Lesson #2-20 Mark 5:1-20

Sunday, January 26, 2020 Lesson #2-20

rd th Mark 5:1-20 3 -6

Key Verse: “Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy [God] has shown you.” Mark 5:19

The Point: Jesus has power to save us from evil.

Making Connections: The Power of the Kingdom

Bible Nuts & Bolts: Who Were the Gentiles?

Spiritual Practice: Prayer

Lesson #2-20 (3rd-6th) January 26, 2020

 None Discuss what it feels like to be all alone.

 None

Identify different groups.

 Bibles  Video recording device Record the story as a video report.

 Adhesive bandages  Mural paper Pray for people who need healing.  Marker  Permanent markers

 Index cards  Masking tape Play a game about the characters.  Marker

Lesson #2-20 (3rd-6th) January 26, 2020

 Large paper plates  Small paper plates Make a pig craft.  Pink construction paper  Pink paint  Googly eyes  Pink chenille stems  Glue sticks  Black markers  Scissors  Wooden clip clothes pins

 None Play a game about welcome.

 Bible Book page (found at end of lesson)  Cardstock or plain paper Optional ongoing activity.  Pens or pencils  Markers or crayons  Optional: three-ring binders, hole punch

 None

Lesson #2-20 (3rd-6th) January 26, 2020

Making Connections The Point As we move out of the stories of the season of Jesus has power to save us from evil. Christmas, we move directly into powerful healing The man who was possessed by demons experienced stories. We hear how Jesus creates relationships a powerful, life-altering miracle. He had lived life as through healing, both between himself and the an outcast, excluded from his friends and family. person healed, and between that person and their When Jesus healed him, he begged to be allowed to families and community. The power of the come with Jesus, but Jesus turned him down. Instead, kingdom is becoming evident through the works Jesus instructed him to share the story with his of Jesus in his earthly ministry. friends and family. How often, when we have been saved from the darkest pit, do we wish to simply stay Story Summary: with Jesus and relive our healing? Instead, Jesus calls Jesus Heals an Outcast us to share our experience with those around us, so that they, too, may experience the miracle of a In today’s story, Jesus meets a man who is relationship with Jesus. possessed by demons. The man is living among the caves, isolated from the rest of his community because of his condition. The man recognizes Bible Nuts & Bolts: Jesus and calls out to him. Jesus heals the man, Who Were the Gentiles? casting the demons out into a herd of pigs. When The word “gentile” means someone who is not the people in the village see the healed demoniac, Jewish. It comes from the Latin word for nations. they respond with fear, asking Jesus to leave. Jesus Christianity originally began as a Jewish movement. tells the grateful man to share his experience of Some parts of the Hebrew Bible discouraged Jews God’s mercy with his friends and family. from marrying and eating with Gentiles. This belief carried over into the early church. The first major There are many aspects of this story that were disagreement in the early church was whether or not unclean to Judean residents, such as the pigs, the Gentiles could be Christian without first becoming tombs and how close they were to the city—even Jewish. The Council at Jerusalem in 49 CE the territory itself. The fact that Jesus traveled to determined that Gentiles could become Christians this unclean territory would have been scandalous. without first being Jewish. Paul reminds us that in However, Jesus’ power is not limited simply to Jesus there is no distinction between Gentile and Jew. Jews, but includes grace and mercy for Gentiles as well. Spiritual Practice: Prayer The stories that we hear following Christmas are stories of Jesus as he walks on earth, interacting with his disciples and those he encounters. The people flock to Jesus with their requests for healing, inclusion, and understanding. Today, we speak to Jesus through prayer. While Jesus is not among us in the flesh, he is no less responsive to hearing our needs as we speak to him.

Lesson #2-20 (3rd-6th) ⚫ January 26, 2020

Discuss what it feels like to be all alone.

You will need:  Nothing

During class: 1. How many of you have ever been someplace where you did not feel comfortable, or you felt like you were being left out? Maybe you were a new student at school, or you were at a party where you did not know anyone. Has anything like that ever happened to any of you? Turn to one or two people near you and talk about how this felt. 2. Sometimes we feel like we are all alone, and that we do not have any friends. That is the way the man in today’s story felt, too. He was sick, and because of that, the people in his town made him live all by himself away from everyone else. He was very lonely. But Jesus came and healed him, and he could be with his friends and family again. What an exciting story!

Lesson #2-20 (3rd-6th) January 26, 2020

Identify different groups.

You will need:  Nothing

During class: 1. How many of you like to play sports? We are going to get in groups according to what sports we like. So if you enjoy playing basketball, come and stand over here. Designate an area and have students move. If you like soccer, make a group here. Continue making small groups in different areas. Baseball players here, and football players here. Who likes video games and e-sports? What other sports do we have? Finally, if you do not enjoy sports or do not play a sport at all, come over here. 2. Now what if the football players were to say to the soccer players, “Because you are different than us, Jesus does not love you as much.” That would seem pretty silly. Jesus loves all people the same. But when Jesus was first preaching and teaching, there was a group of people that thought they had all the right answers about religion and faith. Those people were the Jewish leaders, and they thought that anyone who was not Jewish was not as good as they were. The people who were not Jewish were called Gentiles. But when Jesus came, Jesus made sure that everybody knew that they were loved, and that God’s love was for all people, whether they were Jewish or Gentile, or if they liked basketball or soccer. God loves all people!

