Curriculum

Losing Jesus

Losing Jesus Go to Curriculum multi-week pack

Bible Background

What Kids Will Learn

While on a trip to a festival, Jesus got separated from Joseph and Mary. They couldn’t find him for three days. But Jesus was safe and content as He learned God’s truths at the temple.

Scripture Summary

As part of the Old Testament law, all males were required to go to Jerusalem, the nearest temple, three times a year to celebrate great festivals: Festival of Unleavened Bread, Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Tabernacles (Deuteronomy 16:16). Passover was celebrated in the spring in remembrance of God’s deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt. Immediately following Passover, the week-long Festival of Unleavened Bread was celebrated.

It was customary to travel in groups to and from the festivals for safety in numbers while traveling. Because Jesus was 12 and almost considered an adult, he very well could have been in the group of women and children in the front or in the group of men traveling near the back. It’s no wonder that Joseph and Mary each assumed Jesus was with the other group.

The temple in Jerusalem was not only a central location for worship and festivals, it also was a place of teaching. The apostle Paul would later study under Gamaliel, a respected teacher, in the temple courts (Acts 22:3). During the festival, great rabbis would gather together in the temple courts and discuss deep, theological truths. Jesus was eager to listen in and ask questions.

Joseph and Mary searched for Jesus over the course of three agonizing days. When they found Him, Jesus was surprised that they didn’t know where to look. Jesus recognized that as God’s Son, He had much to learn and share. Mary took it all in and realized that her son was quickly becoming a man.

The Bible doesn’t share more of Jesus’ life for the next 18 years. But Jesus was continuing to learn and prepare for His ministry.

Why Is This Important

We can get caught up in everyday life and even make assumptions that cause us to miss out on what Jesus is doing in our lives right now.

Teacher Devotion

Scripture

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3, ESV)

Our school district scheduled early release for students each Wednesday afternoon for teachers to have a bit more time for planning and professional development. I’m all for that.

Though I struggled throughout the year. I set multiple alarms and had notes around the house to remind me to pick up my kids at a different time on Wednesdays. I was afraid that I would forget or get my days confused…and leave my children at school. I made it through almost the entire year—until May.

I worked from home, and I was super-productive one Wednesday morning. In fact, I was feeling pretty good about the things I was accomplishing and crossing off my list. And the phone rang. When my friend, whose child was in my son’s class, called, I still didn’t have a clue. I thought she was simply calling to chat. “It’s… uh…Wednesday,” she said. It dawned on me that school had let out, and my son was waiting for me. My friend, full of grace, rescued my son (and me) and brought him home that day.

I’m reminded just how human and flawed I am…even with the best of intentions. I totally relate to Joseph and Mary when Jesus got separated from them and was at the temple. While each day is far from perfect, things go much more smoothly when my eyes are fixed on Him.

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for being present in the midst of busyness. I pray that You help me sort out the details of life and keep my eyes focused on You and what You have for me today. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Get the full Sunday school lesson plan

  • Bible Memory Verse
  • Interactive Bible Experience
  • Animated video with companion questions

Bible Memory Verse

You’ll Need: Bibles, Tan paper, Pens, Straws, Tape, Twine, Scissors

“When His parents saw Him, they were astonished. His mother said to Him, ‘Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You.’ ‘Why were you searching for me?’ He asked. ‘Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?’ ” (Luke 2:48-49)

Lead kids in these steps to learn today’s Bible memory verse:

  • Invite kids to open their Bibles to Luke 2:48-49.
  • Read the passage aloud.
  • The second time through, invite the girls to read Mary’s words and the boys to read Jesus’ words.
  • The third time through, switch it up, having the boys read Mary’s words and the girls read Jesus’ words.
  • Next, give each child a sheet of tan paper and a pen.
  • Instruct kids to write today’s Bible memory verse on the paper.
  • Give each child two straws and some tape.
  • Instruct kids to tape the straws along the top and bottom edge of the paper.
  • Have kids roll each straw in toward the center to create a scroll.
  • Tie the scroll together with the twine.

SAY: Today, we don’t read God’s Word from a scroll, but back when Jesus’ parents thought He was missing, He was teaching the religious leaders from scrolls. Take your scroll home today as a reminder of Jesus’ ability to sit among anyone and discuss deep truths about God.

