The life of Jesus

A range of information sheets which look at the life and ministry of Jesus are provided below. Select material from these as appropriate in order to help students consider his teachings, the parables and the miracles.

By the end of this unit:

• most of your students will know about aspects of the life of Jesus and his work
• some students will be able to explain the impact of certain events in the life of Jesus on Christian belief
• a few students will be able to articulate the theological concepts and principles that lie behind some of the stories in the Gospels.

Prepare by reading the support material below. (You may also wish to provide this material for your more able learners.)

The life of Jesus

Starter

Ask students to share a really special moment in their life and what impact it had on them. Encourage them to think about events that were life-changing or ‘awesome’.

Activity

From the materials provided below, and using a Bible, try walking through one of the stories reported with you as the narrator. Encourage students to join in by taking or reading parts. Once you have been through the story, ensure that the students record responses to what can be quite an active experience in their books.

top tip

The miracles activity sheet

The parables activity sheet

If you feel uncomfortable about walking the story and using role simulation in your work, you may prefer to use one of the following activity sheets as a solo writing activity instead.

The life of Jesus activity sheet

Jesus’ ministry activity sheet

Jesus’ miracles activity sheet

Plenary

Divide the class into two halves. Going round the room, alternate teams at a time, ask each student to record a fact about Jesus that they have learned in the lesson. They may not repeat anything anybody else has said and so must come up with something new each time.

As a differentiation strategy, work your way up to the most able students, giving them the greater challenge.

Homework activity

Ask students to write a story with the title “The Modern Miracle” about a young person who was healed of a serious illness at some point in their life with Jesus’ help. They should then retell the story from the point of view of the person who was healed.