A clever and fun object lesson
This object lesson demonstrates that we can only focus on the small part in front of us and that we need the Bible to see Gods big picture.
There are several stories and passages in the Bible in which humans have to discover that although we claim to see, we are blind. We don’t see things as God sees them. We only focus on a small part in front of us. God sees everything. We need the Bible to see Gods big picture.
In 1 Samuel 16 the prophet Samuel has come to anoint a new king. When he looks at David’s oldest brother Eliab he thinks this is the one! But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. ( 1 Samuel 16:7)
One of Jesus’ sayings is: “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind may see and those who see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard this, and they asked Him, “Are we blind” too? 4“If you were blind,” Jesus replied, “you would not be guilty of sin. But since you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” (John 9: 39-41)
How do we help children, teenagers and adults to think about these matters? How do we demonstrate that we only see a small part of the big picturen and that we need to study God's Word to discover the big picture and to learn to see as God sees?
- For this object lesson we use two pictures of a set of playing cards. Not all Christians are comfortable with using playing cards as an object lesson. The good news is that you can also use this object lesson with different images that are very similar. -
The object lesson:
Show a picture of these five playing cards to the group. Ask one of the older children / teenagers to pick one of the cards on the picture. Let him or her write this card down on a piece of paper, without mentioning which card he / she has chosen.
Now you remove the picture with the five playing cards and show him / her the picture of four playing cards that you can find underneath the line in this idea.
Five playing cards turn into four. What is the chance that his or her card has disappeared? You would say: one in five. But the truth is: one hundred percent.
Try this for yourself! How is it possible that your playing card disappears as well?