Baking Bread

Scripture: Luke 10:38-42

Learning Objectives:

  • Students will learn about Jesus’ visit to the house of Mary and Martha.
  • Students will learn how people made their own flour and bread in Jesus’ time.

Guiding Questions:

  • What can we learn from Jesus’ reaction to how Mary and Martha chose to use their time.
  • How can we bake bread like people in the first century?

Materials: unleavened bread recipe, cookie sheet, whole wheat flour, extra virgin olive, purified water, bowls made of clay, stone or wood, mortar and pestle, wheat

Procedure: To make the story more relatable and exciting, have a teacher dress in first century costume and pretend to be Martha. Set a room to look like Mary and Martha’s house. Review the story of Mary and Martha focusing on the tasks that Martha would have done in the first century when Jesus was visiting. Discuss the types of work that women did as hostesses. Explain the importance of balancing our spiritual life with both service work and quiet time with God.

Martha welcomes students into her home. She tells them the story from Luke 10: 38-42. She explains that she is making bread for the upcoming Passover and invites students to help her. She shows students how to grind the grain with a mortar and pestle. Use wheat that is not yet ground completely into flour so students can appreciate how much work went into food preparation. Let students sample a piece of pre-baked unleavened bread.

Mrs. Church’s recipe from cooks.com: Combine 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 2 T extra virgin olive oil, ½ cup water. Knead on flat, floured surface for 5 minutes. Roll out until 1/8 inch thick. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake on parchment paper or greased cookie sheet for 20 minutes.

Additional Questions:

  • Is it bad to work hard? Why is Martha admonished while Mary was praised?
  • How can we balance working for God with listening to God in our lives?
  • What makes unleavened bread different from other baked goods? Why is unleavened bread significant?

Supplemental Activity: Have students write a “Quiet Time Schedule” for themselves. Have students brainstorm scriptures they would want to read and songs that they would want to sing/listen to during their time with God. Have them make a prayer list of praises and requests to God. Discuss ways that they can fit this time in their busy schedule. Students can even do this for the 20 minutes that the bread is baking in the oven.

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