God s Way, Jonah! KEY VERSE Jonah 4:11a STICKY STATEMENT Motivated by mercy LESSON OBJECTIVE Children will understand that God wants them to show mercy to others. CHECKLIST 1. A PowerPoint is included for this lesson. 2. Lawn chair or classroom chair (Younger Adaptation) 3. Umbrella (Younger Adaptation) 4. Children s or adult binoculars (Younger Adaptation) 5. Sunglasses (Younger Adaptation) LESSON OVERVIEW Because God chose to show mercy to the people of Nineveh when they repented, Jonah was angry. Mercy was missing from the heart of Jonah. We will help the children understand that they should feel and show mercy to others. Younger Adaptation While Jonah 4:5-7 is being read, you will see a funny demonstration of what each verse may have looked like in live action. Teacher s Note: For this object lesson, you will need to choose a leader to mimic Jonah s actions in Jonah 4:5-7. Have the props ready before the lesson. If you don t use props, the leader can still act out the motions using their body. You can use as many or as few props as you choose. As each verse is read, the leader will act out the verse. Stop after each verse is read to give the leader time to demonstrate what Jonah did. The more animated the leader is, the better. The following should help you understand the sequence of the items used and the corresponding verse: When Jonah 4:5 is being read you will need a lawn chair or classroom chair, sun glasses and binoculars. As it is being read, walk across the room with chair and sit down, put on sunglasses, start fanning yourself from the heat, and look through the binoculars. 8. God s Way, Jonah! (Module 2 Walk This Way) - 51
When Jonah 4:6 is being read you will need an umbrella to represent shade. As the verse is being read, open the umbrella and be relieved for the shelter. When Jonah 4:7 is being read you will simply need to close the umbrella and show a look of frustration. INTRODUCTION Teacher s Note: Have enough small size packages of M&M s to give each child two packages. You will be handing them out during the Application part of the lesson. Last week we learned that Jonah finally obeyed and delivered God s message to the people of Nineveh. The city was so large it took Jonah three days to walk all the way through the city. Let s read Jonah 3:5-6 to see what happened. [Read Jonah 3:5-6.] What did the people of Nineveh do? [Allow the children to answer. All the people, even the king of Nineveh, believed God and repented. They put on sackcloth and they fasted.] That s right! They repented. [Read Jonah 3:10.] Did God destroy the people of Nineveh? No! When God saw what they did, He showed mercy to them and did not destroy them. Mercy is the act of withholding punishment that is deserved. All of us have experienced mercy at some time in our life. Maybe this illustration will help you to understand mercy even better. Let s say you are capable of getting B s in school, so your parents expect at least B s on your report card. Now, let s say that on your last report card you received an F in math. Your parents tell you that you need to get that grade up to a B by the next report card, or you will have to quit the soccer team. Since you love soccer, you try very hard to get that grade to a B. If, when you get your next report card, your math grade is a C, would you be allowed to play soccer? [Allow the children to answer. The answer is No since you did not make a B. ] No, that s right. You didn t deserve to play; you didn t get the grade. No B equals no soccer. If your parents did allow you to play, what would they be showing you? [Allow the children to answer. The answer is mercy. ] Yes, mercy. If your parents allowed you to play soccer, they would be showing you mercy. BODY When God arranged for the great fish to swallow Jonah so he wouldn t drown, He was showing Jonah mercy. When God caused the fish to vomit Jonah out, He was showing Jonah mercy. When God spared the people of Nineveh, He was showing mercy. Jonah had experienced the mercy of God many times. Now, Jonah would have the opportunity to extend mercy to others. Imagine that you just delivered God s message to an entire city of people, and thousands of people believed God, repented, and their lives were spared. What would your reaction be to that news? How would you feel? [Allow the children to answer.] Let s read Jonah 4:1 and see how Jonah reacted. [Read Jonah 4:1.] Wait! What? That can t be. Read that again. I must have heard that wrong! [Re-read Jonah 4:1.] Jonah just saw thousands of people; men, women, and children, repent. God mercifully spared their lives, and the Bible says that Jonah was not happy. It didn t displease him a little, or even a lot, it displeased him so much that it made him angry! 8. God s Way, Jonah! (Module 2 Walk This Way) - 52
