Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome (2 minutes)

Welcome back for the last lesson of our Superbook adventure called “Jonah.” The more I learn about the story of Jonah, the more I learn about God’s loving mercy. God cared about the city of Nineveh and about His disobedient prophet, Jonah. In today’s lesson, we are going to discover that God demonstrated the depth of His mercy by sending His only Son to die on the cross to save us from our sins! Let’s stand up to thank and praise Him for His endless mercy as we sing The Salvation Poem. While we sing, let’s really think about how God shows His mercy to us each day and how we can share His mercy with others.  

Play Video 7:(Song) The Salvation Poem (3 minutes)

Be sure to preview the song so you can sing along with the children.

The Salvation Poem

SuperTruth and Discussion (2 minutes)

Our SuperTruth for today is: “God showed His mercy through the cross.” Let’s have the girls shout the first part of the SuperTruth, “God showed His mercy” and then the boys shout the last part, “through the cross.” Are you ready? Let’s go!

That was wonderful! Let’s do it one more time and switch so the boys go first. Ready? Go!

Yes, God is merciful. He sent His Son into the world to sacrifice His life on the cross so our sins can be forgiven and we can live with Him forever in heaven.

Introduce Condensed Bible Story(1 minute)

If all children watched the Bible story video in a previous lesson, omit it here and go straight to the SuperVerse.

Who remembers why Joy did not want to show mercy to the girl at school? The girl stole a bicycle and bullied other children.

Now, for the children who haven’t seen our Bible story yet, we are going to watch a short version of the video. If you’ve already seen it, look for ways that the people of Ninevah showed that they were sorry for their sins.

Play Video 4: Condensed Bible Story (9.5 minutes)

Condensed Bible Story

Superbook takes Joy, Chris and Gizmo to meet Jonah, who is swallowed by a great fish as he resists God’s plans to show mercy to wicked people. The children learn to show God’s forgiveness even to those who don’t deserve it.

Play Video 10C: SuperVerse Graphic 3

Graphic loops 2.5 minutes without audio; turn off or freeze video after children repeat verse.

SuperVerse Graphic 3

SuperVerse (2 minutes)

Our SuperVerse, John 3:17 (cev), says:

“God did not send His Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent Him to save them!”

Let’s all say it together.

What does the word condemn mean?

Condemn in this verse means to pass judgment. When Jesus came to Earth, His mission was to save people—not to pass judgment and punish! Let’s say the SuperVerse together again.

Children will have more time to learn the SuperVerse in Small Group.

Introduce Signposts Video (1 minute)

It is time for our Signposts video to learn how the story of Jonah points to the life and death of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Play Video 6: Signposts Video (4.5 minutes)

Signposts Video

Prayer and Send-Off (2 minutes)

Let’s pray before we move to our Small Groups. Dear God, thank You for showing mercy to us each and every day. We especially thank You for sending Jesus to die for us on the cross so we can escape judgment and receive eternal life! In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Today in Small Group, we are going to play a fun review game about the story of Jonah and God’s mercy! Let’s go!

Teachers take children to Small Group classes for Grades 1–3 and 4–6. If the combined group is small, all children may stay together for Small Group time.

Game

Our SuperTruth says: “God showed His mercy through the cross.” How did the story of Jonah point to the life and death of Jesus Christ?

Yes, the events in the Old Testament were part of God’s master plan. Many times, Jesus and writers of the New Testament referred back to events and writings in the Old Testament. The entire Bible is connected, and nothing has happened by chance.

Let’s play a fun review game to go over all the important things we have learned about God’s plan of mercy.  

Divide the class into equal teams and have them stand behind the mark. If there is an odd number of children, one player may go twice. Hand a ball to the first player on each team, say “Go,” and start the time. At the same time, each player tries to bounce their ball on the floor hard enough so it lands in the container as many times as possible in 20 seconds. They must retrieve their own ball after each shot and walk quickly back to the line to try again. Each team shouts out the number of times their player is able to bounce the ball into the container—1, 2, 3, etc. One point is scored for each shot made.

