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GOSPELS – JESUS LOVES UN-LOVEABLES: NICODEMUS JOHN 3:1-21
LESSON AIM/THEME: King Jesus extended love and offered His
“Upside-Down Kingdom” to the most unlikely people…First, Jesus
loved the Pharisee Nicodemus (a surprise because the Pharisees
hated Jesus) OBJECTIVES STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO...
Identify Nicodemus as a Pharisee; describe what Pharisees
believed / why they disliked Jesus Define “Un-loveables”; identify
how Jesus’ Kingdom was Outside-In, Upside-Down, Downward-Up Explain
the metaphor Jesus used to describe new life in the Kingdom: born
again & the bronze snake Evaluate their own response to Jesus –
are they little Pharisees?
SUPPLIES Bibles / Story of NICODEMUS & the BRONZE
SERPENT
INTRODUCTION Circles of Israel Use the “bull’s eye” page. This
is to help your children see the different circles of relationships
that the Jews had in their culture. Write the words in the
different “levels” or areas of the bull’s eye – starting with the
furthest out.
In the outer ring, explain how the people on the very outside of
society were the GENTILES. The Jews believed they were God’s
favorite people...so anyone not a Jew was outside God’s Big
Family.
In the first inner ring, explain these were the JEWS – the
special people of God. In the next inner ring, explain that a
subset of the JEWS were the very religious men who kept God’s Rules
(the
Torah) and wanted to make sure everyone else did too. These were
called the PHARISEES. Finally, the very center of the bull’s eye
was the TEMPLE and the HIGH PRIESTS who could enter the temple.
Remind the children that the TEMPLE was the building where the
People of God came to worship God – but it was also the building
that defined the Jewish People. It was part of their identity.
Ask the children how they would feel as a GENTILE – especially
if they wanted to come near to God. Ask how they would feel if the
JEWS did not think they were important enough to be a part of God’s
Big Family. In many ways, there were many people in the JEWISH
society who were “un-loveable”.
So the Jews thought they were special because God chose them
first…they were inside and others were “out”. But that wasn’t God’s
plan at all. He wanted to show his people how they were to be
“Outside-In”...and he had a different idea about what “Inside-Out”
meant.
LESSON OUTSIDE-IN Remind the children that last week we looked
at PARABLES...and KINGDOM GROWTH / KINGDOM LIFE. Jesus explained
that his Kingdom was an UPSIDE-DOWN KINGDOM. Ask the children what
they think that meant. Review how the parables were about those who
would be part of God’s Kingdom (Big Family) – and the Jews were
shocked by who Jesus said was a part of the Kingdom! The kingdom
was not for the rich and powerful but poor and weak. Today, we are
looking at God’s Kingdom being OUTSIDE-IN! Point out the different
groups in the Bull’s Eye – GENTILES, JEWS, PHARISEES, and PRIESTS.
Explain that today we are going to look at a man who was in a the
PHARISEE group. Ask the children who the PHARISEES were.
Remember...the Pharisees hated Jesus and always wanted to trap
him. So, you’d think Jesus would not want to talk with any Pharisee
ever! We think of him as an “un-loveable”
because he should not have loved Jesus...and so, it was a
surprise that Jesus would love him! Today, we are going to look at
one Pharisee that actually wanted to talk with Jesus because he
thought
that Jesus was not quite right about what he was saying and
doing. We are going to see how Jesus responds to this man.
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Explain that the event that happened RIGHT BEFORE this Pharisee
came to talk with Jesus was that Jesus went into the Temple (point
out the TEMPLE, reminding the children how important it was to the
Jews)...and turned over tables and got rather upset for how the
Jews were treating the Gentiles – not letting them come to worship
God! Let’s see what this Pharisee does...Read the story from the
Big Picture Bible. After reading the story, talk about the
following ideas:
Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. Ask the children WHY they
think he came at night. It’s possible that Nicodemus came at night
to Jesus to tell Jesus how it was wrong for Him to do that to the
temple
The first thing he says to Jesus is that he knows Jesus is a
teacher who must be from God. Ask them to tell you WHY Nicodemus
said that. No one could perform the signs he was doing if God were
not with him. What were some of these signs? The miracles Jesus had
been doing – like the feeding of the 5000.
Review with them the idea that Jesus came to reverse sin and
death and bring all those one the “outside” INTO the Big Family of
God. This is what it means for us to think of “OUTSIDE-IN”! Jesus
was about bringing all those who were on the outside INTO His Big
Family.
INSIDE-OUT Ask the children what they think BEING BORN AGAIN
means.
Talk about how Jesus was not only interested in bringing people
from the OUTSIDE IN...but also changing all people from the INSIDE
OUT!
The Pharisees were interested in following the rulfes that they
thought pleased God. Doing everything on the outside so people
could see them living up to the rules. But Jesus said that he cared
more about a person’s HEART (what was INSIDE)...and then, because
of the change – the NEW BIRTH – change would happen on the OUTSIDE
too.
So Jesus was taking the Jews’ idea of “INSIDE-OUT” and making it
“OUTSIDE-IN”…and their idea of “OUTSIDE-IN” and making it
“INSIDE-OUT”!
He was offering the Kingdom of God and new birth to ALL
people!
UPSIDE-DOWN Jesus explained to Nicodemus that JESUS was the NEW
TEMPLE, JESUS was the NEW WAY to GOD,
JESUS was the BIG MOMENT that the Pharisees should have
recognized but never did. But, to come to see Jesus in this way,
the Nicodemus needed to be born again. But how?
