Crime and Punishment Setting the Stage Needed: Six Nerf balls, newsprint, marker Start by gathering in your usual manor, getting the room set up and everyone trickling in. In the middle of the commotion suddenly turn on one of the students (you'll need to prearrange this with that youth) and accuse him or her of a "crime" that would be believable, such as not sitting with the rest of the group, leaving an empty pop can in the room, being disrespectful of the rest of the group. As you begin to accuse your victim, pass out the Nerf balls to the other participants and lead them in the act of "stoning" the accused. Try to make this as spontaneous as possible. As you bring the participants back together after the "drama," turn their attention to the piece of newsprint that is posted and ask them to share what they initially were thinking and feeling. Write their answers on the paper.  What did they think was happening? Did they think it was real for a brief time? Were they eager to stone the accused? Did they want more facts before they began the stoning?  Have they experience being accused of something? Read: Have you ever made a poor choice?  God understands we are all capable of making a poor choice.  This lesson deals with forgiveness and asks a few other questions. This story can be taken for its traditional meaning (forgiveness) but, if we look a little deeper, who knows what we can find. Jesus taught in the temple by day; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called [the mount] of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. He was teaching to a crowd that had gathered.  The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman before Jesus that had in their words "committed a crime." As a test to Jesus, they attempted to trap him in a difficult situation. Jesus' answer: "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." The Tora, or Law, is very clear in its pronouncement of what is to happen to those who participate and are caught in the act of adultery. However, punishment under the law had more to do with one's gender than with the sexual act itself. It is not an overstatement that in the ancient world of Jesus, women were property, possessions of the head of the household. As property, one's value in the eyes of one's "owner" can depreciate over time. What rights does such a person have? Is this a question of women's suffrage? Is this a story about the consequences of sexual promiscuity? What in the world was Jesus drawing in the dirt? Is this merely a forgiveness story complicated by today's values?  After a brief discussion, tell the youth that their responses and reactions to the questions relate to the story they are about to read. Tell the Story Road Work, Trek and Journey: Needed: Copy of John 8:1-11 Read the story. Reacting to the Story Road Work: Play the game - I Will Throw no Stones Needed: 6 Nerf balls, 2 baskets This relay involves couples and two teams divided equally. Each team gets 3 Nerf balls in a basket. One ball is placed between the two players, just above the belt line as they stand back to back. With their arms folded in front of them (not using their elbows), they must carry the ball to the other team's basket and let the ball fall from between them into the basket. If a ball is dropped or misses the opponents' basket, the ball is returned to the start for another couple on the same team to try. The first team to get five balls in their opponents' basket wins. Try boys against girls to avoid "cooties." Reacting to the Story Trek: Needed: Sheets of paper, pencils Explain to the youth that they are to put themselves in Jesus' place. Pass out paper and pencils and inform them that you are going to read the story again, but this time you want them to be Jesus, act like Jesus, think like Jesus, to try and figure out what Jesus is saying. Instruct the group to use their imagination to draw and or write what Jesus drew in the dirt as the woman's accusers brought her to him. After everyone has had an opportunity to create their interpretation of Jesus' dirt drawing, have participants share their designs. How did they come to their conclusion or decision? What about Jesus helped them decide? Did they use other stories about Jesus to come up with their idea? Reacting to the Story Journey: How many questions are raised in this passage? Women were property? Men and women were judged differently? Who's fault was it that this woman was now before Jesus: her husband, the other man, her own? If she was not married, would she have committed a sin? What if the male had not been married, would he have committed a sin? Take a few minutes to discuss these issues as they relate to today's world. Connecting to the Story Road Work: Needed: pencils, paper, prepared newsprint Post the prepared newsprint in an area where everyone can see the questions. What are the stones we throw at people? What stones have been thrown at us? Who is worthy of forgiveness and who is not? What is the hardest part about forgiving someone else? Pass out paper and pencils to your participants. Let them pick two of these questions to answer. Have them write their answers on the paper. After a few minutes when everyone has finished, collect all the answers and redistribute them to the youth. Now, pass out markers.  Make sure no one has their own paper.  Instruct the youth to make a bumper sticker (slogan) from one of the answers on the paper. After a time collect all the bumper stickers and redistribute again. Have the youth read one at a time the sayings. Connecting to the Story Trek: Needed: Index cards, pencils, bibles Inform the participant that they will be dividing up into groups as a way of preparing themselves for a debate. Try teams of four or what ever seems appropriate for the group. Try to have at least three teams. Ask the teams to agree upon a law that affects them, now, today. For example, it could be a law regulating curfews or skateboarding. Once the topic has been chosen, divide into pro and con groups to allow each group to devise a plan of why they think the law is "just" or "unjust." Encourage them to use the bible for stories to back up what they are saying. After a few minutes for the groups to talk among themselves, bring  the teams together and explain the debate rules. Pro or con may start. One speaker at a time will stand before the group and make their statement. Then it is time for rebuttal. Have the teams take turns making their point. Each side should have four chances to speak. The team that must watch the first round will choose the winner, then they will start again, against the winner, pro or con. Connecting to the Story Journey: Needed: an ear to listen John and Susie have been going together for over a year. John is a senior and Susie is a junior. Both of them are involved in the youth group at their church. Recently, John found out that his parents are going to get a divorce. Since then John has been very upset. As a result, he and Susie have become more sexually intimate. Susie has resisted doing the hip-a-di-dip-a-di because she feels that Christians should wait. However, because John has been so torn up over his parents, she has been finding it harder and harder to say no. Tommy and Denise are John and Susie's best friends. They, too, have been going together for over a year. They are also very active in the youth group. They have decided they are going to be married and believe God is in their relationship. Tommy and Denise are into more than "Clinton and Monica," yes, they have gone all the way. Still, they see no contradiction between their sexual involvement and their Christian faith. After all they take precautions, and they plan on getting married. Scripture Guide: John 8:11, Philippians 2:12-16, 1 John 2:15-17 Ok, dig into this with open ended questions! Here's some ways to get this going. Is it okay to test drive a car if you don't really intend to buy it?  Is it okay to take a car for a test drive and then take it home and put it in your garage before you buy it? Living the Story Road Work, Trek & Journey: Make sure you finish the previous sessions with about ten minutes left. This will allow you to write prayer cards and bring them all down to the youth center. Make sure they understand these are prayers we will offer up about this lesson; forgiveness,  equality, fidelity are some of the ideas covered. We will have a candle in the dark and read each one.