Lesson video

Hello, my name's Ms. Rivers.

I'm glad you've chosen this lesson, and I'm looking forward to working with you today.

Today's lesson is from the Unit Jesus.

How does His treatment of outcasts speak to Christians today? And the lesson is called, "Interpreting the Calling of Zacchaeus Today." You might know something about Jesus already, and that He is an important person for Christians.

I wonder if you know the story of Zacchaeus, and how he climbed a tree to see Jesus.

By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain how some Christians interpret the calling of Zacchaeus today.

Keywords for today's lesson are, interpretation, an explanation of the meaning of something.

Chaplain, that's a religious leader who works in a hospital, prison, or other organisation.

Restorative justice, that means repairing the harm done by bad behaviour, and forgive, that means to let go of anger when someone has hurt you.

Some of these words might be new to you, so just take a moment to look at them.

We'll be using these words all the way through the lesson, so look out for them and see if you can remember what they mean.

In the first part of the lesson, we'll be thinking about the story of Zacchaeus and how it's interpreted today.

How might the calling of Zacchaeus be interpreted? This lesson about Zacchaeus is a theology lesson.

Laura explains what we mean by theology in religious education.

She says, "Theology is about looking at stories and texts and learning about when, why, and for whom they were written.

We can better understand people's worldviews by examining how they have been interpreted, both in the past and today." In this lesson, we will be interpreting the story of Zacchaeus to help us better understand Christian worldviews.

Jacob and Laura are talking about the school playground, and some of the things that happen there, and how they feel about it.

Jacob says, "Sometimes children get left out when they're not wanted on the football team.

I want to be friendly, but I want to play football too, so it's hard to decide what to do." Laura says, "When we heard the story about Zacchaeus hiding in the tree, it made me think of children who stand at the edge of the playground and watch other children playing." I wonder if you ever feel like Laura or Jacob.

Do you spot children who get left out on the playground? Or maybe sometimes you feel left out? Have a think about what you see on your school playground, and if there's someone near you, maybe you could talk to them about the things that you notice, and the way that you feel.

Here are some pictures from the story of Zacchaeus and Jesus.

Use the pictures to help you to talk about the story, and pause the video while you do that.

The pictures show that Zacchaeus was a tax collector.

He was an outcast, because he collected money from the Romans.

In the middle picture, you can see Zacchaeus climbing the tree.

He really wants to see Jesus.

The last picture shows the end of the story, where Zacchaeus' life has changed, and he's giving money away to people in his community.

Here's David.

David has a Christian worldview.

He explains his interpretation of the story of Zacchaeus.

Did you spot that keyword, "Interpretation"? It means an explanation of the meaning of something.

So David is going to explain what he understands about the meaning of the story.

He says, "Zacchaeus was an outsider because he collected taxes for the Romans and he became very wealthy.

Maybe he cheated some people instead of being honest in his work.

He was isolated and ignored by his community because of his behaviour." David says, "I feel sorry for Zacchaeus because he was probably very lonely, but he made some bad choices too." So can you see that David is thinking that Zacchaeus is an outsider because he was collecting taxes, and he was wealthy, and maybe that meant he was lonely.

David recognises maybe Zacchaeus cheated and he shouldn't have done that, but he also sees that Zacchaeus was lonely because of some of the choices he made, so David feels sorry for him too.

So here's a check for understanding.

True or false? Zacchaeus was lonely and isolated.

Pause the video while you think about your answer.

That's right, it's true.

Zacchaeus was lonely and isolated because he worked for the Romans and he became very rich.

Well done if you got that answer right.

Here's a picture showing an artist's interpretation of Jesus calling Zacchaeus.

The picture is called "Come Down, Zacchaeus," and it's a modern interpretation of the story.

Look closely at the picture.

What details can you see? Can you spot Jesus and Zacchaeus? Can you see anything else in the picture? Pause the video while you have a good look.

What did you see in the picture? Can you see Zacchaeus, with lots of money in his pockets? Can you see the crowds below the tree, and some people in the tree as well, all looking at Zacchaeus, and wondering what he's going to do? I wonder if you like this picture.

Fiona has a Christian worldview, and she has been looking at this picture of Zacchaeus.

She says, "I love this picture because it shows Zacchaeus looking scared with his pockets full of money.

Jesus is calling him, but Zacchaeus seems to be holding on tightly to the tree.

Zacchaeus has to decide whether he really wants to change his behaviour or not.

Zacchaeus chooses a new life in the end, but this picture shows that it's not easy to change." So Fiona has looked at the picture, and it has helped her to interpret the story.

She thinks the picture is all about Zacchaeus deciding whether he's going to come down from the tree, or stay where he is.

We know the end of the story, that Zacchaeus chooses to go down and talk to Jesus, but it's not an easy choice.

