Story of Jesus for Children
From SPARK
One-sentence summary
The original JESUS Film has been adapted for children in a 62-minute VHS video or DVD format.
Description
A small group of children and non-biblical characters are the storytellers. As they witness the events, they serve as narrators as well as actors. They are verbal guides to understanding what is taking place as they relate stories or witness many of the events, including the crucifixion. Through their conversations, observations, and interpretations, the life and claims of Jesus Christ unfold. The ending gives an invitation and guidance for children wishing to accept Christ as their Savior and Lord.
- VHS Video and DVD are both available in many different languages at the website: www.jesusfilmstore.com/
- DVD is available in two editions. These two DVDs contain eight languages each and combine to reach the top 15 language speakers in the U.S. There are English and Spanish subtitles. Cost: $12.95 each or $19.95 for the set (both editions).
- The Americas—Atlantic Edition contains English, Latin American Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Polish, and Portuguese.
- The Americas—Pacific Edition contains English, Arabic, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
- Evangelism take-home booklet of 24 pages is available in English and Spanish. Each page has colored pictures taken from the video.
Most of the video is an accurate Biblical account. The exceptions are the extra-Biblical parts with the children and their parents who explain “what might have happened”.
Five years of research was done before the original filming in the Holy Land. First century clothing, architecture, customs, and food are authentic according to that research. Sets were built to match those used on the original JESUS production. The scenes with the children have been added throughout the original film.
This video has been specifically developed to target elementary school age children. It is too long and involved for most preschoolers and too elementary for older children.
Considerations
- The children and other actors fit the Biblical culture and characteristics of middle-eastern people with olive skins and dark hair and eyes.
- It may be difficult for children to see the difference between what is historical Biblical fact and the fiction storyline.
- The children in the video are often disobedient to parents, and also sneak out of their homes to meet together. This can be a very negative influence on children.
- The other problems in this video are the flashbacks and abrupt changes which are difficult transitions of scene.
- There are also a number of close up views of body parts. These might cause confusion for children in many cultures not used to sophisticated modern technology.
- Some other problems might be overcome by presenting an oral explanation of some scenes, previous to the showing of the video/DVD. These aspects include the following:
- The long hair of the men might need an explanation
- The woman anointing the feet of Jesus with her tears and oil seems rather inappropriate for children and might be offensive in other cultures, as the two are very close and Jesus also grasps her arms in thanks.
- Angels are portrayed in unfocused white with a bright aura of light around them. This could cause confusion and may make children think of ghosts or spirits.
- During the walk to Golgotha, women are seen beating their chests, which might mean something different than grief in other cultures.
- At one point it appeared that smoke was rising from a group of people, which looked like someone in the crowd was smoking.
Limitations
Guidelines for Use
Special care must be taken to assure that unsophisticated audiences understand what has been added beyond the true Biblical story.
Where to Obtain
Link to Producer or Source Organization
Cost
Producer/Owners
Author/Artist/Producer
- Website: http://www.jesusforchildren.org/
Current copyright owner
Other Information
- Following Jesus is a six-week evangelism and discipleship course for children ages 5-11. The materials include teacher/mentor guidelines, reproducible activity pages, and age-appropriate adaptations.
- Here is what is available:
- The Complete Teacher/Mentor Guide
- It Takes Love music cassette
- The teacher/mentor guide is available free on line (as a 2000K printable PDF file, at the following address:
- To use it, you must have the free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
Reviewed by
Date
- Website: http://www.jesusfilmstore.com/
