The Parables – Catechist Lesson Plan

Ignite Lesson Week 5

October 25, 2015

OBJECTIVES To explore what a parable is and why Jesus chooses to use parables

To review the parables of Jesus for content and talk briefly about how one interprets a parable

To give our students and opportunity to see that parables can be proclaimed

o In narrative form

o As a symbolic action (ie. The cleansing of the temple, the multiplication of bread and fishes)

o As a lifestyle choice (i.e. the table fellowship of Jesus)

To help our teens see that part of our Catholic identity is to live our lives as parables.

OVERVIEW

I. 4:00-5:15pm- Teen Mass

II. 5:10-5:20pm - Hospitality in the Narthex

III. 5:20-5:30 - Large Group/attendance in Church

IV. 5:30- 7:00pm Small Group Lesson Plan o The lesson’s activities include the 6 components that should be in every faith lesson:

o Community Building

o Scripture

o Shared experiences by adults and teens

o Catholic Theology and learning

o I learned statements

o Putting our faith in action or lived experience.

Community Building Activity: Creating a web

Description Sitting in a circle, youth toss a ball of string to someone else in the circle. The person receiving the string must name a quality, item, or something else related to the topic or keyword.

You will need: Ball of string or yarn

Preparation None

Instructions In the classic variation of this icebreaker, students introduce their name and one characteristic about themselves before tossing it to another person in the circle. Here’s how it works:

1. Sit the group on the floor in a circle with everyone facing inward toward the center of the circle. 2. Tell everyone your name and one characteristics about yourself. You could also have everyone answer

the same common question like “What is your favorite ice-cream?” For our purpose ask each person to tell the group one of their favorite Bible stories or characters

3. Holding firmly to the end of the string, toss the ball of string to someone in the circle who has not yet received the string.

NOTE: (if the person tossing the ball of string/yarn does not hole the end this activity does not work

4. The person receiving the string gives his/her name and one characteristic. 5. Then, holding firmly onto the string, he or she tosses the ball on to another person. 6. The string should be held tightly and above the ground at all times. 7. Continue until everyone has received the string at least once and told the group their name and one

characteristic. Variations: (keep this game in your repertoire – it can be used again in another class by altering the discussion questions)

Example: Use this icebreaker to discuss how the members all depend on each other. The first person who receives the string introduces him/herself and role in the organization or group. Then before tossing the ball to another person, tells how he or she is dependent upon that person.

Taking it to the Next Level 1. Have someone in the group pull the string – What happens? 2. Have everyone pull the string tight then cut the string in the middle – What happens? 3. In what ways does this string represent various relationships in the group? Our relationships are intertwined and connected. If a single person pulls the string it affects everyone in the group to varying degrees, depending on how

closely they are connected. If one person’s string is cut – the relationship is broken, it affects all. We need to support each other and not let others down

Connection to the lesson

A web demonstrates our interconnection as a group, which reinforces the purpose of small groups The web creates a visual example of a parable – The web itself is a parable about connection,

association, relationship, correlation…

Scripture Activities

Break into smaller groups. Have each group read a parable and discuss within their group, and then with the

whole class. Have each small group then come up with a modern day parable and share with the class.

Stop by 6:45 to cover the remaining items:

I Learned Allow time to share what the teens have learned. There is always a spot on the handout for the teens to write this portion of the lesson. This can be done verbally as well. It is important for you to be able to assess if the teens in your group are meeting the objectives of the lessons. Peer Ministers can be utilized here to help you make sure teens are engaged and learning. Encourage students to take packets home and share with their parents or families

Social Action and Challenges for the week (Lived Experience) Discuss ways to put the ideas from tonight into action

Closing Prayer & Dismissal: Ask group members to share personal intentions. End with your covenant prayer if you didn’t start with it.

BACKGROUND FOR CATECHIST To get a better understanding of what parables are and what they mean read:

READ: WHAT IS A PARABLE BY DON SCHWAGER AT HTTP://WWW.RC.NET/WCC/PARABLE1.HTM

This is a good straightforward article on the parables, easy to read. You may consider giving this to your

students.

IF YOU ARE MORE ADVENTUROUS - READ: THE PARABLER PROCLAIMED BY ROBERT A. LUDWIG

(Note: This is heavy reading, it will go easier if you read it ahead of time and highlight some points you think

with resonate with your class).

What is a parable? 1. a short allegorical story designed to illustrate orteach some truth, religious principle, or moral

lesson. 2. a statement or comment that conveys a meaning indirectly by the use of comparison, analogy or the like 3. a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels. 4. a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning 5. a provocative act used to stir up change (i.e. the raising of Lazarus, the Cleansing of the Temple)

The purpose of a parable is… 1. to cause a controversy or a stirring inside – to be subversive 2. to challenge widely held assumptions 3. to create in its hearers a new perspective 4. to allow the hearers to see something from a new angle 5. to create a concrete example of an intangible reality

Scriptural passages that testify to Jesus’ use of parables 1. "He began to teach them many things in parables." (Mark 4:2)

2. “Jesus preached his message to the people, using many other parables like these; he told them as much as they could understand. 34 He would not speak to them without using parables, but when he was alone with his disciples, he would explain everything to them.” (Mark 4:33-34)

3. "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world." (Matthew 13:35)

A parable does not always need to make sense – it just needs to get you to think. Other Points to highlight with your students

1. JESUS OFTEN TAUGHT IN PARABLES – AN ANCIENT EASTERN LITERARY FORM

a. A parable is a story about a familiar subject to teach an important moral lesson.

an example from everyday life to convey a spiritual truth, such as the Parable of the Good

Samaritan to teach love and mercy, or the Parable of the Friend at Midnight to teach

persistence in prayer.

b. Parables were used in the Old Testament and so the form was familiar to Jesus and to his

listeners.

