Needles and Camels

Note to the Teacher

This lesson follows the lectionary text where Jesus tells the rich man how to get into heaven. The icebreaker lets the group find out new facts about one another. The scripture reading activity pushes the students to visualize the images presented in the text. The activity is a strategy game where people try to convince others to see things in a specific way. That leads to the discussion section about how we can justify thoughts and actions by employing loopholes and how Jesus explained how he saw ancient laws.

Icebreaker: Mystery Facts

Distribute note cards and ask individuals to write one fact about themselves on their cards without including their names. Collect the cards, mix them up, and hand them out. Make sure no one has their own card. Have the youth take turns reading the cards while the group tries to identify whose fact is on the card. At the end of the game, ask every person to recall one fact learned.

Scripture Reading: Mark 10:17-31

Read the scripture passage twice – the first time a leader will read, and the second time a student volunteer will read it.

After the second scripture reading, say:

Hyperbole is stating something in an extreme way to make a point; for example, “The absolute BEST chocolate ice cream OF ALL TIME comes from (insert local store/company name here),” or “I love (insert amazing band/artist/performer) more than life itself. If I met them, I would die.”

There is no way that we have tried every chocolate ice cream in the whole world at this moment, let alone all of time. Likewise, none of us would actually perish if we met a famous person. We can use hyperbole to emphasize something we think is important, how much we care about something, or when we think something, or someone deserves extra attention or praise.

Where is hyperbole in this scripture passage?

Why do you think hyperbole was included? What are we supposed to focus on?

What do you think it means for the “last to be first and the first to be last”?

What would these two things look like in your school?

Read the passage a third time and ask everyone to listen with their eyes closed while forming mental pictures of the images presented in the scripture. Ask volunteers to share descriptions of their most vivid images.

Activity: Knot or Not

Arrange a length of rope or string on the floor so that it is unclear whether pulling the ends of the rope will result in a knot or not a knot. Doing this ahead of time and out of sight of the group is helpful. You may want to set up more than one rope. Ask the group to decide if the rope makes a knot or won’t make a knot when the ends are pulled. No one may touch the rope. Ask each person to pick a side: Knot or Not. It is not typical, but if your group happens to choose the same side, redo the rope and try again. When folks are on both sides, instruct them to find someone on the opposite side and try to convince them to switch sides. The game ends when the discussion dwindles, or your time is up. Reveal the answer when the game is over.

Discussion

How did it make you feel to question what you think you are seeing?

How do you make judgments when you have limited time and a limited viewpoint?

What is your first reaction when someone tells you there’s a new way of looking at things? How did you deal with that in the knot game?

As people, we may look for loopholes, ways to appear to be doing the right thing, or ways to justify our views, but Jesus isn’t looking for loopholes or appearances. He wants relationship and a change of heart.

What rules from the Old Testament did Jesus quote to the leader?

How do you think following those Old Testament rules connects the Jewish people to God?

What rules do we try to follow today? Do we use those as loopholes to feel like we are good?

How did Jesus show these ancient rules as important in a different light? How would Jesus do that for our rules today?

What does the “first will be last and the last first” mean?

Does this mean that Christian leadership is different from leadership in the rest of the world? How?

Materials Needed

• Bibles
• Notecards and pens for everyone
• A couple of three-feet or four-feet pieces of rope.