Aim to learn Jesus words

Aim
* To learn Jesus words – “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
* To learn about the spiritual and physical worlds, and what is important in this life

Materials
* Bible – Parable of the Rich Fool, Luke 12:15-21, Jesus talks to a Rich Man, Mark 10:17-27, The Rich Man and Lazarus. -Luke 16:19-26
* Visual Aids -‘The Rich Farmer’ from ‘Stories Jesus Told’ by Nick Butterworth and Mick Inkpen. 
* Pictures from the stories
* chairs, blankets, pillows, backpack, cushion, pillow for “Eye of the Needle” game
* a toy camel
* worksheet

Lesson Outline
1. Introduction
2. Parables about Money
3. Discussion
4. Activities – Eye of the Needle Game, worksheets
5. Review the aims
6. Prayer

1) Introduction
Discuss with the children about money and being rich.
Who likes money?
If you had lots of money what would you do with it?
Would you be happy
What would God want you to do with it.

2) Parables about Money
Chose from the following stories
* The Parable of the Rich Fool – Luke 12:15-21 (New International Reader’s Version)
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid
up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ‘

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be taken from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
“This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”
* The Rich Man and Lazarus. – Luke 16:19-26 (New International Reader’s Version)

“Once there was a rich man. He was dressed in purple cloth and fine linen. He lived an easy life every day. A man named Lazarus was placed at his gate. Lazarus was a beggar. His body was
covered with sores. Even dogs came and licked his sores. All he wanted was to eat what fell from the rich man’s table.
“The time came when the beggar died. The angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, the rich man was suffering terribly. He looked up and saw Abraham far away. Lazarus was by his side. So the rich man called out, ‘Father Abraham! Have pity on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water. Then he can cool my tongue with it. I am in terrible pain in this fire.’

“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember what happened in your lifetime. You received your good things. Lazarus received bad things. Now he is comforted here, and you are in terrible pain. Besides, a wide space has been placed between us and you. So those who want to go from here to  you can’t go. And no one can cross over from there to us.’
* Jesus talks to a Rich Man – Mark 10:17-27 (New International Version – UK)

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No-one is good— except God alone.You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,
do not defraud, honour your father and mother.’”

“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to
enter the kingdom of God.”
The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, Who then can be saved?
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

3) Discussion

No matter how much money or possessions we have in this world we cannot take it with us into the next world. We have a body that we can see and touch, but we also have a spirit inside our body, that we can’t see or touch, but is real. We live on earth for about 100 years, then our spirit goes to spirit world. We can’t take money there, but we can take the love in our hearts. That’s why we must learn God’s word and learn how to love others. When we learn to love we are rich in front of God. 

Scrooge was a man who loved money, but he didn’t care about people. He only wanted to have money for himself. His partner in life, Jacob Marley, came back to warn him to change his ways.
Jacob was carrying all his money boxes around with him in the spirit world. He didn’t want Scrooge to have to do the same.

We need money in this physical world. If we use it for other people, then God will bless us.
Caring and helping others makes us rich in our hearts. All the love in our heart is our real treasure that we can take with us to spirit world.

The rich man followed the ten commandments. He loved God, but he loved money even more. 
So Jesus told him to sell all he had and give his money to people in need and follow Him. The rich man couldn’t do that. Problems come when people get rich and forget about God. Poor people pray for help, but rich people don’t need help.

To explain how hard it is for rich people to follow God, Jesus told His friends that it was easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle than for a rich person to go to Heaven. It is so hard for them to give it up. There is a gate in Jerusalem called the eye of the needle through which a camel could not pass unless it stooped and first had all its baggage first removed. After dark, when the main gates were shut, travelers or merchants would have to use this smaller gate, through which the camel could only enter unencumbered and crawling on its knees!

4) Activities
* Eye of the Needle Game
To understand how hard it is for a rich person, play a game of squeezing through a tight space.
Arrange furniture so that there is a very small space that the kids must squeeze through. Let them try to get through the space. Different sizes of P.E. hoops can also be used as part of the obstacle. 

The goal can be to get through the obstacles in order to reach their destination, heaven. Explain that the “eye of the needle” was a way for Jesus to help His friends understand that just as it is hard to squeeze through a small space, it is hard for a rich man to go to Heaven because he loves his money more than God. Children can carries backpacks on their back, like a camel carrying a load. They could also tie pillows or cushions. The loads can be like money, which makes it harder to get to the kingdom of heaven

* Worksheets
– Draw a picture of a camel and a needle. Write Jesus’ words under the picture
– Colour one of the pictures and write the words
– Find 10 differences between the pictures of The Rich Man and Lazarus

5) Review the lesson aims
* To learn Jesus words: “ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Ask each child to repeat the words without looking
* To learn about the spiritual and physical worlds, and what is important in life
We have a body that we can see and touch, but we also have a spirit inside our body, that we can’t see or touch.
We live on earth for about 100 years, then our spirit goes to spirit world.
During our physical life we need to prepare our spirit to go to the spirit world
Heaven is a place of God’s love. We can’t take money there, but we can take the love in our hearts.

That’s why we must learn God’s word and learn how to love others, while living on earth. And when we learn to love we are rich in front of God

6) End with a prayer