Matthew 14-15; Mark 6-7; John 5-6
"Be Not Afraid"
Materials: Bread and preferred spreads (see below), picture of "Feeding the Five Thousand", video, find the hidden object activity page
Opening Song: "Tell Me the Stories of Jesus" (Children's Songbook, 57)
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: John 6:35 "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."
Attention Activity:
Have prepared a platter of bread with different spreads like butter, jam, nutella, etc. Give each family member a piece of bread to eat. What benefits do we receive from eating bread and other healthy foods?
Lesson:
*(This lesson was taken in part from The Friend Feb. 1995 "The Bread of Life" by Julie Wardell)
Bread was important to the people of both Old and New Testament times. When the ancient Israelites fled slavery in Egypt, they did not have time for dough to rise, so they made unleavened bread to take on their journey. To remind them of their escape to freedom, the Israelites ate only unleavened bread during the Festival of Passover each year. (See Ezek. 45:21.)
We like the Israelites, eat bread every week at church during the sacrament. Why do we eat bread during the sacrament?
At the Last Supper, Jesus celebrated Passover with his Apostles. He used the unleavened bread to represent his body when he instituted the ordinance of the sacrament: “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and brake it, and blessed it, and gave to his disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is in remembrance of my body which I give a ransom for you” (Matt. 26:26 [see footnote b]).
One of the miracles performed by Jesus was with five loaves of bread and two fishes. Many people had come to the desert to be healed and taught by him. When evening came, the disciples were worried about the lack of food for the people and suggested that he send the multitude back to their villages.
But Jesus told his disciples, “They need not depart; give ye them to eat."
“And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.
He said, "Bring them hither to me." And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled...And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.” (See Matt. 14:13–21.)
For further clarification, you could show the following video. "The Feeding of the 5,000"
How have we been spiritually fed by Christ? How has he used you to feed others?
The next day the people sought Jesus out again and asked him for a greater sign to prove that he was the Messiah than feeding the 5,000. After all, they said, their ancestors had been fed daily with manna from heaven. Jesus answered them, “Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. … “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” (See John 6:22–35.)
Jesus wanted the people to know that Heavenly Father had given their forefathers the manna and that, like all ordinary food, it sustained only their bodies. But now, through Jesus himself, Heavenly Father was offering them the eternal bread of life, which would sustain them spiritually.
The next time you see bread, remember the importance it played in the Bible not only as a life-sustaining food for the body but also as a symbol of Jesus Christ and all that he did for us.
Jesus Fed the Five Thousand find the hidden objects page from the Nov. 2018 Friend
Closing Song: "I Feel My Savior's Love" (Children's Songbook, 72)
Closing Prayer:
Refreshment: homemade bread recipe forthcoming
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