Lesson 2: The calling of Matthew.
Passage: Matthew 9:9-13 - Jesus approached a man named Matthew who was sitting at a tax collector’s booth. He called Matthew to follow him, and Matthew got up and followed. Later, Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, along with many other tax collectors and “sinners”. The Pharisees asked Jesus’ disciples why this was, and when Jesus heard of it, he said that it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick; that God desires mercy not sacrifice; and that he has not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
Big Idea: Jesus calls imperfect people.
For Teachers:
Lesson plan.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: Object Lesson — Activity Leader
Leader will hold up two options (ie. a shiny box vs. an old beat up box) and have the kids pick which one they would choose, not knowing what is inside each one. This object lesson is meant to illustrate why we shouldn’t judge others by how they seem or look on the outside, because it's what's on the inside that really matters.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Last Sunday we started a brand new series where we are talking about some of Jesus’ followers.
Does anyone remember which follower we talked about last time?
Can anyone remember what Peter’s job was before he started following Jesus?
Then after Jesus called him, what did Jesus say Peter was going to do instead of being a fisherman?
Today we’re going to learn about another one of Jesus’ followers who’s name is Matthew. Let’s watch the video to find out more about his story…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion —Bible Story Leader
Does anyone remember what Matthew’s job was before he started following Jesus?
And people didn’t really like tax collectors right? Do you remember why?
Why do you think Jesus wanted Matthew to be his follower even though he was a tax collector and everyone hated him?
Was there ever a time when you made a mistake or did something wrong and you had to apologize afterwards? What happened then?
Have you ever had to forgive someone else who did something that wasn’t nice to you? Was it easy to forgive them or hard?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the story we learned today about Matthew, and how Jesus accepted him and called him to be his follower even though he made mistakes in the past. Thank you that no matter how many times we make mistakes, you still love us, forgive us, and accept us just as we are. Please help us to also love and forgive others when they make mistakes, and not to think badly about them but to remember that you love them and they are your children too. In Jesus name, Amen.”
Activity: Coin Stamps — Activity Leader
Using various coins, kids will stamp them in ink and use them to create their own designs. Colouring pages will also be available.
If a child is not interested in the craft, allow them to move into free play.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
-
Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: Object Lesson — Activity Leader
Leader will hold up two options (ie. a shiny box vs. an old beat up box) and have the kids pick which one they would choose, not knowing what is inside each one. This object lesson is meant to illustrate why we shouldn’t judge others by how they seem or look on the outside, because it’s what's on the inside that really matters.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Last Sunday we started a brand new series where we are talking about some of Jesus’ followers.
Does anyone remember which follower we talked about last time?
Can anyone remember what Peter’s job was before he started following Jesus?
Then after Jesus called him, what did Jesus say Peter was going to do instead of being a fisherman?
Today we’re going to learn about another one of Jesus’ followers who’s name is Matthew. Let’s watch the video to find out more about his story…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion —Bible Story Leader
Does anyone remember what Matthew’s job was before he started following Jesus?
And people didn’t really like tax collectors right? Do you remember why?
Why do you think Jesus wanted Matthew to be his follower even though he was a tax collector and everyone hated him?
Was there ever a time when you made a mistake or did something wrong and you had to apologize afterwards? What happened then?
Have you ever had to forgive someone else who did something that wasn’t nice to you? Was it easy to forgive them or hard?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the story we learned today about Matthew, and how Jesus accepted him and called him to be his follower even though he made mistakes in the past. Thank you that no matter how many times we make mistakes, you still love us, forgive us, and accept us just as we are. Please help us to also love and forgive others when they make mistakes, and not to think badly about them but to remember that you love them and they are your children too. In Jesus name, Amen.”
Activity: Coin Stamps — Activity Leader
Using various coins, kids will stamp them in ink and use them to create their own designs. Colouring pages will also be available.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
-
Welcome — Activity Leader
Introduce yourself and welcome the kids to class.
Warm Up Activity: Object Lesson — Activity Leader
Leader will hold up two options (ie. a shiny box vs. an old beat up box) and have the kids pick which one they would choose, not knowing what is inside each one. This object lesson is meant to illustrate why we shouldn’t judge by outward appearances, since it’s what’s on the inside that really matters.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Last Sunday we started a brand new series about some of the followers of Jesus.
Can anyone remember which one of Jesus’ followers we talked about last time?
What Peter’s job was before he started following Jesus?
What did Jesus say that he was going to do instead of fishing now that he was his follower?
Today we’ll be learning about another one of Jesus’ followers, a guy name Matthew. Let’s watch the video to find out more about his story…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Can anyone remember why people in Jesus’ time hated tax collectors so much?
Do you think it was surprising for Matthew when Jesus first approached him and ask him to be a follower? Why or why not?
What do you think it says about Jesus that he not only accepted Matthew, but was also willing to hang out with his group of people - other tax collectors and people considered “sinners” by society?
What did Jesus say to the religious leaders when they asked why he hung out with tax collectors and sinners?
Can you think of a time when either you judged someone or someone else judged you? What are some reasons why we shouldn’t judge others?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the story we learned today about Matthew, and how Jesus accepted him and called him to be his follower in spite of his past and the mistakes he’d made. Thank you that no matter how many times we mess up, you still love and accept us as we are, while at the same time changing our hearts and helping us to do better. Please help us to also be quicker to accept and love others, and slower to judge. In Jesus name, Amen.”
Activity: Coin Stamps — Activity Leader
Using various coins, kids will stamp them in ink and use them to create their own designs. Colouring pages will also be available.
Dismissal: Collect tags 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?
Do you think that there is anyone in the world who is always good and never makes mistakes?
Do you think think that your mom/dad/parent will always love you even when you make mistakes? Do you think that God is like that too? How does that make you feel?
What do you do when you know you made a mistake? What about if someone else made a mistake or did something that wasn’t very nice?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Do you know anyone who is always good and never makes any mistakes? Do you make mistakes sometimes?
Do you think that your mom/dad/parent will always love you even when you make mistakes or do something wrong? Do you think God also loves us even when we mess up? How does that make you feel?
What do you think is the best thing to do when we’ve made a mistake? And what about if someone else made a mistake and they were sorry for it?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Do you think that people’s judgements of Matthew for his job as a tax collector were fair? Why or why not?
Why do you think Jesus didn’t judge him, but accepted him as a follower? Do you think Jesus cared what other people thought about the kind of people he hung out with? Why or why not?
How do you think it must have affected people when they realized that Jesus wasn’t judging them, but accepted and loved them despite their flaws?
