Especially for Younger Students: Small Marks

Learning Goal: Students will examine how Jesus affirmed the significance of the Law and the Prophets.

Ask: How many of you have studied a foreign language already? Call for those who have to share some of the unusual accent markings they’ve discovered so far in their studies, OR, be prepared to share some of the accent markings from Spanish (by googling “Stress and Accent Markings”). After several have been shared, explain that Hebrew is an unusual language because it is written without vowels and with many special letters and markings.

Call for a volunteer to read Matthew 5:18 again and write the phrases “smallest letter” and “least stroke of a pen” on the board. Share the following about the Hebrew language:

• Some letters are very small (such as the Hebrew letter “yod”)
• Some letters have tiny markings (such as a small dot above it which changes it from one sound to another–like a marking above a double “s” is read as “sh”) (Adapted from Barton, p. 88)

Encourage students to use their smart phones to locate pictures of these letters and markings. Then, ask: Do these letters and markings seem to be important? (not from the way they look; they seem insignificant) What does that suggest about Jesus’ statement that He came to fulfill all of Scripture, even small, seemingly insignificant markings? (that every word, and even every letter, in Scripture is important and communicates God’s truth to us) Emphasize that if every letter and mark is significant, then Jesus fulfilling the entire Scripture can give us confidence in what the Bible says and in Jesus’ role in fulfilling it.