The following is a complete lesson script on Jesus calming the storm from Mark 4. This Sunday School Lesson includes everything you need to grab kid’s attention including a fun origami object lesson that you’ll be ready to use in 5 minutes flat! This same lesson is part of the curriculum series That’s Amazing: The Miracles of Jesus.
Designed for 3rd-5th-grade kids (even the ‘hardly paying attention’ boys!!).
How many of you have ever been in a storm? How about a hurricane? Let’s play a game to see just how much you know about what to do when caught in a fierce storm. See if you can guess how many of these “facts” are true, and how many are false:
- The safest place to be during a hurricane is in a basem*nt. (True)
- If a hurricane is coming, you should make sure that you have a portable electric stove.
(False. It would be better to have a gas stove, because people often lose power during a
hurricane). - The eye of a hurricane is the worst part. (False. The eye is the center of the hurricane,
where no winds blow.) - If a window or door is open during a hurricane, winds can lift off the roof of a
house.(True. A house should be shut tight to be able to survive wind pressure). - The best place to be during a hurricane is on a boat. (False! It is one of the worst
places to be, because storms pick up momentum as they come out of the ocean and
onto shore).
Let’s see if you can pick the correct answer:
What’s the first thing you should do when you hear a hurricane is coming?
- Scream and cry for Momma
- Dig a giant tunnel in the ground and crawl to China
- Check how bad the hurricane is supposed to be, and either prepare your house, or make
plans to stay somewhere else if it is going to hit hard. - Buy tons of water and food and hide in the basem*nt.
Answer: 3
(Optional: Make the origami boat while you tell the story)
Today we are going to talk about a really bad storm recorded in the Bible (Mark 4:25-41, or Matthew 8:23-27). In this storm, Jesus’ disciples were in the worst place they could possibly be— do you remember where the worst place to be in a storm is?
Right, a boat. That’s exactly where Jesus’ disciples were, because they were going to head to the other side of a lake. Jesus had been teaching all day, and a whole crowd of people had been listening. It had been such a long day, and Jesus decided that they should get into a boat and go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, and take a break from all those people.
Remember, Jesus was extremely popular because of the miracles He did and the things He taught, and He was surrounded by people wherever he went. Kind of like all the crazy fans that scream when they see Justin Bieber— except unlike Justin, Jesus didn’t push his fans away or tell them to stop screaming.
But there came a point in which Jesus really just HAD to get some rest. So He and His disciples took a boat across the lake, and Jesus fell asleep. It’s easy to understand why, because He had been teaching all day long, and had probably answered a zillion questions. Yes, Jesus is God, but He was human too, so He was totally exhausted!
Now, Jesus’s disciples couldn’t just turn on a TV set and find out that a big storm was coming. So they had no idea, and the storm took them by complete surprise. They were fishermen, so they had probably dealt with a few storms before. But this one was a MONSTER! They were super scared, especially since they had read on the internet that a boat was the WORST place to be (just kidding).
So it was a dark and scary night— literally! Waves starting crashing over the side of the boat as the winds howled. The boat started filling with water. What would you have done at that point?
The disciples probably threw everything overboard that they could, in order to try to save the boat from going underwater— all their supplies, food, and equipment, maybe even their PlayStations (just kidding)— but it was not enough.
And there was Jesus, just snoozing away on a pillow. How could He sleep during such a storm? I’ve known some heavy sleepers. I’ve heard of a person who slept with a seatbelt over their face, and I heard of another guy who slept during an action movie in a 4D movie theater and did not wake up even when the chairs moved back and forth and water was sprayed into his face. But this storm was way worse than any of that, and the boat was about to tip over, and still, Jesus didn’t wake up.
So the disciples decide to go wake him up, scared out of their minds and thinking that they were about to die. They shouted something like, “Jesus! Wake up! We’re about to drown— don’t you even care?”
They were pretty surprised about what Jesus did next. He didn’t get up and start screaming “We’re all gonna die!” like most of us would have. He wasn’t even worried. He simply got up and said, “Quiet! Be still!”, and guess what happened next?
The sea instantly got calm! The wind went away and the waves sunk back into the smooth, glassy surface of the lake! Just like that, Jesus spoke, and the storm ended.
After Jesus calmed the storm, He said, “Why were you guys so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” The disciples had been with Jesus and had seen His miracles and heard his teachings, so it was pretty shocking that they still didn’t realize what He was capable of.
I don’t know about you, but I would love to have that kind of power. House a mess? No problem, just say, “Be clean!” Bully about to attack? Just call out, “Stay still!” and he stops in his tracks! It sure would be useful, but how do you imagine people would react if they saw you make things happen like that?
Yes, they would probably freak out, and either want you to sign autographs, or they would run away from you fast. Well, Jesus’ disciples were really freaked out. They were actually terrified of the fact that Jesus could calm a storm just by talking. They even starting talking behind Jesus’s back, saying things like, “What kind of guy is this? Even the wind and the waves do what He says!”
Obviously the disciples didn’t really understand who Jesus is, even though they had spent plenty of time with Him. It’s like having Peter Parker in your house and not knowing he’s Spiderman. Many people saw Jesus just as a regular guy, because He looked just like any other human when He was on earth. But His powers are limitless because he is God.
Many of us don’t understand what God is really capable of. The fact is, nothing is impossible for God, and He can do way more than what we can imagine. Now, this could scare you like it did the disciples, because it means that God is way more powerful than you or I, and can punish us when we do wrong. However, the Bible says that God is love, which means He loves us very much and often uses His great power to help us.
What kind of “storm” is going on in your life that you need Jesus to calm? Do you really believe He can fix the situation? Or will you cry and scream like the disciples did, and believe that Jesus doesn’t care?
God really DOES care. But you must ask him to calm the storm and trust that He will in His time. Don’t try to fix your problems by yourself. Talk to the One who is more powerful than you can imagine, and allow Him to calm the storm.
