Season 3: Jesus the Storyteller
Episode 7: “The Great Banquet”
Today’s Bible Bite: Luke 14:15-24

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEbwiQvo5k4 (Saddleback Kids)

“Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame” (Luke 14:21b).
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God, like the man in Jesus’ story, has invited everyone to join Him in heaven. The religious leaders all thought they would be the lucky ones to enjoy an exclusive invitation from God; in their minds there were people who God wouldn’t invite. But Jesus wanted them to understand that everyone was invited...but only those who accepted the invitation would end up enjoying it.

In Jesus’ story, a man got things ready to celebrate a party with a number of invited guests; but they all refused to come and gave lots of excuses. The man was really mad and decided that he would still have his party, but would invite everyone. Anyone who accepted the invitation to come was most welcome; those who refused didn’t enjoy even one bite! That’s the way it is with God. We’re all invited to go to heaven, but only those who accept the invitation will enjoy it.

Think about it...

• Jesus was telling the religious leaders that they should be generous like God is. Who did Jesus say they should invite to their dinner parties?
• The man in Jesus’ story invited some friends to come to his party but they all refused. How would you feel if you were this man?
• He decided to invite everyone! What would you think if you got an invitation to a special banquet that was being hosted by someone famous?
• God has invited everyone to come to heaven. Have you accepted His invitation?

Prayer: Thank you, God, that you don’t invite only some people to come to heaven, but have made a way for everyone to do so. Help me to tell others about this wonderful invitation so that they can enjoy God’s special banquet in heaven too.

Season 3: Jesus the Storyteller
Episode 6: “The Two Sons”
Today’s Bible Bite: Matthew 21:28-32

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tRAOZGACa8 (Living Scriptures)

“John the Baptist came and showed you the right way to live, but you didn’t believe him...you refused to believe him and repent of your sins’’ (Matthew 21:32).

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day thought they were better than everyone else and that God liked them best. They looked down on people who didn’t follow God’s laws. They assumed that their religion earned them a reward with God. Jesus told them they had it all wrong. What mattered was recognizing that without God they weren’t any better off than anyone else. They needed to ask God’s forgiveness and live to obey Him, not simply keeping up appearances.

They were like the son who agreed to go to work for the father, but then didn’t. Saying the right things isn’t enough if we don’t live what we say we believe. The other son who initially refused are like people who initially refuse to obey God’s laws–the people that the religious leaders looked down on as being ‘sinful’; however, if they are like the other son who asked for forgiveness and then obeyed his father, they will be the ones to receive a reward in heaven.

Think about it...

• In this story the father needed help. What work does God want us to help Him do?
• The son who agreed to go, didn’t. Why was this wrong?
• The son who said he wouldn’t go, did. Why was he rewarded?
• The religious leaders thought they needed to keep up appearances for God to be pleased with them. What did Jesus tell them really makes God happy?

Prayer: Thank you, God, that you love us and have work for us to do. Help us to love and care for other people the way you want us to. Help us to be ready and willing to tell other people about Jesus.

Season 3: Jesus the Storyteller
Episode 5: “The Two Builders”
Today’s Bible Bite: Matthew 7:24-27

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6S3cRVLMFQ (Saddleback Kids)

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock’’ (Matthew 7:24).

Crowds loved to follow Jesus. They were amazed at His miracles and liked the stories He told. But Jesus said it wasn’t enough for people to simply like the things He told them, they needed to obey too! To explain why, He told the story of two builders. One was a wise builder, who built his house on a solid foundation. When a storm came, his house stayed strong. That is what a person who obeys God is like–their life is built on a solid foundation, so that when life gets rough, they can remain strong.

But those who do not want to obey God and just want to do their own thing are like the man who built his house on sand. When the storms came, the watery sand shifted and the house fell down; it just wasn’t strong enough to stand without a good foundation. When we try to live life without God, we are liable to fall apart too when the storms of life come because we need a good foundation to rely on.

Think about it...

• God has given us many directions on how to live life well. What rules has God given us to live by?
• Sometimes we don’t want to have to obey God, but want to do our own thing. Why do we sometimes choose to ignore God’s directions?
• The wise man built his house on a rock–a good foundation–the foolish man built his on the sandy beach. Why is rock a better foundation that sand?
• How can you be certain that your life is on ‘solid ground?’

Prayer: Thank you, God, for all the stories that Jesus taught. Help us to understand their meaning and then obey. You want what is best for us. Help us to trust you and resist doing things our own way.

Season 3: Jesus the Storyteller
Episode 4: “The Prodigal Son”
Today’s Bible Bite: Luke 15:11-32

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJgROx4wFKM (Saddleback Kids)

“We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found’’ (Luke 15:23b-24).

