During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide and Student Page, can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
Isaiah 43:1
When God spoke these words, He was making a loving promise to His people. Though they had continually disobeyed Him, He promised that He would redeem them. Though they were deserving of His anger and abandonment, God brought comfort and peace in a powerful way—He told them that He knew them by name. He told them that they belonged to Him!
Think about a time when someone unexpectedly remembered your name or something important about you. How did it make you feel? You probably felt cared for and valued. Now think about the fact that the Creator of the universe calls you by name. He knows everything about you! He knows the joys of your heart and the things that bring you shame, fear, and guilt. He knows it all, and He loves you completely! You are His! That is worth celebrating!
Encourage the students to ask a family member what kinds of things they like to celebrate. They can then share that God sees each and every person, and that is a fact worthy of celebration!
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Greet the students by name and try to have a short personal conversation with each one. This shows the students that you care about their lives outside of class.
Have the students stand in a circle while facing the inside of the circle. Ask for a volunteer to be the guesser. Have the guesser stand in the middle of the circle and close his eyes. The rest of the teens will think of signs they can use to silently communicate with the other players. Some ideas might be wiggling their noses, stomping their feet, or patting their heads.
Once all the teens have thought of signs, select a teen to start the game. Then have the teens open their eyes. The player you selected to start the game will “pass” the sign to another player without being seen by the guesser. For example, if the first player’s sign is putting her hand in her pocket, she will look at another player until she makes eye contact and then put her hand in her pocket. Then that player will look at another player and do his sign.
The guesser must watch the rest of the players to try to see someone passing the sign. If he thinks he knows who has the sign, he should look at that person and ask, “Do you have the sign?” If the player has the sign, that player will become the guesser and the guesser will join the teens in the circle. If the guesser is incorrect, the teens in the circle keep passing the sign until the guesser guesses correctly.
In this game, we were watching each other carefully. We noticed even the smallest movements or facial expressions. But most of the time, we do not watch as carefully as we just did—and we often miss seeing things. We may not notice when someone we care about is hurting or in need, so we do not offer to listen or help. We may not see that someone is happy or excited, and we do not take the time to celebrate with that person. We miss out on opportunities to help and share with others because we cannot always see what is happening in their lives.
Even though we do not see everything, there is someone who does. God sees what is in our hearts and minds always, and He cares deeply about all of our experiences, good and bad. Even when we feel like others do not truly see us, we are never invisible to God.
Allow 2–3 students to share their thoughts.
When we think about seeing someone, we usually think of what we see with our eyes. But there are many things about us that others cannot see with their eyes.
Have the students share with a partner 1 thing about them that cannot be seen.
God sees everything about us. He knows what we look like and what we show on the outside. But He also knows everything about who we are on the inside. He knows our thoughts, our fears, our dreams, and our disappointments. And He cares about all of it! Listen to a story from the Bible that tells us how important we are to Him.
Have a student read Mark 5:21–24 aloud from the Bible. If that is not possible, the verses are printed here.
If you are using the images from The Action Bible, show them as you tell the story.
When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” So Jesus went with him.
Mark 5:21–24
There is much more to the story. Listen to the next part.
A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
Mark 5:24b–34
If possible, show the students the images from The Action Bible.
For the woman in this story, being healed was life-changing. She had been struggling with a bleeding disorder for more than 12 years! So her healing is an important part of the story. But she experienced something else that may have been just as important. Jesus saw her!
In this crowd of people, the woman may have been almost invisible. In the Jewish culture at that time, she would have been considered unclean. She would not have been able to participate in worship ceremonies, and she would have been considered unfit to enter the temple to worship God. In fact, she was not even supposed to be seen in public places. Anyone she touched would have been considered unclean, so others would have avoided her. For 12 years, she had been considered an outcast in her own society—and probably in her own family.
Allow 2–3 students to share their thoughts.
