Family Devotion Idea: Fact or Opinion?

*About twice a month, we try to post the outline of a family devotion that you and your kids can do together. Carve out some time with your kids for a fun and creative discussion this week!

Teaching Goal:

The resurrection of Christ is a fact that each person must accept or reject, not an opinion that can be true for one person and not another.

Scripture:

Matthew 27:32-55 – Roman soldiers, disciples, religious leaders, and family members saw Jesus crucified on the cross.

John 20:1-9 – Mary Magdalene, Peter and another disciple see the empty tomb.

I Corinthians 15:4-8 “…he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time…Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me {Paul} also.”

Materials:

Multi-flavored candy like assorted Life Savers or Starburst

Jar full of marbles or beans (count the marbles/beans in advance)

Bible, paper and pen

Lesson and Discussion:

*Words that are written in bold are when you, the parent, are speaking. Feel free to use your own words.

ACTIVITY:

Give each family member a different flavor of Starburst candy and ask them to chew it. Which flavor is right? Listen to answers. There isn’t a right flavor. The best flavor or right flavor can be different for each person (a personal preference or opinion).

You have 60 seconds to guess how many marbles are in the jar. Write down the answers. Together, count the marbles. Whose guess is closest to the actual number? Does anyone question that this is the best guess and closest to being the right number? Does anyone question the right number of marbles? You can take time to recount the marbles if there are family members who question the number. The actual number of marbles is a fact. The best guess is a fact. Trying to choose the right flavor of Starburst and reporting the exact number of marbles demonstrates the difference between an opinion and a fact.

Do you believe the resurrection of Jesus is more like a fact or a preference? Listen to answers. (51% of Christian youth do not believe Jesus rose from the dead. Source: The Last Christian Generation) A friend may say, “Jesus being raised from the dead may be true for you but it’s not true for me.” Your friend is trying to treat the resurrection as an opinion when it is actually a physical fact. A person may choose not to believe a fact, which in this case means they are saying the resurrection isn’t true for anyone. Treating a fact as an opinion is dangerous. It may keep you from facing the truth.

Invite someone to read Matthew 27:32-55. I am going to stop your reading each time a person or group of people are mentioned and we’ll make a list of witnesses to the crucifixion of Jesus. List the people mentioned in the passage. Invite someone to read John 20:1-9. Let’s list the people at the empty tomb. Make a list. After the resurrection, lots of people saw Jesus. Invite someone to read I Corinthians 15:4-8. Make a list.

Look at all the witnesses on our lists! The crucifixion is a fact, the tomb is a fact and the resurrection is a fact. Someone may choose to deny the Bible and other history books that report on the crucifixion, tomb and resurrection. But, this is not a personal preference. It is a physical event which cannot be true for one person and false for another.

Let’s be on the lookout for conversations, news reports and television commercials that confuse fact and opinion.

If you like this devotion idea, there are hundreds more available from Family Time Training. See the link on the left side of this page for more information.