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The Evidence

Week 3 - Jesus the Good Shepherd (Evidence of Jesus’ character)

Outline for Leaders 

This week’s lead-in drama looks at evidence in a fun courtroom scene where someone has been accused of painting their neighbour’s fence red.

Week 3 key Slide downloadable from the bottom of this page.

The Evidence series theme slide (above top) and this week’s ‘The Good Shepherd’ title slide downloadable from the bottom of this page.

The Bible chat is based around the parable of The Good Shepherd and looks at evidence of what Jesus’ character is like. In the parable we’ll get to understand how Jesus is like a really good shepherd.

In response time we’ll ask the kids how many things they can recall from the story, that proves that the shepherd is really good and caring. We’ll talk about how Jesus used parables so that the people might understand how much he loves us all.

part 1

LEAD-in session drama – ‘The Evidence’ (Courtroom drama)

Characters: Judge, Lawyer, Jane, Narrator, Three or four people sitting in the public gallery observing proceedings of the court. 

Props: Gavel, shirt with red paint daubed on it, red paint brush, piece of red fence panel, table for judge, table for lawyer and Jack, chairs for judge, lawyer and Jack.

Scene set:
Three or four seats forming the public gallery on the left hand side. The lawyer and Jane sitting on the right hand side. If possible, both the right and left seats angles to face into the audience. A long table goes across the middle at which the judge sits.

Drama

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The drama begins with the folk in the public gallery chatting away to one another. The lawyer and Jane enter the court and take their seats. The chattering in the gallery continues with the odd pointing of the finger. The people in the gallery can be heard here and there suggesting that Jane is guilty. The narrator introduces the goings on using a mic to speak over the conversations going on in the gallery.      

Narrator: Hi kids we are in a court room today, this is exciting isn’t it, let’s see what’s going on. Oh by the way, people in court often refer to the judge as ‘your honour’. 

Judge: (Banging gavel on table) Order, order, silence in the court. So what do we have in court today?

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(At various times [maybe 3 or 4] spread across the court session the voices of the people in the public gallery can be heard again, and the judge has to call for order and silence in court once more.)

Lawyer: (standing to their feet and kind of holding their imaginary lapels and leaning back a little like lawyers do.)  Well your honour we have this lady, Jane who has been accused of painting her neighbour’s fence red. 

Judge: Jane, what do you have to say for yourself?

Jane: (wearing shirt daubed in red paint with red paint brush sticking out of her pocket) I didn’t do it your honour.

Judge: What evidence do we have to say that Jane painted this fence red?

Lawyer: Well your honour, this tin of red paint was found by the fence and people say it belongs to Jane.

Judge: When do people say that this happened?

Lawyer: At night your honour.

Judge: And was it dark?

Lawyer: Yes your honour.

Judge: Mmmm, did anyone actually see Jane do this?

Lawyer: Yes her neighbour saw her do it.

Judge: And it was dark, you say?

Lawyer: Yes it was dark your honour

Judge: Did anyone see Jane’s face?

Lawyer: Ur, well, ur…

Judge: Come on man, we don’t have all day you know, spit it out. Did anyone see Jane’s face

Lawyer: No, apparently not your honour

Judge: Then I do not believe there is enough evidence to prove beyond doubt that Jane painted the fence red. No one saw Jane’s face so it could have been anyone. We can’t prove that this tin of red paint belonged to Jane (banging his gavel on the table the Judge rules) I rule – case dismissed, you are free to leave Jane.

(Gasps from the public gallery)

Jane: (Full of smiles leaves the courtroom.)
Questions:

·         Do you think Jane was definitely not guilty of painting the fence?

·         Why, what evidence had those in court missed?

Yes the paint brush and Jane’s shirt daubed in red paint certainly seemed to be evidence. 

In court people have to bring evidence to prove that someone has broken the law and done something wrong. Later we are going to look at a different kind of evidence. This time it’s more like evidence of how someone has done something very wonderful and right. Terrific evidence that shows us how Jesus loves us all in such an amazing way.

