Chapter One
JESUS AS GOD
LESSON 1: JOHN 14:5-11; 20:24-29
OVERVIEW
This lesson is designed to teach students that Jesus was both human and divine. Jesus
was God in the flesh. This lesson also shows that many people have questioned Jesus'
claim of deity, including his closest followers. It's intended to challenge students to
move to a place in their faith where they can say, "Jesus, my Lord and my God."
INTRODUCTION (5 MINUTES)
This section gets students thinking about a few of the different and difficult questions
people may have about God.
1) Find a book that has questions or quotes about God from children (such as 101
Questions Children Ask About God by David Veerman, 1990, Tyndale House Publishers,
or Children's Letters to God by E. Marshall and S. Hample, 1991, Workman
Publishers). If you have a difficult time finding one of these books, you can use the
examples from Childish Questions (page 27).
2) Start your lesson by reading the humorous things children say about God.
3) Give students a chance to add their own questions or things they wondered about
God as children.
After you read a few of the statements, say, It's normal to have questions about God.
There are a lot of things about God that are difficult to understand. One of the difficulties
is understanding how Jesus can be God. That's what we're talking about today.
PARTICIPATION (15-20 MINUTES)
This section gets your students thinking about how ridiculous it is to think a human
being could be equal with God.
1) Tell the students that for the next few minutes they're to pretend they are God and
have the power to do anything. In their role as God, they may change any situation
or create anything they want, as long as the effect would be positive. They should
come up with as many ideas as they can in 10 minutes. Tell them to focus their ideas
and actions in four categories:
personal family school world
Encourage students to be creative and have fun, but also tackle some of the difficult
issues in their lives and in the world.
2) Have students write each of their different actions on separate sheets of paper.
When they've finished, students may get up and tape their ideas to four different
walls that you've marked with the appropriate categories (personal, family, school,
and world).
3) After the ideas are taped on the wall, go from wall to wall and encourage the students
to explain and discuss the actions they listed.
INSTRUCTION (10-15 MINUTES)
This section helps your students understand that Jesus did claim to be God, yet even
some of his closest followers struggled with that claim.
1) Now that your students have pretended to play God, ask them to identify some
of the major differences between God and humans. Be prepared to draw out their
answers; help them to really think about the differences.
2) After your students have shared some of the differences, ask if they agree or disagree
with the following statement:
Since Jesus was human and claimed to be God, it's possible for one of us to also be
like God.
3) After soliciting their responses to the previous statement, explain that many people,
churches, and religions claim to know the way to God and the truth about God;
some people even claim to be God or be like God.
4) Read aloud John 14:5-11. Emphasize that Jesus claimed to be God ("Anyone who
has seen me has seen the Father," verse 9).
5) Explain that even those who were closest to Jesus still had a difficult time believing
his claim. Read John 20:24-29. Even a disciple, Thomas, had trouble believing Jesus
was God.
6) Make the following two observations:
a) Thomas required evidence to believe Jesus was really God. He needed to see
that Jesus had risen from the dead.
b) Thomas's doubt eventually resulted in belief. He exclaimed, "My Lord and
my God!"
7) Reemphasize that Jesus wasn't only human-he was God.
OBSERVATION (5 MINUTES)
This section helps your students begin to grasp the mystery that Jesus was both fully
God and fully human, and that he didn't give up his divine nature when he became
a human.
1) Say, Many people get frustrated because they can't understand how Jesus could be
both human and divine, two distinctively different natures, at the same time. I want
to help you understand this difficult truth by showing you how this is true in another
area.
2) Hold up a glass of ice and ask students what ice consists of. (Answer: frozen water
or water.)
3) Hold up a glass of water and ask students what elements water consists of. (Surprise
answer: water!)
4) Your students should observe that ice and water are two manifestations of the
same element. Ice and water have different properties, but they come from the same
source.
5) Explain that this is similar to Jesus' two natures. Both are different, yet the same.
Jesus was clearly human; yet he was truly God as well! Say, Even when we have doubts
and questions, the fact remains: Jesus is God!
APPLICATION (10 MINUTES)
This section allows your students the opportunity to express their feelings and questions
about God.
1) Explain that God isn't surprised or upset by our questions. It's normal for Christians
to have doubts, and a discussion like today's usually generates a lot of questions.
2) Let students know they're going to write a letter to God, expressing their faith as
well as their questions, as they begin this series on the person of Jesus.
3) Pass out copies of the Dear Jesus letterhead (page 28) and plain white envelopes
to each student.
4) Tell your students to begin writing their letters. Encourage them to be honest with
God about the doubts and questions they might have. Challenge them to ask God to
show them specific evidence that would help them to respond as Thomas eventually
did, "My Lord and my God!"
5) When students have finished, they should seal their letters in their envelopes and
write their names on the envelopes. Collect these letters and tell your students they'll
get them back at the end of the 12-week series.
CHILDISH QUESTIONS
From the book 101 Questions Children Ask About God by David Veerman.
Does God sleep, or does he just rest?
How does God make the sun and moon go up and down?
Did God make people in outer space?
If God made spiders, why do people squish them?
How can Jesus fit in my heart?
Is there a McDonalds in heaven?
Why doesn't God just zap the bad people?
Here is an example from the book Children's Letters to God by E. Marshall and S.
Hample:
Dear God,
Church is all right, but you could sure use better music. I hope this does not hurt
your feelings.
DEAR JESUS,
I want to express a few things I know about you. They are .
I want to express how I feel about you. I feel .
I want to express some questions I have about you. They are .
(Continues.)
