Leader Guide

Marbles Object Lesson

Important: You must have clear marbles, not colored, and a clear bowl for this activity to work. The marbles should virtually disappear in the water.

Remember when Peter talked to Chris about things not always being what they seem? Sometimes, there is more than meets the eye. Chris said that when our eyes tell us one thing, the truth may really be something else. Look at this bowl. What do you see inside? Water, nothing.

When we just look at the surface, or from a distance, things can appear one way. But, when we look closer, or in this case, reach inside, we learn that maybe things aren’t as they appear.

Ask a child to come up, or take the bowl to a child, and allow him or her to reach in and lift out a few of the marbles.

Wow, I guess the bowl isn’t really empty, is it? Is this a miracle?

No, this is an illusion. The clear marbles seem to disappear when placed in the water. It is a trick of the eye, not a real miracle.

Allow children to reach in the bowl and discover the water marbles.

Miracles are not tricks or illusions. Jesus made a raging storm stop. He healed a man who had been paralyzed. These are amazing miracles made possible by God.

Read Matthew 19:26:

Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”