Jesus Walks on Water

Jesus Walks on Water by Jennifer Tolbert

When Jesus came to Earth, he performed miracles to prove that he was the Son of God. In this story, Jesus showed his power over the Earth. He demonstrated that he could walk on water. 

Key Themes:
1. Jesus did miracles to convince us that He is the Son of the almighty God. 
2. A miracle is a special act of God's power. 
3. Jesus told his disciples to have faith instead of fear. ​

Memory Verse

John 20:30, 31––“Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.”

Songs

​Books of the New Testament
​Apostles Song
Blue Skies and Rainbows
Cast Your Burdens
I've Got Peace Like a River
Our God is an Awesome God

Story

Begin Class with Songs, Games, Table Activity, or Sharing Time
 
Open Class in Prayer

Introducing the Story Ideas
1. Trust Fall or Jump: Ask your child to jump into your arms. Hopefully they will do it with pleasure. To take it a step further, ask them to look in the other direction and to fall backwards and allow you to catch them. (Truewaykids.org)
Share it’s easier to trust when you see the person.
Remind your child that they can always trust God. He has the power to always look after them.

2. BrainStrain Puzzles: Put out these brain strain puzzles and see if the kids can solve them. (Better for older kids)

3. Who is the strongest? Who is the bravest? 
Ask the kids "What makes a person strong?", "What makes a person brave?" Write down names of people they think are strong and brave. 

Story: Since the days of Abraham, God's people have been waiting for the Messiah--or "Anointed One." The Jews were expecting a mighty warrior king, like David. Jesus was so different from what they expected, many of the Jews didn't even recognize him. God knew it would be important for the His Son to be able to prove that he was the Son of God. He gave Jesus the power to perform miracles. 

What is a miracle? A miracle is not a magic trick. A miracle is a special act of God's power. -A miracle always had immediate and instant results.
-They were always successful. 
-They were always performed to help someone or glorify God. 
 
READ the story of Jesus Walks on Water, or Matthew 14:22-26. 
EMPHASIZE that:

• Jesus has authority over all things. 
• Jesus calls us to trust him. 
• Jesus cares deeply for us. 

Visual Aids

Peter Walks on Water Story Printable by TruewayKids

Jesus Walks on Water Movie by Lumos

Jesus Walks on Water

God is...

Connect the Story back to God and his character. Explain how this story fits into God's overall story. ​

Activities

3D Jesus & Peter Walk on Water Floating Craft Kit by Oriental Trading

Peter Walks on Water Craft by Trueway Kids
Supplies: Template, Colored Pencils, Scissors

Faith vs. Doubt (from Mission Bible Class.org) 
Before class half fill two clear drinking glasses with water. Stir three tablespoons salt into one of the glasses. Label the salted water “faith” and the plain water “doubt”. Draw a face on an egg to use for this activity. Review the story and talk about what would happen if you tried to walk on water. As you do this then gently drop the egg into the “doubt” water and watch it sink. Then talk about how that Jesus walked on water while you drop the egg in the “faith” water. The egg should float. Continue to tell the story showing how Peter floated (faith glass) and then sank (doubt glass). Then describe some real life situations that the children might face and let them place the egg in the “faith” or “doubt” glass according to the way they would act in the situation. Practice this at home first!