Sunday School in Pakistan

Ages 9-12 Jesus Matthew

Jesus Is Baptised

Before Jesus had done any public work, the Father said He was pleased with Him.

Bible passage: Matthew 3:13-17; John 1:29-34

Memory verse

“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Matthew 3:17

Roman Urdu Yeh mera pyara Beta hai, jis se main khush hoon.

Teaching the lesson

  1. John did not want to do it

    John baptised people who were turning from sin. Jesus had no sin, so John objected. Jesus answered that it was right to fulfil all righteousness u2014 He was standing where we stand, on purpose.

  2. All three at once

    The Son in the water, the Spirit descending as a dove, the Father speaking from heaven. Point out to the class that this is one of the clearest pictures in the Bible of the one God in three Persons.

  3. Pleased before the work began

    This is the part to press. Jesus had not yet preached a sermon, healed anyone or called a disciple. The Father was already well pleased. Ask the class whether they think God loves them more when they do well.

  4. What baptism says

    Explain plainly what baptism means in our churches: a public sign that a person belongs to Jesus. Some in your class may be thinking about it, and this is a natural place to invite their questions.

Activity

The pleased-before list. Two columns on the board: "Things I think make God pleased with me" and "What God actually said before Jesus did any of it." Fill the first with the class's honest answers, then read Matthew 3:17 into the second and leave the contrast standing.

Craft

Dove mobile. A white paper dove hung beneath a card cloud, with Matthew 3:17 written on the cloud. Simple, but the words are the point.

Closing prayer

Father, thank You that You loved Jesus before He had done anything, and that You love me the same way. Help me to serve You out of love and not to earn it. Amen.

This lesson is free to use

Print it, photocopy it, retype it or translate it into Punjabi, Sindhi or Pashto for your own class. You do not need permission and you do not need to tell us. The only thing asked in return is that it is never sold to a teacher who cannot afford it.

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