Lesson Plan- Unforgiving Servant (1st grade on up)

Unforgiving Servant

Objectives: The students will be able to
- retell the story The Unforgiving Servant
- explain why God forgives us when we are truly sorry
- explain why we are to forgive others over and over again
- describe how we can be kind and forgiving to others



Review:
Prayer, questions and vocabulary words from last week’s lesson



Vocabulary Words: (Write the bold words on the board and discuss with class)
debt- something that is owed
servant- somebody who serves another
parable- a story with a hidden meaning
mercy- forgiveness



Plan:

Read story: “The Unforgiving Servant” and then ask questions



Activties:

loyolapress.com- Background on the Gospel and activities for groups and families

4catholiceducatiors.com- Resources on the Sunday Readings (Matthew)

sermons4kids.com- Over and Over Again object lesson with group activities, coloring page, puzzles, quiz, worship bulletin

sermons4kidslcom- Keep On Forgiving object lesson with group activities, coloring page, puzzles, quiz, worship bulletin

meaningfulmama.com- Character Building Object Lesson About Forgiveness

word-sunday.com- Forgiveness (scroll down to Gospel)

word-sunday.com- Arms Folded, Arms Out! (family activity)

ministry-to-children.com- Kids Bible Lesson (Matthew 18:21-35) The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

ministry-to-children.com- Lesson: Judge not! God’s Mercy Always Wins (Matthew 18:21-35)

ministry-to-children.com- “God Wants Me to Forgive Everyone?” Sunday School Lesson from Matthew 18:21-35

sundayschool.works- The Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35) Sunday School Lessons for Kids

gracelink.net- Seventy Times Seven lesson

missionbibleclass.org- Parable of an Unforgiving Servant lesson with activities

weconnect.com- Matthew 18:21-35 lesson with activities

cloversites.com- Forgiving Others (lesson)

jesuswalk.com- Forgiveness in the Kingdom (Matthew 18:21-35; 6:9-15)

dltk-bible.com- The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant lesson with activities

youthgroupministry.com- Youth Ministry Lesson on Matthew 18:21-35: Breaking the Chains of Unforgiveness

truewaykids.com- The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (free printable lessons for under 5s, over 5s, preteens and teens)

rclblectionary.com- Matthew 18:21-35 Primary Lesson

rclblectionary.com- Matthew 18:21-35 Intermediate Lesson

rclblectionary.com- Matthew 18:21-35 Junior High Lesson

The Catholic Toolbox- Unforgiving Servant Lesson Plan for 1st Grade On Up with Objectives, Review, Vocabulary Words, Bible Story with questions, Activities, Crafts, Games, Snacks, Puzzles/Mazes/Worksheets, etc.

The Catholic Toolbox- What Can Teens Do For Gospel For The Mass Activities?

textweek.com- Lectionary, Scripture Study and Worship Links and Resources



Crafts

sermons4kidslcom- Keep On Forgiving (group activities) crafts

sermons4kidslcom- Over And Over Again (group activities) crafts

jesus-without-language.net- Parable of the forgiven Debt (Matthew 18) | Craft 1

jesus-without-language.net- Parable of the forgiven Debt (Matthew 18) | Craft 2

ministry-to-children.com- Reflecting God (scroll down to craft)

Jesus Always Forgives poem by Patricia Meyers (idea for a lacing craft)- Have students print this out or print out on computer and give it to your students to paste inside heart.

Jesus Always Forgives

Sometimes we hurt each other's hearts by
mean things said or done.
It's hard not to be mad or angry,
forgiveness isn't fun.
But after the "I'm sorry" if we'll say “it's okay"
and mean it deep inside our heart,
we choose the Bible way.
Jesus always forgives us,
I know that that is true.
When we say we're sorry,
He makes our hearts brand new.

By: Patricia Meyers


kidssundayschool.com- Seventy Times Seven
How many times should I forgive? A delightful craft to show how often we should forgive one another.


Introduce crafts: What does God want us to do when someone does something wrong to us? Forgive them.

kidniche.com- How To Forgive When It Hurts Craft

daniellesplace.com- Make a Wipe Off Heart (scroll down to this)

daniellesplace.com- “Pure Heart” Heart Pocket Craft (scroll down to this)

ministry-to-children.com- Bible Crafts about Forgiveness and Mercy

catechist.com- The Joy of a Clean Heart : A craft about Penance and Reconciliation

i.pinimg.com- Create In Me A Clean Heart Craft



Games

sermons4kidslcom- Keep On Forgiving (group activities) games

sermons4kidslcom- Over And Over Again (group activities) games

sermons4kids.com- Forgiving And Forgiven (group activities) games

jesus-without-language.net- Parable of the forgiven Debt (Matthew 18) | Games



Introduce games: God forgives the wrong things we have done, what should we do to others who have done something wrong? Forgive them.

Five in a Row- This game will help children to discover that when Jesus forgives them, their sins are forgotten. (The Encyclopedia of Bible Games for Children’s Ministry, page 125).

Who’s Forgiven- The Really Big Book of Bible Games page 66.

howtoadult.com- Games to Teach Teens Forgiveness

biblegamescentral.com- What’s Wrong
Challenge everyone to identify and erase wrong statements from a given list. This activity can be used in lessons on forgiveness and to teach that love keeps no record of wrongs.