And Fiona likes the fact that this picture shows that.

Fiona explains a bit more about her interpretation of Zacchaeus.

She says, "When I read about Zacchaeus, I understand that Jesus saw value in people even if they had made the wrong choices.

Jesus sees the real Zacchaeus and knows all about his behaviour.

By going to eat with Zacchaeus, Jesus was able to show kindness, but He also challenged Zacchaeus to change his behaviour." So Fiona's interpretation of the story is all about how Jesus treats Zacchaeus.

He treats him kindly, but He also wants Zacchaeus to make some changes in his life.

So here's another check.

True or false? Jesus was kind to Zacchaeus, and said his behaviour was fine.

Is that true or false? Pause the video while you think about your answer.

That's right, it's false.

Jesus was kind, but He challenged Zacchaeus to change his behaviour.

Well done if you've got that answer right.

Now, it's your turn to do some work.

Have a look at the two pictures.

They are two interpretations of the story of Zacchaeus.

Choose just one of the pictures, and choose three details from the picture to explain how a Christian might interpret them.

For example, you might see the money in Zacchaeus' pockets in the left-hand picture and you could say Zacchaeus was greedy for money.

That would be an interpretation.

So pause the video while you do your work and think about how to interpret these pictures.

You might have said something like this.

"Jesus is calling up to Zacchaeus.

Christians might interpret this to say Jesus notices outcasts because everyone matters.

You might have noticed that Zacchaeus is looking at Jesus, and Christians might interpret this to say he needs to make a choice about whether to climb down and put things right.

You might have noticed that some people are ignoring Zacchaeus.

Christians might interpret this to say, being around people who make wrong choices is often hard." I wonder if you had any ideas like this or maybe some different ideas.

Well done for interpreting the pictures.

In the second part of the lesson, we'll be thinking about how the story of Zacchaeus inspires some Christians to work with outcasts today.

How might some Christians work with outcasts? Jacob and Laura are talking about restorative justice.

Do you remember those keywords, "Restorative justice"? It's about putting things right when they've gone wrong.

Laura says, "In my school, we show respect to each other by taking responsibility for our wrong actions, and putting the relationship right." Laura uses restorative justice in her school to put things right when they've gone wrong.

Jacob is also talking about what they do in his school.

He says, "We ask ourselves three questions.

Who is hurt? What do they need? Who should help to make things better?" In Jacob's school, the questions help people to put things right, and to practise restorative justice.

Here's a photograph of a prison.

You can see the big walls around the outside, and people who've committed crimes are locked up here for months, or maybe even years.

Here's Fiona again, and she's explaining her role as a prison chaplain.

Do you remember that keyword, "chaplain"? That's a religious leader who works somewhere like a hospital or a prison to help people.

Fiona says, "I'm a Christian chaplain in a women's prison.

Prisoners can often be forgotten in our society, my job is to listen and help them to understand what has happened to them, and why they are in prison.

Many of them have been badly treated by other people, but they have also made some wrong choices too." Fiona explains more about what it means to be a prison chaplain.

She says, "Prisoners can be seen as outcasts today.

They have committed crimes, and so they're locked away.

They are excluded from their communities and families because of choices they have made." So Fiona sees prisoners as outcasts, people who are excluded or isolated, a bit like Zacchaeus in the story, and she is trying to be understanding about what it's like to be a prisoner, and she wants to support and help them.

So here's a quick check to see if you have been listening carefully.

Which group of people does Fiona say can often be seen as outcasts today? Is it A, homeless people, B, teenagers, or C, prisoners? Pause the video while you think about your answer.

That's right, the answer is C, prisoners.

Fiona says that prisoners are outcasts, because she works as a prison chaplain.

Well done if you've got that answer right.

Fiona explains how she uses the story of Zacchaeus in her work as a prison chaplain.

She says, "Jesus helped Zacchaeus to restore relationships by making a connection with him first.

Then Jesus challenged Zacchaeus to take responsibility, and put things right with the people in his community." Fiona explains more about how she uses the story of Zacchaeus in restorative justice when she's working at the prison.

She says, "The story of Zacchaeus shows me that prisoners could be given a chance to restore relationships and put things right just as Jesus challenged Zacchaeus to change his behaviour.

Sometimes I help the women in prison to write a letter to say sorry to the person or people they have hurt.

We don't always send the letter, but it's important for the women to say the words." So can you see how Fiona interprets the story of Zacchaeus? She's kind to the women just as Jesus is kind to Zacchaeus, but she also challenges the women about their behaviour, and helps them to put things right, just as Jesus challenged Zacchaeus about his behaviour, and helped him to put things right.

Here's a quick check of one of our keywords.

