Jesus Without Language

Kid's Ministry & Sunday School Resources

James and John (Mark 10) | Story

This story pulls in many passages to paint a big picture of the character of James and John before the set passage. The main story highlights our impulsive and selfish nature, but shows How Jesus turns that around. It continues past the focus passage to show how James and John became changed by this encounter in their lives.

This retold version of the Bible passage is supplied for inspiration, feel free to omit or embellish to give it your personal voice.

Main Passage : Mark 10:35-45
Additional Passages : Luke 9:51-55, Mark 1 + 3

Biblical retelling of James and John (Mark 10) for youngsters.


Today’s story is about two of Jesus’s twelve special friends called disciples These disciples were called James and John, but Jesus liked to call them the “Sons of Thunder.” James and John were fishermen; they worked with Simon-Peter. Jesus had walked along near their fishing boat one day and called them to follow him. They went from fishing all night and pulling in heavy nets with fish to fishing for people to be part of God’s kingdom, fishing for followers of Jesus.

From then on, James and John could always be found near Jesus. We do know that they weren’t always very intelligent, and sometimes they got a bit overexcited. One day, they were so irritated with a village who didn’t welcome them that they suggested calling down fire from Heaven to burn it up. Do you think Jesus agreed with their request? No. Jesus told them that he was there to save people, not destroy them. James and John may have had bad tempers, but Jesus still chose them to be part of his kingdom.

One day, James and John came to Jesus with another request. The brothers had worked out that one day Jesus would be king, and they wanted to sit at his right- and left-hand sides when he was on the throne. Jesus listened patiently. The only throne Jesus would have on earth was a wooden cross; Jesus knew this, but obviously James and John hadn’t worked that out yet. “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you go through the things I must go through?” James and John didn’t hesitate, “Yes, we can, we really can.” Jesus looked at his friends; he did not want them to suffer but he knew they would. “To sit at my right or left is not for me to decide,” Jesus said and then he walked away.

When the apostles heard about this conversation, they became angry with James and John. Jesus called everyone together and gave them some new instructions. “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. I did not come to be served, but to serve,” he said. That must have sounded crazy to the disciples, but slowly they came to understand. Through Jesus, they learnt a better sort of greatness, not one you take but one you give.

After Jesus had gone to Heaven, James and John helped start the church, a church of people who would serve. The disciples tried to serve everyone, and the church grew. James became the first apostle to join Jesus in Heaven. His boldness meant he didn’t deny what Jesus had taught him, even if it meant losing his life. His brother John lived for a long time. He wrote to churches, and some of his letters are in the Bible. Knowing Jesus changed John. No longer did he imagine burning villages; his letters are full of love and understanding. He became known as “The Apostle of Love.”
 

James and John (Mark 10) | Craft 3

James and John have 2 main crafts and this little extra. This is an extension of the worksheet activity where the children trace the correct items onto the pictures of James and John – here they assemble the items like you would a paper dolls clothes.

I would recommend this craft for younger groups, and those not using the worksheet.
The kids will probably want to try all the different combinations which makes this is a good discussion launching activity.
James and John

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James and John (Mark 10) | Craft 2

James and John have 2 crafts, this being the second. The idea behind these is that only when you let go of control it becomes beautiful, that height only comes from the bottom up.

This is a modification of the SonicDad’s design with labels that fit the story – their original can be found here.

I would recommend this craft for older groups, minimum age of 7 upwards, both because of the strong glue and as younger ones may find difficulty making them fly. My hubby played with his prototype for weeks, they really are fun, and much simpler to make than it may seem at first.
James and John

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James and John (Mark 10) | Direct

 
James and John
This James and John worksheet is very specific to the Mark 10 passage looking at greatness. The whole worksheet is an exercise in defining greatness and hopefully starting a conversation on what we look for in our role models. While it could be easily used as a time filling independent exercise at the end of a lesson, it could also be a group exercise. The tracing element at the end of the sheet would be best done in a room where you can lean (gently) against a window.

To complete the worksheet you will need something to write with and some coloured pencils.

The PDF can can be downloaded by clicking on the image.

 

James and John (Mark 10) | Craft 1

James and John have 2 crafts, this being the first. This craft looks at the idea of greatness as encountered in Mark 10. It’s an ideal craft for those youngsters who want to show their parents what they have learnt, it’s also quite fun it that it moves. The template pages are provided with and without colour for your choice. James and John

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James and John (Mark 10) | Games

 

James and John are the cheeky rogues of the disciples, brash and outspoken they don’t always say the most loving and inclusive things but their proximity to Jesus means they get a front row seat to almost everything in his 3 years of ministry. The games are therefore tying into the big and bold and yet also trying to highlight servant-hood over greatness.
 

James and John (Mark 10) | GamesJames and John (Mark 10) | GamesJames and John (Mark 10) | GamesJames and John (Mark 10) | GamesJames and John (Mark 10) | GamesJames and John (Mark 10) | Games

Supper time balance– This is a silly servant theme game where you give each child a tray and get them to walk across the room balancing the things you put on it. Start with simple things but add more and more paper plates, plastic cups, and random pieces of cutlery. When they drop something they are excluded. This game can be done in teams or individually.
 

