Preteen Discussion Game — Simple Supplies
What Would You Do?
Matthew 11:1–24; 13:53–58 • Mark 1:14–15; 6:1–6, 14–20 • Luke 3:19–20; 4:14–30; 7:18–35
In this game, kids hear a situation a biblical character actually faced — but before finding out what the character did, they discuss what they would do. After sharing, the leader reveals what happened and briefly unpacks the connection to the big idea.
Supplies
Write "What Would You Do?" at the top of your whiteboard and jot down kids' answers as they share — it creates energy and shows their ideas are worth capturing. There are no wrong answers in the discussion phase. The goal is honest reflection before the reveal, not getting the "right" answer.
How to play
- Read the scenario — just the situation, nothing more yet.
- Ask the discussion question and let kids respond freely. Write key answers on the board.
- Read the reveal — what the biblical character actually did or said.
- Ask a quick follow-up: "Does that surprise you? Why or why not?"
- Move to the next card. Close with the big idea.
Scenario Cards
You're a preacher who has spent your whole life calling people to turn back to God. You've always told the truth, no matter who it made uncomfortable. Now the most powerful man in your region — the king — has done something wrong, and everyone knows it. You could stay quiet. Or you could say something and risk everything.
Discuss
Would you speak up to someone powerful if you knew it could get you in serious trouble? What would make you stay quiet — or make you speak anyway?
John told Herod directly: "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." Herod had him arrested and thrown into prison — and eventually had him executed. John knew the risk and spoke anyway.
You've locked up a preacher because he called you out — but honestly, you know he was right. You're kind of fascinated by him. You keep bringing him out to listen to him, even though what he says disturbs you. Your wife absolutely hates him and wants him dead. You have the power to let him go or to keep him locked up.
Discuss
Have you ever known something was right but felt pressure from someone you cared about to do the opposite? What usually happens?
Herod kept John protected — for a while. He was confused by John but also drawn to him. Eventually, at a party, he made a rash promise to his stepdaughter and had John beheaded to save face in front of his guests.
You're in prison. You've given your whole life to one mission: announcing that the Messiah was coming. You pointed everyone to Jesus. But now you're locked in a cell, and you're hearing about what Jesus is doing — and some of it doesn't match what you expected. You start to wonder: Is He really the one? Did I get it right?
Discuss
Have you ever believed something strongly and then had a moment of real doubt? What did you do with that doubt — push it down, talk about it, or something else?
John sent his disciples directly to Jesus to ask: "Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?" He didn't pretend the doubt wasn't there — he brought it straight to Jesus.
Someone you respect — someone who literally announced your arrival to the whole world — is now sending you a message that basically says: "Are you actually who I thought you were?" You could be offended. You could explain yourself at length. You could list your credentials. Or you could do something else entirely.
Discuss
When someone doubts you or questions something you've done, what's your first instinct — to defend yourself, prove them wrong, or something else?
Jesus sent the messengers back with a simple list: the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is reaching the poor. He pointed to the evidence — and then added a quiet warning: "Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me."
You've just started your public ministry and you return to your hometown — the place where you grew up, where everyone knows your family. You go to the synagogue on the Sabbath, stand up to read, and choose a passage from Isaiah about the Spirit of the Lord anointing someone to bring good news to the poor and freedom to the oppressed. Then you sit down. Everyone is staring at you.
Discuss
If everyone in the room was staring at you waiting for you to explain something huge — something that would either impress them or make them furious — what would you say?
"Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." Just that. He told them the passage was about Him — right there, right now.
You're sitting in the synagogue of a small town. A local man — you know his family, you watched him grow up — just told the whole room that an ancient prophecy is being fulfilled through him. People around you are whispering: "Isn't this Joseph's son?" He starts talking about how God sometimes blesses outsiders when His own people reject what He sends. The room is getting tense.
Discuss
Why do you think it's sometimes harder to accept something from someone you already know well? Have you ever dismissed an idea because of who said it instead of what they said?
They went from amazed to furious. They drove Jesus out of the town and tried to throw Him off a cliff. Mark notes that Jesus could do very few miracles there "because of their lack of faith" — and He was amazed at their unbelief.
Two messengers have come — one fasted and lived in the wilderness and the crowds said he had a demon. The other ate and drank with ordinary people and the crowds called him a glutton and a drunk. It seems like no matter what these messengers do, people find a reason to reject them.
Discuss
Have you ever noticed that some people seem determined to find fault no matter what? Why do you think that happens — and how should you respond when it happens to you?
Jesus compared the crowd to children in the marketplace who complain no matter what game is played. Then He said: "Wisdom is proved right by her deeds" — meaning that in the end, what's true will be shown by its results, not by whether people approve of it in the moment.
Landing the big idea
After the last card, ask the group: "Looking back at all these people — John, Herod, the crowd in Nazareth — what's the one thing that made the biggest difference in how they responded to Jesus?" Let a few kids share, then offer this:
Every person in these passages had enough information to respond to Jesus — and every one of them chose how to use it. John doubted but brought his doubt straight to Jesus. The crowd in Nazareth had seen His works but let familiarity make them blind. Herod was fascinated by the truth but too afraid of what it would cost him to act on it. The question these stories ask each of us is the same: when you encounter Jesus — in the Word, in someone's life, in a moment that makes you uncomfortable — what will you do with it?
Close by reading Matthew 11:28–30 together as a group.
No comments:
Post a Comment