Jesus wanted people to understand that no matter how badly someone behaved, if they became sorry and asked God to forgive them, then He would. In order to teach people this lesson, Jesus told the story of a son who treated his father really disrespectfully–the son told the father he wanted his share of the inheritance, which was the same as wishing his father was dead! The father agreed and the son left home, partied away his money and ended up in a really bad place–he had no money, no friends, no food and the only job he could get was to feed pigs.

Jesus said that after a while the son came to his senses. What was he doing? Even his father’s servants got better treatment then what he had. He headed for home, determined to ask his father to allow him to work for his as a servant; but, the father saw him coming and got so excited he ran out to meet him. The father immediately forgave him, replaced his clothes, gave him back his family ring and threw him a party. Jesus said that the father accepted back his son the same way that God will accept us back, when we decide to live for Him.

Think about it...

• The son in this story wanted to live by his own rules. What did he demand that his father give to him?
• The son left home and used up all his money. What happened next?
• The son really messed up his life and realized that even the servants in his father’s house enjoyed a better life than he was. What did he decide?
• When the father saw his son coming home, what did he do?
• We sometimes do bad things too. What does this story tell us about what we should do?

Prayer: Thank you, God, that even though we mess up, you will forgive us when we ask you to. Help us to remember that life with you as our Father is so much better than trying to live by our own rules. We make mistakes and can never make things better without you.

Season 3: Jesus the Storyteller
Episode 3: “The Man Whose Dept Was Forgiven”
Today’s Bible Bite: Matthew 18:21-35

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED3fzkS-bhA (Saddleback Kids)

“Then Peter came to him and asked, ‘Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?’ ‘No, not seven times,’ Jesus replied, ‘but seventy times seven’ (Matthew 18:21-22).

Jesus told the story about a man who had been forgiven a huge amount of money, yet refused to do the same for someone else who owed him little. He said that God, like the king in His story, is very generous and compassionate–He has made a way to forgive us for the bad things we do. We could never be good enough to earn God’s forgiveness. Because of this, we should never withhold forgiveness from someone who wrongs us. We have experienced God’s full forgiveness and should do the same for others. Other people may hurt us a lot and it means that it takes a lot to forgive them; however, we’ll never have to forgive someone as much as God forgives us.

Jesus story also contained a warning. If we refuse to forgive other people, God will not forgive you. But when we forgive others, we can be certain that God forgives us too!

Think about it...

• Have you ever done something you know you shouldn’t have. What happens when we ask God to forgive us?
• People hurt us sometimes, just like we hurt others. What does God want us to do?
• Sometimes we’re very angry with other people. What does God say will happen if we refuse to obey other people?
• Even though it can be hard, we need to forgive others. What does God promise to do?

Prayer: Thank you, God, that you forgive us when we ask you to. Please help us to forgive others who hurt us. Help us to say sorry when we hurt others. Thank you that you made a plan so that we could experience your forgiveness and that no matter how we’ve messed up, you help us start new.

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guDeSYcwRYg (visual depiction - have the kids explain what is happening)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZEO_Ls2ERs (Saddleback Kids)

“The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted” (Matthew 13:23)!

The stories Jesus told used everyday life experiences so that the people would be able to understand better what the stories meant. In one story, he told about a farmer who planted his field with seed–some of it fell on the good soil, but some seed fell on the footpath, some fell on rocky soil and some fell among the weed patch. Where the seed fell determined what would happen next. Would the seeds grow and produce more or not?

Jesus told the disciples that the four different areas that the seed fell are like the different ways that people can believe God’s good news. They can reject what they hear (hard foot path); accept it but let worries distract them or don’t make the effort to build a relationship with God (weed patch and rocky soil), or they can accept it and grow in their belief so that they too share the good news (good soil). I want to be good soil, don’t you?

Think about it...

• Who is the farmer who spread the good seed?
• What is the good seed?
• What happens to the seed on the different areas it may fall–foot path, rocky soil, weed patch or good soil?
• How we receive the good news is determined by our attitudes and our actions. Do we really believe? Are we willing to spend time with God? Will be allow God to change us? Do others see a the difference that believing in God has made in our lives?
• What kind of ground are you?

Prayer: Thank you, God, that we can be good soil. Help me to believe you are who you say you are. Help me to get to know you as my friend who is always there to help me and listen, as my Heavenly Father who loves me and as my boss who I need to obey. Help me to share the wonderful news that everyone can have a relationship with you!

Season 3: Jesus the Storyteller
Episode 1: “Good Samaritan”
Today’s Bible Bite: Luke 10:25-37

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLzdQtetedc (God’s Story)

“...‘Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?’ Jesus asked. The man replied, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Then Jesus said, ‘Yes, now go and do the same’” (Luke 10:36-37).

