As an icebreaker or a way to introduce lessons on a variety of theology topics, allow the chance for your students to share some of their ideas about Jesus. Each person will give a one sentence answer to some questions like those listed below. Begin by calling on a student sitting near you. Say: “You will answer the first question. Everyone will add something to the answer till I call ‘stop.’ Here is the first question: ‘When you think of Jesus, what does your mental image of him look like?’”
After about a minute say, “stop.” The person who was speaking responds first to the next question: “When you think about Jesus, what do you imagine him doing? Is he preaching? Healing? Sitting on a cloud? Hanging on a cross?
Again allow for another minute; then call “stop.” Continue in this way using questions like those below. The person who is speaking each time you stop begins to answer the next question.
Sample Questions about Jesus:
- Which of Jesus’ miracles is your favorite?
- What is your favorite among the teachings of Jesus?
- What do you find in the Gospels that is troubling to you?
- When Jesus was a teenager, how do you think he treated Mary and Joseph?
- Suppose God had waited another 2000 years to send his Son to earth. And suppose he was born in the United States, in your hometown, and went to your school. Which peer group do you think he would hang around with?
- When Jesus lived on earth he always paid special attention to the outcasts—prostitutes, lepers, tax collectors, Samaritans. If he were going to your school, to whom what he pay attention?
- Now let’s imagine that Jesus is an adult in your town. What local problems do you think he’d be concerned about?
- If Jesus lived in our world and kept track of the news each day, what world problems do you think he would be concerned about?
- If Jesus lived today and had two Internet sites bookmarked, what would those sites be?
- If Jesus lived in our world today, how would he die?
