FORGIVENESS CHRISTIANITY - KS1 This presentation aims to introduce KS1 children to the example of Jesus showing forgiveness to a friend who denied him. Because of the example that Jesus gave, Christians believe that God will forgive them for wrongs they may do in their life. They should be sorry for them (repent) and try to change their ways but the fundamental belief is that God will always forgive and show love, and Jesus demonstrated this. This links to the KS1 Learning Outcome: say something about how Christians talk about a relationship with God. (and provide a good reason for the views they have and the connections they make).

What did Jesus show Christians about forgiveness? Explain to the children that we are thinking about how Jesus acted towards everyone he met, and how he set an example to Christians about God’s relationship with them and also how they should treat each other.

What is happening in this picture? Show the children this picture of a scene from Matthew 14:22-33. [This can be accessed in child-friendly language at https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+14%3A22-33&version=ERV.] If they do not already know the story, ask them to guess in talking partners what they think is happening. Ask them to try and identify the people in the picture. If necessary, draw their attention to the fact that there is no land in sight so it is unlikely that Jesus and Peter are paddling! Does it look like a scene they would like to be in? Do the people in the boat look happy/scared/calm? Once the event has been identified and explained, ask the children to imagine that they are Peter. How would it feel to walk on water? How special would that friend be who helped you do that? Would you want to stay friends with them? Take ideas from the children about their feelings towards Jesus if they were Peter, e.g. proud to be his friend, frightened by his power… might do what he asked me to do… and draw out if they think they would “stick by” a friend like that.

What happened next? Children may know the Easter story and be able to explain this picture. In any event, take them through the key events that led to this scene: Jesus went to Jerusalem and had the Passover supper with his friends. Then he took his closest friends and went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray. In the meantime, Judas (one of his friends/disciples) had gone and got the soldiers to come and arrest him. He showed the soldiers which person was Jesus by giving him a hug and a kiss. The soldiers arrested Jesus and took him away. Ask the children to reimagine themselves as Peter, one of Jesus’ closest friends who was there when this happened. Ask them to say or role play what they might do for their friend and explain why, drawing back on the fact that the things Peter and Jesus had done together (like the walking on water) would have made them very special friends.

What happened next? Peter followed the soldiers and waited in a courtyard outside the building Jesus had been taken to. The people in the courtyard soon recognised Peter as one of Jesus’ friends. The writing on the left comes up with each click so that the children can consider and compare Peter’s actions to what they think he should have done/what they would have done. The first question comes up with the next click so children can then empathise with Peter. The painting and last question come up together so that children can see Peter’s reaction and the aggressive way he is being questioned. What would you do if you were Peter and they asked you if you knew Jesus? What do you think Peter did?

What happened next? The picture wipes down slowly so the children can read what Peter is saying. But what did Peter do? Explain that Peter said three times that he wasn’t Jesus’ friend. He denied that he even knew him. Was that the right thing to do for his friend? If your friend did that to you, would you still want to be their friend? Encourage the children to consider what might happen next between Peter and Jesus – what do they think they would say to each other if they saw each other straight after this event? Would Jesus be cross or would he forgive Peter? Why? Ask them to either: write a conversation between Jesus and Peter or act out what might happen when Jesus and Peter met. Do the children feel Peter deserves to be forgiven for this? Have a class vote to see (a) whether they themselves think Peter deserves to be forgiven and (b) what they think Jesus would do.

What did happen? The disciples were fishing when they saw Jesus on the beach. He had cooked them breakfast. He took Peter to one side and spoke to him. Does he look angry? Does he look like he is forgiving Peter? Depending on the time of year, you may or may not want to spend time on the Easter story. It can be recapped to remind the children that Jesus was crucified following his arrest at the garden, but on the third day after his death, Christians believe he rose from the dead and appeared several times to his disciples. For example, one morning after Jesus had been crucified, the friends of Jesus were out fishing when he appeared on the shoreline and cooked them breakfast. This was the first time he had really spoken to Peter since the denial. Look at the children’s ideas for whether or not Peter was forgiven. Then read the account of what happened: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+21:15-19&version=ERV. Explain that Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him to show that the three “yes”s made up for the three times he had denied that he knew him. He then forgave Peter and gave him a really important job to do which was to spread news about Jesus and start the Christian church. Does Peter look sorry? What do you think they are saying?

So what does that show us about the Christian belief in forgiveness? Remember, we Christians believe that Jesus is God’s son and is the same as God so acts in exactly the same way as God does. Show this slide and encourage the children to respond to such questions as: What have we learned about forgiveness so far? What did Peter learn about forgiveness?  Learning outcomes: say something about how Christians talk about a relationship with God; provide a good reason for the views they have and the connections they make. Children could go on to explore the Christian teaching about forgiveness through other gospel stories (Zacchaeus), parables (The Lost Son) or sayings of Jesus about forgiveness, such as: Matthew 5:23-24 NIV: “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” Matthew 6:14-15 NIV: For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 18: 21-22 NIV: Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? “Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Luke 6:37 NIV: Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Luke 17:3-4 NIV: So watch yourselves. “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says , ‘I repent,’ forgive him.” Luke 23:33-34 NIV: When they came to a place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals – one on his right, the other on his left, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” These should always be drawn back to the key question of what Christians can learn from these to inform both their relationship with God and how they should treat each other.