Lesson #2-20 (3rd-6th) January 26, 2020

Record the story as a video report.

You will need:  Bibles  Video recording device

Before class: 1. Many students may have access to phones for this activity. If not, you may want to have technology on hand, or consider doing the activity as a large group.

During class: 1. In the story today, we hear of a man who was living in isolation. He was sick— the Bible says he had evil living in him—that kept him apart from other people. He was not able to live with his family in his home or be near his friends. We have talked a lot about God and God’s relationship with the people of Israel. Today we hear a story about Jesus restoring a man to relationship. 2. Read the story to the group. If you have a Children’s Bible with the story, that might be a good option. 3. This is a vivid, amazing story. This man has lived in chains and shackles, and has been sent out to live among the dead, in the tombs. But Jesus did not see an evil person; Jesus saw a hurting person. Jesus reached out to the man and healed him. After the healing, the story tells us that the rest of the townspeople saw the man “clothed and in his right mind” and sitting with Jesus. 4. After he was healed, the man was so happy and thankful that he wanted to leave everything behind and go with Jesus. He wanted to spend his life with this man of miracles who had changed his life. What did Jesus tell him? [No, go and tell other people about what the Lord has done for you.] 5. Can you imagine what this would have looked like if there were news crews and technology to report this? We are going to create our own news videos of this amazing event. 6. Divide the class into pairs or small groups, or work together as one large group, depending on the amount of video recorders you have available. Give each group at least one Bible.

Lesson #2-20 (3rd-6th) January 26, 2020

7. Our story today is found in the book of Mark, chapter 5, verses 1-20. Read the story again, and decide what characters you want to interview. You will need people to be the cameraperson, the reporter, and the person or character being interviewed. 8. Allow students time to work, and share their creations when they are finished.

Lesson #2-20 (3rd-6th) January 26, 2020

Pray for people who need healing.

You will need:  Adhesive bandages  Mural paper  Marker  Permanent markers

Before class: 1. On the mural paper, draw a large, simple human form, such as a gingerbread man. Post the paper in the room or put it in the center of the table where students can reach it.

During class: 1. We are hearing stories about Jesus healing people. Not only does Jesus provide healing for people who are sick, but Jesus also heals mental and spiritual problems, and restores people to relationship with himself and with others. 2. We all know people who could use healing. We are going to silently pray for those people today. As we do, you will write their name on a bandage and put it on our gingerbread person on the mural paper. You do not need to say the names out loud or explain who they are, although there will be a chance during the closing prayer for you to include them if you would like. 3. Give students permanent markers and as many adhesive bandages as they would like.

Lesson #2-20 (3rd-6th) January 26, 2020

Play a game about the characters.

You will need:  Index cards  Masking tape  Marker

Before class: 1. Write one character on each index card: possessed man, demon, town person, pig, Jesus, pig herder. Make as many as you have students in class. There can be more than one of each character.

During class: 1. We are going to play a game about the characters in today’s story. Each of you will get a card taped to your back that will either say possessed man, demon, town person, pig, Jesus, or pig herder. Your job is to try and guess what character you are by asking the other students in class yes or no questions about yourself. 2. Allow students time to play at least one round. Change characters for a second round.

Lesson #2-20 (3rd-6th) January 26, 2020

Make a pig craft.

You will need:  Large paper plates  Small paper plates  Pink construction paper  Pink paint  Googly eyes  Pink chenille stems  Glue sticks  Black markers  Scissors  Wooden clip clothes pins

Before class: 1. You can find images for variations of this craft on Pinterest.

During class: 1. In our story today, pigs played an important role. What happened with the pigs? [When the man was healed, the evil spirits were sent into the pigs.] Our craft today reminds us of the pigs that Jesus used in the healing today. 2. Give each student one large and one small paper plate. Instruct them to glue the small plate in the center of the large plate (the small plate creates the head and large plate, the body of the pig) and then to paint the plates pink. 3. The two wooden clothespins need to be painted pink, too. When they are dry you will clip them to the bottom of the large plate for legs. You might want to draw a black hoof on each leg. 4. Now, cut out triangles for ears and an oval for a nose from the pink construction paper. Glue the nose to the center of the small plate, and the ears to the top of the small plate. 5. Glue googly eyes over the nose on the small plate. 6. Curl a piece of pink chenille stem and glue to the top of the large plate for a tail.

Lesson #2-20 (3rd-6th) January 26, 2020

Play a game about welcome.

