Zacchaeus
Scripture: Luke 19: 1-10
Key Scripture Verses: Luke 19:5, 9 …[Jesus]
looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry down!
I want to stay with you today…. Today you and your family have been
saved. The Son of Man came to look for
you and to save the people who are lost.”
(CEV)
Memory Verse:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and
do not rely on your own insight. In all
your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NRSV)
Concepts:
·
Jesus
came to save the lost.
·
God
loves and forgives us no matter what mistakes we have made.
·
When
we are sorry, we want to make up for the things we have done wrong.
·
Jesus
asks to live in our hearts.
·
When
we choose to follow Jesus, God changes our whole life.
Objectives:
1.
Discuss
Zacchaeus before and after meeting Jesus
2.
Create
a storyplate for Zacchaeus
3.
Determine
how we respond to Jesus’ call to us.
1.
The Coach leads the
opening routine: snack, fellowship, prayer wall activity, and prayer chain. Nametags are available.
Workshop Lesson Procedure:
1.
Refer
to the timeline. This story occurs in Luke as the last encounter before Jesus
goes to Jerusalem for Holy Week. Introduce the Guide who leads the Workshop
Lesson.
Stand
in front of the group carefully looking at them. For at least 30 seconds, say
nothing but search the group looking at each youth. Then, take a big breath and
with a sweeping gesture, select one youth to come forward:
“__(name)_____,
hurry! I want to stay with you today….
Today you and your family have been saved.
The Son of Man came to look for you and to save the people who are
lost.”
Ask
the youth: How does it feel to be selected out of this crowd? (special, embarrassed) Are you surprised
that I chose you, personally, to come with me? (yes)
How
do the rest of you feel about me picking one person to treat special? (jealous, glad you didn’t pick me)
(To
the youth you chose out of the crowd): What did you do when I called you? (I came forward) Why? (Because you called me)
Jesus
doesn’t just call one person. Jesus calls each and every one of you, by name,
to be with Him. How does that make you feel? (special) What should you do? (come
forward)
The
story of Zacchaeus is about a man who was called by Jesus.
Bible Story:
Locate the story in CEV Bibles. Ask someone to read the passage.
Are any of you lost? No, of course not. You are right here where you are supposed to be. After Church, you will go home with your family. That is not being lost is it? Yet Jesus came to save the lost. But who are the lost? (Those who sin, who do not repent, who live separate from Jesus)
This story of Zacchaeus is the last encounter that Jesus had with an outcast before he entered Jerusalem and his crucifixion on the cross. We can only imagine that Jesus wanted to make sure, before his death, that his message of God’s love was heard and understood. This story is packed with clues and messages from God. Let’s see if we can find all the ideas that Jesus wanted us to learn from this story.
Application 1:
1.
Ask
for 3 volunteers to come forward and be a scribe for each of the 3 flipcharts
pasted to the wall.
2.
Ask
the youth to identify what they know about Zacchaeus and Jesus from the
scripture. They will need to refer to the scripture text. The headings are:
|
Zacchaeus before he met Jesus |
Zacchaeus after he met Jesus |
What we learn about Jesus
|
|
Tax collector Rich Cheated people (v.8) Sinner Curious about Jesus Short Made an effort to see
Jesus Lost |
Gladly welcomed Jesus Changed his attitude Repented his sins Gave generously to the
poor Paid back who he
cheated 4X Saved by Jesus True son of Abraham* |
Knew Zacchaeus by name Chose a sinner Went to Zacchaeus’ home Ate with Zacchaeus Saved Zacchaeus Saves people who are lost Son of Man Looks for people who are
lost |
*
“son of Abraham” - Zacchaeus was a Jew,
so he was a descendant of Abraham. Descendants in the Bible were often called
sons of ____, even after many generations.
Because he welcomed Jesus into his life and repented of his sins,
Zacchaeus was also a son or child of Abraham by his faith. We too can claim to
be a child of Abraham by faith even if we are not Jewish by birth.)
3.
Distribute
pencils and paper. Now, read the charts again selecting one item from each
column to make a sentence(s). Substitute your own name for “Zacchaeus”. Eg. “Before
she met Jesus, Suzy was a sinner and curious about Jesus. Suzy gladly welcomes
Jesus who saves Suzy and wants to be with her.”
Kids can write their sentences on slips of paper to
take home.