Regardless of how many points the two players get, the one who scores first earns a chance for his/her team to answer a question from the Q & A sheet. Ask younger children or those with special needs the easier questions. The team can discuss it together and has one chance to answer. If they answer correctly, they receive another point. If they answer incorrectly, the other team gets a chance to answer for a point. Record scores on the board. Play until all children have a chance to bounce the ball. The team with the most points wins. As time permits, you may discuss their answers during the course of the game to ensure that children understand them.

Teaching

JONAH POINTS TO THE CROSS: DISCUSS HOW THE STORY OF JONAH POINTS TO JESUS AND THE CROSS.

Children will participate in this signpost presentation. Completion of all the steps of the presentation will form a cross from the signs, as seen in the illustration.

It was exciting to see in our Signposts video how Jonah’s mission pointed to Jesus’ mission. Let’s shout our SuperTruth together: “God showed His mercy through the cross.”

Yes, God showed His mercy in many ways throughout the Bible, but the depth of His love and mercy for us was shown by Jesus on the cross!  

For each step of the presentation, have a different child come up and pick the two signs that match what you are discussing for that step. Then, tape the signs in the correct position on the wall or lay them on the floor to form the cross—see illustration.

Signpost 1: Jonah was in the belly of the fish for how long? Three days.

Yes! Try to imagine what it would be like in the belly of a great fish! It would be very dark in that fish! Now, how could this point to Jesus and the cross? I need a volunteer to come up and find the two matching cards for Jonah and Jesus that we are talking about. Child finds match and places the cards on the wall in the correct place.

Yes! After Jesus died on the cross, He was in the tomb three days. Before Jesus was crucified, some religious leaders asked Jesus to perform a miracle as a sign to prove His authority and that He was God’s Son.

Read Matthew 12:39–40:

But Jesus replied, “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.”

Signpost 2: Do you remember what Jonah did in the belly of the fish? He prayed.

Yes, Jonah said that he was crying out from the belly of Sheol. Sheol means the place of the dead. Now, who thinks they can find how this points to Jesus? Child finds match and places the cards on the wall in the correct place.

Sin separates us from God, but Jesus had lived a perfect life, so He had never been separated from His Father, God—until He took all of our sins upon Himself when He was nailed to the cross. At that moment Jesus experienced separation from God for the first time. Here is what He said on the cross:

Read Matthew 27:46:

At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me?”

These words are the opening sentence of Psalm 22, which David wrote about 1,000 years before Jesus was born. Amazingly, this psalm describes how the Messiah would suffer on the cross. Here is another verse in that same psalm. Read Psalm 22:24:

For He has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned His back on them, but has listened to their cries for help.

God did not abandon Jesus, just as He did not abandon Jonah—He heard their cries and answered them.

Signpost 3: God saved Jonah from the belly of the fish after his prayer was heard. Jonah said, “For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.” God immediately ordered the fish to spit Jonah up on dry land! How does this point to Jesus and the cross? Who can find the two cards that match? Child finds match and places the cards on the wall in the correct place. Read Luke 24:1–7:

“But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what He told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that He would rise again on the third day.”

Yes, Jesus had risen from the dead—He was alive—the tomb was empty! Jesus Christ defeated sin and death so we can live with Him forever! 

Signpost 4: Jonah was surprised and upset because God showed mercy to people who weren’t Israelites. Yet long ago, God had promised Abraham that his descendants would be a blessing—not just to the Israelites, but to all the world! God used Jonah to remind us that God’s blessings and salvation were for the whole world! Who can find the two cards that match? Child finds match and places the cards on the wall in the correct place. Read the SuperVerse—John 3:17:

“God did not send His Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent Him to save them!”

This is our SuperVerse for today. Jesus was sent by God not to condemn and judge, but to save! This is because God is full of mercy. He wants everyone to repent from their sins and be saved from punishment!

Read Luke 23:34a:

Jesus said on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”

Point to the cross that has just been completed with all of the matching cards. Even as Jesus hung on the cross, He showed God’s love and mercy for the very people who were torturing Him. He knew they didn’t understand who He really is—the Son of God! Jesus died on the cross so we could be saved from our sins! That is the Good News of God’s mercy through the cross!

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Hand out the Fish Necklace Patterns to any children who were not present for Lessons 1 and 2.

What does the fish remind us of? Jonah.

The fish was an ancient Christian symbol for Jesus. If you see Greek letters inside a fish like this, they stand for “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.” Christians would make the sign of the fish to let others know they were followers of Jesus.

