Mephibosheth

The story of Mephibosheth teaches us that God can restore relationships that are broken. Mephibosheth is an excellent example of this. Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan and grandson of King Saul. Our reading from 2 Samuel 9 focuses on the story of Mephibosheth and how he interacted with King David.

Key points:

Be kind
Forgive others
Be humble

Mephibosheth (A4 British) pdf

Mephibosheth (Letter USA) pdf

Lesson Guide – Mephibosheth

David and Jonathan were very good friends, but Jonathan’s dad hated David and did many bad things to him. In fact, he tried to harm David many times. Ask the child if someone has ever wronged them.

David didn’t hate Jonathan or his son because of the wrong things Jonathan’s dad had done. Instead, he took Mephibosheth and was kind to him. Kindness means being friendly, generous, and considerate. Talk about who it is easy to be kind to and who it is hard to be kind to.

Imagine some situations with your child (these can be real or hypothetical). Talk about what the kind thing to do would be. Sometimes it can be hard to know what the kind thing to do is. Explain that we can know what the kind thing is to do if we remember to do unto others as we want them to do unto us. Take the child into a dark room and ask them to tell you what is on a picture you are holding. When they say they can’t see, give them a light and tell them that just like the light helps them see the picture, putting ourselves in other people’s shoes can help us know what the kind thing to do is. Now, talk about the situations again, this time through the lens of what they would want someone to do for them.

Talk about the expression walking a mile in another person’s shoes. Explain that this means to imagine being in someone’s place. Have the child try on different people’s shoes in the family and walk around. Explain that empathy is like trying on someone else’s feelings so we can understand them.

Kindness also means forgiving people. Smudge up a window with fingerprints and then wipe it clean. Explain that when we forgive, we should wipe the clean. Talk about how God forgives us.

Talk about how David remembered his promise to Jonathan and kept it. Share how it is important that we keep our promises.

Talk about humility. Mephibosheth was humble. Talk about what it means to be humble. We should want to do kind things for others without wanting glory for it. Now, create a game combining the two called “Kindness Ninja.” Encourage your child to do kind things without expecting thanks or anyone knowing they did it. This can be making a sibling’s bed or creating a card. If your child has difficulty thinking up acts, you may create some cards with simple tasks such as pet the cat or clear the table. You may then mix up these “Ninja Tasks” and challenge your child to do them at some point in the week. Explain that simple tasks such as telling someone to have a good day are kindness.

Pray and ask Jesus to help you be kind to others.