Rotation.org Writing Team

JESUS AND PETER: DO YOU LOVE ME?

GAMES WORKSHOP

PASSAGE

Bible Story

John 21:1-17

Background Scripture passages for teacher preparation include:

John 13:33, 36-38

John 18:15-18, 25-27

Key/Memory Verse

John 21:15-17

PURPOSE

Objectives

Students will:

Locate the story of Peter’s denial and restoration in the Bible, learning that the story is in the New Testament Gospel of John

Retell the story in their own words.

Contrast Jesus’ love for Peter, even after Peter denied knowing him. Jesus was giving Peter another chance.

Discover that we, too, do wrong things sometimes – but God forgives us and gives us second chances.

Explore Peter’s statement of faith – “Yes, I love you.”

Recognize that Statements of Faith are hollow words without Statements of Action.

Develop their own Statement of Faith and Action, pledging support to Jesus.

Connect Jesus’ breakfast with his disciples, and his questions to Peter with our own “breakfast with Jesus” – communion – and understand that sacrament as a pledge to Jesus that we will minister to others in Christ’s name.

Objective for Games Workshop

To learn the story by using physical movement and games.

PREPARATION

Read Bible Background.

Materials List

• Bibles
  
• Copy machine or printer
  
• Index cards, 4” x 6” or larger – 18
  
• Mad Lib sheet
  
• Paper
  
• Pencils or pens
  
• Pictures of: camp fire, cross, empty tomb, fish, fishing boat, heart, rooster, sheep
  

Advance Preparation Requirements

Prepare two sets of Sequence cards on 4” x 6” index cards, or a larger size. Each set must include:

The word "NO!"
Picture of a Rooster
Picture of a Cross
Picture of an Empty Tomb
Picture of a Fishing Boat
Picture of a lots of Fish
Picture of a Camp Fire
Picture of a Heart
Picture of (one or more) Sheep

Duplicate copies of the Mad Lib game.

Jesus & Peter: Do You Love Me?
Mad Lib

Peter, ____________ (man's name), _______________ (man's name), and some others were _____________ (verb ending in -ing).

They had been ____________ (verb ending in -ing) for _________________ (period of time) and they had caught ___________ (number).

They were about to give up, when a man named ________________ (man's name) appeared on the ______________ (vacation destination).

The man told them to try again. This time they caught ______________ (number).

Peter got all _____________ (emotion) and jumped into the ____________ (liquid) and swam for the man.

When everyone was together, they all ate ________________ (food) and ______________ (food).

The man asked Peter, "Do you ____________ (verb) me?"

Yes, said Peter. The man told him "______________ (verb) my _____________ (animal).

Again, the man asked Peter, "Do you ____________ (verb) me?"

Yes, said Peter. The man told him "______________ (verb) my _____________ (animal).

A third time, the man asked Peter, "Do you ____________ (verb) me?"

Yes, said Peter. The man told him "______________ (verb) my _____________ (animal).

PRESENTATION

Open – Introduction

Have the students introduce themselves and tell you their favorite thing (if any) to cook over a campfire.

Be sure and introduce yourself.

Open by saying the Lord's Prayer together.

Does anyone know what we're studying this rotation?
We're talking about Jesus & Peter.

Is this in the Old Testament or the New Testament? We read about Jesus and his disciples in the New Testament.

Our story this rotation is in the book of John. Where is John in the New Testament? (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, the 4th book)

What do we call the first four books of the New Testament? (Gospels)

What does the word Gospel mean? (Good News)

After Jesus died on the cross, what was the Good News? (Jesus rose from the dead)

This story happens after Jesus has risen from the dead.

Dig - Main Content

Tell the following story.

Jesus had been arrested. Peter was scared.

Someone asked if Peter knew Jesus.

Peter said, "No!" (Show "No!" card.)

Someone else asked if Peter knew Jesus.

Peter said, "No!" (Show "No!" card.)

Yet another person said they were sure Peter knew Jesus.

Peter said, "No!" (Show "No!" card.)

Just then, the rooster crowed. (Show rooster card.)

It was just like Jesus had predicted.

Jesus was crucified. (Show picture of cross.)

That day, they put him in a tomb.

On the third day, Jesus rose again. (Show picture of empty tomb.)

Jesus appeared to his disciples multiple times, but he was no longer with them ALL the time.

Peter was anxious. He didn't know what he should be doing. He decided to go fishing.

Thomas, James, John, Nathanael, and two others went with him. (Show picture of fishing boat.)

They fished all night. After a long night of fishing, they had caught nothing.

At dawn, a man appeared on the shore. He told them to cast their nets out again. They did and caught so many fish that their nets were full. (Show picture of lots of fish.)

One of the men recognized the man on the beach as Jesus. Peter was so excited that he jumped in the water and swam to shore. The others brought the boat in.

Jesus had a breakfast of fish and bread cooking for them on a fire. (Show picture of campfire.)

The men counted the fish in the net and there were 153 fish!

After they ate, Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love me?" (Show picture of heart.)

Peter said, "You know I love you."

Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." (Show picture of sheep.)

Jesus asked Peter again, "Do you love me?" (Show picture of heart.)

Peter said, "You know I love you."

