Superhero

Teaching Goal:  Jesus has superhero powers!

Scripture:  John 8:59  At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

Matthew 14:25-26  Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.  When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified.

John 11:43-44  When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen.

John 20:19  On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”

Matthew 28:5-6  The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.

Acts 1:9  After he said this, {Jesus} was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

Materials:          Invite each family member to bring a superhero toy or picture.

Play theme song

Pray

Review last lesson

Lesson and Discussion

Words written in bold are when the leader is speaking. Feel free to use your own words.

Who is your favorite superhero? Why?  Does your superhero have special powers?  Take time to have each person to show and talk about his or her favorite superhero.  Ask questions about their favorite superhero story.  What would they do if they had the same superpower?  Note how excited they get as they describe the hero, power and story.

Have you ever thought about Jesus as a superhero? Let’s look at some of the incredible things he did while on earth.

Invite a volunteer to read John 8:59.  Not everyone liked Jesus.  The religious leaders of the time, the Pharisees, were constantly arguing with Jesus.  They hated what Jesus said about God, heaven and how to live.  In this verse they are so angry that they picked up stones to kill him.  Jesus was like the invisible man.  He was able to walk through angry crowds without being seen!

Invite a volunteer to read Matthew 14:25-26.  Jesus had power over nature.  He can walk on the water and he can give Peter the power to walk on the water!  In another story, Jesus is on the lake during a storm and he tells the storm to stop and it does.

Invite a volunteer to read John 11:43-44.  Jesus considered Lazarus to be a good friend.  Lazarus had been dead for four days!  With a prayer and a shout, “Lazarus, come out!” Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.  Jesus has power over death!

Invite a volunteer to read John 20:19.  Jesus had just been crucified and the disciples were scared about what would happen next.  They locked the doors thinking the Jews would be looking for them.  All of a sudden, Jesus is standing in the room!  Jesus either walked through the walls or just materialized in the room!

Invite a volunteer to read Matthew 28:5-6.  Jesus is invincible.  He cannot be killed.  He has power over death.  Jesus is eternal!

Invite a volunteer to read Acts 1:9.  Like Superman, Jesus flew through the air.  A crowd of people watched Jesus fly up into the air until he disappeared into the clouds.

We serve a God who has powers greater than we can imagine. God sent his son Jesus to earth and gave him superhero powers.  Jesus always used those powers for good and to get the people’s attention so he could tell them about God and His love.

Sometimes when we hear Bible stories over and over they can become boring.  Pictures of Jesus seldom show him looking like a superhero.  We need to remember that the God we serve is more powerful than anything we can imagine.  Jesus wasn’t always a soft-spoken gentle person.  He demonstrated power over nature, over sickness and over death.  His best friends, the disciples, were in awe of his power.  He would get angry at injustice and even his enemies were cautious around him.

Memorize:

Jesus defeats the foe,

He’s my superhero.

Close in Prayer