Lesson 3: Turning the other cheek.
Passage: Matthew 5:38-42 - Jesus taught his followers that although the Law of Moses says that the punishment for an offense should match the crime (ie. an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth), the way his followers should take is the path of non-violence and turning the other cheek. Jesus then said that if someone were to sue them for their shirt, they should give them their coat as well, and if someone were to force them to walk with them one mile, they should go with them two. He ended by telling his followers to give to everyone who asks and to not refuse the one who wants to borrow from them.
Big Idea: Jesus’ way is peace.
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: Action Song— Activity Leader
Kids will follow along to the actions of the song "Going on a Bear Hunt".
Script: https://www.eastmardps.sa.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Were-Going-on-a-Bear-Hunt-Script.pdf
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today is our third Sunday talking about the sermon that Jesus taught from the side of a mountain, which was called the Sermon on the Mount
Does anyone remember some of Jesus’ teachings that we learned so far?
First we learned that we are like salt and light when we spread God’s goodness in the world, just like sprinkling salt on food to make it taste better, or shining a light in a dark room
Then we learned about how we shouldn’t make promises we can’t keep. Instead, we should just tell the truth and say what we really mean
Today we’ll be learning about what we should do if someone else is mean to us or hurts us. Let’s watch today’s video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Questions — Bible Story Leader
Does anyone remember what Jesus said about what we should do if someone hurts us? Should we fight them and try to hurt them back?
What are some ideas of what we can do instead?
Do you think that we can still be nice to people who aren’t nice to us? What do you think might happen if we are nice to them?
If someone is always meaning mean and hurting you, what do you think is the best thing to do?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the lesson we learned today about how we can be kind to people even if they aren’t kind to us, and if someone hurts us, the best thing to do is to walk away and ask for help from someone we trust. Please show us how to be people who are peaceful and kind, so that we can be a good example to others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Sun Collages — Activity Leader
Yellow circles and strips of multi-colored paper will be provided for the kids to glue onto another piece of paper to create a sun collage.
If a child is not interested in the activity, allow them to move to free play.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit near the TV. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: Action Song — Activity Leader
Kids will follow along to the actions of the song "Going on a Bear Hunt". The script can be found here: https://www.eastmardps.sa.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Were-Going-on-a-Bear-Hunt-Script.pdf
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today is our third Sunday talking about the sermon that Jesus taught from the side of a mountain, which was called the Sermon on the Mount.
Does anyone remember some of Jesus’ teachings that we learned so far?
First we learned that we are like salt and light when we spread God’s goodness in the world, just like sprinkling salt on food to make it taste better, or shining a light in a dark room
Then we learned about how we shouldn’t make promises we can’t keep. Instead, we should just tell the truth and say what we really mean
Today we’ll be learning about what we should do if someone else is mean or does something wrong towards us. Let’s watch today's video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Questions — Bible Story Leader
Does anyone remember what Jesus said about what we should do if someone hurts us? Should we fight them and try to hurt them back?
What are some ideas of things you can you do instead?
Do you think that we can still be nice to people who aren’t nice to us? What do you think might happen if we are nice to them?
What if someone is always meaning mean and hurting you - what do you think is the best thing to do in that situation?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the lesson we learned today about how we can be kind to people even if they aren’t kind to us, and if someone hurts us we shouldn’t try to hurt them back, but instead we can just walk away and talk someone who can help us. Please show us how to be people who are peaceful and kind, so that we can also be a good example to others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Sun Collages — Activity Leader
Yellow circles and strips of multi-colored paper will be provided for the kids to glue onto another piece of paper to create a sun collage.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Welcome the kids to class, ask how their week was.
Warm Up Activity: Backwards ABCs — Activity Leader
Have the kids recite the alphabet backwards one at a time. If they make any mistakes, they have to start over. Whoever does it the fastest (or gets the furthest in one minute) wins.
For a tiebreaker or an extra challenge, pick a random letter to start with rather than Z, and have participants work their way back to the original letter.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today is week three of our series on the Sermon on the Mount, which is all about the teachings that Jesus gave to his followers from a mountainside.
Does anyone remember what some of those teachings were that we learned so far?
Today we’re going to learn about what Jesus said about what we should do when someone hurts or wrongs us in some way. Let’s watch today’s video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Questions — Bible Story Leader
What do you think Jesus meant when he said that we should turn the other cheek? Do you think it means we should just let people hurt us and not do anything to protect ourselves?
There was actually an time in the Bible when someone slapped Jesus… What do you think he did in that situation?
What do you think we can learn from this example plus Jesus' teaching?
What do you think of Jesus' teaching that when someone asks for a shirt we should give them a coat too, and if someone asks to go with us one mile we should go with them two miles?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the teachings of Jesus that show us the way of peace. Thank you that Jesus always challenges us to be better people, to do the right thing in every situation, and to respond to the wrongs done to us with love and peace. It’s not easy to do but we pray that you would help us to follow your ways and be a good example to others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Sun Collages — Activity Leader
Yellow circles and strips of multi-colored paper will be provided for the kids to glue onto another piece of paper to create a sun collage.
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?
When someone does something mean to you, what do you usually do?
What did Jesus say we should do when someone treats us badly?
Is it easy or hard to be nice to someone who isn’t nice to us?
What do you think is a better way to stop someone from being mean to you instead of fighting them back? (Asking them to stop, talking to an adult that you trust)
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Has someone ever done something hurtful to you? How did you react?
What does Jesus teach us is the right thing to do when someone treats us badly?
Do you think it’s easy to be kind to someone who isn’t kind to us?
What do you think is a better way to react to someone who is being mean to you, instead of fighting them back?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Have you ever been in a situation where someone did something to hurt you and you wanted to get them back for it?
What do you think about Jesus’ teaching about turning the other cheek?
Do you think that Jesus wants us to just let people keep hurting us without doing anything about it? What are some other ways we can respond besides fighting back?
What do you think is the main point of Jesus’ message?
