We all have a little bit of the wise man and the foolish man in our lives. While this story about thedoes not obey is foolish, helping kids understand this and how it affects them is crucial in their Christian lives.
wise man and the foolish man was told by Jesus to help us understand that anyone who hears the word of God and obeys is wise and anyone who hears the word of God and
Below is a Sunday school lesson that can be used for any age kids. This is a simple lesson that can be used to dig deeper into the word of God with teens and adults by adding more verses and discussing what God expects of us as his children.
I've added a video at the bottom with the "Wise Man Song" with motions which is great for younger kids!
Wise Man and Foolish Man Sunday School Lesson
There are many ways to add visuals to this lesson, but for today, we are going to keep it simple and
have the kids interact more with you and each other. Often, interaction and discussion helps kids learn more than you think. Let's get their minds geared toward Jesus' lesson.
Foolish Man
Start by asking, "Have any of you been to the beach?" Or, "How many of you have played with sand?"
"Did you make a sand castle?"
"What did the water do to the sand castle when it washed over it?"
After each question, wait for answers. Younger kids will love to tell about what happened to their castle at the beach or even in a sandbox. Of course, the castle was washed away!
Now, get the kids thinking by asking, "What do you think would happen if your mom or dad decided to build a house on top of a pile of sand?"
Then ask, "Do you think if a big rain came and flooded the area it would make the house fall down?"
Of course it would and kids will be able to visualize this because they know sand isn't strong nor can it stand up to water.
The bible tells us that we are foolish if we build our house (lives) upon sinking sand. Be sure to find out if the kids know what 'foolish' means. Explain that Jesus doesn't want our thoughts, actions, or words to be centered around foolish things.
Ask, "What are some foolish things we might do or say that would keep us from growing closer to God?"
Answers may include: being jealous, lying, not obeying mom and dad, worrying, missing church for no reason, being a bully, and so on. Adults and teens will have more complex answers.
Wise Man
Now, let's talk about the wise man. Jesus tells us in the bible that the wise man built his house upon a rock. Did you know that in the bible Jesus is called the solid rock? There is a song that says...."On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand." (see the bottom video)
When we put our faith, trust, actions, thoughts, and words in line with Christ the solid rock our Christian lives become stronger and others around us will be able to see Jesus in us.
To begin about the wise man, ask, "How hard is a rock?"
Say, "Rocks are really hard. We already know that we don't want to build our house on sinking sand. So, we should build it on something hard and solid, right?"
Ask, "If our house was built on something hard and solid, what do you think would happen if the rains came down and the floods came up? Do you think it would wash away like the house built on sand?"
No. It wouldn't!
That's what we want our lives to be like. When bad things happen, someone does something mean to us, we need to make choices, or feel like nothing ever goes our way, we need to think about Jesus and how he is like a solid rock. If we trust Jesus in everything we do and pray to him when we don't know what to do, he will help us build our lives on him - a solid rock.
We can be strong in Him and with Him. No one can do it alone. That's why Jesus says he will never leave us. He wants to be there helping us each day and guess what - He is with us every hour, every minute, and every second.
We never have to worry about sinking sand because with Jesus we are standing on a solid rock!
Enjoy the songs below!
Image courtesy of Curt Smith, Wikimedia Commons.
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