The Biggest Story Curriculum
Send Us to the Pigs!
BEFORE THE LESSON
Read Mark 5.
Pray for God’s help. Ask for the Spirit’s help in understanding the passage and for the Lord to open the children’s eyes to see who he is, what he has done, and how they should respond to him.
Study the lesson plan below. Use these sections as suggestions. Think of ways to teach it in your own voice.
Pray for God’s help. Ask for the Spirit’s help in understanding the passage and for the Lord to open the children’s eyes to see who he is, what he has done, and how they should respond to him.
Study the lesson plan below. Use these sections as suggestions. Think of ways to teach it in your own voice.
The Big Picture
Help children see how this story connects with the other lessons. Build anticipation by introducing the setting and the significance of what is about to happen in this week’s story. {5 minutes}
Remember the boat ride from last week? That journey was memorable to say the least. There was a terrible storm with fierce winds and scary waves. Remember who calmed the storm? Jesus! And how did the disciples respond? They shook in their wet boots. They were “filled with great fear” (Mark 4:41). They also wondered, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (4:41). Our story today answers that question. We’ll see Jesus rescue a scary man in a scary place. And we’ll see what happens when he encounters an extremely powerful demon named Legion. Will Legion be a match for Jesus? Let’s find out.
Remember the boat ride from last week? That journey was memorable to say the least. There was a terrible storm with fierce winds and scary waves. Remember who calmed the storm? Jesus! And how did the disciples respond? They shook in their wet boots. They were “filled with great fear” (Mark 4:41). They also wondered, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (4:41). Our story today answers that question. We’ll see Jesus rescue a scary man in a scary place. And we’ll see what happens when he encounters an extremely powerful demon named Legion. Will Legion be a match for Jesus? Let’s find out.
Teach The Story
Video: Send Us to the Pigs!: The Story of Jesus and a Demon Possessed Man (Mark 5)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxUcU5wn88c
After their scary boat ride, Jesus and the twelve arrived in the “country of the Gerasenes” (5:1). This country was a Gentile region. The Jews viewed Gentiles as unclean people. And the most unclean person in that place was about to meet Jesus. As soon as Jesus stepped off the boat, “a man with an unclean spirit” (5:2) rushed toward him. He was possessed by demons and lived in a tomb cut from stone that was filled with dead bodies (how very unclean!). If that’s not bad enough, there was “a great herd of pigs . . . feeding there on the hillside” (5:11). Now you might think, “Piglets are so cute.” But God’s law clearly stated: “And the pig . . . is unclean to you” (Lev. 11:7). So this is one unclean scene! There’s a demon-possessed Gentile living with dead bodies and pigs. This super-unclean man needed some superstrong cleaning powers. But it was worse than that, because Mr. Super-Unclean was also Mr. Superstrong. “And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him” (Mark 5:3–4). His strength came because he was possessed by a large and powerful group of demons called “Legion” (5:9). In those days, the word legion described a group of six thousand Roman foot soldiers. Who was strong enough to crush that many demons? Could the Snake Crusher do it? Amazingly, the battle scene lasted only a few seconds. Who do you think won? It was the Snake Crusher! Jesus simply commanded, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” (5:8), and soon the thousands of unclean spirits came out. And where did they go? Into the unclean pigs. The pigs were so spooked that they stampeded down the steep mountainside and crashed into the sea. With just a few words Jesus conquered the demons, showed he was the Son of God, and cleaned this man of his unclean spirit. What do you think that man did? He “began to proclaim. . . how much Jesus had done for him” (5:20). He had really good news to share!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxUcU5wn88c
