Kid’s will remember, and more importantly understand, Bible memory verses if you tell them the story behind the verse. the story behind John 3: 16 focus on Jesus speaking to a man named Nicodemus.
Read John 3:1-16. Remind your children that Nicodemus was a powerful Jewish leader and teacher who had come to Jesus alone by night to ask him questions. Nicodemus believed that a relationship with God had to be earned by performing religious duties.
Jesus told Nicodemus that in order to have a relationship with God you had to experience something that only God in his love could provide, being “born again”.
In John 3:14, 15, Jesus reminded Nicodemus of the story of the bronze serpent found in Numbers 21:8, 9. God had sent snakes to discipline his people for their rebelliousness. God had Moses mount a bronze serpent on a pole and hold it up. If the people looked at and believed, they would be healed from their snake bites.
Now your kids are ready to understand and memorize John 3:16,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.
As they memorize, focus their thinking on how the memory verse ties into the story:
- God loves not only his people, but the whole world.
- Jesus was lifted up like the bronze serpent so that if any believe in Him, they won’t die for their rebelliousness against God.
- Jesus was God’s gift because he loved them. No one can earn this gift, it is free.
- Believing in Jesus brings new life, just like being born brings new life.
If you like what you read, check out our children’s book, Hooked on the Book, it provides the big story behind all 66 books in the Bible and our website which accompanies the book with free videos, games and coloring pages that make learning the bible fun and exciting.
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