Jesus continued to share the GOSPEL with Nicodemus…Ask the
children what GOSPEL means. Then, do a chant – you say GOSPEL and
they shout GOOD NEWS!...GOSPEL! GOOD NEWS! (etc.)
o In sharing the GOSPEL (GOOD NEWS!)...Jesus used this example:
read John 3:14-16. o Jesus was talking about the story in the OT –
does anyone remember it?
Use the Storybook and/or poster to review that story found in
Numbers 21:4-9. o God saved His People from death by having Moses
build a serpent for the people to look at.
Where have we heard about a snake or serpent before? A serpent
came to Adam and Eve in the garden to tempt them to disobey God and
live independently from him.
o Serpents were never seen as good creatures – but, in this
case, they were evil because they were a picture of sin!
o Jesus told Nicodemus that he – the Son of Man – would be
lifted up just like the serpent in the wilderness! He would take on
the sin of His People so that when they turn to Him, they will be
saved! That’s the GOSPEL! (GOOD NEWS!)…The GOSPEL (GOOD NEWS!) is
an UPSIDE-DOWN Kingdom where the KING ends up cursed on a tree…the
innocent one dies like the criminal…in order to give US the way to
live!
The way to receive new birth is quite UPSIDE-DOWN and
INSIDE-OUT! Jesus offers us LIFE through His death – being lifted
up on the cross and taking our place so that we could live in his
BIG FAMILY forever! Even though Nicodemus was a Pharisee (part of
the group who did NOT like Jesus), Jesus still loved Nicodemus sooo
much that he did not want to leave him in the dark...but wanted to
give him NEW LIFE!
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DOWNWARD-UP What happened to Nicodemus? It seems like he left
Jesus down and more confused. Here he came to
help Jesus understand how Jesus needed to change…and left
realizing that it wasn’t Jesus who needed to change – it was
himself! But, that was not the end of Nicodemus.
But, because of Jesus, Nicodemus went from down to up! Read
about Nicodemus: o In John 7:50-51... we see Nicodemus defending
Jesus to other Pharisees o In John 19:39-42... we see that the end,
Nicodemus DID believe! He came back to help care for
Jesus’ body That showed all the other Pharisees (who had hated
Jesus so much that they were the ones to insist Jesus die) that
Nicodemus truly followed Jesus! What faith!
Because Jesus went DOWN (dying on the cross), Nicodemus (and all
of us) could go UP! AND, thus, Jesus took us from death to
life…both are “DOWNWARD-UP!” AS YOU TALK ABOUT OUTSIDE-IN /
INSIDE-OUT / UPSIDE-DOWN / DOWNWARD-UP...USE SOME MOTIONS TO HELP
THE CHILDREN REMEMBER THESE CONCEPTS!
CONCLUSION What did we learn today?
OUTSIDE-IN / INSIDE-OUT...King Jesus did not stick to the Jewish
thinking of who should be IN God’s Family and who should stay OUT.
Jesus welcomed all people – from the outside in! And he wanted his
people, like Nicodemus, know that we are only changed from the
INSIDE OUT!
UPSIDE-DOWN / DOWNWARD-UP...King Jesus’ Kingdom is an
UPSIDE-DOWN Kingdom! To be a part of God’s Big Family, we are
simply to turn to Jesus and LIVE – being BORN AGAIN – just like the
people in the wilderness turning to the bronze serpent and
living!
Take time to talk about the idea of being a PHARISEE today. We
often want to be GOOD so others think we are good – but not because
we really want to be a part of God’s Big Family. This is what
Nicodemus struggled with. We need to see that it is not about
following the rules to please God but coming to Jesus in humility –
trusting him to give us new life. Let’s PRAY!
MEMORY VERSE… For God so loved the world that he gave his one
and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but
have eternal life.
John 3:16
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Intro Activity: Bull’s Eye of Jewish Society
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Story of Nicodemus in The Big Picture Bible
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So the people spoke against God and Moses: “Why have you brought
us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? Then the Lord sent
poisonous snakes among the Israelites. The snakes bit them. Many of
the people died. The others came to Moses. They said, “We sinned
when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord
will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake. Put it up on a pole. Then
anyone who is bitten can look at it and remain alive.” So Moses
made a bronze snake. He put it up on a pole. Then anyone who was
bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake remained
alive.
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told Nicodemus –
to see the Kingdom, he needed to be...
!
Write the first letter of the animal pictured beneath the
line.
King Jesus Loves “Un-Loveables”... Nicodemus
JESUS: Lesson 5
MEMORY V ER S E :
For so
loved the world that he gave
his one and only
,
that whoever
in him shall
but have
.
John 3:16
The King loves All People... even those others might think of as
“Un-loveable”!
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Finally...complete the memory verse by filling in the crossword
puzzle. Hint: the verse is on the first page!
For so the that he his one and only , that whoever in him shall
not but have
10
9 6
8 2
7 4
1
3
5
In the end,
told Nicodemus about the Bronze Serpent, saying...
Just as lifted up
the in the
wilderness, so the of Man
must be up, that
everyone who believes may have
eternal in him.
Use these words to complete the verses above...
LIFE LIFTED MOSES SNAKE SON
1 2 3 4
5 6
7 8 9 10 3:16