For each passage, there is a collectable card alongside high-quality character images and a colouring page. All other graphics are extra’s!
Click on the images below to see a larger version. Save the images by right click + ‘save image as’ (computers) OR long press + ‘save image’ (mobile).
These images are NOT copyright free.
These resources are provided for personal/classroom use only. Use can use them for teaching, games, publicity, decorations, big screen presentations, flannelgraphs, stickers, or any other non-commercial activity in your church, school, home, or organised group. You may not use them in products you are going to sell (both printed and digital). Nor may you upload the original images online, on websites, social media or in YouTube videos. Any questions, please reach out to me using the contact page link at the end of the page.
This story of the widow’s mite becomes all the more amazing when you learn about the coins and offering boxes. The Mites were roughly the circumference of a pencil and thin, the offering was tiny in every way. The offering boxes meanwhile sported bold trumpets of shiny bronze would direct any offerings into a large wooden box. 12 of these distinctive shapes were placed around the main courtyard edges, where the large column supported covers could keep they free from debris and rain. Financial gifting wasn’t a secret pursuit but a public display.
This retold version of the Bible passage is supplied for inspiration, feel free to omit or embellish to give it your personal voice.
In her hand, between the wrinkles, lay two tiny copper coins. She would have to wait until there was nobody near the offering box.
In the temple courtyard there were thirteen wooden boxes with trumpet-shaped bronze funnels for giving gifts. The coins would bounce off the funnels, ringing out the offering to show how much people had given. These two tiny coins might not even make a sound.
The old woman shuffled around the large open space. It was often busy in this courtyard; most people got to the temple through here. There were also groups of men discussing religion or gathered listening to a rabbi speak. As she passed one, she learnt it was the teacher Jesus they were listening to today.
Jesus had seen her too. He was watching her look for a quiet offering box. Jesus knew that she only held two tiny coins in her hands. Jesus didn’t want to embarrass her because he knew her truth; he knew her secret. Jesus knew those two coins were all the money she had left and she wanted to give it to God.
Into the courtyard came a group of scribes. Their long robes were bright, making them stand out from the other visitors. They walked over to one of the offering boxes and started to pour coins into the funnel. The coins made the air ring like bells. Everyone stopped and turned towards the sound. The scribes looked around, proud that they were being recognised for their gift.
Jesus wasn’t impressed. He knew the men would change the large value coins for many little ones to make themselves look generous. He knew that these men would have collected the money from those with so little. Their generosity was fake.
While everyone was staring at the men putting on a show, Jesus turned around and looked straight at the old woman. When she saw him staring, he looked across at an offering box that had nobody near it. He nodded, and she smiled back to him.
Then, Jesus did something amazing. As the old woman dropped her two coins, sure the whole crowd would be looking the other way, Jesus spoke to all the men around him and told them that her offering was the greatest. As she turned back into the courtyard, Jesus and the crowd around him stood up. They didn’t face the rich noisy scribes, oh no! They all faced the old woman. Her offering, her two tiny coins, had been recognised.
The gift of the widow was by every measure tiny. Two mite coins, both less than a centimetre across, would have made little dent in the temple finances, and yet here Jesus is choosing to ignore the show-offs and elevate the lowly.
This story pulls in many passages to paint a big picture of the character of James and John before the set passage. The main story highlights our impulsive and selfish nature, but shows How Jesus turns that around. It continues past the focus passage to show how James and John became changed by this encounter in their lives.
This retold version of the Bible passage is supplied for inspiration, feel free to omit or embellish to give it your personal voice.
Main Passage : Mark 10:35-45 Additional Passages : Luke 9:51-55, Mark 1 + 3
Today’s story is about two of Jesus’s twelve special friends called disciples These disciples were called James and John, but Jesus liked to call them the “Sons of Thunder.” James and John were fishermen; they worked with Simon-Peter. Jesus had walked along near their fishing boat one day and called them to follow him. They went from fishing all night and pulling in heavy nets with fish to fishing for people to be part of God’s kingdom, fishing for followers of Jesus.