After their scary boat ride, Jesus and the twelve arrived in the “country of the Gerasenes” (5:1). This country was a Gentile region. The Jews viewed Gentiles as unclean people. And the most unclean person in that place was about to meet Jesus. As soon as Jesus stepped off the boat, “a man with an unclean spirit” (5:2) rushed toward him. He was possessed by demons and lived in a tomb cut from stone that was filled with dead bodies (how very unclean!). If that’s not bad enough, there was “a great herd of pigs . . . feeding there on the hillside” (5:11). Now you might think, “Piglets are so cute.” But God’s law clearly stated: “And the pig . . . is unclean to you” (Lev. 11:7). So this is one unclean scene! There’s a demon-possessed Gentile living with dead bodies and pigs. This super-unclean man needed some superstrong cleaning powers. But it was worse than that, because Mr. Super-Unclean was also Mr. Superstrong. “And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him” (Mark 5:3–4). His strength came because he was possessed by a large and powerful group of demons called “Legion” (5:9). In those days, the word legion described a group of six thousand Roman foot soldiers. Who was strong enough to crush that many demons? Could the Snake Crusher do it? Amazingly, the battle scene lasted only a few seconds. Who do you think won? It was the Snake Crusher! Jesus simply commanded, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” (5:8), and soon the thousands of unclean spirits came out. And where did they go? Into the unclean pigs. The pigs were so spooked that they stampeded down the steep mountainside and crashed into the sea. With just a few words Jesus conquered the demons, showed he was the Son of God, and cleaned this man of his unclean spirit. What do you think that man did? He “began to proclaim. . . how much Jesus had done for him” (5:20). He had really good news to share!
Gospel Connection
Show how the story points to Jesus and his rescue mission as the Snake Crusher. {5 minutes}
Do you know that we are in a spiritual war against Satan? We are! The Bible states that the “whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19) and that we “wrestle against . . . spiritual forces of evil” (Eph. 6:12). The good news is that Jesus is the Snake Crusher; he came to “destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8) and crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15). So when we see demons being driven out of a person—like in today’s story— these are pictures of Jesus’s putting his foot on the snake. It is not until the cross that Satan’s head is crushed. And is it not until Jesus’s glorious return—where he will toss the devil and his minions into the “lake of fire” (Rev. 20:10)—that all evil in this world will be destroyed. Until then, we are in a spiritual battle. But, like the man in this story, we have been made clean and set free by Jesus. And like him we should tell our family and friends this good news of God’s mercy. The Lord has done so much for us!
Do you know that we are in a spiritual war against Satan? We are! The Bible states that the “whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19) and that we “wrestle against . . . spiritual forces of evil” (Eph. 6:12). The good news is that Jesus is the Snake Crusher; he came to “destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8) and crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15). So when we see demons being driven out of a person—like in today’s story— these are pictures of Jesus’s putting his foot on the snake. It is not until the cross that Satan’s head is crushed. And is it not until Jesus’s glorious return—where he will toss the devil and his minions into the “lake of fire” (Rev. 20:10)—that all evil in this world will be destroyed. Until then, we are in a spiritual battle. But, like the man in this story, we have been made clean and set free by Jesus. And like him we should tell our family and friends this good news of God’s mercy. The Lord has done so much for us!
Discuss The Story
1. Question: In the story, where do we see Jesus showing his power? Why do you think Jesus is able to be this powerful? What hard things do you need Jesus’s power to help you with?
Takeaway: Jesus is the all-powerful Son of God.
2. Question: What was this man like before he met Jesus? How about after he met Jesus? How can you tell Jesus loved this man? How can Jesus’s love for you and power over sin change your life?
Takeaway: Because Jesus loved this man, he set him free from sin and made him new.
3. Question: Have you ever felt really angry or sad or just yucky and you needed someone to come alongside you and help you? Who did you go to? Who can we always go to (whether we need forgiveness, or comfort, or help)?
Takeaway: Even when we are unclean, we can come to Jesus.
4. Question: What did the man do after Jesus rescued him? What has Jesus done for you that you can share with others? Can you think of a specific person that you can tell about Jesus’s work in your life this week?
Takeaway: If Jesus has made us clean and set us free from the evil one, we should tell others the good news!
Memory Verse:
"Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you.” MARK 5:19
Takeaway: Jesus is the all-powerful Son of God.