Did anyone use their necklaces from last time as a reminder to show mercy to someone?

What happened when you did? Allow volunteers to share about showing mercy. Did anyone receive mercy from someone this week?

As time allows, briefly ask the challenge questions from Lesson 2 about Jesus and the woman at the well, and allow children to share their answers from John 8:1–11.

Your challenge this time is to look at the back of the fish for Lesson 3, read the Bible passage in Luke 18:9–14, and answer the questions about who received mercy—and who didn’t! It also has a challenge for you to show mercy to someone. As you go about your daily life, be sure to notice opportunities God is giving you to show mercy to others! 

SuperVerse

Our SuperVerse says in John 3:17:

“God did not send His Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent Him to save them!”

How do you think this verse applies to the story of Jonah? There isn’t just one correct answer—let’s hear your thoughts!

Yes, God wants to show mercy! He could have condemned the Ninevites and just destroyed the great city, but instead He chose to give them a second chance and to show mercy. In our SuperVerse, God had a plan for the world. He could have easily sent Jesus into the world to condemn it and judge it, but God had a plan of mercy, not judgment. He sent Jesus into the world with one purpose: to live a sinless life so He could become the perfect and only sacrifice needed to take away our sin! Listen to what Jesus said about God’s plan for Him on Earth: 

Read Luke 19:10:

“For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

Jesus knew perfectly what His role was in God’s plan of mercy! 

Have the class read the SuperVerse on the board together two times and then erase it from the board. Choose eight children to stand side by side in the front of the room. Scramble the eight pieces of paper with words and phrases from the SuperVerse and give one to each child. Starting on the far left from the class’s perspective, have the eight children create a “wave” by holding up and reading aloud their individual phrases—which will be out of order—and lowering their papers when done. Ask if that sounded like the correct verse. The answer will be no!  

Ask the rest of the class to tell you which reader should be first, second, third, etc. Rearrange the eight children in that order and have them read their phrases again, creating a “wave” with their papers. Ask the rest of the class if the verse is now correct. If not, have the class rearrange the readers again until they can say the phrases of the verse in the proper order. Finally, have the entire class follow the “wave” to say the verse together two or three times, going faster each time.

Prayer

Read Roman 10:13–14:

For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?”

God demonstrated His mercy to the entire world by sending His Son, Jesus, to live a sinless life on Earth and to die on the cross for our sins. Jesus took our punishment, so we can have a wonderful relationship with God our Father and live forever in heaven with Him someday! This is the best news anyone can have! However, how will people know unless someone tells them the Good News? 

God gave Jonah a message to share with people who needed to be saved from their evil ways—yet Jonah tried very hard not to share that message, didn’t he! God has given us Good News to share with others so they can have God’s mercy. In our prayer time today, let’s ask God to give us a desire to share the Good News of God’s mercy shown through Jesus on the cross.

Allow time for children to pray, then close with a prayer.

Heavenly Father, You have demonstrated from the beginning of time that You are a merciful God who desires all people to be saved. Thank You for sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. Please help us share the Good News of Jesus Christ so others can experience Your mercy, forgiveness and love. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Tossing Game

Have a sixth grade helper read Jonah 1:3–5a:

But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish. But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship.

Stand on one sheet or towel as you speak. Today in our game we are going to be sailors on Jonah’s ship traveling to Tarshish. Point to the bed sheet or towel. That’s what I’m standing on right now! A storm has come up and we need to throw cargo overboard to lighten the load so it will ride the waves better! In the Bible story, the crew threw the cargo into the sea where it was lost forever. However, we are going to play our game a little differently. We will try to save our cargo by throwing it on the island over there. Point to the other sheet or towel. Now, that doesn’t seem too difficult does it? No!

Oh, I forgot one thing; you cannot face the Island. You must turn your back to the island and throw the cargo backward over your shoulder. Each piece of cargo that lands and stays on the island scores five points for your team! Each piece of cargo that touches the island but rolls off gets one point for your team. Are you ready to sail?

Divide the class into two teams. One player from each team stands on the sheet/towel—ship—next to a pile of balls, with their backs to the island. Shout: “Lighten the load!” Both players begin to toss the cargo balls one at a time over their shoulders. The assistant will tally the score immediately on the board as the game progresses. The round ends when one player runs out of cargo, regardless of how much cargo the other player has left. Play more rounds until all players have taken a turn. The team with the most points wins.  

