Bible Explorers Gospel Lessons
This series of lessons will be a journey through the Gospels chronologically. This will likely take 3 years to complete, teaching weekly through the school year. The material is geared for elementary age kids. Each lesson will have a list of Scripture references, materials, introduction, object lessons, and hands on activities. Most lessons can be completed in 1- 1.5 hours. A few may need more than one class time. New lessons will be posted weekly. The posts will not have pictures because I will not be posting pictures of other people’s children. At the end of each school year, a printed version of the curriculum will be made available for purchase. This will include an appendix with printouts, game pieces, and other classroom helps.
Lesson 1: Authors and Perspectives
Scripture references:
Matthew 1:1
Mark 1:1:1
Luke 1:1-4
John 1:1-4
Materials:
Bible
White board and markers
A few different types of books, some true and some not
Large fake diamond (or picture of one)
Optional: Seven Blind Mice book
Introduction:
1. Pass out Bibles and give an overview of how it is structured, how to find verses, and where the Gospels are.
2. Explain the terms: Old Testament, New Testament, and Gospel. Explain that we are going to be studying the 4 books of the Gospel, but will be looking at verses throughout the whole Bible that work together to tell the story.
Activities
Object lesson 1: Fact or Fiction
Purpose- to present the Gospels as true scripture accounts of Jesus’s life written in story form.
1. Hold up a few different types of books, some true and some not.
2. Then hold up the Bible. Explain the differences and how God designed us to learn through stories.
Optional: have one of the books be Seven Blind Mice. Use the book as an example for object lesson 2. Read if you have time.
Object Lesson 2: Perspectives
Purpose- to show the reason for having four gospels and different perspectives.
1. Show a large fake diamond and talk about how it looks different from different angles but is still the same diamond. God used people from different walks of life with different personalities, and ways of seeing things. He uses us in much of the same way.
2. Discuss who the men were who wrote the gospels and each one’s purpose for writing.
Matthew- one of the 12 disciples, tax collector, most Old Testament references. Purpose- to show Christ the King
Mark- probably a servant himself, mentioned in Acts and in some of the letters, possibly the unnamed servant in a couple of the accounts in the Gospel of Mark.
Purpose- to show Christ the Servant
Luke- Physician, Greek, compiled eye-witness accounts meticulously,
Purpose- to show Christ’s Humanity
John- one of the 12 disciples, fisherman, “the disciple whom Jesus loved”, only one of the 12 not to be martyred, wrote much of the New Testament.
Purpose- to show Christ’s Divinity
3. Show/read Seven Blind Mice. It is also important to study all of the Bible, not just parts. It all works together to tell HIS story.
Here is a link to a video reading of the book.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI-2b9pR2MA
*anytime I recommend a link, I am referring to the specific activity/information shown. I have not necessarily previewed or agree with all of the content from the source.
Hands on Activity: Witnesses
Purpose- to help the kids understand why the four gospels have different information.
1. Ask 4 different kids to describe something that happened before class and recount details.
2. Discuss the similarities and differences and compare to the authors of the gospels.
3. Explain how each can bring different parts of the information but the Holy Spirit guided and made sure all the information recorded was accurate.
The authors also wrote the Gospels many years after everything happened. Ask the kids to remember something that happened even a week or two ago. They could not have written an accurate account without the Holy Spirit’s guidance. (Timothy 2:16-17, Exodus 4:15)