PART 2 - BIBLE CHAT

The Good Shepherd and the Gate

There is a PowerPoint or video for use with this talk. Video and PowerPoint may be downloaded from bottom of this page.

Introduction: Take a few items, maybe a picture or two, a newspaper or the like, as examples giving us evidence of what people may be like or evidence of their achievements. Some kind of trophy would be good. If you went into someone’s house and saw a trophy on a shelf it might be evidence that they were good at some kind of sport? Keep all of the stories and examples positive / uplifting.

Hey kids, sometimes we can tell what someone is like by evidence about them. (Share the things that you have brought along which give evidence about people or things that have happened.)   

Throughout the Bible there is lots of written evidence as to what kind of person Jesus is. Quite a few people in the Bible refer to Jesus as a caring, loving shepherd. Jesus Himself when wanting people to understand just how much He loved them called Himself The Good Shepherd, Jesus also called Himself The Gate..  

Let’s take a look at what Jesus said in the Bible about The Good Shepherd - and The Gate:

Video

 
 

PowerPoint

Featured
SLIDE 1 Jesus said ‘I Am the Gate’. Now that seems a strange thing to say doesn’t it. What did He mean? All around us there are different types of gates, you may have one by your house or in your garden. To understand what Jesus meant by calling

SLIDE 1
Jesus said ‘I Am the Gate’. Now that seems a strange thing to say doesn’t it. What did He mean? All around us there are different types of gates, you may have one by your house or in your garden. To understand what Jesus meant by calling Himself ‘The Gate’ we need to hear something about shepherds, their sheep and the sheep gate.

SLIDE 2 In Jesus’ time and still in some places in the world today, shepherds look after sheep. A shepherd would spend all day with their flock, taking care of them and making sure they were well fed and kept safe from any danger.

SLIDE 2
In Jesus’ time and still in some places in the world today, shepherds look after sheep. A shepherd would spend all day with their flock, taking care of them and making sure they were well fed and kept safe from any danger.

SLIDE 3 Every morning a shepherd would lead his sheep out of the sheepfold where they had spent the night and take them to a place where they could eat fresh grass. At some times of the year there was not a lot of grass to be found, so the shephe

SLIDE 3
Every morning a shepherd would lead his sheep out of the sheepfold where they had spent the night and take them to a place where they could eat fresh grass. At some times of the year there was not a lot of grass to be found, so the shepherd would have to search carefully to find new grass.

SLIDE 4 The sheep knew the shepherd’s voice and would follow him, trusting him to lead them safely to the place where they would eat that day. The sheep would not follow anybody, they would only follow their own shepherd.

SLIDE 4
The sheep knew the shepherd’s voice and would follow him, trusting him to lead them safely to the place where they would eat that day. The sheep would not follow anybody, they would only follow their own shepherd.

SLIDE 5 When they got to the right place, the sheep would graze whilst the shepherd watched over them. The shepherd cared very much for his flock and there were dangers around, things that he would need to protect the sheep from, wild animals wer

SLIDE 5
When they got to the right place, the sheep would graze whilst the shepherd watched over them. The shepherd cared very much for his flock and there were dangers around, things that he would need to protect the sheep from, wild animals were always looking for a tasty meal.

SLIDE 6 The shepherd would not let the sheep out of his sight. He knew that sheep can sometimes be quite silly and wonder off on their own.

SLIDE 6
The shepherd would not let the sheep out of his sight. He knew that sheep can sometimes be quite silly and wonder off on their own.

SLIDE 7 If he saw a sheep doing this he would quickly bring them back to the safety of the flock.

SLIDE 7
If he saw a sheep doing this he would quickly bring them back to the safety of the flock.

SLIDE 8 Before dark the shepherd would gather the sheep together and lead them back to the sheepfold. Very often they would travel over the hills and through valleys. All the time the sheep would listen out for the shepherd’s voice.

