Use this secular YouTube video to hold a creative discussion with the children about the Bible story of the crucifixion of Jesus
In this film, a teacher asks her class to draw an animal from your imagination. One little boy starts by colouring a page completely black and doesn't stop at that. He colours page after page completely black. Nobody understands what is going on. The boy is examined and even admitted to a psychiatric institution. In the meantime he carries on colouring pages black. At some stage someone comes up with the idea of a puzzle. They put all the black pages together and the little boy turns out to have drawn a life-size whale. He was just doing what the teacher had asked him, but his imagination was much bigger!
This idea is part of a complete Sunday School lesson on the Bible story of the crucifixion of Jesus ( Matthew 27: 39 - 66 )
How does this film apply to today's Bible story?
Just like the little boy, Jesus is busy with an assignment that goes much further than anyone can think of at that moment. The priests, law teachers and leaders of the people don't understand a thing. They don't see the bigger picture. They only see a man who cried out and is now dying on a cross. Even Jesus seems to lose the big picture at the darkest moment when he feels that God has abandoned him. But luckily God always sees the big picture...
Important questions:
It’s important to always watch the film yourself beforehand and to ask yourself:
- do I want to show this to the children?
- does this film work in the context and age-range of the children I am working with?
If you choose to show this YouTube video, we suggest you use the following steps:
Download
You can download the PDF with this idea below.
