& the Doubter May 3rd, 2020

Parent Study:

Jesus’ followers had seen Jesus alive! Two disciples met Jesus as they were walking to Emmaus, and then Jesus appeared to a group of His disciples as they met together in a locked room. But one of the disciples, Thomas, had missed out. He wasn’t there when Jesus appeared. He hadn’t seen Jesus for himself. So despite his friends’ claims that the Lord was risen, Thomas doubted. In fact, he refused to believe. (:25) Witnesses testified that they had seen Jesus, but Thomas wanted physical evidence. He lacked faith and was stubborn in his unbelief. More than a week passed, and Thomas was with the other disciples in a room. Again, the doors were locked for their safety. Much like before, Jesus appeared before the disciples and said, “Peace be with you.” This time, Thomas was there. Jesus told Thomas to believe. He urged him not only to look, but to feel Jesus’ wounds for himself. Here, Jesus gave grace to Thomas. He gave Thomas the physical proof he was looking for. Jesus was no ghost; Jesus was alive! Thomas immediately believed, and Jesus said, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Those who believe without seeing are blessed” (John 20:29). The Bible says that God is pleased when we have faith. (Heb. 11:6) As you teach your kids, explain the meaning of the word “faith:” “the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Faith is believing without seeing. It is trusting that God is who He says He is, and He will do what He says He will do. (See Num. 23:19.) Faith cannot be mustered up on your own; it is a gift from God. (Eph. 2:8-9) Pray that God would grant your children faith to believe in Jesus as Lord and Saviour! Kid’s Lesson: ______

Overview: Get Thinking Two Truths and a Lie Walk Blindfolded Bible Story Introduction Story Overview Bible Story Review Big Picture Question Pray Activities ______

Get Thinking: To begin, ask your kids one or more of the following questions:

1. Prompt your kids to tell you about a time they heard something crazy and thought “that’s nonsense!" Like, “it’s raining cats and dogs!” Encourage them to come up with several examples. 2. Ask your kids if they have ever heard a story that they just couldn’t believe? What was the story? Why was it so hard to believe? 3. Ask your kids if they know what “doubt” means? Provide them with an example and explanation before moving on to the story. Ask them to think of things they doubt are real. SAY • Sometimes things we doubt are real. Maybe they seem impossible or we have never seen them with our own eyes, but they exist. Today we are going to learn more about Jesus and one of His disciples who doubted that Jesus rose again.

Two Truths and a Lie: For older kids, invite them to play a game of “Two Truths and a Lie.” They can share two truths and one statement that is made up. The catch: they should make the lie sound realistic, because everyone else will attempt to guess which statements are true and which one is a lie. Have each of your kids take a turn and then ask them following questions: 1. Was it difficult to identify which statements were true and which were lies? Why or why not? 2. Were there any other signs that helped you know if your sibling or parent was lying or telling the truth?

Walk Blindfolded: Set a Bible on a table on the opposite side of the room. Clear a path of obstacles. Choose one of your kids to be blindfolded. Have another child hold their sibling’s hand and walk her to the Bible. The blindfolded child will pick up the Bible and walk back to the start with the guidance of her sibling. Return the Bible to the other side of a room. Continue until all your kids have had a turn in both roles. SAY • You had to believe your sibling, who was holding your hand was leading you correctly, as you walked with the blindfold on. In today’s Bible story, we are going to talk about believing without seeing.

Bible Story Introduction: Place a bookmark at John 20 in your Bible. Invite one of your kids to open it. Reverently display the open Bible. SAY • God gave us His very own words when He gave us the Bible. Everything we read in the Bible is true. Today’s Bible story comes from the . The Gospels tell about Jesus’ life on earth.

(Optional) Story Overview: • On Easter Sunday morning Jesus was raised from the dead • That evening Jesus appeared to His disciples • Thomas was not with them at the time • The disciples told Thomas Jesus was alive • Thomas didn’t see Him with his own eyes, so he didn’t believe Jesus was alive • A week later, Jesus appeared to all of the disciples and Thomas saw and believed! • We can believe too!

Bible Story: Read today’s story from the Jesus Storybook Bible or the following summary:

Jesus and the Doubter John 20:24-29 Many of Jesus’ friends had seen Jesus—He was alive! Jesus died on the cross, but then He rose from the dead. His friends were overjoyed when they saw Him. (What do you think Jesus’ friends did when they saw their friend? Let’s pretend we’re happy to see our friend!) One of the Disciples, Thomas, wasn’t with them but the disciples told him they saw Jesus. Thomas missed seeing Jesus and did not believe that Jesus was alive. Thomas doubted what they said. (Do you remember what “doubt” means?) He would not believe them. He said, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Those were pretty big words! (What do you think you would you have said?) Eight days later, the friends were together again. This time, Thomas was with them. Jesus came in and stood with them. “Peace to you!” Jesus said. Then Jesus told Thomas, “Touch the marks on My hands and My side. alive! Believe it!” He didn’t doubt anymore. (Why? Because he had seen with his own eyes that Jesus was alive. He had seen Jesus’ hands and His side that had been pierced on the cross). We can believe too! We know Jesus is live because God says so! Thomas did believe. “My Lord and my God!” he said. Jesus said, “You believed because you saw Me. Those who believe in Me without seeing Me are blessed.”