SLIDE 8
Before dark the shepherd would gather the sheep together and lead them back to the sheepfold. Very often they would travel over the hills and through valleys. All the time the sheep would listen out for the shepherd’s voice.

SLIDE 9 In some places, the sheep had to go in single file following the shepherd very carefully indeed.

SLIDE 9
In some places, the sheep had to go in single file following the shepherd very carefully indeed.

SLIDE 10 Somewhere along the way the shepherd would lead the sheep to water where they could drink, after the day’s munching.

SLIDE 10
Somewhere along the way the shepherd would lead the sheep to water where they could drink, after the day’s munching.

SLIDE 11 Finally, before dark they would arrive back at the sheepfold where they would bed down and spend the night together in safety.

SLIDE 11
Finally, before dark they would arrive back at the sheepfold where they would bed down and spend the night together in safety.

SLIDE 12 Now about that special gate. Well, the sheepfold didn’t actually have any kind of normal gate; you see the shepherd himself was the gate.

SLIDE 12
Now about that special gate. Well, the sheepfold didn’t actually have any kind of normal gate; you see the shepherd himself was the gate.

SLIDE 13 When evening came and all of the sheep were safely gathered in, the shepherd would lay down across the doorway into the fold. And, he would spend the night there. If some wild animal should come hunting for a meal during the night, the s

SLIDE 13
When evening came and all of the sheep were safely gathered in, the shepherd would lay down across the doorway into the fold. And, he would spend the night there. If some wild animal should come hunting for a meal during the night, the shepherd would be right there to protect them.

SLIDE 14 Bears certainly were always on the lookout for a meal and if they could get into a sheepfold, they wouldn’t be short of one.

SLIDE 14
Bears certainly were always on the lookout for a meal and if they could get into a sheepfold, they wouldn’t be short of one.

SLIDE 15 Lions too would be on the prowl for a tasty bite at the end of the day and a sheep would do nicely. But with the shepherd on guard the sheep were safe, even against lions and bears.

SLIDE 15
Lions too would be on the prowl for a tasty bite at the end of the day and a sheep would do nicely. But with the shepherd on guard the sheep were safe, even against lions and bears.

SLIDE 16 With the danger past, the shepherd would once again lay himself across the entrance to the sheepfold. When Jesus said “I Am the Gate” he was likening Himself to the gate of the sheepfold. Just like the shepherd looked after his she

SLIDE 16
With the danger past, the shepherd would once again lay himself across the entrance to the sheepfold.

When Jesus said “I Am the Gate” he was likening Himself to the gate of the sheepfold. Just like the shepherd looked after his sheep, Jesus wants to look after us too. The shepherd led the sheep in and out of the gate each day, taking them to eat and drink and bringing them safely home for shelter at night. Jesus wants to look after us. Jesus knows what’s good for us and not so good. He wants to guide us in our daily lives, and show us how to live an abundant life following Him. That’s just great, isn’t it.

I’d say Jesus was a pretty cool gate, wouldn’t you.

Part 3 - Response time (small groups)

Get the kids to play detective. Take along a bag with a few things in it that will give the kids evidence about you. Between 3 & 6 items would be good. (Examples might be: Gardening tool, hobby mag, pot of glue (like craft). Make sure that the items will enable the kids to decide what they say about you without any explanation from you. Include in the bag something that will affirm to the kids that you are a Christian, bring this item out last (Bible or other). This session will give the kids opportunity to get to know you a little more and to see that Jesus comes first in our lives but that we are ‘normal’ people who do other everyday things too. Go with the flow share some of your story!

Time permitting ask the kids:

  1. What evidence did you pick up from the Good Shepherd story that tells you something about what Jesus is like? 

  2. What evidence can you think of that someone might find that would tell them something about you?

WEEK 3 DOWNLOADS

Week 3 Lead-in Drama Script, Bible Chat and response time Leaders’ notes.
PowerPoint Week 3 - Series theme slide and this week’s title slide.
PowerPoint  Good Shepherd to accompany week 3 Bible Chat