Listen, think, and learn
Children's Activity
Object:
Many times Jesus told stories to illustrate a point. If he was explaining something difficult to understand, Jesus frequently used situations and examples that were familiar to his listeners. He would tell a story and then connect it to the lesson he was teaching. Sometimes he interpreted the story for his listeners, but many times Jesus left the interpretation up to the listeners. This was confusing sometimes because the listeners did not always agree on the point he was trying to make.
To find out how different interpretations can be, you and your children could act like investigative reporters. Approach several people during the week and read John 10:1-5 to them. Ask them the following questions:
What is the sheepfold?
Who are the thieves and robbers?
Who is the shepherd? Who are the sheep?
What is the gate? Who is the gate?
Is there only one gate? Is there only one shepherd?
Did all of your people have the same answers? It is interesting to note that not all people will agree. Even if all of your people had the same answers, not every person in the world will agree -- not even all Christians can agree. (For example, if Jesus is the only gate, what about Jews and Buddhists? Not all Christians agree on the salvation of other religious groups.) This is why there are so many interpretations of Jesus' teachings. People hear and read the words of Jesus and apply meaning differently from one another. This experiment demonstrates the importance of study, thought and prayer to understand what Jesus teaches.
To find out how different interpretations can be, you and your children could act like investigative reporters. Approach several people during the week and read John 10:1-5 to them. Ask them the following questions:
What is the sheepfold?
Who are the thieves and robbers?
Who is the shepherd? Who are the sheep?
What is the gate? Who is the gate?
Is there only one gate? Is there only one shepherd?
Did all of your people have the same answers? It is interesting to note that not all people will agree. Even if all of your people had the same answers, not every person in the world will agree -- not even all Christians can agree. (For example, if Jesus is the only gate, what about Jews and Buddhists? Not all Christians agree on the salvation of other religious groups.) This is why there are so many interpretations of Jesus' teachings. People hear and read the words of Jesus and apply meaning differently from one another. This experiment demonstrates the importance of study, thought and prayer to understand what Jesus teaches.