Christ Connection: After Thomas believed, Jesus said something very important. He said, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Those who believe without seeing are blessed.” Which kind of person was Thomas? That’s right. Thomas had to see to believe, but Jesus said that believing without seeing is very important. Believing without seeing is called faith. It is a gift from God. It is this type of faith that helps us understand that we are sinners. Even though we didn’t see it with our own eyes, Jesus died for our sins on the cross and rose again on the third day. We have not seen Jesus, but if we believe in Him based on what God’s Word says about Him, we will be blessed with eternal life from God!

Review: Ask some of the following questions and retell parts of the Bible story as needed.

Review Questions for Preschoolers: 1. Who was not with the other friends when they first saw Jesus? (Thomas) 2. What did Thomas want to see and touch before he would believe? (Jesus’ hands and side) 3. What did Jesus say when He came in? (Peace to you!) 4. What did Thomas say when Jesus showed him His hands and side? (“My Lord and my God!”) 5. What did Jesus say about people who believe in Him without seeing? (They are blessed)

Review Questions for Elementary Aged Kids: 1. Who did not believe Jesus is alive? (Thomas, John 20:24) 2. How many days had it been since Jesus appeared to the disciples? (8, John 20:26) 3. What did Jesus say to His disciples when He appeared? (“Peace to you” John 20:26) 4. What did Thomas say he needed to see to believe that Jesus was resurrected? (Jesus’ hands and His side, John 20:25) 5. What did Jesus show Thomas? (Jesus showed His hands and side to Thomas) 6. What did Thomas say when He saw Jesus’ hands and His side? (“My Lord and my God!” John 20:28) 7. Did Thomas believe? (Yes, he said Jesus is his Lord and his God; John 20:28) 8. What is something about God you sometimes doubt? (Answers will vary.) SAY • Sometimes we are like Thomas and have a hard time believing Jesus. Jesus loved Thomas and showed Him grace by allowing Him to see and feel His wounds. We don’t get to see Jesus with our eyes yet, but until He returns, we can trust in Him through faith. Jesus said that those that believe without seeing are blessed. •Why do you think Thomas had such a hard time believing? •Do you ever have doubts about Jesus? Why or why not? •What questions do you have about God, or what questions would you like to ask God?

Big Picture Question: SAY • We have not seen Jesus, but we believe in Him. God wants other people to believe in Jesus too, so He gave us a mission. What is our mission? Our mission is to tell others about Jesus. People who believe in Jesus even though they do not see Him are blessed.

Pray: God, thank You for giving us Your words in the Bible. We believe that Jesus rose from the dead and is alive. Help us tell others this good news. Amen.

Activities: The following are a few lesson-related activities. Feel free to choose one or more to do with your kids:

My Lord & My God Frame: Click on the following link and print out enough copies for each of your kids: https://jwl1-8ax22q3bx73botnnnbfo.netdna- ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/tom- M-pdf.pdf?x35949. They can cut out the hands and the frame. You can have your kids glue or use foam stickers to attach the hands on the frame.

Bookmark: Have your kids to cut out a strip of cardstock or cardboard. Have them write out the words “Jesus is Alive!” on one side of the paper, and “No Doubt!” on the other side. Encourage them to decorate and tie a piece of ribbon to a hole at the top.

Colouring Page: Print out the colouring page found on the last page of this lesson.

Fingerpaint: Invite your kids to finger-paint. Provide individual sheets of paper for your kids or cover a table with a large sheet of paper. Review the Bible story as your children work. SAY • We just painted with our fingers. Thomas wanted to use his fingers to know Jesus was alive. Jesus showed His hands and side to Thomas. Jesus died on the cross to rescue people from sin. We cannot see Jesus, but we believe that God raised Him from the dead!

Hand Art: Provide a sheet of paper for each child and fold it in half. Guide her to place her hand on the folded paper with her thumb and forefinger touching the fold. Trace her hand and then cut along the traced lines. Give her a heart sticker to place in the center of each palm. SAY: Jesus showed Thomas that He is alive, and Thomas believed Jesus is the Lord. He is alive!

Look at Hands: Provide a magnifying glasses for your kids to look at their hands and fingertips. Briefly review the Bible story. SAY: Jesus showed Thomas that He is alive. We can believe God’s words about Jesus and tell other people about Jesus!