Jesus said, "Tend my sheep." (Show picture of sheep.)

Jesus asked Peter a third time, "Do you love me?" (Show picture of heart.)

Peter said, "You know everything. You know I love you."

Jesus said, "Feed my sheep." (Show picture of sheep.)

Game #1 (Sequence Race)

Divide the class into two groups. Give them each a set of shuffled sequence cards. Let them race to put the cards in story order.

Game #2 (Sequence Race #2)

Still in the two groups, tape a sequence card from the set onto the back of each person in the group. Let them race the other group to put themselves in the correct order without talking.

(This can be done in a single large group without the race. If you have fewer than 9 students in a group, choose only a few key cards from the story. If you have more than 9 students per group, you can play the game multiple times and swap out who is participating or let extra students be the judges.)

Have everyone sit down.

Game #3 (Mad Lib)

With younger kids, read the Mad Lib words needed aloud and let the group decide which words to use. Then, read the completed story out loud.

With older kids, have them divide into groups of two or three. Pass out copies of the Mad Lib. When they are complete, invite groups to share with the class.

Those stories were pretty silly, weren't they? Think how much better the story was when it was God who was creating it.

Game #4 (Fishing Tag)

Peter and his friends went out fishing with nets.

Pick 2-3 students to be the net. All other students are fish.

The "net" should join hands.

Let the fish loose.

The "net" should try to catch them (don't let go of hands). Once a fish is caught in the "net," they join the "net." You may need to restrict the size of the play area to shorten the game.

Game ends when everyone is caught.

Game #5 (Memory Verse Circles)

Does anyone know the memory verse? (If so, let them say it.)

Let's say it together.

"Do you love me? Then feed my sheep." John 21:15-17

(Repeat several times.)

Divide the group into 2 groups, one slightly larger than the other. Have the smaller group make a circle.

Have the larger group make a circle around the smaller group.

When you say "Go," smaller group moves in a circle clockwise and larger group moves in a circle counterclockwise.

When you say "Stop," the person right in front of you in the inner circle says the first half of the memory verse ("Do you love me?") and the person right in front of you in the outer circle says the second half of the memory verse ("Then feed my sheep.").

If you have too few kids to make two circles, make one large circle.

When you say "Go," the group moves around in a circle.

When you say "Stop", the person right in front of you says the first half of the memory verse ("Do you love me?") and the person on the opposite side of the circle from them says the second half of the memory verse ("Then feed my sheep").

Game #6 (Trivia)

Have everyone sit down again.

Divide into 2 groups.

Read question #1. Group A gets the chance to answer it. If they can't or get it wrong, then Group B gets the chance to answer it. Whoever answers it correctly gets 1 point.

Question #2 goes to Group B first.

Continue alternating, with odd question numbers going to Group A first and even question numbers going to Group B first.

To keep all students involved, you can make the students rotate who in the group is answering the questions. You may allow or disallow consultation within the group as you see fit (please remain aware of how visitors who don't have a strong background may feel).

1. What book of the Bible is this story in? (John)

2. Where were Peter & his friends fishing? (Sea of Tiberias)

3. How many times had Peter denied he knew Jesus? (3)

4. What was Peter's profession/job before becoming a follower of Jesus? (Fisherman)

5. What did Jesus tell Peter to do when Peter was in the boat? (Put out the nets again)

6. How many fish did Peter and his friends catch all night? (0)

7. How many did they catch when Jesus told them to try again? (153)

8. What meal did they eat on the shore with Jesus? (Breakfast)

9. What did they have to eat? (Fish & bread)

10. What did Jesus ask Peter? (Do you love me?)

11. How many times did Jesus ask Peter if Peter loved him? (3)

12. What did Jesus tell Peter to do if he loved Jesus? (Feed his sheep/tend his sheep/feed his lambs)

13. How many people were fishing? (7 -- Simon Peter, Thomas, James & John the sons of Zebedee, Nathanael, and two others)

14. What do we call the first four books of the New Testament? (Gospels)

15. What are the first four books of the New Testament? (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)

16. What does the word Gospel mean? (Good News)

17. What was Peter's nickname? (The Rock – Peter means Rock)

18. Name the 12 disciples (Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Thomas,
Matthew, James, Thaddeus, Simon, Judas, Bartholomew)

Reflect – Closure

The story at the Sea of Tiberias has 3 main parts. What are they? (Fishing, breakfast, "Do you love me?")

What do we learn from each part of the story?

Do you think one part of the story is more important than the other? If so, why?

How was that breakfast on the beach like communion that we take in church? How was it different?

Jesus had told his disciples they would be "Fishers of Men." Do you think that the full net was foreshadowing their first post-resurrection people fishing experience?

How does the full net relate to Jesus' instructions to Peter?

Go around the room and give the children time to share Joys (happy
things) and Concerns (sad things).

Close with prayer. If you wish, you may pray like this:

Thank you God, for the chance to be here today and learn more about you. Help us to remember to share the good news. In your name we pray. Amen.

ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS

Adaptations - Younger Children

Skip the trivia game or re-word the questions as true/false or give them multiple-guess options.

SOURCES

Mad Lib loosely based on NRSV version of the Bible.

CONTRIBUTOR: Jo Oehrlein