Though others avoided her, Jesus took the time to care for her, both physically and emotionally. We can see His great love in the way He responded to the woman. He showed that He knew her needs and her heart in a few different ways.
First, Jesus knew she was there. Jesus was in the middle of a crowd of people. As the disciples pointed out, many people must have touched Jesus as they tried to get close to Him and as they walked with Him. But though the woman touched only the edge of Jesus’ clothing, He knew she was there. He did not overlook her or consider her unimportant.
Second, Jesus stopped. This is especially surprising because He was walking with a crowd to heal a girl who was near death. Jairus, the girl’s father, must have been very anxious for Jesus to get to his house. His daughter was dying! But even in the urgency around Him, Jesus stopped. The woman was so important to Him that He was willing to delay the whole crowd to meet her needs.
Third, Jesus turned towards her. Others in the crowd may have been trying to avoid her, but Jesus looked at her and talked with her. This shows us that Jesus knew not only her physical need but also her emotional need. After many years of being an outcast, she needed to be cared for and loved. And Jesus did what others would not—He showed her that she was valued.
Finally, He knew her heart. After Jesus spoke to her, the woman fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. We do not know what she said. But Jesus responded by telling her that her faith had made her well.
Allow 2–3 students to share their thoughts.
The woman in this story was healed in many ways. Not only did Jesus heal her physically, He also brought healing in many other ways. Her physical healing allowed her to become part of her community again. She would no longer be an outcast. He also brought emotional healing by showing her that she was loved and valued. And faith in Jesus brings eternal healing. When we accept Jesus as Saviour, we are no longer broken and damaged by sin. He makes us whole and new, completely clean.
Jesus cares for each one of you in the same way He cared for the woman who was bleeding. He knows your needs, both physical and emotional. He knows your heart and mind. After all, He created you! Listen to what the Bible tells us about how much God cares for His people.
But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”
Isaiah 43:1
Allow 2–3 students to share their thoughts.
God spoke these words to the people of Israel. But they are also true for us today. We are created by a God who loves us completely. He knows everything about us—the good things and the things that cause fear, shame, and guilt. He has summoned us by name, and we belong to Him!
Even when we feel like outcasts, even when we feel we are unclean, and even when we feel that we do not have any value to God and to others, we are never invisible to God. He cares for us even when we feel others do not—even when we do not think we are worthy of being cared for.
You may wonder what happened to the young girl who was near death. The Bible tells us in Mark 5:35–43 what happened to her as well. When Jesus arrived at the house, there were people weeping and wailing loudly. Jesus sent them all outside and took the child’s mother and father and His disciples with Him to where the girl lay. Then, taking her by the hand, He told her to arise. And she did!
But what Jesus did next might have surprised some people. He told those who were with Him to give the girl something to eat! Jesus cared for her needs—all of them!
Jesus knows our needs, too. He sees us, even when we feel we are invisible to others. He knows what is on our minds and in our hearts. He wants us to share those things with Him because we are His. We belong to Him!
Listen again to the verse we read earlier.
Show the Memory Verse poster if you are using it.
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
Isaiah 43:1b
Have the students stand in a circle. Invite the students to call one another by name and share something about themselves that the other person may not know. Give them 3–4 minutes to do this activity.
Look at the people standing near you. Now you know a little bit more about them. You can see what they look like on the outside, and you may even know some things about them that others do not. But you cannot see what is in that person’s heart.
There is someone who knows you completely. God sees you, and He knows your needs! Thank Him for caring for you that much! Thank Him for knowing your name!
Give the students a few minutes to thank God silently or in small groups.
Now let’s celebrate the fact that we all are known and loved by God!
Lead the students in singing a song or sharing special memories that reflect their value to God. Then close with a blessing based on Isaiah 43:1:
Blessing: May you know today and every day that you belong to God. May you recognize His voice summoning you by name, and may you always feel the assurance that you are His!
Lead the teens in singing this quarter’s song, if possible.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
