LESSON LIFESAVER Activity
Great For Sunday School, Lesson Activities, Family Fun, Daily Devotionals
Let’s learn these parables of Jesus to prepare for His Second Coming.
Matthew 13:16
“Blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.”
LESSON LIFESAVER Activity
PUZZLING PARABLES
• Parable of the Sower
• Parable of the Wheat & the Tares
OBJECTIVE: Youth can learn from reading these scriptures and putting together the puzzles that: the man sowing seed is Jesus, field is the world, good seed are followers of Jesus, tares are children of the wicked, harvest is the end of the world, reapers are angels, tares bound and burned are evil ones cast into the fire at Judgement.
What can we do to cultivate “good ground” in our home? (Matthew 13:8). Create two puzzles that youth can use to teach their friends and family the two parables Jesus taught:
• The Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23; Mark 4:14-20; Luke 8:11-15), and
• The Parable of the Wheat and Tares (Matthew 13:24-30).
ACTIVITY:
To make and present, help the youth color and cut out puzzles and place each puzzle in a separate envelope or plastic bag. Put the puzzles together and then read the parables from the scriptures.
Option: With a light marker, highlight the keywords found in the scriptures and tell that the other words on the square give the meaning of the words Jesus used. Words to highlight are as follows.
The parable of the Sower: seeds, soil, by the wayside, upon stony places, among thorns, into good ground, fowls, and fruit.
The parable of the Wheat and the Tares: sower, good seed (wheat), field, enemy, tares (weeds) reapers, and harvest.
THOUGHT TREAT: “Parable of the Wheat” Treat. Something good made out of wheat, like whole wheat crackers, cookies, or rolls. You might show children a picture of what wheat looks like before it is ground into flour.
Matthew 13:1-23
Matthew 13:36-43
DISCUSSION POINTS (Scriptures, Jesus Christ)
• Jesus often taught in parables (short stories). They often had hidden spiritual messages. Jesus spoke of familiar things in His parables. Put your thinking caps on and try to hear the hidden messages and familiar things in these parables.
The Parable of the Sower
(one who plants seeds) (Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23; Mark 4:14–20; Luke 8:11–15)
• In this parable, what was familiar to you that Jesus talked about? (Matthew 13:3–8.)
• What do you think the seed is? What do the birds that eat the seeds represent? What are the thorns? What is the rocky ground? What is the good ground? What are the roots? What are the cares of the world? (Matthew 13:18–23, Mark 4:14–20, and Luke 8:11–15)
• How do we learn the word of God?
• How should we receive the word of God? What kind of “ground” should we be? (Matthew 13:23.)
• Did you find the hidden spiritual message in the parable of the sower?
SEEDS – THE WORD OF GOD
SOIL – HEARTS OF THOSE WHO HEAR THE WORD
BY THE WAYSIDE – DO NOT UNDERSTAND
UPON STONY PLACES – HEAR BUT NO ROOT, EASILY OFFENDED
THORNS – CHOKED BY WORLDLY CARES AND WEALTH
GOOD GROUND – HEAR AND UNDERSTAND
FOWLS – SATAN
FRUITS – GOOD WORKS
The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares
(Matthew 13:24–30)
• What familiar things did Jesus talk about in the parable of the wheat and tares?
• Who do you think the sower is in this parable? What does the wheat represent? Who comes in at night and sows the tares? What are the tares? What does the harvest represent? Perhaps read Matthew 13:37–43 with the children and ask these questions again. Would you rather be the wheat or the tares? Why?
•What is the hidden spiritual message in this parable?
• My heart must be prepared to receive the word of God. Matthew 13:3-23; Luke 8:4-15
• The righteous must grow among the wicked until the end of the world. Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43
SOWER – JESUS CHRIST AND HIS APOSTLES
GOOD SEED (WHEAT) – FOLLOWERS OF JESUS
FIELD – WORLD
ENEMY – SATAN
TARES (WEEDS) – FOLLOWERS OF SATAN
REAPERS – ANGELS
HARVEST – JESUS CHRIST’S SECOND COMING
• Perhaps show some different kinds of seeds and talk about how a seed needs great care and attention to grow into the wonderful plant God intended. Ask the children how they are like seeds. Ask them what would happen if they were planted along a roadside, or in a thorny field. Help them compare these with planting the word of God in our hearts.
• Read with the children Matthew 13:15. Ask them what we should do with our eyes, ears, and hearts? Ask them how they apply to the parables. (If we truly hear the word of God, see the truth, and do what Jesus wants us to do, whom will we be like in these parables?