Rejection at Nazareth

Luke 4:16-30

Thank you for continuing this journey of The Gospel Project^® for Kids. Sunday’s Bible account takes us to Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth. Jesus was about thirty years old when He began His ministry. After Jesus’ baptism and temptation, He traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover. Then, He headed north to Galilee through the region of Samaria, stopping at Jacob’s well to talk to a Samaritan woman.

Jesus began teaching in the synagogues. On this Sabbath day, Jesus went into the synagogue in Nazareth, the town where He grew up. He read aloud the words of the prophet Isaiah. (See Isaiah 61:1-2) Then Jesus sat down. Everyone’s eyes were on Him as He explained, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.” What was Jesus saying? Jesus was saying, “It’s Me”. The words Jesus read were coming true. Some of the people might have remembered Jesus from His youth. They asked, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

Jesus knew their thoughts; He had performed miracles in Capernaum, and these people wanted Jesus to do miracles in His hometown too. Jesus reminded them of two Old Testament accounts: many widows lived in Israel when the prophet Elijah was there, but God sent Elijah to help a widow in another country. And Elisha likely encountered Israelites who had leprosy, but he healed Naaman the Syrian. Jesus wanted the people to understand that His miracles were an act of grace—a gift. No one deserves God’s grace, so God may show grace to whomever He pleases. The people were angry. They drove Jesus away, intending to kill Him, but Jesus escaped through the crowd.

Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, the prophet Isaiah wrote about God’s plan to send a Messiah. He would bring good news and redeem people who were broken and hurting. Jesus read Isaiah’s words and told everyone who was listening that He, Jesus, is the promised Messiah.

Jesus Met a Samaritan Woman

John 4:1-26

Thank you for continuing this journey of The Gospel Project^® for Kids. In Sunday’s Bible account, Jesus sits down at a well in Samaria and does the unthinkable: He talks with a Samaritan woman! At the time Jesus was on earth, the social food chain went like this: Jews don’t talk to Samaritans. The strife between the two groups stretched back hundreds of years, to the Babylonian exile.

When the Babylonians attacked Judah, they moved a large group of God’s people away from their homes. But some of the people—the poorest, the sickest, and the least able to work—were left behind in the region that became known as Samaria. During the 70-year exile, those left in Samaria intermarried with their northern neighbors and practiced foreign customs. While the Samaritans still believed in God, they adapted their beliefs. They set up their own place of worship on Mount Gerizim. (See 2 Kings 17:29-41; Ezra 9:1-2.)

The Jews who returned home from Babylon to rebuild God’s temple in Jerusalem were dedicated to obeying and worshiping God, and they didn’t agree with the Samaritans’ practices. The Samaritans opposed the Jews’ efforts to reestablish their nation. In time, the Jews’ hate for the Samaritans grew—so much so, that a Jew traveling from Judea to Galilee would take a longer route to travel around Samaria rather than through it.

Jesus broke down social barriers when He traveled to Galilee by way of Samaria and when He asked a Samaritan woman for a drink. Jewish men did not speak to women in public. But Jesus was kind to the woman, and He offered a gift. Jesus offered the woman something no one else could give her—living water. She wasn’t quite sure what Jesus meant. Jesus wasn’t talking about water that she could physically drink; Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit who would satisfy her spiritual thirst. Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to those who come to Him by faith.

Jesus and John the Baptist

John 3: 22-36

This week in The Gospel Project^® for Kids, our journey continues in John 3. John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Savior, had a special calling to prepare people for Jesus. When Jesus’ ministry began, some of John’s disciples came to John, concerned about Jesus’ disciples baptizing those who believed. Perhaps they felt the need to defend John’s ministry, but John understood who he was and who Jesus is. Consider these comparisons as John explained that Jesus was greater than John.
First, who were they? John was clear: “I am not the Messiah” (John 3:28). Using a metaphor of a Jewish wedding, John stated that he was not the bridegroom, but was the groom’s friend. Jesus is the bridegroom (John 3:29). Where did they come from? John was from the earth, and he belonged to the earth. Jesus comes from above and He is above all (John 3:31). Next, what did they do? John said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” As the predecessor, John was a witness to the Light (John 1:7-8). John was a voice in the wilderness; Jesus is the Word (John 1:14, 23). John baptized with water, but Jesus baptized with the Spirit (John 1:33).
Finally, why were they here? John went before Jesus and rejoiced with Him (John 3:28-29). Jesus came to give eternal life (John 3:36).
John the Baptist had told people to get ready for Jesus, the promised Messiah. Now that Jesus was there, John’s mission was complete. John the Baptist joyfully stepped aside; Jesus’ earthly ministry had begun, and He would obediently do God’s will to bring salvation to sinners.

Jesus Met Nicodemus

John 3: 1-21



Thank you for continuing this journey of The Gospel Project^® for Kids. Over the next four weeks, preschoolers are going to learn about Jesus’ early ministry. In Sunday’s Bible account, Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin—a Jewish governing body—visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus was part of an exclusive group of religious elite. Nicodemus believed that if a person was a law-abiding Jew, then he would be accepted by God. Jesus turned this belief system on its head.



Jesus’ words perplexed Nicodemus: “Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). For a moment, Nicodemus actually wondered if Jesus was saying that someone must crawl back into the womb! Jesus explained that spiritual birth is not unlike physical birth: a person cannot do it himself. It is something that happens to him.



Jesus reminded Nicodemus of the Old Testament account of the disobedient Israelites and the bronze snake. The Israelites could not help themselves, but when they trusted in God and looked to the bronze snake lifted up on the pole, they were healed. (Numbers 21:4-9)



Every person is born a sinner. It is by God’s Spirit—not our own effort—that we are born again. Without Jesus, we are spiritually dead. Sin separates us from God. When people believe in Christ and are "born again," they receive new life and become God's children. Jesus offers new life to those who trust in Him for salvation.