What is the meaning of restorative justice? Is it A, repairing the harm done by bad behaviour? Is it B, working with people in prison? Or is it C, making choices about how to behave? Pause the video while you think about your answer.

That's right, the answer is A, repairing the harm done by bad behaviour.

Well done if you remembered that keyword.

David has a Christian worldview.

He explains his story.

He says, "When I was younger, I made some very bad choices in my life.

My behaviour hurt my family and friends, and I nearly ended up in prison.

One of the leaders at my church challenged me to reflect on my behaviour.

He took time to listen to me and help me.

He was interested in me, and challenged me to put my life on the right path." David explains how he sometimes works with prisoners.

He says, "Sometimes I am invited into prisons to tell my story.

I try to show people in prison that new life is possible.

I remind them that the prison chaplains will work with them if they want to make changes and restore relationships.

Some prisoners have to work very hard to recognise how badly their actions have affected other people." So David is talking about how he uses the story of his life to help other people.

He helps people who are in prison.

He helps them to think about making changes in their lives, just as somebody helped him when he was younger to make changes in his life.

Here's a quick check.

True or false? Restorative justice is about helping people who recognise the consequences of their actions.

Is that true or false? Pause the video while you think about your answer.

That's right, the answer is true.

Restorative justice means understanding what went wrong, and finding ways to put things right.

Well done if you remembered that that was the meaning of restorative justice.

Here's David again.

He's talking about the story of Zacchaeus, and explaining his beliefs about forgiveness.

David says, "Zacchaeus recognised that he had made bad choices, and he made a big effort to put things right as far as he could.

We don't find out if the people in his community forgave him.

It probably took them a long time to trust Zacchaeus.

Some people might have found it impossible to forgive him." Can you see David using that keyword, "forgive"? It means letting go of things if somebody has hurt you or upset you.

Zacchaeus needed to be forgiven by his community.

David notices that we don't find out if the people forgave him in the end, we only find out the choices that Zacchaeus made.

Fiona explains more about forgiveness.

She says, "We often talk about forgiveness at the prison.

Forgiveness is about letting things go, and moving on.

Some women find it hard to forgive themselves for their actions.

Restorative justice recognises that the people in prison have hurt others, and their victims may choose not to forgive.

Forgiveness is not easy." So Fiona is explaining that her work in the prison shows how difficult forgiveness can be.

It's hard to forgive other people, it's hard to be forgiven sometimes, and Fiona understands this.

Fiona explains more about how the story of Zacchaeus helps her in her job of being a prison chaplain.

She says, "The story of Zacchaeus encourages me on those difficult days when being a prison chaplain is hard work.

Zacchaeus' story reminds me that God's kingdom is a place where outcasts are welcome, even prisoners.

The most unexpected people can find forgiveness and change their lives." So Fiona feels encouraged by Zacchaeus because even though he was an outcast and he had made the wrong choices, he changed his life.

And Fiona sometimes sees that prisoners also find forgiveness and change their lives too.

Here's a true or false check with that keyword, forgiveness.

Forgiveness is easy.

Is that true or false? Pause the video while you think about your answer.

That's right, the answer is false.

Forgiveness takes time and can be difficult to do.

Putting relationships right can be hard work.

As we saw with the things that Fiona said about her job.

Well done if you've got that answer right.

Now, it's your turn to do some work.

Jacob is trying to understand how the story of Jesus and the outcast Zacchaeus, inspires some Christians to work with prisoners today.

See if you can use these keywords to help Jacob explain why Christians today are inspired to work with prisoners.

The key keywords are chaplain, restorative justice, interpret, and forgiveness.

Pause the video while you do your work.

How did you get on with using those keywords in your work? You might have said something like this.

"Prison chaplains like Fiona might be inspired to help prisoners who understand their behaviour and find forgiveness because of how Jesus treated Zacchaeus.

Christians might interpret the story of Zacchaeus by saying that Jesus cares for outcasts such as prisoners.

Some prison chaplains use restorative justice to help people to reflect on the consequences of their actions, and try to put things right just as Zacchaeus did." Did you see that I managed to fit all of the keywords into my work? I wonder how many keywords you manage to use.

Well done for working hard, and for thinking carefully about our work today.

We've learned a lot in our lesson today about interpreting the calling of Zacchaeus.

We've learned that Zacchaeus changed his behaviour after meeting Jesus.

Christians might interpret this to say Jesus notices outcasts because everyone matters.

We've learned that many prisoners can be seen as outcasts because they've committed crimes and are kept away from society.

We've learned that some Christians, like David and Fiona, work in prisons today as chaplains.

They aim to work with prisoners and support them, and we've learned that restorative justice is about reflecting on behaviour, and putting things right.

It might involve forgiving and being forgiven.

Well done for working hard and for doing good learning.

I've enjoyed working with you.