VERSES: Luke 2:41-52
MEMORY VERSE: Luke 2:52 "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."
BOOK TO REMEMBER: Romans. Write "Romans" on small slips of paper and hand out to students at the end of class.
PRAYER: Pray that we will always be busy with the Lord's work, putting Him first in all areas of our lives.
SPECIAL SONG: Jesus Taught By Parable And Miracle (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #4 on this blog. Click on orange circle for tune.)
VISUAL AID: Large Activity (see below)
LESSON POINTS:
- We do not know a lot about Jesus' childhood in Nazareth, but we do know that he was allowed to go to Jerusalem when He was twelve years old. Every year Joseph and Mary traveled from Nazareth to Jerusalem at the feast of the Passover. This was a special feast where all of God's people remembered the time when the Israelites were in slavery in Egypt and how God, through Moses, led them out of Egypt (Exodus 12:1, 2; Numbers 9:1-5) and out of slavery. When Jesus was twelve years old, He was allowed to go with His family on the long trip to Jerusalem. After the feast was over and the people were returning to their homes in different cities, Jesus was left behind in the large city of Jerusalem, but Joseph and Mary did not know it. Families often traveled together on long trips for convenience and safety, so Joseph and Mary thought he was with other members of their family when they left Jerusalem. When Joseph and Mary realized that Jesus was not with them, they turned back to Jerusalem and searched for Him for three days!
- Finally, they went into the temple and found a twelve-year-old Jesus sitting in the middle of the doctors and learned people, not only asking questions, but answering them! All that heard Him were astonished at Jesus' understanding and His answers. When Joseph and Mary saw where Jesus was and what He was doing, they, too, were amazed. His mother said to Jesus, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have searched and searched for you. We have been sad and sorrowed." Jesus answered her, "Did you not know that I would be about my Father's business?" Jesus was meaning His Father in heaven, but Joseph and Mary did not understand the meaning of Jesus' words. Jesus was an obedient son and He went back with them to Nazareth and obeyed them, but Mary kept all these sayings in her heart.
- That is all of the story that is written in the Bible. We do not know anymore of what Jesus did when He was young, but we know that Jesus grew up in different ways. He grew stronger and taller, He grew up smarter and wiser, He grew up spiritually, knowing the Scriptures, and Jesus, also, grew up socially and people liked Him. This is how we should grow as well.
- Sometimes people only think of Jesus as a baby and they think of Him as a child without any siblings, but Jesus had brothers and sisters. We can read of some of His brothers names like James, Joses, Simon, and Judas, but there is no record of his sisters' names (Matthew 13:55, 56).
- We also learn what his earthly father, Joseph, did to earn money for the family in Matthew 13:55, 56: Joseph was a carpenter.
Materials needed: 9" x 12" light brown construction paper, 5" x 7" white bond paper, scrap tan and dark brown construction paper, markers, crayons, glue, tape, scissors.
- Hand out light brown construction paper.
- Holding paper landscape, fold bottom edge up two inches.
- Unfold paper.
- Fold outside edges, meeting in the middle of the paper.
- Make sure folds are creased well.
- Unfold paper.
- On the bottom edge, cut on two of the small fold lines, but NOT above the long fold line from side to side.
- Draw one black line along bottom folded line only.
- Draw a black line about two-thirds of the way down lengthwise across paper. (see picture).
- Color between two black lines. This is the floor of the temple.
- Hand out white paper.
- Fold paper in half.
- Draw two pillars. (see picture.)
- Draw black lines on pillars.
- Glue pillars on each side of the paper in outer panels.
- Cut a thin 1/4" strip out of dark brown scrap paper. This is the bench Jesus was sitting on.
- Cut two legs for bench.
- Glue bench in the lower middle of the light brown paper between the two pillars.
- Draw Jesus sitting, four or five doctors standing, and Joseph and Mary standing.
- Color people.
- Cut out people.
- Glue Jesus sitting on top of bench.
- Glue doctors standing around Jesus.
- Off to one side, glue Joseph and Mary as if they had just walked in to the temple.
- At the top of the paper between the two pillars, write "...after three days they found him in the temple..." and "Luke 2:46."
- Fold bottom of paper, so that the outer edges fold on top of the middle edge, forming right angles.
- Secure with tape.
- If scene does not stand freely on a table, gently fold creases again.
