Skip to main content

Reply to "Five Creative Lessons About Jesus Washes the Disciples' Feet from the Chicago Rotation Roundtable"

Jesus Washes the Disciples' Feet


Story-Jar-Last-Supper.Rotation.org"Story Jar" Art Workshop


Summary of Lesson Activities:

Students will create a "Story Memory Jar" to remind them of Jesus' Last Supper story and the example he gave them by washing the disciples' feet. The items you put in the "Story Jar" each represent a different part of the story and its meaning. See the list below in the lesson plan.

Workshop-specific Goals:

  • Hear an overview of the events of Holy Week
  • Understand Jesus’ role as Lord and servant and seek to imitate him
  • Appreciate the many “treasures” that are ours because of Jesus

Preparation

  • Make the blue dry rice—you will need enough rice to fill each student’s jar about 2/3 full. Place rice in a plastic bag with a drop of two of food color (it doesn’t take much) and shake rice around. ALTERNATELY, you can purchase blue "fish tank gravel."
  • Make a tag listing the contents of the jars that the students can tape to their jars (serve as a memory aid as they use the jar to tell others the story of Holy Week). Alternatively, the students can make their own tag.
  • Before class starts, place the various materials for the treasure jars in bags or bowls on the table (except for the glitter)

Materials List:

  • Bibles (supplied in teaching box)
  • Plastic jars with screw-on lids (one for each student). Approx size: 22-24 oz. (about 1 1/2 cups) available at various online retailers in quantity. The larger the cup, the more blue rice/gravel you'll need.
  • Bowls or bags
  • Leafy branches—cut apart fake aquarium plants
  • Dry Blue Rice or blue fish tank gravel (see Advance Prep)
  • Plastic grapes—pulled off the stems
  • Red Jewels or Red beads
  • Nickels
  • Small crosses
  • Small stones
  • Glitter
  • Plastic spoons—several
  • Tag listing all the contents of the treasure jar (see Advance Prep)
  • Tape
  • Pencils


Lesson Plan


Opening:

Welcome your students. Explain what they'll be doing today and what you hope they will learn.

Open with a prayer.

Study:

ASK: Our story is the one where “Jesus washes the feet of the disciples.”  What do you remember about this story?  (accept any answers and begin to fill out their memories as they share them.)

ASK: The story of Jesus washing his disciples feet happened during Holy Week. What else happened during Holy Week?

Have the students open their Bibles to John 13: 1-17 and share its reading.
Reading options: One option is to read the Bible passage together. Another option is to view a video of it, or using a Bible storybook that has the story.

Putting the Story Into a Story Jar (aka "treasure jar)

We are going to make a Story Memory Jar —everything in it will remind us of the events of Holy Week and what Jesus did for us. There are a bunch of things on the table-wait until we are talking about that item before you put it in your jar. Before telling the class what each item stands for, you could ask them what they think.

