What is taught must be in accordance with the locally agreed syllabus; (If your school is outside of Cambridgeshire: the S.C.A.A Model 2 syllabus has been included to help in matching this lesson plan with your local Agreed Syllabus).
Cambs Agreed Syllabus:
WR (Writings)
Enable pupils to:
explore how the Bible can be used in different ways by Christians, and know about its use to help shape Christian life and belief, including belief about God, part 1
Pupils should consider this:
What books or stories have you read, or heard, which made you think?
How did they do this?
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S.C.A.A. Model syllabuses:
KEY TEACHINGS / FOCUS:
JESUS
- teaching about the Kingdom of God in parables & acts of healing.
AT1 Talk about & discuss the meaning of stories that Jesus told & stories about His life, eg ..the Widow's Mite & Zaccheus.
AT2 Talk about giving up something precious, & giving to charity.
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RESOURCES:
No extra resources required.
STARTER:
Imagine you know someone who has got a reputation for not respecting other peoples things. Then one day this person asks to borrow your ruler & it quickly gets given back to you in several bits, with a hurried "sorry".
Then on another day they ask to borrow your portable CD player.
Q. Are you going to lend it to that person? ....why?
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They need to show by their actions that they have changed from their old bad ways. To say "sorry" is not enough.
MAIN TEACHING: This story is from the Bible:
There was a man named Zaccheus. He wasn't one to just to go with the crowd - he didn't want to be popular & fit in with everybody. He was out & out for himself & if anybody gave him some abuse, it was just like water off a ducks back - it didn't bother him.
Earlier on in his life, he had decided to become a tax collector working for the Roman's, who had invaded his country. Zaccheus thought that rather than work against the Romans he would make the best of the situation for himself, & he had become extremely rich! His fellow Jews despised him for collecting taxes from them, & he was so good at it, he had risen up through the ranks & he was now a 'chief tax collector'. Most, if not all of the tax collectors then, used to charge higher taxes than they should have done & they then 'pocketed' the rest.
But something was happening within Zaccheus. God was starting to make him feel uneasy about the way he was living his life. Although he was very rich, he began to feel guilty for the wrong things he had done, & now Jesus was coming into his home town.
Zaccheus had heard a lot of things about Him, how Jesus was going round healing people & teaching things about the Kingdom of God. Zaccheus felt that Jesus would have the answer & he just wanted to speak to Him, but the crowds were massive. Zaccheus was very short so he couldn't even see Jesus, so he ran on ahead & climbed a tree which hung over the road. Zaccheus thought that he wouldn't be able to speak to Jesus, but just to see what Jesus looked like was better than nothing.
Jesus came into view, with the crowd pressing round Him, & just as if it looked as if He was going to pass directly under the tree & disappear in the crowd, Jesus stopped & looked up at Zaccheus! Zaccheus' heart almost banged it's way out of his chest! But that was not all. Jesus said "Zaccheus!" But how could that be, Jesus hadn't met Zaccheus before. It was God at work! Jesus said: "Zaccheus, come down immediately, I must stay at your house today"! This really confirmed to Zaccheus that Jesus was the answer to the way he was feeling!
The people in the crowd who knew Zaccheus as a tax collector started to grumble that Jesus - who lived a life without sin - wanted to go with a tax collector - the lowest of the low! This moaning carried on all the way to his house, but then Zaccheus turned to Jesus & said in response to their grumbling:
"Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." Luke 19:8 (NIV)
The crowd could see by his actions that Zaccheus was truly sorry for the wrong things he had done.
And Jesus said to him that salvation had come to his house, & that Zaccheus was now a true believer in God. He also said that this was the reason why He, Jesus, had come, to seek out those who were lost.
Q. How could Jesus say so positively that Zaccheus was now a true believer in God?
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Because being a Christian means not just talking about it, but actually living a changed, good lifestyle. Zaccheus was proving by his actions that he was truly sorry for getting all that money wrongly from other people. To just say sorry was not enough.
Jesus said that He came to seek out those who were lost.
Q. What does being lost mean here?
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Being lost means being outside of God's family & away from God's company. Jesus came to point people in the right direction towards God.
Jesus, being God, was able to know exactly what Zaccheus was feeling, so that is why Jesus chose to speak to Zaccheus amoungst all those hundreds of people. Jesus was seeking Zaccheus out by walking along that road.