Should Jonah have been on the ship to begin with?

Why do you think God sent the storm?

God sent the storm to get Jonah’s attention and let him know it wasn’t possible to run and hide from God. He gave Jonah a second chance to complete the mission to go to Nineveh. 

Craft

How many of you have ever worked on a crossword puzzle?

We have a very simple one today for you to solve.   

Give each child a copy of the puzzle patterns, scissors, and pencil. Have them put their name on the sheet near the bottom of the cross. Have children carefully cut along the dotted line at the top of their pattern to separate the squares from the cross section. Then have children cut out the individual squares. Let the children try to figure out the puzzle by arranging the letters over the cross puzzle. This will form the two words as shown on the image. Ask children not to shout out the answers for a few moments to allow more children to solve the puzzle on their own. Once the puzzle is solved by more children, hand out the glue sticks and the children can glue the letters in place. 

Nice work! You solved the puzzle that represents our SuperTruth for today. How do you think it represents our SuperTruth?

Yes, “mercy” can be seen through the word “cross.” Our SuperTruth says “God showed His mercy through the cross.” Take your puzzles home to remind you of the love and mercy that God showed each of us by sending Jesus to die for us on the cross! 

Bible Study

Divide the class into teams of three children each, or two children each for smaller classes, and assign each team a name or number. Try to put visitors and children with disabilities on teams with children who can help them answer the questions. Give each team eight index cards and a pencil. Have children mark the book of Jonah and Matthew 12:38–41 in their Bibles, using sticky notes or pieces of paper.

In this game, I will ask questions about the Signposts in our story, and each team will find the answers in the book of Jonah and in Matthew 12:38–41. Everyone on the team will need to do something. One player should look up the answer, one player should write it on the card, and one player should quickly bring the card to me—all within 20 seconds! Your team will receive a point for each correct answer. Oh, and to make it more interesting, I will tell you exactly how to bring me the card—a different way each time. Are you ready to play? 

Stand at one end of the classroom and have teams sit at the other end. Read the question and then start the time. Give 2 points to each team with the correct answer. If a team takes longer than 20 seconds to bring you the card, they can still score 1 point if the answer is correct. Read the teams’ cards aloud, and have a helper tally points on the board for each question. If teams have too much difficulty meeting the 20–second deadline, you may lengthen the time. The team with the most points wins.

1. Bring the card to me by skipping. In Jonah chapter 1, verses 10–17, what did the sailors do after they threw Jonah overboard and saw that the storm stopped? Saw God’s great power, offered a sacrifice, vowed to serve Him.

2. Bring the card to me by walking sideways. In Jonah chapter 2, when Jonah cried or called out to the Lord, what did the Lord do? He heard him, He answered him.

3. Bring the card to me by tiptoeing. In Jonah chapter 2, what happened to Jonah after he prayed to God in the belly of the fish? Fish spit him out, fish vomited him out on dry land.

4. Bring the card to me by hopping on both feet. In Matthew 12:38–41, Jesus said the people did something after Jonah preached to them. What did they do? Repented, repented of their sins.

5. Bring the card to me by balancing it on the top of your head. In Jonah chapter 3, verses 6–10, what did God do when He saw that Ninevah had repented and stopped doing evil? He relented; He changed His mind about punishing or destroying them.

6. Bring the card to me by balancing it on your forehead. Children can use their hands if necessary. In Jonah chapter 4, verses 1–10, Jonah told God why He ran away from Him. He said that he knew God was what? Name two of the things Jonah said to describe God. Full of mercy, grace and compassion, merciful, loving, slow to anger, full of kindness.

7. Bring the card to me by hopping on one foot. In Matthew 12:38–41, what did the religious leaders ask Jesus to show them? Miraculous sign, miracle, sign.

8. Bring the card to me by walking backward. In Matthew 12:38–41, Jesus said that just as Jonah was in the fish for three days and three nights, Jesus would be somewhere for three days and three nights. Where? Heart of the Earth, tomb.

Conclusion: You did a great job using your Bibles and working together as teams! We have learned a lot about God’s mercy, and how Jesus showed us His mercy by dying on the cross.