Bible Lesson:  Peter Denies Jesus/Jesus on the Beach

Bible References:  Luke 22:54-60; John21:1-12

You’ll find illustrations for both Bible stories at Free Bible Images, so you can create flashcards or a PowerPoint presentation, and I’ve given other suggestions for added visuals.

Free Bible Images: https://www.freebibleimages.org/illustrations/

Suggested Visuals:

1. Jesus arrested
2. Rooster crowing
3. Peter’s denial at the fire
4. Peter’s second denial
5. Peter’s third denial
6. Peter crying
7. Kid at school
8. TV screen (no scary picture please!)
9. Shopping centre
10.  Jesus on the Cross
11.  Empty nets
12. Peter running to Jesus on the shore
13. Breakfast on the beach
14. Jesus and Peter reunited

Words:

1. Jesus had been arrested!

Betrayed by one of His own disciples He was under guard and taken to the High Priest’s home for interrogation and torture.

And Peter followed at a distance.

He kept away from Jesus.

2. Only hours before, Peter had said…

‘Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even die with you.’

Jesus said, ‘Peter, let me tell you something.

Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times

that you even know me.’

3. After Jesus was arrested Peter kept himself at a distance from Jesus.

The guards lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it.

Peter joined them.  He wanted to blend in.

A servant girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at him.

Finally, she said, ‘This man was one of Jesus’ followers!

But Peter denied it.

‘I don’t even know him!’ he said.

4. After a while, someone else looked at him and said,

‘You must be one of them!’

‘No, I’m not!’ said Peter.

5. About an hour later someone else said,

‘This must be one of the disciples of Jesus,

because he is a Galilean, too.’

But Peter said, ‘Man, I don’t know what you are talking about.’

And he even began to curse and swear.  (Matthew 26:74)

And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.

6. At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter.

The Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind.

‘Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three

times that you even know me.’

Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.

7. We can be like Peter.

Keeping Jesus at a distance.

It’s easy to be a Christian when you’re in Kid’s Church.

But what about at school?

What if someone were to ask, ‘Do you go to Church?’

But you want to blend in with the other kids.

You say, ‘My parents make me.’

You distanced yourself from Jesus.

8. What about staying overnight at someone’s house?

Everyone wants to watch a scary movie.

‘Why don’t you want to watch it?’ someone asks you.

‘Is it because you’re one of those Christians?’

You say, ‘No.  I’ve seen scarier movies than this.’

You distanced yourself from Jesus.

9. What about a trip to the shopping centre (mall)?

You’re with kids who are behaving badly in the

food court.

Another kid has decided to accept a challenge to try and shoplift something from a cheap dollar store.

‘You wouldn’t do it would you?’ someone taunts.

‘You’re one of those Jesus nuts.’

‘I am not!’ you say.  ‘I can do what I want and I’ll steal something, too’

Later, you’re ashamed of what you have done.

You distanced yourself from Jesus.

10. Jesus willingly went to His death on the Cross.

He was innocent but died the death of a criminal.

Jesus died to bring us near to God.

Our sin had to be dealt with (Romans 6:23)

Because it’s our sin that keeps us separate from God who is perfect.

11. After Jesus’ crucifixion, Peter said, ‘I’m going fishing.’

‘We’ll go with you,’ said his friends.

So they went off and got into the boat.

They fished all night but caught nothing.

12. As dawn was breaking, Jesus stood beside the seashore,

but the disciples didn’t know it was Him.

Jesus called to them, ‘Have you caught any fish?’

  ‘No!’ they replied.

  ‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat,’ Jesus said, ‘and you’ll get some.’

  So they cast the net, and they couldn’t pull it in because of the weight of all the fish!

  John turned to Peter.

‘It’s Jesus!’ he said.

When Peter heard it was Jesus, he put on his tunic

and jumped into the water and headed towards Him.

He threw himself in the water to get to Jesus as fast as he could

because the boat wasn’t quick enough!

13. The other disciples dragged the loaded net to shore.

They found breakfast waiting for them – fish cooking over a

charcoal fire and some bread.

‘Now come and have some breakfast!’ Jesus said.

14. After breakfast Jesus spoke to Peter.

Twice He asked Peter, ‘Do you love me?’

Each time Peter answered, ‘I love you.’

A third time Jesus asked Peter, ‘Do you love me?’

Peter was grieved and felt intense sorrow.

He knew this was a reminder of his three denials.

Peter said, ‘Lord You know all things; You know that I love you.’

Ministry to the Children:

Have you been keeping Jesus at a distance?  Trying to blend in with the world by keeping yourself separate or detached from Him?  That will only take you backwards instead of moving forwards.  If you truly love Jesus and have sinned, Jesus will forgive you!  Get back close to Him as soon as you can!  (1 John 1:8-9)  

‘And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below – indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

Have you received Jesus as your Lord and Saviour?  Don’t keep your distance! Ask Him into your heart now. He will never leave you.       

Memory Verse:  Ephesians 2:13

But now you have been united with Christ Jesus.  Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to Him through the blood of Christ.

Straw Relay:

Cut paper drinking straws in half and have one for each child.  Divide the children into two teams.  Make two sets of the memory verse on small pieces of paper, a different colour for each team.

Place the words on a table for each team.  As a relay race, each team member must pick up one word of the memory verse with their straw, and carry it to their team’s table on the other side of the room. The first team to assemble and recite the verse out loud together, wins!

Game:  Foot Golf!

You will need:

• Balls
• Hula hoops (as holes)

What to do:

Set a course of ‘holes’ around your play area.  Leaders keep a tally of how many kicks it takes for a child to get a ball into each hole.  Change the size of the ball depending on the age of your kids.

Craft: Pony Bead Cross Necklace

I made one of these so I know it’s easy!  Look for the instructions on the Internet.  If a child does not want to make one to wear, the necklace could be made as a gift for someone else. 

You’ll find the free download for this lesson here: https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Dont-Keep-Your-Distance.pdf