(Teachers note: The subject of the lost sheep & being lost will be dealt with in a later Lesson Plan).
Q. What made Zaccheus lost?
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He had been more interested in get rich, than in finding out about God.
Up until Jesus saw him, Zaccheus had put himself first & God last.
Q. Is it possible to be rich & to be a Christian?
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Yes, provided the riches don't become more important than God.
It may be that God wants you to give a lot of it away to a charity, so what becomes more important, to obey God or hold onto the money?
When money becomes the most important thing to you, then that money becomes your god, something you idolize in your life. Jesus said on another occasion:
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Luke 12:34 (NIV)
Treasure is symbolic of what is most important to you, & the heart is symbolic of your love.
Q. What is your treasure? What is the goal of your life?
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Everyone draw a treasure chest & then draw what yout treasure is, what your goal in life is, coming out of the treasure chest, or next to it.
It could be: riches, getting married, having the latest mobile phone, a boyfriend or girlfriend, a big house, a sports car, etc. (Teachers note: Allow time for them to draw this).
So whatever your treasure is, your heart will be set upon it, so draw a heart shape next to it or enclosing your drawing.
Now because your heart is set upon this 'treasure' your affections are set towards it & you are in love with it.
(Teachers note: It may be appropriate to have some volunteers to say what they have drawn).
Remember what Jesus said: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
So if you make getting married your treasure, then your heart will be set upon this, & because this becomes so big in your life then other things get pushed out, & that includes God.
But if you make God your treasure then your heart will be set on God & therefore you will love God above all other things.
Or perhaps you make money your treasure, then your heart will be set upon your money & getting more money, so you will be in love with riches & possessions. But the trap of idolizing money is not just for the rich. You could be the poorest person in the world & your thoughts of money could be the most important thing to you. So even though you own no money, riches could still govern your thoughts & actions.
Q. Do you want to get rich & why? Discuss.
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Q. Have you thought about giving money to help someone else, ie a charity?
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Perhaps you think that you can give so little it won't help all the millions of suffering people in the world.
But here is a story that may make you think again:
There was a little boy walking along with his grandad, then they saw hundreds of star fish stranded on the beach & all of them were drying out in the blazing sun. So the little boy started to pick them up, one at a time, & he walked to the waters edge & put the starfish back into the sea. Then he went back for another one. His grandad looked at all the hundreds of starfish & said to the boy: "Come on, you're never going to make a difference to all those starfish!" But the boy replied: "No, but I can make a difference to this one", as he lowered another starfish into the sea!
Q. Is it correct to say: "I can do nothing, there are so many people who are suffering"? Dicuss.
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God knows how much, or how little, we help others.
One day Jesus was in the Temple & all the rich people were giving their money away. They were talking loudly & making a big show of donating their money. They even threw their money in, so that it would make as much noise as possible!
But then Jesus noticed a very poor, little old lady, & He told the group who were with Him, to watch what she was going to do.
As she got next to the place where all the money was being donated, she quietly gave two small copper coins, which was worth only a few pence.
Jesus suddenly announced to His group:
"I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put in more than all the others.
All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth;
but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on." Luke 21:4 (NIV)
Q. What did Jesus mean by that?
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The money that the rich people were giving was worth very little to them. They wouldn't even miss that amount. And because they had bragged about giving their money, then God would not reward their giving.
But the poor lady who had so little money, gave a large amount of what she had. It cost her to give that much & God would reward her for giving that.
Jesus explained what that reward might be if it is given in the faith that God will use it:
"For if you give, you will get!
Your gift will return to you in full and overflowing measure,
pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over.
Whatever measure you use to give - large or small -
will be used to measure what is given back to you." Luke 6:38 (Living Bible)
Q. What would happen if you gave something so that you could receive back again?
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If the motive was to get something back, then that is doing something very similar to those people who loudly gave their money away, so that others would praise them for their generousity.
But if you give money or gifts to others in a genuine way to help them, then you can rely on God to reward you at a time when you need it.
PLENARY:
We have just looked at several situations from the Bible which, hopefully, have made you think about some important issues.
Q. Have you read any books that have made you think about important subjects?
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Q. Would you consider giving something to help someone, or give money to a charity?
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Either take a short time to discuss these questions, or leave it with them.
(Teachers note: There are two worksheets to accompany this lesson plan).