You will need:  Nothing

During class: 1. Have students begin by sitting in a circle. There should be one less chair than there is student. 2. We are going to play a game that reminds us that everyone is welcome here. We will start with one person in the center of the circle. The goal is for that person to get everyone to move to a different chair so that they can sit down in an empty chair. The person in the middle will choose something, such as what people might like to do or eat, or what they might be wearing. They will say, “If you are wearing blue (for example), you are welcome here!” Everyone who is wearing blue will need to get up and move to a different chair. While everyone is moving, the person in the center will try to sit in one of the empty chairs. 3. That will leave a new person in the middle of the circle. That person continues the game by saying, “Everyone who likes pizza, you are welcome here!” or something similar. Again, everyone moves while the person in the middle tries to sit in an empty chair. 4. If the person in the middle is having a hard time getting to a chair, they can simply say “All are welcome!” and the entire class will need to move to a different chair. 5. You cannot move to an open chair that is next to you. 6. Play continues until everyone has had a chance to be in the middle.

Lesson #2-20 (3rd-6th) January 26, 2020

Optional ongoing activity.

You will need:  Bible Book page (found at end of lesson)  Cardstock or plain paper  Pens or pencils  Markers or crayons  Optional: three-ring binders, hole punch

Before class: 1. Make copies of this week’s Bible Book page on cardstock or copy paper for each student.

During class: 1. Hand out Bible Book pages. 2. What are some of the important things we have learned from today’s story? [Answers will vary.] 3. On the bottom of your page, please write one or two important things that you have learned from the story today. In the middle of the page, draw a picture from the story or illustrate one of the important things you’ve learned. Don’t forget to put your name on the back of the page, please! 4. Optional: Collect and three-hole punch the pages, and put them in individual binders for each student to be kept at church until the end of the year. If you wish, you can investigate other options for binding the Bible books through a local print shop at the end of the year instead of using a three-ring binder.

Lesson #2-20 (3rd-6th) January 26, 2020

Close by briefly reminding students about the story, and then use this or your own prayer.

Healing Lord, you performed so many miracles. You show us that God loves us by healing people and by making everyone feel welcome. We especially ask you to help those that we prayed for earlier, such as… allow students to speak names here or pray silently. Help us to do the same for others. Amen.

Bible Book Lesson #2-20 (3rd-6th) ⚫ January 26, 2020

Mark 5:1-20

3rd-6th

Living the Word: Teaching Kids God’s Story Lesson #2-20 Narrative Lectionary, Year 2 (2019-2020) Mark 5:1-20

Last week, Jesus tells a series of parables about the radical nature of the kingdom of God (Mark 4:1-34).

Jesus meets a man who is possessed by demons and casts them out into a herd of pigs. Jesus tells the grateful man to share his experience of God’s mercy with his friends and family (Mark 5:1-20).

In today’s story, Jesus meets a man who is possessed by demons. The man is living among the caves, isolated from the rest of his community because of his Jesus has the power to save us from evil. condition. The man recognizes Jesus and calls out to him. Jesus heals the man, casting the demons out into a herd of pigs. When the people in the village see the healed demoniac, they respond with fear, asking Jesus to leave. Jesus tells the grateful man to share his experience of God’s mercy with his friends and family. Who Were the Gentiles? The word “gentile” means someone who is not Jewish. It comes from the Latin word for nations. Christianity originally began as a Jewish movement. The stories that we hear following Christmas are Some parts of the Hebrew Bible discouraged Jews stories of Jesus as he walks on earth, interacting with from marrying and eating with Gentiles. This belief his disciples and those he encounters. The people carried over into the early church. The first major flock to Jesus with their requests for healing, disagreement in the early church was whether or not inclusion, and understanding. Today, we speak to Gentiles could be Christian without first becoming Jesus through prayer. Who is hurting that needs to Jewish. The Council at Jerusalem in 49 CE feel Jesus love and healing? Pray for them as a family. determined that Gentiles could become Christians without first being Jewish. Paul reminds us that in Jesus there is no distinction between Gentile and Jew.

Next week’s story continues to show the kingdom of God in action as Jesus heals one person and raises another from the dead. In both situations, Jesus proclaims that it is their faith that made them well (Mark 5:21-43).

© 2014-2019 Spirit and Truth Publishing—All Rights Reserved @ HOME Lesson #2-20 Mark 5:1-20 Family Discussions Use the questions below or other questions you think of to discuss today’s Scripture reading (listed above) with your family.  In what way does this text teach about the theme of The Power of the Kingdom?  What does this scripture have to do with our lives today?  What part of this scripture is the most interesting to you? Why?

Family Devotions As you hear and study these stories each week, consider what God has to say to you and your family. What is God’s message to us? How should we respond?

Sunday—Read Mark 5:14-20 Talk of the Decapolis. This story was amazing and frightening to the people. What modern-day situation might make people respond in the same way? Monday—Read Psalm 103:1-5 Bless the Lord, oh my soul. “So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” To what else can you compare youthfulness? Tuesday—Read Psalm 103:6-14 The Lord’s steadfast love. Go outside. How far can you see to the east? To the west? God’s love is greater than that. Wednesday—Read Psalm 103:15-22 The everlasting love of God. Pretend you are angels praising God. Sing and play instruments and dance and praise God. Thursday—Read Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd. Illustrate this well-known Psalm. Friday—Read Psalm 1 The righteous way. Eat fresh fruit as you read this Psalm. Saturday—Read Mark 5:21-34 A woman healed. Tell about a time that you were surprised that someone was healed.