Samson’s Riddle, Judges 14:14/ The Great Eagles and the Vine, Ezekiel 17:1-10/ The

Thistle and Cedar, 2 Kings 14:8-9/ The Sluggard and His Vineyard (Field), Proverbs

24:30-34).

c. The power of parables usually lies in the comparison the story teller draws (between characters

or situations).

1. Parables often relied on word-play (puns, riddles, homophones, parody, metaphor, verbal irony, comic

exaggeration) that has often been lost to us due to translation issues. Jesus’ parables were probably

more engaging and humorous to the original audience and more exasperating to the individuals who

identified with the characters that Jesus mocked in his story telling.

2. Parables are often described by scripture scholars as word pictures

a. A good picture can speak more loudly and clearly than many words

b. These word-pictures “challenged the mind to discover anew what God is like and moved the

heart to make a response to God's love and truth”.

c. Jesus engages both the mind and the heart by having his hearers use their imaginations and their

senses (sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste)

d. Parables define the unknown by using the known (i.e. the kingdom of God is like…)

e. While the parables of Jesus are rooted in a specific time and place, and having some background

in the culture of Palestine in New Testament times can make our enjoyment and understanding

of the parables sharper, the messages they convey speak to people of every time and place.

3. Jesus often uses an element of surprise or an unexpected twist in his parables (i.e. The Lost Sheep – no

shepherd would leave 99 sheep unguarded to look for a lost one).

4. Parables have a double meaning – the first is the literary meaning, the second is the deeper hidden

meaning.

a. When studying the parables of Jesus, remember it is the main point that counts. Do not get

caught up in the details of the story.

b. Jesus knew not everyone would understand the parables

Some would remain at the first level – literal understanding

Some would argue with the details of the story

Some chose to disregard the parables as nonsense

Some understood the parable but chose to ignore the more important truth of the story

5. Jesus used 46 parables in his teaching a. Parables represent approximately 1/3 of the teachings of Jesus b. Parables are found in all four gospels

Small Group Sharing

On the Teen Handout there are three examples of parables. Choose one and discuss it. o The Parable of the Pearl (one of the kingdom parables) o The Starfish Story in last week’s lesson is an example of a modern day parable (ties back to last

week’s lesson) o The Parable of the Pencil (contemporary parable)

Discussion questions: 1. What message or lesson is this parable trying to communicate? 2. How might telling a story be more effective than just stating the moral or religious principle

the parable illustrates? 3. Look at the Purpose of a Parable section on the Teen Handout. Which of the five purposes

do you think this parable fulfills (you can choose more than one)

Optional Activity Show your class the video The Bridge - Modern Day Parable of John 3:16

WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=UJUUSQ2VDYC 6:29)

Read John 3:16

For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in

him may not die but have eternal life.

Discussion Questions 1. Why did the film maker call this video a parable? 2. Of all the passengers on the train (the 3. What was the terrible choice God the Father had to make? 4. Why did God the Father make the choice He did? 5. What is the sign of hope at the end of the video?

Small group exercises: This is a wonderful opportunity for your peers to share their experiences.

1) Breaking open a parable Have the teens separate into 3 groups. Assign each group one of the following parables

1. Mark 4:30-32 — The Mustard Seed Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what 30 parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the 31 smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes 32 the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.”

2. Luke 11:5-8 — Friend in Need Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at 5 midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of 6 mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’ “Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, 7 and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell 8 you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

3. Luke 12:15-21 — The Rich Fool Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of 15 greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a 16 good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my 17 crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build 18 bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to 19 myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded 20 from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is 21 not rich toward God.”

Have a student in each small group read the parable The group then discusses the following questions

o What is the religious truth this parable is meant to convey? o Would the story still be considered a parable today? Why or why not?

Have the large group come back together and discuss what they read.

2) Creating a modern day parable Have the teens separate into 3 groups. Each group must come up with a modern day real life parable on (give each group a topic)

o Mercy o The relationship between the rich and poor o Gratitude o Loving one’s enemy

Share with the large group – this could be done by writing a parable, acting out a parable, creating a piece artwork…

----- Please remember to dismiss class at 7:00PM only ----- Do not dismiss students earlier.

*Please make sure students place their chairs on top of the tables/desks before

they leave. Maintenance vacuums on Sunday evenings after we leave.*

Thank you!

Catechist Checklist – Please fill out and turn in at the end of the night

We covered (check the ones covered):

□ Community Builder □Scripture □ Shared experience

□ Catholic Theology □ I learned □ Social Action

□ handed out and used lesson sheets

Name a success with my group’s faith formation:

Biggest challenge with my group this week:

Feedback on lesson plan and handouts:

I liked …

I didn’t like…

I would have done…

Name: _____________________________________________