A member in our Teachers Help Lounge asked for a game activity to help teach the story of Jesus' rejection in Nazareth. Here was my response

I was thinking about the OPPOSITION Jesus seems to have faced when in LUKE he revealed his Messiahship at the synagogue in his hometown. In terms of games, that immediately makes me think of an obstacle course (or "challenges").

• Each section of the obstacle course illustrates something different.See my starter suggestions below.
• After each student has taken a turn running the course one at a time, the class could then walk and stop at each obstacle for discussion with you about its life application.
• Then let them run the course again, maybe making it a little harder and timing them for fun. As a further option, you could also pair them up and require them to hold hands as they go through the course (part of being faithful means helping each other be faithful too --church metaphor!)

Brainstorming Some Possible Obstacles/Challenges

1. Doubt: Jesus isn't really the messiah. A bunch of index cards with doubt comments are turned face down. One of them says, "I believe in Jesus." Kids turn over cards until they find that one. The other card-comments-doubts become something to talk about after the game.  (I doubt he's real, I doubt he cares, I doubt I'm worthy of his help, I doubt the stories about him --etc etc)

2. People trying to hold you back or send you the wrong way. Represent this by creating a spiderweb with yarn. Kids have to get through the web to the other side. How did people try to hold Jesus back? How about you?

3. Following Jesus means making time to read the Bible and Pray (kids slide a Bible or roll a ball trying to get it across and into the correct slot labeled "you made it a priority" and the other slots are labeled "too boring" "too busy."  (Note: Jesus took the time! He reads scripture in the story!)

4. Leap of Luke 4 Faith (jumping from one verse square to another in the corrrect order). Take the Luke 4:18-19 quote of Isaiah and turn it into a series of "verse" squares (that have the verse parts written on them) that must then be jumped on in the correct verse order for the challenge to be completed. Step on the wrong one and you have to start over. In this way they learn the verse Jesus used to describe his mission!

Verse squares on floor something like this:

These individual verses are on the cards. You add some erroneous verses are scattered in to confuse the students:

The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

When you are done playing the verse challenge, you can then ask students what each square/verse means, and how we can do the same thing that Jesus has said he has come to do.

Some Bible study notes of mine:

The Luke 4 rejection story is a bit of a mess. A professor of mine said that Luke's version of the story "reads like the Cliff Notes version" --pun intended.

Luke's text says they "marveled" at his words, and maybe even marveled, "isn't this Joseph's son?" --i.e. one of their own. Then the storyline takes an abrupt turn (like Luke has left something out). Jesus cuts off their marveling and accuses them of probably thinking, "What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’”   (Surprise: The text doesn't say the people ever said that. Maybe they murmured it?) Then he recites a litany of doubts and rejections faced by Elijah and Elisha (two of my favorite prophets).  That's when they chased him out of town. In other words, Luke's account leaves MUCH to our imagination, especially when you contrast it to Matthew 4:13 which KNOWS Jesus was in Nazareth but doesn't mention the rejection story. Why not? Matt and Luke share so much else!  Matthew 4 seems to want us to know how POPULAR Jesus was as he traveled. Luke tends to want us to know that Jesus had detractors and confrontations.   Interesting.

Mark 6, on the other hand, seems much clearer about the "dialog" and reason for his rejection in Nazareth. But Mark doesn't include Jesus quoting Isaiah, or the people running him out of town. Mark says that Jesus was "amazed at their lack of faith" which is doubly perplexing because Mark says Jesus performed a few miracles in their presence.  Taken together, the two versions of the story present a more full picture of what may have happened. (Mark 6:1-6; Matthew 13:53-58)

The stories are also a cautionary tale for those who THINK they know Jesus (are his friends and family) and have the luxury of him standing right in front of them --and still don't fully understand him. It's a bit comforting too, I suppose.