  • Leafy Branch: this reminds us of Palm Sunday. Do you remember what happened on Palm Sunday? (Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. A large crowd spread branches and cloaks on the road before Jesus. They shouted Hosanna!). This fulfilled a prophecy from the Old Testament that said “”See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey”. This is the one time that Jesus allowed the people to treat Him as the king that He really was. Did Jesus come to earth to be a worldly king? (No, although many people thought he would be an earthly king who would defeat the Romans and make Israel a powerful nation again. They didn’t realize then that Jesus came to save us from sin—forever—not just save the Israelites from the Romans). What a treasure to be in God’s kingdom, and not the kingdom of sin.
  • Blue Rice (fill each jar about 2/3 full with the rice): this rice is the color of water. The dry blue rice reminds us that Jesus washed the feet of the disciples during the Last Supper, which happened on a Thursday—you might hear it called Maundy Thursday. What a contrast!—on Palm Sunday, Jesus enters the city as a king, and now He is taking on the role of a lowly servant. In those days of dirt roads and sandals, feet were usually filthy with dirt and mud. Only the lowliest servants got the job of washing these dirty feet. Yet Jesus does this, and He does it to make a point. He is giving them an example of loving service. Jesus washes their feet, even thought He knows that one will betray Him and one will deny Him. What is the ultimate act of service that Jesus performed for all of us ? (died on the cross for our sins). In what ways can we demonstrate service to others?
  • Grape: this reminds us the wine (made from grapes) at the Last Supper, when Jesus and his disciples were celebrating the Passover. Do you remember what the Passover was about? (when the Israelites escaped from Egypt. They ate unleavened—flat—bread and painted their doorway with the blood of a lamb so that their first-born would not die). Jesus took some of the symbolic foods of the Passover Meal and changed their meanings—they are now our Holy communion. The unleavened bread is His body. The wine is His blood—which was shed for the forgiveness of sins. When you receive communion (or the blessing at communion) you are receiving the treasure of forgiveness and the Holy Spirit.
  • Red Jewel or bead reminds us of the blood/suffering of Jesus that he sweated in the Garden of Gethsemane. He went there to pray to God, His heavenly Father. Jesus really did not want to suffer the torture that was coming—the beatings and the death on the cross (and who can blame Him). He prays to God: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not MY will but YOURS be done”. Jesus prayed so hard, that His sweat was like drops of blood. Jesus doesn’t want to do this, but He does because God the Father has said that it must be done. God sends an angel to the garden to give Jesus strength for what is coming. Are there things that you do or don’t do (even though it isn’t your first choice) because you know that this is what God wants from you?
  • Nickel: this reminds us of the 30 pieces of silver that Judas took as payment for betraying Jesus. While Jesus and his disciples were still in the garden, Judas came with a group of soldiers to arrest Jesus. Judas approached Jesus to kiss him (that was the sign to the soldiers, so they would arrest the right man). Jesus says “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”. Jesus was put on trial—first with the religious leaders (the Pharisees) and then with Pilate, a Roman leader. He was sentenced to death. Was Jesus really guilty of anything? (no) Then why did He have to die? (He died to pay the price for our sins, so that we wouldn’t have to). It wasn’t just Judas or the Roman soldiers who sent Jesus to the cross—it was all of us because of our sins.
  • Cross: this reminds us that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He died on Good Friday. What a treasure that was for all of us. That meant that we were no longer separated from God because of our sins—Jesus took away our sins.
  • Rock: this reminds us of the stone used to close the tomb. After He died, some of the friends of Jesus took His body down from the cross. The Holy Sabbath was fast approaching, so they didn’t have time to properly prepare His body for burial. They wrapped the body in spices and cloths and placed it in a cave-tomb. Then they closed up the tomb with a huge stone. The women planned to come back on Sunday morning—after the Sabbath was over—to finish preparing His body.
  • Glitter: this stands for the joy of the Resurrection. (Teacher and guide should go around room and put a spoonful of glitter into each jar)  What did the women find when they came to the tomb on Easter Sunday morning? (tomb was empty, angel was there telling them that Jesus was not there because He was risen from the dead). Yet another treasure that Jesus has given us. Because He was raised from the dead, we too will enjoy eternal life with Him in heaven one day.
  • Have the students screw the lid onto the jar. You may want to add a touch of instant glue so they don't open it and spill it.

Reflection:

Hand out the jar labels (listing all the contents of the jar) and pencils. Swirl the rice in the jar and try to see the various treasures in the jar. Go through the list of contents and have the students tell you what each of the items stands for. Especially for the older students, have them go beyond just saying the event “The Last Supper” and go into the significance of the event (Jesus instituted Holy Communion, where we receive His body and blood; shed His blood for the forgiveness of our sins….) If they like, they students could write down a word or two on their label by each of the items. Tape the labels on the jars. Encourage them to use these jars to tell their families or others about the events of Holy Week

Closing Prayer: Dear Jesus. Thank you for the many treasures that you have given us: your love, your presence in our hearts, your forgiveness, and eternal life with you in heaven. Amen.

Written by Cathy W. Part and the Western Suburbs--Chicago--Rotation Model Roundtable Group
Improved by the Content Team at Rotation.org

Attachments

Images (4)
  • Plastic screw-top jar
  • Dry Blue Rice
  • Dry Blue Rice
  • Story-Jar-Last-Supper.Rotation.org
Last edited by Neil MacQueen
Rotation.org Inc. is a volunteer-run, 100% member supported, 501(c)3 non-profit Sunday School lesson ministry. You are welcome to borrow and adapt content for non-commercial teaching purposes --as long as both the site and author are referenced. Rotation.org Inc reserves the right to manage, move, condense, delete, and otherwise improve all content posted to the site. Read our Terms of Service. Get a free Registered Membership or become a Supporting Member for full access to all site resources.
Rotation.org is rated 5 stars on Google based on 51 reviews. Serving a global community including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, S. Africa, and more!
×
×
×
×
×