Game

After Saul was blinded on the road to Damascus, Ananias did something very brave!

Read Acts 9:11–18:

The Lord said, … “Ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to Me right now. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.” “But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! And he is authorized … to arrest everyone who calls upon Your name.” But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is My chosen instrument.” … So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.

Why did God tell Ananias to visit Saul? To lay hands on him so he would receive his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit and then be baptized in water.

Why was Ananias surprised at what God asked him to do?

While Saul was still in Jerusalem, he watched over the coats of people who were stoning Stephen to death. This showed that Saul agreed with killing Christians. Now Saul was on a mission to arrest Jesus’ followers in Damascus and put them in prison. Ananias may have wondered if Saul was just pretending to be blind so he could trick the Christians and then put them all into in prison. Why do you think Ananias did what God asked? He believed and trusted God. He loved God more than his own life, and he was willing to obey God, no matter what happened.

Let’s play a game about Ananias and Saul.

Divide the class into two equal teams. If teams are uneven, have one child go twice.

The first player on Team 1 is Saul, who sits blindfolded in the chair. The first player on Team 2 is Ananias, who stands just past the mark on the floor that is farthest from Saul.

The object of the game is for Ananias to try to tap Saul’s shoulder before Saul shouts, “Is that you, Ananias?” However, the closer that Saul lets Ananias get before shouting the question, the more points Saul wins for the team. When Saul shouts the question, Ananias must freeze. Use the markings on the floor to award points to Saul’s team according to where Ananias stopped: from 0 points for the mark farthest from Saul, to a maximum of 5 points for the closest mark.

If Saul shouts the question before Ananias has started to move, or if Ananias taps Saul on the shoulder, Saul wins no points. Ananias can choose to step silently, noisily, or vary it for a challenge.

To keep the game moving quickly, use a timer to limit each pair’s turn to 30 seconds. For smaller classes, you may play without a time limit. After the first pair is finished, have a player from Team 2 become Saul while a player from Team 1 is Ananias, alternating for each turn. Keep a running tally of points for each team on the board. If time permits, continue the game until each child has been both Saul and Ananias. The team with the highest points wins!

Congratulations everyone, that was really exciting!

OPTIONAL DISCUSSION

Did you like being Saul or Ananias more?

Was it hard to wait longer to score more points?

How do you think Saul felt waiting in the dark for someone he didn’t know to come and lay hands on him? Think of how he had persecuted the followers of Jesus and now he was alone and helpless to defend himself as he waited. Do you think he was scared?