the most well-known verse in the whole Bible. Let s turn to this verse in our Hands-On Bibles and find the activity near the verse. Allow time for children to read the God Loves You! activity near John 3:16. Then provide card-making supplies such as construction paper, markers, envelopes, and stickers so they can complete the activity. Encourage children to mail the cards they ve made right away so they don t forget. n Live Forever SUPPLIES: Bible, CD player Have a volunteer read John 3:16 aloud. track 9 Say: John 3:16 is a verse that s important to know because it tells us about our own relationship with Jesus, and we can use this verse to help others understand how important a relationship with Jesus is. Let s sing a song that will help us learn and remember John 3:16. Lead students in singing We Will Live Forever (John 3:16), track 9 on the CD. Lyrics to this song can be found at the end of this book. After students have sung the song once, let them work together to create motions to represent some of the words. Then sing the song again, letting kids lead the motions. Closing n New Beginnings SUPPLIES: CD player, pens or pencils, certificates handout (p. 65), scissors Before class, make photocopies of the certificates track 10 handout, and cut the certificates apart. Take out the graduation cap. Cue the CD to the Commencement Music (track 10). Ask: What does this hat make you think of? (Graduation; finishing school.) Say: When people finish high school or college, they usually have a graduation ceremony where they wear a graduation cap like this one. We call that ceremony commencement, which means beginning. 62 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4

Nicodemus Comes to Learn From Jesus Ask: Why do you think the end of school is called a beginning? (It s the beginning of life outside of school; it s the beginning of having a job all the time.) Say: What people learn in school is just the beginning of what they ll learn during their lives. In the same way, the end of our class time is just the beginning of what we can learn about Jesus. We all have lots more to learn. Place the prepared certificates in the graduation cap. Say: At a commencement ceremony, the graduates receive diplomas. Today you ll each receive a reminder to keep learning more about Jesus. As I play a little graduation music, you ll each come up and receive your reminder. Start the CD, and let each child come forward to receive a certificate. As you hand out the cards, shake each child s hand and say: Keep learning about Jesus and growing closer to him. When kids are seated again, give each child a pencil or pen. Say: Write on your certificate one thing you will do this week to learn more about Jesus. Start the CD again, and give kids a minute or two to write. If kids seem stumped, suggest praying, reading the Bible, and asking questions of other Christians. Then stop the CD. Say: Following Jesus means learning all we can about him. Take your certificates home with you to remind you to keep learning! Return the graduation cap to the Learning Lab. Close with a prayer similar to this one: Dear Jesus, thank you for helping each of us learn more about you today. Help us to learn more about you every day. Knowing you is the greatest! Amen. Growing closer to Jesus extends beyond the classroom. Photocopy the Hands-On Fun at Home handout (at the end of this lesson) for this week, and send it home with your kids. Encourage kids and parents to use the handout to spark meaningful discussion on this week s topic. Remind kids to bring their Bibles to class with them next week. Bringing their own Bibles will help kids become familiar with using and turning to the Bible. Always discuss each activity with your students. Don t skip over the discussion part of an activity in order to complete additional activities. The activities allow children to experience Bible truths. The printed discussion questions and summary statements help students explore their feelings, discover important principles, and decide how to apply these principles to their lives. Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4 63

funny facts Get as many different signatures as you can. Have each box signed by someone who: is wearing something red. can say four lines of a Dr. Seuss book. can say hello in two languages. dots an i with a circle. secretly gives his or her least favorite food to the dog. is missing any tooth. can raise one eyebrow. can say toy boat fast five times. has a strange pet. can juggle. doesn t like pickles. likes orange popsicles. has gotten the hiccups in class. can sing any TV show theme song. can crack his or her knuckles. has been to a circus. 64 Permission to photocopy this handout from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4 granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538. group.com

For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). I am following Jesus by learning all I can about him. This is one way I will learn about Jesus this week: I am following Jesus by learning all I can about him. This is one way I will learn about Jesus this week: Permission to photocopy this handout from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4 granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538. group.com 65

LESSON 5 Following Jesus means learning all we can about him. For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Gather together to talk about these questions: If you were alone with Jesus like Nicodemus was that night, what would you ask Jesus? How can you talk to Jesus about this question now? How does reading the Bible help you find answers to your questions about Jesus? Read John 3:2. Describe the best teacher you ever had. What qualities of a good teacher does Jesus have? Read John 3:5-6. Have your mom or dad tell you about the day you were born. How can you tell if someone has been born again? Interview each member of your family, and write a short biography for a family Who s Who book. The book may be either a scrapbook you buy or one you make from construction paper. Include facts such as favorite foods, hobbies, and happiest memories. Set up a mirror, and have each person draw a self-portrait. Use the drawings as the title page for each person s chapter in the book. When the book is finished, read the biographies aloud, and talk about what you learned about each family member. Read Romans 15:3-5. What can you learn from Jesus example in these verses? Then work together to write a short biography of Jesus. Have each person tear out a shape from construction paper that reminds them of Jesus. For example, a star could represent the miraculous way Jesus was born or a footprint could represent following Jesus. Put each shape on a separate piece of paper, and write what the shape tells about Jesus. Add the biography of Jesus to the front of your book to show that Jesus is a part of your family. Have family members close their eyes while you prepare an adventure for them. Make a trail of Hershey s Kisses leading to a Bible. When you re finished, invite them to begin the adventure! Instruct them to take turns eating the Hershey s Kisses. When they reach the end of the trail, have everyone tell their favorite stories about Jesus. Then join hands around the Bible and pray, thanking God for the Bible that helps us learn about Jesus. 66 Permission to photocopy this handout from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4 granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538. group.com