From then on, James and John could always be found near Jesus. We do know that they weren’t always very intelligent, and sometimes they got a bit overexcited. One day, they were so irritated with a village who didn’t welcome them that they suggested calling down fire from Heaven to burn it up. Do you think Jesus agreed with their request? No. Jesus told them that he was there to save people, not destroy them. James and John may have had bad tempers, but Jesus still chose them to be part of his kingdom.
One day, James and John came to Jesus with another request. The brothers had worked out that one day Jesus would be king, and they wanted to sit at his right- and left-hand sides when he was on the throne. Jesus listened patiently. The only throne Jesus would have on earth was a wooden cross; Jesus knew this, but obviously James and John hadn’t worked that out yet. “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you go through the things I must go through?” James and John didn’t hesitate, “Yes, we can, we really can.” Jesus looked at his friends; he did not want them to suffer but he knew they would. “To sit at my right or left is not for me to decide,” Jesus said and then he walked away.
When the apostles heard about this conversation, they became angry with James and John. Jesus called everyone together and gave them some new instructions. “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. I did not come to be served, but to serve,” he said. That must have sounded crazy to the disciples, but slowly they came to understand. Through Jesus, they learnt a better sort of greatness, not one you take but one you give.
After Jesus had gone to Heaven, James and John helped start the church, a church of people who would serve. The disciples tried to serve everyone, and the church grew. James became the first apostle to join Jesus in Heaven. His boldness meant he didn’t deny what Jesus had taught him, even if it meant losing his life. His brother John lived for a long time. He wrote to churches, and some of his letters are in the Bible. Knowing Jesus changed John. No longer did he imagine burning villages; his letters are full of love and understanding. He became known as “The Apostle of Love.”
It’s easy to feel sympathetic for the rich young man, he is obviously truly seeking belief beyond what he has experienced, but Jesus sees his heart is more tied to his wealth than his faith. These games play with this idea and the imagery of the needle and camel that Jesus used to illustrate the difficulty wealth can cause.
Standing in a circle, have every child reach out both hands into the centre and grab another random wrist. The aim is to untangle the knot formed without letting go of each other by stepping over arms and spinning, etc. Link: the rich man had tried to follow all the rules but failed because his love of money was greater than his faith.
Find the camel
Under 7’s
Small group
Requires setup time
Noisy game
Space needed
Print the page (click on the picture for the file) and hide the camels around the room. Once collected, talk about the different sizes. Link: even these tiny camels can’t get through the eye of a needle!
Dominoes
All Ages
Small group
Requires setup time
Noisy game
Can be seated
Use dominoes or Jenga blocks to make a fall run. For older kids, give each team a set-up time limit! Link: In dominoes, the first falling block does not complete the series, that honour goes to the last block to fall.
The needle’s eye
Ages 7+
Any size group
Requires setup time
Quiet game
Can be seated
Can you fit the camel? Print this page by clicking on the image for the PDF and let your kids try the challenge!
A reader reached out asking for the solutions, so here they are… There are 2 ways to solve this: The first is to roll the image of the camel into a tight tube, and then it will fit through the hole. The second is to hold the needle up to your eye and see the camel “through” the eye of the needle. The task proving impossible is the most likely scenario and fits the story best.
It was a choice for the young rich man, but Jesus knew it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for him to pass up on the wealth. This craft uses the idea of scales to hang in the balance his decision. The balance isn’t set, you can make Jesus tip the scales.
For each passage, there is a collectable card alongside high-quality character images and a colouring page. All other graphics are extra’s!
Click on the images below to see a larger version. Save the images by right click + ‘save image as’ (computers) OR long press + ‘save image’ (mobile).
These images are NOT copyright free.
These resources are provided for personal/classroom use only. Use can use them for teaching, games, publicity, decorations, big screen presentations, flannelgraphs, stickers, or any other non-commercial activity in your church, school, home, or organised group. You may not use them in products you are going to sell (both printed and digital). Nor may you upload the original images online, on websites, social media or in YouTube videos. Any questions, please reach out to me using the contact page link at the end of the page.
