There are hundreds of passages in Scripture that exhort us to work for justice. In this fun activity, small groups compete to find scriptural references related to concern for those who are poor and vulnerable.

Printable Instructions, Quiz, Leader's Guide, and Hint Cards

INSTRUCTIONS

In your small group, use your Bible to find answers to the following questions. This is a competition that involves prizes, and you will be judged on both how quickly you can accomplish the task and the quality of your end-product. Here are ways you can gain points:

Time: The 1st group done gets 70 points, the 2nd group gets 50, the 3rd group 30, and the 4th group 20 points.

Accuracy: You get 10 points for every correct answer.

Quality: You can get up to 70 points for answers that are high quality, on-target, and complete, that answer what the question asks for, and that would be convincing to a reader new to the Bible.

Hints: Each group has 2 "hint" cards that can be used if you need help. If you don't need to use them, you get 20 points for every hint card that you still have left at the end of the game.

Legibility: If you don't write legibly, your answers won't count. If everything is written clearly, you get 20 free points.

Persuasiveness: You can earn up to 50 additional points if, at the end of this activity, your group can explain persuasively to others how the Bible calls people of faith to work for justice and what that looks like.

RULES

  • Work together, as a team.
  • Hand in only one completed worksheet per team.
  • You cannot use the same answer more than once.
  • When a question asks for you to "name a place in the Bible where…" or "name a passage where it says…," your answer must provide the book, chapter, and verse(s) as well as either the direct quote or a summary of what you found there.
  • If you get stuck on a question, each group has three "hint" cards that you can use to get a clue. Bring your hint card to the front of the room to receive your clue.

The Biblical Justice Challenge

Team Name:


Names of Team Members:

1. Name a place in the Bible where we see that the human person is made in God's own image or that he or she is created with dignity.

2. Name 2 places in the Old Testament law books (such as Exodus, Leviticus, or Deuteronomy) where the people of God are commanded to help those who are poor or vulnerable.

i.
ii.

3. Find 2 places in which one of the prophets (Isaiah, Amos, Jeremiah, etc.) tells the people that God cares about their actions toward the hungry, oppressed, widow, stranger, or orphan.

i.
ii.

4. Name one passage from the Bible that could help us to recognize why we should care for creation.

5. In what book, chapter and verse in the Gospels does Jesus proclaim the following? "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, / because he has anointed me / to bring glad tidings to the poor. / He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives / and recovery of sight to the blind, / to let the oppressed go free, / and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord."

6. Name 3 of Jesus' parables that are about the way we should treat others. Please provide book, chapter, and verse and summarize the parable.

i.
ii.

iii.

7. What does Jesus teach his disciples are the most important commandments? Where does it say this?

8. Name 3 places in the Gospels where Jesus' words or actions demonstrate his concern for the poor or vulnerable.

i.
ii.
iii.

9. Name 1 of the places in the New Testament letters (such as 1 Corinthians or James) where the Christian communities are chastised for not treating the poor as equals during the Eucharistic meal.

10. Name the place in James' letter in which he discusses the connection between "faith" and "works." What is the relationship between the two?

 

 Click here for the printable instructions, quiz, leader's guide, and hint cards.