Elementary Level, Block 9—Jesus
Week 88
Jesus—His Followers (1)—the Twelve Disciples
Point to Emphasize: We can be those who know Him.
Reading Reference: Matthew 1:1-2; 13:16-18; 21:17 with footnotes; Mark 3:13-14
Memory Verse: And He appointed twelve…so that they might be with Him… (Mark 3:14)
Story Sample
When I was in elementary school, our city held a big parade! There were marching bands, horses pulling wagons, people in western outfits riding horses, floats with western scenes, and more horses! All of us children loved to see that parade. Thousands of families lined the parade route. And everyone let the children be in front. It was a fantastic day! But I was always disappointed because I could never get close enough to pet a horse. All you could do was wave to ones in the parade, and they would wave back. [Storyteller, include your own story about being in a crowd and only seeing things at a distance.]
There is always something disappointing about trying to see something when you’re in a crowd. Whether it is a crowd on the street, a crowd at the zoo, or a crowd at your school. In a crowd, you can only see at a distance. You can never get as close as you’d like.
And this is how the crowds usually were when they followed Jesus as He traveled from place to place. He would enter a town and quickly there would be a huge crowd around Him. Many really could not see Him due to the crowds, and those in the crowds rarely were able to speak with Him. There were just these huge crowds, people who had heard about Him and wanted to see Him.
But there were some others, some who followed Him. These were the twelve disciples whom Jesus called to follow Him. They were with Him every day. They saw everything He did and said, and how He behaved. These twelve men got to know Jesus. And when He had very important matters to talk about, He would only share and explain it to the ones close to Him. These ones also talked to Him about so many things. They had many conversations together.
I started talking to Jesus when I was young, but I can’t remember what I said to Him. Since I have friends who have 5-year-old children, I asked them what their children say when they talk to God. One of them told me that their 5-year-old says, “Thank You, Jesus, for my family. Thank You for everything. Please don’t let me have bad dreams.” Another mom said that, as they walk, their 5-year-old will say, “Thank You, God, for making me. Thank You for the beautiful flowers.” And recently has said, “God, remove this sickness and keep us safe.” [Storyteller, tell your story of talking to God.]
You can see by these examples that we can talk to Jesus about many things. He wants us to come and talk with Him. We can share with Him all the things that are important to us. Sometimes we may share with Him the things that scare us, like going into our bedroom when it is so dark. Sometimes we may tell Him about how we’d like some friends to play with. There are so many things we can share with Him. And in this way, we will get to know Jesus. How wonderful it is that we can know Jesus. [End the time by having the children share how or when they talk to Jesus/God.]