An Ambitious Woman

As Jesus nears the end of His life, He tries to explain to His disciples more than once what lies ahead. The first time, we had Jesus say he was going to be beaten (he picks up a rope and demonstrates) and crucified (he takes a disciple's hands and pretends to pound nails in) and would die (he pushes the disciple back down onto his chair). The disciples don't understand. They all keep walking, (walk one round of room), until now they're really close to Jerusalem. Jesus so wants them to understand and feel with Him. He tries to explain again. He says he is going to be beaten, do they understand? One child who says yes is chosen to demonstrate with the rope. He is going to be crucified, do they understand? Another child is chosen to show his understanding by stretching out Jesus' hands and pretending to nail them. He is going to die, do they understand? Another child mimics dying. But on the third day, He will rise again, do they understand? This time, no one understands. Finally someone says, must be a parable, and they all nod their heads. So Jesus is left without anyone to truly understand and sympathize with Him.

Then, who comes to greet them but the mother of two of the disciples. She takes Jesus aside and says she has something to ask Him. She says, when you come into your kingdom (she seats him on a nice chair and puts a crown on His head), may my two sons sit at your right and left hand? (she chooses two disciples and seats them at His right and left)

Jesus says, you don't know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup I must drink? They say yes. Jesus says, you will drink, but in fact I can't choose who is going to sit at my right and left hands; only the Father can say that.

The other disciples realize what is going on and they all get jealous & start giving James & John a hard time. Jesus says, you still don't understand. He asks, who really wants to be great in the kingdom? He takes one child who raises her hand and says, if you really want to be great in God's kingdom (seats her on the nice chair), then you need to become the servant of all (gives her a towel & has her go polish the shoes of all the seated adults).

For our game, we had a competition to see who qualified to sit at Jesus' (Kevin's) right and left hand, by drinking cups of juice the fastest. First by twos, and each pair was assigned to either right (faster) or left (slower). Then each of those groups drank all at once & the winner of each group got to take the honored seats.

Since our story talked about people at the right or the left hand, we then made for a craft, people from the right or left hand: i.e., surgical gloves. Simple, but fun. Not everyone quite got the idea that the thumb was supposed to be a nose though, so we had a couple of rather off-center faces!