James and John (Mark 10) | GamesJames and John (Mark 10) | GamesJames and John (Mark 10) | Games

Tall towers and small pieces – This game is about getting the highest tower built. Give each child/team a set time to use whatever you have available. Either in advance, or as an unpleasant twist at the end, measure each tower and divide the number by the number of pieces used. The winner is the one with the highest resulting number. Link into individual serving pieces are sometimes more important than the resulting structure.
 

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James and John (Mark 10) | Character Images

 
Here are the images you need for the hero’s attributes linked to James and John (Mark 10).

Each hero set contains a high quality graphic of the character, a take home bible card and a colouring page.
I’ve included extras here with the single characters, James is in red, John in blue.

The images are displayed small here, click on the image you wish to have, then save the image that loads.
(Please note : these images have no watermark but are not copyright free, they are only intended for classroom use.)

 

English – scroll down for extra’s

 

50-Card50-Card
50-James-and-John50-James-and-John
50-Colouring-page50-Colouring-page

 

German

 

50-Card-G50-Card-G
50-James-and-John50-James-and-John
50-Colouring-page-G50-Colouring-page-G

 

Extra’s – separate graphics, English only.
 

50-James50-James
50-John50-John
50-James-CP50-James-CP
50-James-CP50-James-CP

 

Preparing to Teach : The Apostles

 
Preparing to Teach : The Apostles
 

Quick notes:

The 12 were ordinary men, all would have learnt scripture in school but none had been selected by a rabbi as an exceptional student to carry on their studies.

There were no volunteers, Jesus chose these 12, which suggests there was more.
The number 12 is so key in Jewish symbolism that after Judas died the apostles felt compelled to replace him.

While most would have been seen as poor in their Jewish devotions, others were noticeably devote.

Many had strong social, political, and religious views and expectations when they came to Jesus.

It’s believed many were teenagers, young and impulsive, malleable to new ideas but headstrong and stubborn in accepting them.

Names you need to know

 
Peter (Simon) – Probably the most vocal, impulsive, emotional and well known disciples, Simon is renamed Peter (the rock) by Jesus and goes onto be the sort of leader of the pack.

James & John – These brothers are called the sons of thunder by Jesus, over excitable and fiery they form the inner circle with Peter and seem glued to Jesus’s side.

Andrew – Leaving John the Baptist, Andrew seeks greater truth in Jesus, while brother to Simon-Peter, Andrew is much less impulsive and outspoken than his fellow Galilean fishermen.

Philip – Is clearly a seeker and will pull people into the discussion, inviting Nathaniel into the crowd. Not to be confused with Philip the deacon who met the eunuch.

Thomas – Is a man of declarations, be they boldly supportive, deeply theological, or famously doubtful, he’s the first to grasp that Jesus is fully God.

Nathaniel – Is a devout Israelite, a true Jew whose faith is very much alive and makes him able to see Jesus for who is really is, the messiah, right from the beginning.

Matthew – Longs to be accepted and loved, something he would never get being a tax collector, he sees an opportunity in Jesus’ invitation and doesn’t hesitate to leave it all behind.

Little James – James the less or the little is probably the most obscure of all the disciples, but Jesus did not always choose the dramatic and some stories are untold.

Simon – Another man of strong convictions, a Zealot defending tradition and Jewishness, to be in a crowd with the tax collector Matthew shows how Jesus would include all in his kingdom.

Jude – Sometimes called Judas or Thaddeus, he wasn’t very outspoken but may have shared some of Simons strong beliefs. Some people believe he wrote the epistle Jude.

Judas – The money keeper and betrayer, it’s the 30 pieces of silver and kiss Judas will always be remembered for, the only disciple not to see Jesus resurrected.
 

Historical significance

 
These 12 brash, uncouth, foolish, brave, but importantly ordinary men were chosen by Jesus himself as his top team. The number 12 was hugely significant, signalling completeness in scriptures. The 12 tribes of Israel represented the whole of God’s chosen people, and so for Jesus to chose only 12 of his crowd was to symbolically show he was there for the whole of the Jewish nation. In acts Judas is replaced with Matthias to continue this idea.

ApostlesUnlike some other biblical heroes, the Apostles stories are usually a bi-product, a means to illustrating a greater lesson, and for some their presence in the list is the greatest fact we can verify about them. For evangelicals the titbits of information can’t be bumped out with church tradition, though whatever your perspective on the validity of the non-biblical accounts it’s usually worth taking a look at.

These 12 men were chosen, there were no volunteers and their status as chosen lead to persecution for many. They accepted a role with no security, no pay, and often involving abandoning family. While the risks were great, and the sacrifice total, in return these 12 had an intensive discipleship course, at times having hidden meaning revealed to them while the rest of the crowd were left to ponder. As well as being sent out as part of the 70, and commissioned by the resurrected Christ, they were witness to countless miracles and the arrival of Pentecost. Many were martyred and some went on to write scripture.

Taking a closer look at the list reveals that they were neither all Galilean, nor all fishermen as they are often portrayed. Rather than gormless teens looking for something to do, most had careers they abandoned and were actively searching for a deeper truth. Many came to Jesus with a strong faith and firm opinions. The world they lived in was in turmoil, the religious groups torn between appeasing the empire that detested their religion, and fighting against it. Some were part of these groups, some on opposite sides. While elements of the Roman world shaped the early church, they met Jesus as an oppressed people dreaming of a ‘Messiah’, a great warrior who would rescue his people from it’s clutches. Jesus turned their dreams on their heads and seemed to spend significant time confusing their preconceived ideas.
 

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