Joyful Moments in Christ

Choosing Christ and Making Peace

This Sunday School lesson is intended for upper elementary students. All lessons on this website are protected by copyright, but you can use them for free in small groups or Sunday School classes. You may share a link to this page, but please do not copy these pages and put them on other websites.

The Big Idea

Following Jesus is the most important choice we can make, even when it leads to difficult disagreements with others or requires us to settle our problems quickly.

Lesson Objectives

1. Students will learn that choosing to follow Jesus is so important that it can sometimes cause division even among families.
2. Students will understand that God wants us to pay attention to our hearts and the truth of his word just as much as we pay attention to the world around us.
3. Students will recognize the wisdom of making peace and settling arguments quickly before they turn into bigger problems.

Class Setting Notes

1. Recommended for upper elementary Sunday School.
2. Lesson length: 45 to 60 minutes. Can be shortened or extended based on activities selected.

Opening Activity: The Weather Watchers

1. Ask the students to look out the window and tell you what they think the weather will be like for the rest of the day.
2. Ask them how they know this. They might mention clouds, wind, or the color of the sky.
3. Explain that in the time of Jesus, people were very good at reading these signs to know if rain or heat was coming.
4. Tell the class that today we will learn why Jesus said it is even more important to understand what is happening in our hearts than what is happening in the sky.

This activity helps introduce the idea of being observant and wise about the things that truly matter to God.

Bible Reading

Ask the class to read Luke 12:49-59 aloud together or have one person read it.

• Very Easy: Easy-to-Read Version: Luke 12:49-59 (ERV)
• Very Easy: New International Reader’s Version: Luke 12:49-59 (NIRV)
• Easy: Good News Translation: Luke 12:49-59 (GNT)
• Medium: New Living Translation: Luke 12:49-59 (NLT)
• Hard: New International Version: Luke 12:49-59 (NIV)
• Very Hard: English Standard Version: Luke 12:49-59 (ESV)

Additional Reading: Choosing the Right Bible Translation

Suggested prompts:

As the class reads aloud, consider asking some of these prompts:

1. Listen for the surprising thing Jesus says he came to bring to the world.
2. Notice how many different family members might disagree because of their choices about Jesus.
3. Think about why Jesus calls people hypocrites for knowing the weather but not knowing the present time.
4. Watch what happens to the person who does not try to settle their problems on the way to court.
5. Pay attention to the advice Jesus gives about doing what is right and making peace.

Teacher Background Notes

1. The fire that Jesus mentions refers to the refining and judgment that comes when the truth of God is preached to the world.
2. The baptism Jesus speaks of in this passage is a reference to his coming suffering and death on the cross.
3. Division in families happens not because Jesus hates families, but because his call for our primary loyalty to himself can be offensive to those who do not believe in him.
4. In the ancient world, people depended on the west wind for rain and the south wind for heat, and they were very skilled at predicting these patterns.
5. Settling with an opponent before reaching the judge reflects a heart of humility and a desire for reconciliation that pleases God.

Theological Insights

1. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, but his message also acts as a sword that separates those who trust him from those who do not.
2. God is the source of all truth, and he expects us to use our minds to understand the importance of the life and work of Jesus.
3. The gospel requires us to put our relationship with God above even our closest earthly relationships if they stand in the way of our faith.
4. Sin causes division and conflict, but the grace of God leads us toward making peace and seeking forgiveness.
5. We live in a time of opportunity where God calls everyone to turn to him and settle their spiritual debt before the day of judgment.

Discussion Questions

Understanding the Text

1. Why did Jesus say he felt distressed or troubled in verse 50?
2. What are the specific family relationships that Jesus said would be divided?
3. What were the two weather signs the people were able to predict?
4. What does the judge do to a person who has not settled their dispute?

Personal Reflection and Application

1. Has there ever been a time when you felt left out because you wanted to do what was right for God?
2. Why is it sometimes easier to talk about the weather or sports than it is to talk about what God is doing in our lives?
3. Why do you think Jesus wants us to settle our arguments quickly instead of staying angry?
4. Who is someone you can try to make peace with this week, even if it feels a little bit difficult?

Suggested Activities

The Peace Bridge

1. Place two chairs a few feet apart and explain that they represent two friends who are having a big argument.
2. Give students long strips of paper to write down ways to settle an argument, such as saying sorry or listening carefully.
3. Have them tape the strips between the chairs to build a bridge.

This activity helps students visualize how taking action can build a path to peace.

Sign of the Times Drawing

1. Give each student a piece of paper divided into two halves.
2. On one side, have them draw a weather sign like a rain cloud or a bright sun.
3. On the other side, have them draw a heart or a cross to represent focusing on what God is doing.

This activity teaches the difference between physical signs and spiritual truth.

Role Play: Settle on the Way

1. Ask for two volunteers to act out a small disagreement over a toy or a game.
2. Have them practice two different endings. In the first, they stay angry until a teacher has to decide. In the second, they settle it quickly and fairly on their own.
3. Discuss which ending felt better and why Jesus recommends the second way.

This activity gives students a chance to practice the wise advice Jesus gives about handling conflict.

Memory Verse

Closing Prayer

Father,
Thank you for sending Jesus to show us the way of truth. Please help us to love you more than anything else and give us the strength to be peacemakers in our families and with our friends.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

The ESL Version

I also create materials for adult English Language Learners (ELLs) and ESL students. You can find my ELL Bible Study based on Luke 12:49-59 here:

• ELL Bible Study: Luke 12:49-59 — Jesus Brings Division

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English Standard Version (ESV): Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.