BIG IDEA: DISCIPLES MAY DOUBT, BUT GOD MAKES THINGS CLEAR
AIM: The aim of the ‘Jesus Appears to the Disciples’ Childrens lesson on Luke 24:36-39 is to help the children to see that though they may have doubts, God can turn those doubts around.
SONG IDEAS:
1. ‘Greater’ by MercyMe
2. ‘My Lighthouse’ by Rend Collective
GAME IDEAS:
- Biscuit Balance. (regular/widescreen) or Cookie Count (regular/widescreen). Children compete in a relay to see how many biscuits they can balance on a team mate’s forehead.
- Wotsits Face. (regular/widescreen) or Cheetos Face. (regular/widescreen) Throw wotsits or Cheetos at a leader’s shaving foam covered face. The team with the most on their face at the end of the game is the winning team.
- Hanging Donuts. (regular/widescreen) Tie 4 short pieces of string around 4 separate donuts. Tie all 4 short pieces of string to one long piece of string. Have two leaders hold up the long piece of string by both ends. Choose 4 players and have them lie down underneath the hanging donuts. Children must not use their hands but must try and eat the donuts. The fastest to eat their donut is the winner.
BIG VERSE: Jesus told the people who had faith in him, “If you keep on obeying what I have said, you truly are my disciples. John 8:31.
SET the Scene:
Luke 24:36-39 with references to John 20:19-29. The two passages show how Jesus appeared to the disciples and a week later he appeared again. Both times the disciples needed convincing that Jesus was alive. Although the second passage is often highlighted by ‘doubting Thomas’, in Luke 24 Jesus also had to eat with the disciples to make them realise that he was who he said he was.
You could use the sensory story to help communicate this account.
VIDEO IDEAS:
SPOT the Simple Meaning:
1) DISCIPLES MAY HAVE DOUBTS, BUT JESUS MAKES THINGS CLEAR
You may want to use a mirror and a cup of boiling water to cloud it up. Then hold it up and show the children. Write the name ‘Jesus’ on the mirror and show how it becomes clear. (You will want to practice this object lesson to make sure it works.)
Say: Sometimes things can seem unclear and fuzzy. Perhaps somebody challenges us and tells us God isn’t real or that Jesus didn’t rise from the dead. This may rock us a bit, we may start questioning things. It’s just like this mirror. Sometimes our minds can get a little hazy (start to fog up the mirror with the steam).
The disciples were unclear. In Luke 24:36-49 we are told that they thought Jesus was a ghost when he first appeared. Their minds were unclear and they didn’t really believe it was Jesus, even when they saw his hands and feet because they were so overjoyed and amazed. Jesus had to eat fish in front of them in order for them to realise that he really was and is alive!
We can know that Jesus makes things clear. Just as He made himself clear to the disciples. He will make Himself clear to us too. He wants us to know that He is real and He is alive. We can know He is alive by reading the Bible and finding out the truth about Him and the way he answers our prayers. Of course, not all of our prayers may be given the answer we want, but we can know that He always wants the best for us.
When we have times of doubt we can ask Jesus to make things clear to us and He will. We can tell him our questions and our doubts and trust that He will make things clear one day, either soon or in Heaven! 1 Corinthians 13:12 says, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”
Some things we may never know the answer to, but we can always trust that Jesus is good and that He will make it clear in the end.
Ultimately God wants us to be clear minded. He wants us to know that we can have full faith and trust in Him. He doesn’t want us to doubt. So when we bring our doubts to Him, He will help to make them clear.
James 1;6 says “for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” God doesn’t want us to be ‘tossed by the wind’ but He wants us to be strong in faith.
We may have doubts but [write the word ‘Jesus’ on the mirror to show how it clears] Jesus makes things clear.
2) DISCIPLES MAY HAVE DOUBTS, BUT THEY DON’T STOP BELIEVING
Show the clip from the ‘Soul Surfer’ movie for 8-11s. This is based on a true story of Bethany Hamilton. Bethany was an up and coming surfer girl who, whilst surfing in the sea one day, was in a shark attack. The shark took her arm. Bethany will once again become a legendary surfer, but in the middle of all this, she has her doubts.
Say: In that clip it shows us that even though Bethany loved God and knew that things would be okay in the end, she still had doubts. Have you ever had any doubts? It seems that we all can have doubts about what we believe. Yet Jesus told Thomas ‘stop doubting and believe.’ (John 20:29)
We may have doubts in our mind about things sometimes, but we can keep bringing them to God and ask Him to help us to keep believing. In the Bible, one man whose son was sick was challenged by Jesus. Jesus told him “All things are possible to him who believes!” The man cried back, “ I do believe, help my unbelief!” This man also had doubts, even though he believed. He knew he needed Jesus to help his doubts disappear.
The disciples needed Jesus to show them that he was real and that he was able to help them. That’s why Jesus ate with them and showed them his hands and his feet. Jesus showed his friends that they didn’t need to doubt anymore. He really is alive!
Jesus tells Thomas ‘Blessed are those who believe without seeing”. We may never see God physically in the flesh, but we can still believe. Even if we have doubts. Even if we are unsure from time to time. We can ask Jesus to help us believe and trust that He will!
SEARCH the Scriptures:
Dump Your Doubts. (regular/widescreen) Print out the bible verses about doubt and put them in a container. Dump lots of rice into the container and have the children use their toes to find the bible verses hidden inside.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Is it wrong to have doubts?
2. What does God want us to do with our doubts?
3. How can we deal with our doubts if they become overwhelming?
4. How did people in the Bible deal with their doubts?
5. Does God ever doubt? Why/why not?
6. Do you think Jesus ever doubted? Why/why not? (Use bible references to help) 7. If I doubt, how can I still believe?
8. How can I make sure I believe more than I doubt?
SENSE How You Feel:
Encourage the children to think about how the disciples must have felt to see Jesus after they had already watched him die. As they do one or more of the activities below, challenge the children to answer this question:
How would it feel to see Jesus again?
Sensory: Make some sensory bags and have children write names in the squishiness. Encourage them to see if they can make their name clear. Use flour, water and food colouring to make the bags squishy.
A Quick Craft: Create a hands craft with the Jesus Appears to the Disciples by printing off the craft template and cutting the hands and verse out. You’ll need to have already slit the hearts with a knife. Then have the children thread the verse through the hearts in the hands.
Mould: Using play dough or clay create Jesus and the disciples or Jesus eating fish.
Build: Using lego or blocks create a scene of the disciples around Jesus, or create giant hands and feet.
SEEK God:
Bring your doubts before God. You could play the MercyMe track as the children are filling out their ‘I Doubt It’ printables.
God isn’t scared of our doubts. The disciples doubted, and the disciples also needed Jesus to show them he was real. God wants us to be open with our questions and to be honest with Him about the way we feel. Yet He also wants us to lay those doubts down and believe.
Teacher note: It’s so important to make sure you don’t just leave it here. Make sure you pray and bring your doubts before God together.
Pray: Father God, we bring our doubts before You. Thank You that You are a God who understands and loves us. Help us to trust You and to know that You will make it clear for us. Remind us that we can check our doubts against your Word and know that the words in the Bible are true. Amen.
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