Jesus knew that people loved to hear stories and so He often told people important lessons using stories, called parables. Sometimes His stories had surprising endings, like His story about the “Good Samaritan.” Jesus was trying to tell people how important it is to help everyone, even people you don’t like. The surprise in this story, was that He made the person everyone thought was the ‘bad’ guy, the hero.

In this story, a man goes on a trip, but gets beat up and robbed. Two religious leaders see him, but don’t even try to help. A Samaritan, a man that the Jews did not like, came by. When he saw the man he not only helped him to an inn, he paid for his full stay. Now that’s taking care of your ‘neighbour!’ Jesus told people that is how we should treat others.

Think about it...

• One day, a man asked Jesus how he could make God happy so that he could go to heaven. What did Jesus tell him to do?
• The man asked Jesus, ‘Who is my neighbour?’ What do you think? Who is your neighbour?
• Jesus told him a story–he told how a Samaritan (someone the Jewish people didn’t like) helped a Jewish man when no one else would. What do you think the people listening to this story thought?
• Jesus was trying to teach that everyone is our neighbour, even people who are very different from us. How can we be nice to others?

Prayer: Thank you, God, that you love us all the same and want us to show your love to others. Help me find ways to help other people, even people who aren’t my friends. Help my kindness show others how important you are in my life.

Season 2: Only the Messiah Could...
Episode 11: “Jesus Could Heal a Man Born Blind”
Today’s Bible Bite: John 9:1-38

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4qZ2KSbdxI (Saddleback Kids)

“Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. If this man [Jesus] were not from God, he couldn’t have done it” (John 9:32-33).

One day as Jesus was walking with the disciples, they came across a man who had been born blind. The disciples thought he was born this way as a punishment–God must have punished him or his parents for some wrong act. Jesus corrected their thinking and said that the man’s blindness was not because God was punishing anyone, but because God wanted to demonstrate His great power through him!

Jesus then made some mud and put it on the man’s eyes. He told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam, which he did and amazingly he could now see. This got everyone talking. They had known this man for years as the blind beggar, but here he was able to see! What happened? The man told them Jesus had healed him, but because many of the religious teachers didn’t like Jesus, they refused to believe him. But the man knew who Jesus was–He was the Messiah!

Think about it...

• Sometimes people think that bad stuff only happens because God is punishing someone. Why did Jesus say this man was born blind?
• Jesus made mud and put it on the man’s eyes then told him to go wash. Why didn’t Jesus stick around?
• The people took the man to the religious leaders. Who did the man think Jesus was?
• After the man was kicked out by the religious leaders, Jesus found him. What did the man do when Jesus introduced himself?

Prayer: Thank you, God, that you gave this man his eyesight. Thank you that he had the courage to stand up for Jesus, even before he knew who he was. Help me to be ready to stand up for you, too, and be quick to thank you when you help me.

Season 2: Only the Messiah Could...
Episode 9: “Jesus Could Feed a Crowd”
Today’s Bible Bite: Mark 6:32-44

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6rj9cAJrWE (Saddleback Kids)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fGjybUn5bE (Crossroads Kids’ Club)

“They all ate as much as they wanted” (Mark 6:42).

As word spread about Jesus, He got more and more popular and it became harder and harder for He and His disciples to find time for themselves...even to eat! So, one day they left the crowd and sailed to the other side of the lake, but there was a crowd waiting for Him there too! Jesus felt sorry for them, so instead of getting upset, He spent the day teaching them and healing the sick. Towards the end of the day, however, the disciples began encouraging Jesus to send the crowds home to get something to eat. Jesus told Philip, ‘You give them something,’ which of course the disciples thought was crazy!

But Jesus had a plan. A young boy gave Jesus his lunch; He thanked God for the food, had everyone sit down and then they started to pass it out. The boy’s lunch only had five pieces of bread and two small fish in it. The crowd was huge–5,000 men plus their families–so, you might think that wouldn’t be nearly enough. But you’d be wrong! They kept handing out the food and it never ran out. People ate as much as they wanted and there were even leftovers–twelve baskets full!

Think about it...

• Jesus and the disciples had been looking to find some quiet time. Do you ever need a break from people?
• The crowds kept coming, but Jesus didn’t get mad at them. How did Jesus feel? What did He do?
• The disciples wanted Jesus to send the people away; it was getting late. What would you have wanted Jesus to do?
• A small boy shared his lunch. Chances are other people had food too, but didn’t want to share it. What would have happened if no one had been willing to share?
• Jesus made so much food that there were twelve baskets leftover. What would you have done with all that leftover food?

Prayer: Thank you, God, for caring for the people. You taught them, healed them and fed them. Thank you that you can still take care of us. Help me to remember to be like the little boy–willing to share what I have too–so that I can be a part of helping others.