2. Question: What was this man like before he met Jesus? How about after he met Jesus? How can you tell Jesus loved this man? How can Jesus’s love for you and power over sin change your life?
Takeaway: Because Jesus loved this man, he set him free from sin and made him new.
3. Question: Have you ever felt really angry or sad or just yucky and you needed someone to come alongside you and help you? Who did you go to? Who can we always go to (whether we need forgiveness, or comfort, or help)?
Takeaway: Even when we are unclean, we can come to Jesus.
4. Question: What did the man do after Jesus rescued him? What has Jesus done for you that you can share with others? Can you think of a specific person that you can tell about Jesus’s work in your life this week?
Takeaway: If Jesus has made us clean and set us free from the evil one, we should tell others the good news!
Memory Verse:
"Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you.” MARK 5:19
Activity Or Craft
Option 1 (Activity):
"Charades"
Supply List: notecards
Before Class: Gather supplies. Make situation cards about ways we show mercy to others. (Examples: One falls off a bike, and someone gets an adhesive bandage. One is crying, and someone comes over and comforts. One is getting bullied, and someone shows kindness.)
Have children come up two at a time to act out one of the situations without using words. Have remaining children guess what they are acting. Continue play until all children have had the opportunity to act out a situation. Remind
children that Jesus showed mercy to the demon-possessed man.
Option 2 (Activity):
"Sin Snowball Fight"
Supply List: white paper, pens, masking tape
Before Class: Gather supplies. Divide the classroom in half using a long piece of masking tape.
Give the children each two pieces of paper. Have them write the name of a sin they struggle with on each of the papers, then crumple them up. Divide children into two teams and assign each team to one half of the classroom. On “Go” have children throw their “sin snowballs” across to the other side. (They want to get rid of that sin!) At the end of 2 minutes, say “Freeze!” Count the snowballs on each side of the room. The team with the fewest snowballs wins. Have children shoot all snowballs into a trash can. Tell them Jesus takes all the sin in our lives, cleans us up, and makes us new.
Option 1 (Craft):
"Megaphone Craft"
Supply List: paper, crayons, tape
Before Class: Gather supplies. Make copies of a megaphone template with the Memory Verse written on it (one per child). Make a sample craft.
Give each child a template. Place remaining supplies on tables. Have children cut out and decorate their megaphones. Roll the template into a megaphone shape and secure with tape. Encourage children to go and tell others what Jesus has done for them.
"Charades"
Supply List: notecards
Before Class: Gather supplies. Make situation cards about ways we show mercy to others. (Examples: One falls off a bike, and someone gets an adhesive bandage. One is crying, and someone comes over and comforts. One is getting bullied, and someone shows kindness.)
Have children come up two at a time to act out one of the situations without using words. Have remaining children guess what they are acting. Continue play until all children have had the opportunity to act out a situation. Remind
children that Jesus showed mercy to the demon-possessed man.
Option 2 (Activity):
"Sin Snowball Fight"
Supply List: white paper, pens, masking tape
Before Class: Gather supplies. Divide the classroom in half using a long piece of masking tape.
Give the children each two pieces of paper. Have them write the name of a sin they struggle with on each of the papers, then crumple them up. Divide children into two teams and assign each team to one half of the classroom. On “Go” have children throw their “sin snowballs” across to the other side. (They want to get rid of that sin!) At the end of 2 minutes, say “Freeze!” Count the snowballs on each side of the room. The team with the fewest snowballs wins. Have children shoot all snowballs into a trash can. Tell them Jesus takes all the sin in our lives, cleans us up, and makes us new.
Option 1 (Craft):
"Megaphone Craft"
Supply List: paper, crayons, tape
Before Class: Gather supplies. Make copies of a megaphone template with the Memory Verse written on it (one per child). Make a sample craft.
Give each child a template. Place remaining supplies on tables. Have children cut out and decorate their megaphones. Roll the template into a megaphone shape and secure with tape. Encourage children to go and tell others what Jesus has done for them.
Contact Hannah Kitchens at hannah@gatherwithus.church for more information.