Jonah wasn t motivated by mercy even though God showed mercy to him. Jonah didn t want God to show any mercy toward the people of Nineveh because he didn t think they deserved it. Jonah didn t see the people of Nineveh as he saw himself. Jonah decided that they were too wicked to receive any mercy; they deserved their punishment. After all, even God considered them wicked. Jonah tried to justify his anger with excuses. When you are angry at God, you are upset because you didn t get what you wanted. Things did not happen the way Jonah wanted them happen, and it made him angry. God asked Jonah, Is it right for you to be angry? Jonah certainly wasn t motivated by mercy. Teacher s Note: If using the Younger Adaptation, use it here. As the Scripture is being read, be sure to allow enough time for the leader to mimic the actions of Jonah in each verse. Let s find out where Jonah decided to have his pity party. [Read Jonah 4:5-7.] Angry Jonah left Nineveh and found a place to sit where he could see the city. He built a shelter, sat under it, and waited. What was Jonah waiting for? Maybe Jonah was hoping that God would still destroy the people of Nineveh, and he wanted a front row seat. Guess what? God helps Jonah again by making a large plant grow over Jonah to give him better shade than the shelter he built himself. Jonah was very grateful for the plant s shade. But at dawn, God sent a worm that damaged the plant and it withered. Jonah was so mad at God for killing a perfectly good plant that made Jonah comfortable. Jonah thought, How could God showed mercy to people who did very wicked things? Did Jonah have a right to be angry? What do you think? Teacher s Note: Allow the children to answer. Don t correct their wrong answers. They will hear the correct answer when Jonah 4:10-11 is read. Let me read what God told Jonah. [Read Jonah 4:10-11.] God told Jonah that he was showing more pity to a plant than he was to human beings. Jonah believed that he was right and God was wrong. Think back through what you know of Jonah. Did Jonah know what it felt like to receive mercy from God? When did he experience God s mercy? Teacher s Note: Allow children to answer. Earlier in the lesson you mentioned a few. They probably will come up with answers similar to these: 1. When the sailors threw Jonah overboard, and he didn t drown. 2. When God had the fish swallow Jonah, and it kept him alive. 3. When God gave Jonah a second chance to obey. 4. When God told the fish to vomit him out onto the land. Jonah knew exactly what the mercy of God felt like because God showed mercy to Jonah many times. When the sailors threw Jonah overboard, Jonah was experiencing the consequence for his disobedience. God spared Jonah s life when He commanded the fish to swallow Jonah and kept him from drowning. Jonah didn t deserve another chance to go to Nineveh, but God thought he did and told the fish to vomit him out to dry land. 8. God s Way, Jonah! (Module 2 Walk This Way) - 53
What was Jonah missing in his heart? [Allow the children to answer. Mercy.] Remember earlier in the lesson, you were asked to think about this question. Does your heart resemble, or look like, Jonah s heart, when it comes to other people? Is it motivated by mercy? How would you react if you had been working for days building a fortress out of Legos and when you returned to the room after a short break you found your little brother in your room? If you saw that he was sitting on the floor surrounded by the torn apart fortress that you were making, throwing the Legos in the air, what would be your response be if you were motivated by mercy? Teacher s Note: Allow the children to answer. They may give answers similar to: be forgiving, not get angry, sit down and play with him and help him build something etc. Raise your hand if you think that it would be hard to be motivated by mercy in this situation. Choosing to show mercy can be difficult at times, but God will help you if you ask Him. APPLICATION Teacher s Note: Hold up two packages of M&M s to the class. Each of you will receive two packages of M&M s to remind you that you should give mercy because God was merciful to you. One package is for you to eat (when your parents say you can) and the other one is for you to use as a way to extend mercy to someone else. What is the sticky statement that we have been repeating throughout the lesson? [Allow children to respond. Motivated by Mercy.] Watch for an opportunity to give your other package of M&M s to someone who doesn t deserve it. Tell that person that you learned a great lesson from the life of Jonah. The M&M on the packet is a reminder to you to be motivated by mercy. When you return next week, the leaders will be looking forward to hearing your stories of what happened when you handed out your M&M s. [Close in prayer.] PERSONAL TRAINING TIME Goal of this Personal Training Time Remind the children that God wants them to have a heart of mercy and direct that heart to show mercy to others. Discussion Questions 1. What did Jonah s actions tell you about him? (He thought he knew better than God. He thought his reasons justified his choice to disobey. He cared more about the plant than people, He wasn t motivated by mercy.) 2. What is a way that you have experienced someone else showing mercy to you? (Be sure not to use all of this time sharing your own story about mercy. Encourage the children to share their experiences. Allow time for them to think. Don t be afraid of silence.) 8. God s Way, Jonah! (Module 2 Walk This Way) - 54
3. What should you say to the person that you give your package of candy to? (Talk about what they could say to that person when they give them the M&M package. Remind them to be motivated by mercy.) PARENT CONNECTION This week we concluded our journey with Jonah. We showed the children through the life of Jonah that God cares about all people-good and bad. We asked the children to search their own heart to see if they had a heart like Jonah s, missing mercy, or a heart like God s, full of mercy and forgiveness. They learned that mercy is the act of withholding punishment that is deserved. Your child has been given a small bag of M&M s to share with someone who does not deserve it. Discuss with your child some good ways that they can extend mercy to someone. 8. God s Way, Jonah! (Module 2 Walk This Way) - 55
8. God s Way, Jonah! (Module 2 Walk This Way) - 56