Lesson 3: The sign of Jonah.
Passage: Matthew 12:38-42 - Some of the religious leaders came to Jesus demanding a sign from him, but Jesus refused to give them any sign except for the sign of Jonah. He said that just as Jonah spent three days in the belly of the whale, so would he spend three days buried in the ground before coming back again. He also said that the people of Jonah’s day would come back in judgement because they listened and repented at Jonah’s teaching, but now someone even greater than Jonah was here.
Big Idea: Keeping our hearts open.
For Teachers:
Lesson plan.
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Welcome Activity: (5 minutes)
Greet the children with the iPad roster outside the classroom door. Check-in the children in your classroom as they arrive
Invite the children in to sit in a circle on the circle time rug.
Once everyone has arrived welcome them to class, introduce yourselves and explain what they will be doing today.
Ask if the children would like to share one thing they are excited for this week. Example: (Going to see a friend, a playdate, a birthday etc.)
Warm Up Activity: — Freeze Dance (5 minutes)
Tell the kids it’s time for body break.
Select a video from the activity playlist.
Transition to Bible Lesson (2 minutes)
That was amazing kids! You are great dancers and freezers!
Now it’s time to have a seat, can you let me know you are ready to listen by making a heart sign. (Have the kids make a heart sign with their hands).
Great work, let’s begin…
Bible Lesson: (8 minutes)
For the last two Sundays, we’ve been talking about some of the different times in the Bible when Jesus was being challenged.
Do you remember what a challenge is? (Something difficult, a test, or an obstacle)
Today we’ll be learning about another time when Jesus was challenged by some religious people - those are the people who believed in God and taught everyone about God, but they also didn’t believe in Jesus.
What do you think a sign is? (A sign is another word for a miracle)
Can you think of any miracles that Jesus did? (Feeding people, healing people, making people well)
Let’s watch our video and find out more…
Video Lesson — Play Challenger Lesson 3: The sign of Jonah
Follow Up Discussion
Why do you think Jesus didn’t like that the people were asking him for a sign?
Do you think it’s easy or hard for you to trust in Jesus? Why?
Thank you kids for listening and sharing what you think about the story. Now we are going to move to our activity time.
Activity: Whale Craft (10 mins)
Whale craft - kids will use wikki sticks and stickers to create a whale craft
Dismissal: Use the Roster iPad to dismiss children and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome Activity: (5 minutes)
Greet the children with the iPad roster at the front of the classroom (the North Hall)
Invite the children to sit in a circle on the rug at the front of the room.
Introduce yourselves and explain what they will be doing today.
Ask if the children would like to share one thing they are excited for this week. Example: (Going to see a friend, a playdate, a birthday etc.)
Warm Up Activity: — Freeze Dance (5 minutes)
Tell the kids it’s time for body break.
Select a video from the activity playlist.
Transition to Bible Lesson (2 minutes)
That was amazing kids! You are great dancers and freezers!
Now it’s time to have a seat, can you let me know you are ready to listen by making a heart sign. (Have the kids make a heart sign with their hands).
Great work, let’s begin…
Bible Lesson: (8 minutes)
For the last two Sundays, we’ve been talking about some of the different times in the Bible when Jesus was being challenged.
Do you remember what a challenge is? (Something difficult, a test, or an obstacle)
Today we’ll be learning about another time when Jesus was challenged by some religious people - those are the people who believed in God and taught everyone about God, but they also didn’t believe in Jesus.
What do you think a sign is? (A sign is another word for a miracle)
Can you think of any miracles that Jesus did? (Feeding people, healing people, making people well)
Let’s watch our video and find out more…
Video Lesson — Play Challenger Lesson 3: The sign of Jonah
Follow Up Discussion
Why do you think Jesus didn’t like that the people were asking him for a sign?
Do you think it’s easy or hard for you to trust in Jesus? Why?
Thank you kids for listening and sharing what you think about the story. Now we are going to move to our activity time.
Craft Activity (10 minutes)
Whale craft: Use Wikki Stix, paper and stickers to create a craft related to the story.
Dismissal: Dismiss students using iPad roster, make sure each student leaves with their care-givers.
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Welcome — Leaders
Introduce yourself and welcome the kids to class. Use the roster iPad to check-in students as they arrive in the classroom.
Warm Up Activity (8 mins)
Roll the Dice answer the question game
Each child will roll two dice and answer the corresponding question on the sheet
Play until each child and leader has had a chance to answer at least 1 question.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today is our third week of our series called Challenger, which is all about the different times when Jesus was challenged by those around him.
So far we’ve learned about how Jesus was challenged by the Villain, the enemy of God, who tested him three times in the wilderness, and how he was challenged by the people in his own hometown, who didn’t believe in him.
Today we’ll learn about a time when Jesus was challenged by the religious leaders of his time - those were the people who knew all about God and the Bible, and they taught others about God too. But even though they knew a lot about God, they didn’t believe in Jesus. The story goes like this…
Some of the religious leaders came to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, give us a sign to show us that you really are the Son of God and that your teachings are true.” But Jesus didn’t like that. He said, “It was wrong for you to ask me for a sign, and I will not give one to you, except for the sign of Jonah.” (Jonah was one of the messengers of God who got swallowed by a big whale). Then Jesus said, “Just like Jonah spent three nights in the whale’s belly, so will I spend three nights buried in the ground. But the people in Jonah’s time will come back and judge you because they listened to Jonah, but now someone even greater than Jonah is here, but you won’t listen.”
Video Lesson — Play Challenger Lesson 3: The Sign of Jonah
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Why do you think that the religious leaders asked him for a sign? And why was Jesus upset about it?
Why do you think it was so hard for them to believe in Jesus, even though they’re supposed to be the ones who know the most about God?
Do you think sometimes it’s harder for people who think they know a lot and who have strong beliefs, to change their minds about things when someone tells them something different from what they’re used to?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for what we’ve been learning these past weeks about how Jesus was challenged by those around him. Even though he was the Son of God, he still faced rejection and disbelief. At the end of the day, we know that we all have a choice whether or not to believe in Jesus. Please help us to grow in our faith, and to feel free to come to you or to others with our questions and doubts. And as we do, please help us to keep our hearts humble and open to learning from you, rather than hardening our hearts like the religious leaders who weren’t willing to listen or believe, but kept challenging and testing Jesus instead. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Jonah and the Whale Craft — Activity Leader
Kids will can use Wikki Stix to paper and stickers to create a whale craft.
Dismissal: Using the iPad roster dismiss children and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
For Parents:
Follow-up questions.
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
What do you think was wrong with the people asking Jesus for a sign?
Do you think asking for a sign is different than just asking questions when you don’t understand something?
Do you think it’s easy or hard to believe in Jesus’ teachings? Why?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
What do you think was wrong with the people asking Jesus for a sign?
Do you think asking for a sign is different than just asking questions when you don’t understand something? Why?
Do you have any questions about God that you’re wondering about?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Why do you think the religious people had such a hard time with Jesus’ teachings?
What do you think was so wrong with them asking for a sign? Do you think that’s different from just asking questions when you don’t understand something? Why?
What do you think is the main takeaway from the story?