Introduce game: The core lesson for the Unforgiving Servant is the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

The Catholic Toolbox- The Golden Rule (file folder game)

The Catholic Toolbox- The Unforgiving Servant (file folder game)



Movies

Forgiving: God Wants Me To Forgive Them?! (Veggie Tales)

Introduce movie: How many times are you to forgive someone? Many, many times.

The Grapes of Wrath (12 min.)

Questions to ask after movie:

1. What did the grapes do to Junior? They made fun of him.
2. Who does God want us to be kind to? Everyone
3. When someone says they are sorry and they really mean it, what should you say? I forgive you.
4. How many times are you supposed to forgive someone? Not 7 times, but seventy times seven (490). In other words, many, many times.

Larry’s Lagoon (15 min.)

1. What happened to the boat? Larry smashed it.
2. How did everyone feel about Larry? They were mad at him.
3. How doe it feel when someone says they forgive you? It feels good.
4. It is wrong to not forgive someone when they say they are sorry and they really mean it? Yes.



Snacks

Introduce snack: When might you need to trust God’s faithfulness? When I do something wrong and ask for God’s forgiveness.

christiancrafters.com- Sweet Faith Crackers

pillsbury.com- Faith Cookies
Have the children make cross shaped cookies and decorate them. (Example: one large rectangle for main part of cross, and one smaller rectangle to form the cross).


Puzzles/Worksheets

Introduce puzzle: How many times must we forgive someone? We should forgive over and over again just like God and Jesus. Nutty Numbers (How many times you should forgive maze)- Maze Mania by Viki Woodworth (page 18)

dltk-bible.com- The Unmerciful Servant anagrams, crossword, cryptogram, mazes, word mining, word searches

sermons4kids.com- Keep On Forgiving (Word Search)

4catholiceducators.com- Matthew 18:21-25 (Word Search)

web.archive.org- 18:21-35 Word Search

sermons4kidslcom- Keep On Forgiving (Decoder)

sermons4kidslcom- Keep On Forgiving (Spiral Puzzle)

web.archive.org- Crossword

4catholiceducators.com- The Unmerciful Slave (Crossword)

sermons4kidslcom- Keep On Forgiving (Crossword)

web.archive.org- 18:21-35 Crossword

catholicmom.com- Scroll down to the date for Coloring Page, Mass Worksheet, Crossword Puzzle, Word Search, etc.

catholickidsbulletin.com- Download a FREE bulletin to help your kids learn more about our Catholic Mass. Each week's bulletin contains coloring pages for a saint and activities based on the Gospel. The coloring pages may also include a maze, dot-to-dot, find the picture, and many other activities.

sermons4kidslcom- Keep On Forgiving (Word Match)

sdc.me.uk- Matthew 18:21-35

thekidsbulletin.com- Matthew 18:21-35 Kid’s Bulletin

truewaykids.com- The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (free printable puzzles and worksheets for under 5s, over 5s, preteens and teens)

jesuswalk.com- Forgiveness in the Kingdom (Matthew 18:21-35; 6:9-15) with questions that can easily be made into a worksheet

studyandobey.com- Matthew 18:21-35 Inductive Bible Study – Discussion Questions and Teaching Points (questions can easily be made into a worksheet)

hermeneutrix.com- Questions for Reflection and Discussion – Matthew 18 21-35 (questions that can easily be made into a worksheet)

calvinpc.org- Matthew 18:21-35

pdf4pro.com- The Unforgiving Servant- Matthew 18:21-35 (questions that can easily be made into a worksheet)

standardlesson.com- Download the “Making CENTS of the Story” worksheet

efree.org- The Unforgiving Servant (questions that can easily be made into a worksheet)


From Google AI Mode

Questions about the story and its details
• Peter suggested forgiving "up to seven times" (v. 21). What was the standard rabbinic teaching on forgiveness at the time, and why might Peter have thought seven was a generous number?
• What was the scale of the first servant's debt of 10,000 talents compared to the debt of 100 denarii owed to him by a fellow servant? What does this extreme difference illustrate about our sins against God versus others' offenses against us?
• Both the first servant and his fellow servant begged for "patience" and promised to "pay you back everything" (vv. 26, 29). How is the king's response to the first servant different from the first servant's response to his fellow?
• What did the other servants do when they saw the unforgiving servant's cruel behavior? What does their reaction teach about the impact of unforgiveness?

Questions about the meaning and application
• The king represents God, and the first servant represents us. Who does the second servant represent, and what does the "debt" represent in the spiritual sense?
• The parable ends with the master delivering the wicked servant "to the torturers until he should pay all that was due" (v. 34). What does this severe punishment teach us about the consequences of withholding forgiveness?
• How can our experience of God's immense mercy and forgiveness influence our ability and willingness to forgive others?
• and willingness to forgive others?
• The passage ends with the statement, "So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart" (v. 35). What does it mean to forgive "from your heart"? Is it possible to forgive without forgetting?
• How does Jesus' teaching on unlimited forgiveness challenge societal norms and our natural desire for revenge or holding grudges?

Personal reflection questions
• Is there someone in your life who you have had difficulty forgiving? How can the parable's lesson motivate you to extend mercy in that relationship?
• Where are you tempted to be "stingy" with your forgiveness, and what justifications do you give yourself? How might meditating on God's lavish forgiveness help you overcome this?
• How can we make a distinction between forgiveness and reconciliation? Can you forgive someone without having a reconciled relationship with them?
• Reflect on a time when you were shown extravagant grace. How did that experience impact you and your relationships with others?