Lesson 3 - The Trinity: Jesus the Son
Imagine a friend who has experienced everything you have ever been through in your life. That person understands your fears, your joys, your pain, and your disappointments. Jesus is that Person. He is like no other human who ever lived because He is fully God and fully man. The Bible tells us that He is Friend, Brother, King, Deliverer, Helper, and Mediator. He knows our weaknesses and our potential. That’s the kind of friend we all need!
As we seek to obey God in our lives, it is comforting to know that our Saviour understands our struggles. How wonderful of God to reach out in such a personal way! Today, spend some time thinking about how He knows what is in your heart and loves you in spite of it. Consider how He meets you in your times of greatest need and provides you with the strength and courage to move forward, no matter what the situation. As you help your students learn more about God the Son, pray that they will come to know Him personally and receive His help with whatever they may be experiencing—and pray that He will help you to continue to do the same.
Lesson Time
1. Connecting: Play a game to learn about sheep and shepherds.
Greet your students by name if possible. Using their names shows them you care about them.
- Have you ever seen a sheep?
- What do you think you need to do to take care of a sheep?
People who take care of sheep are called shepherds. In Bible times, being a shepherd was an important and sometimes dangerous job. Sheep were an important source of food and income for many families, so shepherds would even sacrifice their lives to protect their sheep. During the day, sheep would graze on open lands. The shepherd would watch over them and protect them from thieves and predators. When it was time to bring the sheep in for the night, the shepherd would lead them to a cave or pen. He would stand at the opening to the pen and count them to be sure he had all his sheep. He would also check them for injuries and illnesses. Once the sheep were safely inside, the shepherd would sleep at the opening, like a gate, to keep the sheep in and keep danger out.
Let’s play a game to help you to understand a bit more about how hard a shepherd’s job might have been.
Bring your students to a large area, either inside or outside. Ask for a volunteer to be the shepherd. The rest of the players will be sheep. Ask the shepherd to close his eyes. While the shepherd is not looking, give each one of the students a stone, stick, or leaf to hold. The stones represent pain, the sticks represent fear of danger, and the leaves represent being lost. Ask the students to hold these items in 1 hand, so the shepherd cannot see the items.
Once all the items are hidden in the students’ hands, ask the shepherd to open his eyes. Then the shepherd must approach each sheep and guess whether the sheep needs healing, protection, or to be found. When the shepherd finds a sheep, he must touch the sheep’s shoulder if she needs healing from pain, clap his hands if the sheep needs protection from danger, or place his hand on his forehead, as if he is shielding his eyes from the sun to look into the distance, if the sheep is lost. The sheep can give the shepherd non-verbal clues about their needs, such as limping if they are in pain or looking afraid if they are in danger.
If the shepherd guesses what the sheep needs, the sheep opens her hand to reveal the item inside. She then follows the shepherd and joins the “flock.” If the shepherd does not guess correctly, he must go on to the next sheep. Once he has approached all the sheep, he can go back for the sheep he did not guess correctly the first time. The game is over after 10 minutes or when the shepherd has collected all the sheep. Thank the shepherd for taking such good care of the sheep.
2. Teaching: Learn about Jesus, the Good Shepherd (John 10).
The Trinity has had a special plan for humans since before the beginning of time. Part of that plan is to invite all the people of the earth to have a relationship with God the Father through Jesus and to be made alive by the Spirit. Let’s find out about Jesus’ part in this plan by hearing about Jesus as the Good Shepherd.
Ask students to read these verses from the Bible, pausing after each section to switch readers.
Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
John 10:1–4
- What do these verses tell us about who Jesus is?
Answers should include things such as Jesus is a shepherd, the sheep hear His voice, He leads His sheep, He calls His sheep by name.
- How do you feel when you hear these things about who Jesus is?
Listen to more of how Jesus describes Himself in the Bible:
Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
John 10:7–11
Digital Resources: All additional resources available for download and printing can be accessed at the end of each lesson
- What do these verses tell you about who Jesus is?
Students may answer that Jesus is the Gate, He saves, He leads His followers to pasture, He gives abundant life, He is the Good Shepherd, He lays down His life for His sheep.
I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.
John 10:14–18
- What do these verses tell us about who Jesus is?
