As Jeremy convalesced on the couch yesterday, we held church at home. Jim tasked the other three boys with teaching the Bible lesson. They were each to pick a passage from the Bible, read it to the family and discuss. The reason I’m sharing this is because, given each of their personalities, the passages they chose couldn’t have been more appropriate.
Peter went first. He chose to read the story of David and Goliath.
32 “Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!” 33 “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.” 34 But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, 35 I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. 36 I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! 37 The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!”
Did someone mention armies? War? Little good guy conquering the big bad guy? Peter was all over it.
Jake went next and shared the parable of the sower. The science of it just makes so much sense, after all.
3Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9He who has ears, let him hear.”
Derek finished by reading the story of Jesus walking on water.
25During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 27But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 28″Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29″Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
32And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Derek’s personality came out when he then taught us about how this story reminds him of the importance of having faith in Jesus, particularly faith the size of a mustard seed, which is very small. And he also reminded us of a story we learned in history a couple years ago about the early Coptic church who saw a mountain lift from the ground as they prayed.
As amusing as it was to see the boys’ differences come out in their story choices, it caused me to be thankful to God for the many different lessons He teaches us through His word. My prayer is that these kids’ hearts would always be fertile ground for faith and courage to grow.