Rotation.org Writing Team

JESUS & PETER: DO YOU LOVE ME?

COOKING WORKSHOP II

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 the sacrament as a pledge to Jesus that we will minister to others in Christ’s name.

Objectives for Cooking Workshop

To help children see the communion and commission with Christ.

PREPARATION

Read Scripture for the rotation.

Read Bible Background.

Materials List

• Baking pan
  
• Bibles
  
• Fish -- 1/3 pound white, firm-fleshed fish fillets or steaks
  
• Flatbread (optional)
  
• Honeycomb – or honey
  
• Olive oil
  
• Vinegar or lemon juice
  

For younger children, an option is to use fish sticks.

Advance Preparation Requirements

Be sure and try out this recipe so you become familiar with it.

PRESENTATION

Open -- Introduction

Have you ever been fishing? Did you catch anything? It's pretty hard to do! I like to watch a fishing show about crab fisherman - sometimes they have a good catch; sometimes they don't.

Allow brief discussion of fishing experiences the children may have had.

Dig – Main Content

Our story today begins with the disciples fishing, and it's not going well. Let's see what happens.

Distribute Bibles, have children find the story in the Gospel of John. Take turns reading; paraphrase if needed for younger children. Stop at verse 14.

What happened in this story?

Why do you think they weren't catching anything?

What happened when they switched sides?

What did they think when they realized it was Jesus talking to them?

Today we are going to cook some fish, in one of the ways it was cooked in Bible times.

Have everyone wash his or her hands.

To prepare fish:

1/3 pound white, firm-fleshed fish fillets or steaks
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honeycomb or honey

Rub fish with olive oil and put into an oiled baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or broil on low heat for 5-7 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and put a tablespoon of honeycomb (or honey) on each fish steak or fillet. Turn up broiler to high and put fish directly underneath heat to glaze. Honey should caramelize into a light brown. Serve hot with flatbread, or cold with vinegar or lemon juice.

Reflect -- Closure

While fish is cooking or being served, read verses 15-17 of the story. Ask:

What was Jesus asking Peter to do?

Why did Jesus keep asking the question?

How was Peter feeling?

How can we "feed God's sheep?"

Have everyone help to clean up.

Say the memory verse together and close in prayer.

ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS

Adaptation – Younger Children

For younger children, it may be an option to serve fish sticks rather than making the fish fillets.

Adaptation – Older Children

It may be an option to cook the fish on an open grill.

If time, show clips from "Deadliest Catch" of full pots being reeled in, and some empty pots. Compare the pots to the nets the fishermen used.

SOURCES

Goodman, Naomi, Robert Marcus, and Susan Woolhandler. The Good Book Cookbook. New York: Dodd, Mead Co., 1986, page 52.

"Deadliest Catch" is currently shown on the Discovery Channel. Videos may be available online.

CONTRIBUTOR: Julie Burton