Paying the price (lower KS 3)

This lesson:

• Supports QCA non-statutory unit 5d 'How do the beliefs of Christians influence their actions?' and unit 7c 'Religious figure'

• Provides opportunity for spiritual, moral and social development

Learning Objectives

Pupils will:

• Explore the idea of facing challenges and making decisions
• Look at Christian belief in Jesus giving up everything for their sakes
• Explore the idea of difficult decisions and their consequences

Resources:

A cup or mug

Small milk pan

Empty biscuit tin

Waste paper basket

Washing-up bowl

Small ball (e.g. table tennis ball)

Chalk or tape to mark 'starting line'

Mark 10:32-45 or 'What needs to be done' version 2 (PDF)

Mark 8:27-33 and Mark 9:30-32 (optional)

Information on Nat Turner from the 'Biography' page

Opening Activity

• Mark the 'starting line' and place the washing up bowl a short distance from it.

• Place the waste paper basket at a greater distance from the line

• Continue like this, with the containers decreasing in size being further away from the starting line

• Establish who in the group is right or left- handed (this will be important during the activity)

• The object of the game is to gain the most points by throwing the ball into any of the containers

• Contestants get three throws. The further away the container is, the more points it offers

• Throwing with your weakest hand doubles your points

• Points are as follows: washing up bowl = 1, waste paper basket = 2, biscuit tin = 3 milk pan = 4 and cup =5

• Will people go for the easy options or risk going for the higher points?

• When the activity is over, bring the group back together.

   

• Discuss the choices people made

   

• Who went for the easier targets?

   

• Who took up the challenge of the harder targets or threw with their weakest hand?

   

• Who won?

   

• The activity brings up issues about taking the easy option or taking on a challenge or risk

• Were you more likely to win aiming at the bowl or the cup?

• Does either choice provide guaranteed success?

• Do you think you were right to take the risk even if you didn't win?

Jesus paying the price

• The exercise links to the theme of 'paying the price' looking at the experience of Jesus as he was about to face the hardest time of his life

• Christians believe that Jesus suffered and died so that they could be brought closer to God and have the chance to live better lives

• They believe he 'paid the price' for their sakes

• Read mark 10:32-45 or use 'What needs to be done' version 2

What does this mean for Christians?

• Jesus is fully aware of what he will have to go through; he mentions it several times (see Mark 8:27-33 and 9: 30-32)

• Jesus continued with his mission despite knowing that he would have to suffer and die

• The importance of Jesus for Christians centres not just around his teachings but also on the idea of this ultimate sacrifice for their sakes

• There is also the idea of faith, and the relationship with God not being easy

• For many Christians, faith is not about sitting back and leaving everything to God or having a problem-free, perfect life

• It is a challenging and sometimes difficult process that requires commitment and determination

People facing challenges

• Throughout history, people have had to decide whether or not to face challenges in order to reach their goals

• We can use the example of the movement of people from the Caribbean, Africa and Asia between the late 1940’s and the 1960’s

• People made the decision to move from their homes to a strange and sometimes hostile country thousands of miles away in order to provide opportunities for themselves and their children.

• Once they were here, things were not always easy but people made the commitment to see it through despite the hardships.

Making tough decisions

• Recap on the thoughts brought up by the opening activity

• Discuss the idea of often having to make tough decisions about what we do – take the easiest route or face a challenge and gain something the hard way

• Neither way always guarantees success so how do we decide if it is worth taking on challenges?
• What if it doesn’t work out?

A controversial decision

• The biography of Nat Turner provides a controversial example of someone taking on a challenge for what they believed was a greater good. (See biography page)

• Nat Turner was probably aware of what he was risking

• He would have thought about it and probably prayed about it

• Turner believed that in order to free his people from slavery, he had to take drastic action.

Activity

Devise a class debate on Nat Turner

Turner is a controversial character as he was a Christian but deliberately took lives in the pursuit of freedom for his people.

To begin the activity, provide the group with details of Nat Turners life from the links on the ‘biography’ page

• Without any discussion ask for a show of hands for and against Turner’s actions
• Keep a record of this result
• Divide the class into groups and allocate groups to be for or against Turner (ignoring their personal opinion)
• Groups must now provide arguments to support their ‘position’
• Groups formulate their arguments and make notes
• After the allocated time the groups come back together to ‘argue their case’
• At the end of the debate, take another show of hands for pupil's true positions
• Has the result changed?
• Did anyone change their mind about Turner? Why/why not?

It may help the group to have access to the following quotes and passages which can be accessed from the Bible Gateway website

• One of the Ten Commandments is ‘Do not murder’ (Exodus 20:13)

Jesus talked about

• Turning the other cheek (Matthew 5:39)
• Loving your enemies (Luke 6:27, Matthew 5:44)
• Forgiveness (Matthew 6:12, Matthew 18:21-22)

Further quotes

•  Slaves obeying masters (Ephesians 6:5, Colossians 3:22)
• Freedom (Galatians 5:1, 2Corinthians 3:17)
• Equality through faith in Christ (Galatians 3:26-29)
• Release of the oppressed (Luke 4:18)