Answers should include things such as Jesus knows His sheep, His sheep know Him, Jesus lays down His life for the sheep, He has sheep from other pens whom He will bring and who will listen to His voice, the Father loves Jesus, Jesus lays down His life of His own accord.
- Who are the sheep in these passages?
The sheep are those who follow Jesus.
- What do these passages teach us about Jesus?
He willingly gave His life to save people and restore them to relationship with God.
- What can you learn about God the Father from these verses?
He loves us so much that He sent His Son to make a way to restore our relationship with Him. The Father and the Son were in agreement regarding the sacrifice Jesus, the Son, made. God the Father loves Jesus for doing this.
Teacher Tip: This lesson requires a lot of explanation from you—and it can often be difficult for the students to stay engaged when the lesson involves too much lecturing. As you share the following information with the students, be sure to pause often to check for understanding. It is also helpful to invite the students to participate as much as possible in the Bible readings and personal reflections.
The passage we just read tells about Jesus, one of the three Persons of the Trinity. He is the Good Shepherd who cares for us, His sheep. He protects us and even died for us. He received the authority to do this from the God the Father.
When God created the world and made you and me, He knew that we would do things that are wrong and displeasing to Him. This is called sin, and it separates us from God. God loves us so much that He does not want to be separated from us.
God had a wonderful plan for our salvation. He became a human being—Jesus. The Bible says that Jesus is fully, completely God. He is also fully, completely human. For a time, He lived on this earth, working, healing, teaching, and helping. The Bible tells us that He felt human emotions. He got angry. He felt happy and sad. But He always obeyed God the Father. The Bible also tells us that Jesus was tempted in the same ways we are tempted—and yet He did not sin. Because of this, He understands what we feel. He knows our pain, our anger, our sorrows, and our joy.
Here is the most amazing part of the story. Because we can never pay the price for our wrongdoings on our own, Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins. Then He rose from the dead and went back to heaven. Because of the sacrifice Jesus made, we are forgiven for our sins. All we have to do is accept this gift that God offers us.
3. Responding: Pray about how Jesus can help in everyday life.
- How is our relationship with Christ like that of sheep with their shepherd?
He cares for us, He laid down His life for us, He will watch over us always, He knows everything about us, He wants us to know Him.
Jesus is our Good Shepherd. He laid down His life for us, His sheep. As our Shepherd, Jesus made a way for us to be forgiven so that we can have a relationship with God the Father. He saved us! Jesus is our Saviour if we give our hearts to Him.
Memory Verse
I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.
John 10:14–15
Digital Resources: All additional resources available for download and printing can be accessed at the end of each lesson
- How does Jesus show how much He cares for you?
Optional: Give the students paper and pencils and allow them to draw sheep on their papers. They can write down their answers on these pages.
If you are using the Student Pages, you may use these pages for this activity.
End of Option
Teacher Tip: You may want to share the Salvation Path included in this guide, if time allows or if the students have further questions.
Digital Resources: All additional resources available for download and printing can be accessed at the end of each lesson
Which of the characteristics of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, do you need the most right now? Do you need someone to listen to you? Someone to protect you? Someone to lead you? Someone who knows everything about you and still loves you? No matter what you are going through, if you trust Jesus as your Saviour, He will be there for you.
Allow the students to think for a few moments. Ask the students to get into groups based on the characteristics you mentioned. The groups can then pray for each other to know Jesus more in that way. Groups could be based on any of the characteristics of Jesus discussed in the lesson. For example, a student may find it most valuable that Jesus listens, so she would gather with other students who value the same characteristic. Give the groups about 5 minutes to pray together.
If the students wrote their thoughts on paper or on the Student Pages, encourage them to take these pages home and keep them in a place that will remind them that Jesus loves them and is with them every day.
Let students know that they may talk to you about how to have a relationship with God or any need they may have. Close your time with a blessing over your students based on Romans 13:14.
Blessing: May you clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for you but also lives for you, so that He may do His work in your life.
Family Connection: Encourage the students to ask their family members if anyone loves them enough to sacrifice his life for them. Then students can then share about the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, who died for all of us.
Digital Resources: All additional resources available for download and printing can be accessed at the end of each lesson
If you have time, continue to share this song with your students to celebrate how great God is!
How Great Is Our God – https://youtu.be/vg5qDljEw7Q