Application 2:
Take a minute to talk to the youth about the creation they are going to be doing in this workshop. Tell them that they will make a storyplate for telling others about Zacchaeus, up in a tree looking down at all the people, and Jesus who is calling to him.
Remind the class that Zacchaeus did a very unusual thing when he climbed the tree in order to see Jesus. It was a very bold thing to do and Jesus noticed him and changed his life.
1. Give each youth pictures of Zacchaeus, a crowd of people, and Jesus. OR the kids may draw their own pictures on paper and cut them out.
2. Take a Styrofoam meat tray or large Styrofoam plate and draw a large tree with low branches. The tree should be on the right side of the plate. Paste pieces of green construction paper or color foliage at the ends of the branches. Paste/draw the crowd of people.
3. Poke 2 holes and run a piece of yarn through the tree (one at the bottom of the tree and one at the top.) Glue the picture/drawing of Zaccheus to the piece of yarn so he can be raised and lowered from the tree.
4. Take a 2 inch piece of stiff cardboard and bend into an L shape or a right angled triangle for more stability. Paste one side to the end of a popsicle stick. Paste a picture of Jesus to the other side of the cardboard. Jesus should be upright and perpendicular to the popsicle stick.
5. Using a dull knife or a blade of the scissors, make a narrow cut from the left side of the plate, across the Styrofoam, stopping in front of the tree. Insert the stick through the plate. Move Jesus back and forth across the plate.
6. Pull the yarn to make Zaccheus climb the tree. Move the stick as Jesus walks toward Zaccheus.
7. Jesus calls YOU. Use a marker to write on the storyboard around the rim or wherever there is space: “ Your Name , hurry down! I want to stay with you today.”
Discussion
As time permits, you may use the following questions to generate discussion.
·
The
crowd is not happy about Jesus eating with Zacchaeus. Why is this? The crowd says that Zacchaeus is a
sinner. People did not like tax
collectors. They cheated people and worked for the Roman government. Why do you
think Jesus picked Zacchaeus to make an example?
·
Is
Zacchaeus really any different from anyone else? No, we are all sinners (all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God Romans 3:23).
·
What
does Zacchaeus do to make up for the bad things (or sins) that he has
done? Gives half his property to the poor, pays back four times what he has
cheated people.
·
What
is the word that means to do something to make up for sins? Repentance. Repentance is more than just being sorry for what you have
done. It also means you’ll try to change
your behavior and do something to make up for whatever bad thing you have done.
·
Who
was lost in this story? Zacchaeus.
Did Jesus look for him? Yes, he looked up in the tree. Did Jesus save him? Yes,
by letting Zacchaeus get to know him and become sorry for the bad things he had
done and then giving him a chance to make up for the bad things he had
done. Have you let Jesus look for
you?
Reflection Time:
1.
Think
about what it means to be chosen by Jesus. Jesus calls us by name! How must
our lives be changed if we are to follow Jesus?
2.
Do
you have anything for which you should repent? Do you need to say “sorry” to
someone? Do you need to make amends with anyone?
3.
Encourage
the youth to share the storyplate with a family member or friend.
4.
Recite
the memory verse (see above). Print the verse on a poster.
Closing:
Prayer:
Ask the youth if they have any prayer requests. Close with a simple prayer about God, how he knows each one of us, knows that we are sinners and still sent Jesus to save us from our sins. Jesus makes our paths straight when we trust in the Lord. Thank God for Jesus.
Teacher preparation in
advance:
1.
Check
the room for art supplies – colored pencils, glue, scissors, paper.
2.
Purchase
needed supplies. Styrofoam plates or meat trays
3.
Find
for the pictures of Zacchaeus, Jesus and the crowd. Look in coloring books or
clipart.
4.
Make
a sample of the storyplate.
5.
Prepare
all the materials you will need for the creation process. Have the materials ready to go.
6.
Prepare
flipchart paper with headings. Paste on the wall prior to the lesson.
Materials:
White
paper, colored pencils for drawings
Scissors
Yarn
Popsicle
sticks, Cardboard, Glue
Green
construction paper
2-3
inch Pieces of cardboard (for attaching Jesus to popsicle stick)
Pictures
of Jesus, Zacchaeus and crowd.
Flipchart
paper, tape, markers
Kim
Cornelius, Zacchaeus Art Project at www.rotation.org