"You First"
Click below to download the Cornerstone Connections leader’s guide and student lesson. This week’s resources also include two lesson plans and a discussion starter video which offer different ways of looking at the topic. Each lesson plan includes opening activities, scripture passages, discussion questions, and real-life applications.
Matthew 17:22-27; 18:1-20; 20:20-28
In the great controversy between right and wrong, humility is locked up in a desperate battle against selfish ambition and pride. Does humility have a chance?
SCRIPTURE PASSAGES
OVERVIEW
This lesson is based on The Desire of Ages (Humble Heroes), chapters 48 and 60. In the great controversy between right and wrong, humility is locked up in a desperate battle against selfish ambition and pride. Does humility have a chance? Let’s explore the life of sheep versus the lives of those who think they just might be GOATs (the Greatest of All Time).
OPENING ACTIVITY: THE WORLD’S GREATEST APOLOGIES
Needed: A whimsical attitude
This option for an opening activity focuses on Jesus’ counsel about reconciliation in Matthew 18. Divide your class into groups of two, with one the “offended” party, and the other the one that needs to apologize and make it right. (The below scenarios are chosen for their extreme unlikeness to reflect any reality; adjust as seems appropriate for your group.)
Assign each group of two students one of the following scenarios (or one you made up). One person will tell the other how their actions in the fictional scenario affected them; the other will express their regret for their actions and the harm done, and what they’ll do to make up for it. Afterward, have the class vote on who did the best job, and declare them America’s/Arkansas’/Alberta’s/Australia’s/Austria’s/Aberdeen’s/Albania’s (etc.) Best Apologizer.
QUESTIONS
TRANSITION
A study found that there are six elements of an effective apology:
According to https://news.osu.edu/the-6-elements-of-an-effective-apology-according-to-science/, “While the best apologies contained all six elements, not all of these components are equal, the study found. ‘Our findings showed that the most important component is an acknowledgment of responsibility. Say it is your fault, that you made a mistake,’ Lewicki said.
“The second most important element was an offer of repair. ‘One concern about apologies is that talk is cheap. But by saying, ‘I’ll fix what is wrong,’ you’re committing to take action to undo the damage,’ he said.”
BIBLE STUDY GUIDE
A Fishy Question
As we hopscotch from one part of the Bible to another, it’s often easy to lose the dramatic narrative threaded through it. One such example is in Matthew 17. Peter, James, and John have just witnessed the Transfiguration—Jesus glorified in the presence of the biblical heroes Moses and Elijah, as the voice of God declared Jesus His Son. The experience overwhelms and terrifies them, and Jesus speaks the timeless words, “Don’t be afraid.” Reunited afterward with the rest of the disciples, Jesus tells them about His coming death and resurrection, and they are “filled with grief,” too shocked by the talk of death to hear the promise of resurrection.
Not long after, a temple official asked Peter if Jesus paid the temple tax. Peter—always speaking before thinking things through—assured him that Jesus did. The truth was, though, that being God, Jesus should have been just as exempt as the Levites were. Since Jesus didn’t see that any good would come out of arguing for Himself, though, He sent Peter off on an errand that would both satisfy the request and demonstrate His divinity.
Read Matthew 17:22-27.
22 When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. 23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.
The Temple Tax
24 After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”
25 “Yes, he does,” he replied.
When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?”
26 “From others,” Peter answered.
“Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. 27 “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”
DISCUSSION
Upside-down Kingdom
Read Matthew 18:1-9 (preferably aloud).
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
Causing to Stumble
6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.
DISCUSSION
What God Values Most
Read Matthew 18:10-14.
10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.
12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.
DISCUSSION
Reconciliation
Jesus lays out principles of reconciliation that still challenge us today—and which many Christians actively reject.
Read Matthew 18:15-20.
15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
DISCUSSION
Not so With you
Read Matthew 20:20-28.
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.
21 “What is it you want?” he asked.
She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”
22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”
“We can,” they answered.
23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”
24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
DISCUSSION
APPLICATION
As we return to our everyday lives, consider:
SCRIPTURE PASSAGE
OVERVIEW
This Sabbath we take a break from the regular flow of the Youth Sabbath School curriculum. We’ve been following the Israelites as they entered the Promised Land of Canaan and lived under the guidance and reforms of a variety of “judges” (Judges 6-12). Next week we will continue with the judge most people don’t think of as a judge—Samson. That’s right, Samson served as a judge in Israel for 20 years (Judges 15:20 and 16:31). But that’s next week.
Probably nobody in Youth Sabbath School will notice the anomaly that September 30 is the 14th Sabbath in the third quarter of this year. Most of us don’t think of the year in terms of quarters, with 13 Sabbaths in each quarter. But this is one of those unique quarters in which there are 14 Sabbaths instead of 13 Sabbaths. To come up with an extra lesson, the curriculum creators for 2023 simply borrowed a lesson from two years ago and inserted it here. It’s a valuable lesson from the teachings of Jesus found in Matthew 18. Frankly, this could be a good lesson any Sabbath!
Jesus shocked His disciples and other listeners by contrasting who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven with who most of us think are the greatest on earth. (Hint: they probably aren’t the same!) For us to think the way Jesus thinks, we might need a transformation of our heads and hearts. The good news is that Jesus can provide that.
Turn to Matthew 18 and see what “Shock Value” there is for you as you study greatness from God’s perspective.
Shock Value
Which do you experience more often—sameness OR shock?
Read Matthew 18:1-35.
The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
Causing to Stumble
6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.
The Parable of the Wandering Sheep
10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.
12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.
Dealing With Sin in the Church
15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
1. Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
2. What would cause a child to lose faith in Jesus?
3. What did Jesus really mean about cutting off one’s hand/foot (vs. 8-9)?
4. What’s the point of the parable about the lost sheep (vs. 12-14)?
5. Mark: D=Daily W=Weekly M=Monthly Y=Yearly N = Never
for how often you:
_____ Experience another believer sinning against you.
_____ Confront a sinning believer to correct them.
_____ Find that a confronted believer refuses to confess.
_____ Take 2-3 believers with you for a second confrontation.
_____ Take the sinning incident to the church for a decision.
_____ Talk to someone else about a sinning believer.
_____ Treat someone who sinned against you like a bad, bad person.
_____ Other.
6. How often do you forgive someone who keeps sinning against you?
7. According to verse 20 (NKJV), “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them.” When have you experienced this? When did it not seem to work?
8. What did you find most shocking in this chapter?
SUMMARY
It’s easy for us to just “go with the flow” in our world in terms of who people think are the greatest. It might be public figures we admire such as sports stars, music or movie stars, or sometimes even political figures. That’s why Paul told the believers in Rome, “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God remold your minds from within” (Romans 12:3 Phillips paraphrase). Spending time with God in Scripture is one way for God to place kingdom values above earthly values. That’s what we just did with the teachings of Jesus found in Matthew 18.
APPLICATION
Youth Sabbath School is one place to have your mind be remolded to be more like the mind of Christ. Here are three ideas for you to continue to be shaped by Jesus during this week—ways for you to apply this week’s lesson to your life beyond meeting at the church on Sabbath.
WHO’S THE GREATEST?
In sports, the term GOAT has come to stand for “Greatest Of All Time” and has been applied to Michael Jordan in basketball and Tom Brady in football.
CHILDHOOD FAITH IN JESUS.
WHEN 2 OR 3 GATHER IN HIS NAME.