Interactive Bible Experience

You’ll Need: Bibles, “Jesus as a Child” handouts, Scissors, Crayons

Get Ready: Print the handout on card stock; you’ll need one for each child.

Follow these instructions for this interactive experience:

  • Give each child a “Jesus as a Child” handout.
  • Have kids color in “Jesus” and cut out the figure.
  • Invite kids to open their Bibles to Luke 2:41-52.
  • Read aloud Luke 2:41-45.
  • Explain that you are going to take turns finding “Jesus.”
  • Pick a child to go first. All the other kids will close their eyes as that child hides his or her Jesus cutout.
  • Once it’s hidden, invite kids to open their eyes. The child that hid Jesus will call out “Help me! Jesus is missing.”
  • After someone finds Jesus, say, “Let’s look back at where Jesus’ parents found Him and what happened.”
  • Read aloud Luke 2:46-52.

ASK:

  • Why do you think Jesus needed to be in His Father’s house?
  • Why do you think Jesus responded to His parents the way He did?
  • What do you think about Jesus obeying his parents? How can you follow His example?
  • Allow kids to play more rounds of the game. This time, when a child finds the hidden Jesus cutout, they’ll announce it by saying, “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”
  • The child who finds Jesus gets to go next and hide his or her Jesus.
  • Play as many rounds as time allows.

SAY: Sometimes we can get so busy we lose sight of Jesus. If this was true for Jesus’ parents, it is certainly true for us. Let’s learn how to keep Jesus a daily priority.

Snack

Temple Snacks

You’ll Need: Paper plates, Napkins, Pretzel sticks, Cheez-It crackers, String cheese, Club crackers, Bowls

Get Ready: Have kids clean their hands.

Follow these steps to make “Temple Snacks”:

  • Give each child a paper plate and a napkin.
  • Place all the snacks in separate bowls in the center of the table.
  • Invite kids to be creative and use the provided snacks to form a temple on their plates.
  • Allow time for kids to show their creations to the rest of the group.
  • Enjoy.

Game

Seek Jesus

You’ll Need: Jesus costume or robe

To play the “Seek Jesus” game, have kids follow these steps:

  • Select a child to be Jesus, and invite him or her to put on the costume.
  • Ask the rest of the children to close their eyes while an adult helps “Jesus” find a place to hide in the classroom (or outside if the weather is nice).
  • After the child is hidden, invite the class to go look for “Jesus.”
  • Once “Jesus” is found, allow another child to put on the costume.
  • Play as many rounds as time allows.

SAY: In today’s game, you knew your classmate was safely hiding somewhere, but Jesus’ parents were anxiously searching for Him because they did not know if He was safe. When they found Him, they were astonished because they found Him discussing deep truths with religious leaders.

Craft

Jesus Grew Craft

You’ll Need: Construction paper in a variety of colors, Scissors, Glue or tape, Markers

Lead kids in these steps to make the “Jesus Grew Craft”:

  • Explain to kids that they are going to create a growing Jesus.
  • Lay out the variety of colored construction paper and scissors for children.
  • Invite kids to cut out a shape for Jesus’ head and body—not including the arms and legs.
  • Next, instruct kids to cut extra-long arms and legs from their con- struction paper.
  • Have kids fold the arms and legs back and forth like an accordion.
  • Instruct kids to glue or tape the arms and legs to Jesus’ body.
  • Lastly, kids can decorate Jesus with markers.
  • When finished, encourage kids to pull out the folded arms and legs to represent Jesus growing.

ASK:

  • What do you think it means that Jesus grew in wisdom and favor with God?
  • What is one way you can grow closer to Jesus?
  • When life gets so busy that you lose sight of Jesus, how can you find Him again?

SAY: We learned in today’s passage that Jesus was just a boy, but He grew in wisdom and favor with God. Take your growing Jesus home as a reminder to grow close to God daily.

Prayer

Still Prayers

  • Invite kids to sit in a circle.
  • Challenge kids to sit still and quiet for one minute.
  • Next, explain that when we get so busy in life, we forget how to be still before God.
  • Invite kids to sit still and pray silently, asking God to help them learn to be like Jesus.
  • Close in group prayer.

PRAY: Dear God, we confess that we can become too busy. So often, the day or week passes before we’ve made time to pray and worship You. Help us put Jesus first in our lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.