How Do You Respond to Jesus?
Call on students, one at a time, to be "on the spot" and come before the class to hear a scenario about Jesus and to respond to the challenge that he presents. The following scenarios are taken from Time Out: Resources for Teen Retreats by Kieran Sawyer, S.S.N.D. Scenarios In one Gospel, Jesus invited Peter to step out of the boat and walk toward him over the sea. Peter did, but he became frightened and called out to Jesus to save him. Jesus will probably never ask you to walk on water, but he sometimes asks you to do things that seem just as difficult. How would you feel about devoting your life to his service in a religious vocation like a priest, sister, or brother? One of the Jesus' best-known stories is about the Good Samaritan, the unpopular person who took care of a man who had been attacked by robbers and left lying on the road. How would you feel if someone who is unpopular, or in a different peer group from the one you hang out with, asked you for a favor, like help on homework or a ride home from school? Problems and conflicts inevitably arise, but Jesus often told his followers to turn the other cheek to those who hurt them. In another place he told them to ignore those who would not accept their message by shaking the dust from their feet and moving on to the next town. When someone makes fun of you for a belief you hold deeply, how do you feel? Jesus was often followed by a crowd of little children. When the Apostles found the children annoying and tried to chase them away, Jesus stopped them and said, "Let the children come to me." How do you feel about spending time with younger children? Once when Jesus was passing through a town, he came upon Zacchaeus, a tax collector, and invited him to come to Zacchaeus' house for dinner. How would you feel if Jesus was going to come over to your house for dinner tonight? Jesus was moved to tears when he was told that his friend Lazarus had died. How would you feel if you just found out one of your friends was tragically killed by a drunk driver? One Gospel story tells about some people who were so anxious to bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus that they made a hole in the roof to get to him. How would you feel if someone was very eager to share the Gospel or pray with you in public? Jesus asks us to put our relationship with him before everything else. How would you feel if a classmate belittled Jesus and his teachings during a classroom discussion?
