Jesus Our Brother and Friend: Brotherly Love – Basic 1 Christian Religious Studies Lesson Note (Third Term)

Brotherly love means loving others as if they were your own family. It means caring for people, being kind and helpful, and showing love in action. Jesus is not ashamed to call us his brothers and sisters, so we are part of God’s family and should love each other like family too.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• say what brotherly love means
• explain why Jesus calls us his brothers and sisters
• give ways to show brotherly love at home and in school
• name some of the 12 apostles
• say what we can learn from the apostles

What is brotherly love?

Brotherly love means:

• Loving others like they are your family
• Treating people like brothers and sisters
• Caring for others
• Being kind and helpful
• Showing love in action

The Bible says: “Love one another with brotherly affection” (Romans 12:10).

What is a brother or sister?

A brother or sister is:

• Someone in your family
• Someone who shares the same parents
• Someone who cares about you
• Someone who is always there for you

How does Jesus call us his brothers?

The Bible says Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers: “Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters” (Hebrews 2:11).

This means:

• We are part of God’s family
• Jesus loves us like family
• We belong together
• We should love each other like family too!

What are the ways to show brotherly love?

1. Be kind
   • Speak nice words
   • Don’t be mean
   • Smile at people
   • Be gentle
2. Help each other
   • If someone falls, help them up
   • If someone is carrying something, help them
   • If someone needs help with homework, teach them
   • Be helpful!
3. Share your things
   • Share your toys
   • Share your food
   • Share your books
   • Don’t be selfish
4. Forgive each other
   • When someone says sorry, forgive them
   • Don’t hold grudges
   • Let it go
   • Start fresh
5. Pray for each other
   • Pray for your friends
   • Pray for your classmates
   • Pray for your family
   • Ask God to bless them
6. Encourage each other
   • Say good things to people
   • Tell them “You can do it!”
   • Cheer them up when they’re sad
   • Be positive
7. Don’t fight
   • Don’t quarrel with others
   • Don’t hit or push
   • Solve problems peacefully
   • Be a peacemaker
8. Include everyone
   • Don’t leave anyone out
   • Invite others to play
   • Make everyone feel welcome
   • Be friendly to all
9. Protect each other
   • Stand up for your friends
   • Don’t let bullies hurt others
   • Be brave to help
   • Look out for each other
10. Tell the truth
    • Be honest with each other
    • Don’t lie
    • Keep your promises
    • Be trustworthy

Who were the apostles Jesus called his brothers?

What is an apostle?

• An apostle is someone Jesus sent out
• To preach the good news
• To tell people about Jesus
• To heal the sick

Who were the 12 apostles (Jesus’ special friends)?

1. Peter (also called Simon)
   • A fisherman
   • Very bold and brave
   • Jesus called him “the rock”
2. Andrew
   • Peter’s brother
   • Also a fisherman
   • Brought people to Jesus
3. James (son of Zebedee)
   • Brother of John
   • A fisherman
   • Very devoted to Jesus
4. John
   • Brother of James
   • “The disciple Jesus loved”
   • Wrote the Gospel of John
5. Philip
   • From Bethsaida
   • Brought Nathanael to Jesus
   • Asked good questions
6. Bartholomew (also called Nathanael)
   • An honest man
   • Jesus said “Here is a true Israelite”
7. Matthew (also called Levi)
   • Was a tax collector
   • Left everything to follow Jesus
   • Wrote the Gospel of Matthew
8. Thomas (also called Didymus)
   • Sometimes called “Doubting Thomas”
   • But he believed and said “My Lord and my God!”
9. James (son of Alphaeus)
   • Also called “James the Less”
   • Faithful follower
10. Thaddaeus (also called Judas, son of James)
    • Loyal disciple
11. Simon the Zealot
    • Was part of a political group
    • Became Jesus’ follower
12. Judas Iscariot
    • He betrayed Jesus
    • Was replaced by Matthias after Jesus rose

Why did Jesus call them brothers?

Jesus said to them: “You are my friends if you do what I command” (John 15:14).

Jesus loved these men like brothers because:

• They followed Him
• They believed in Him
• They obeyed Him
• They spent time with Him
• They did His work

What do we learn from the apostles?

1. Leave everything to follow Jesus
   • The apostles left their jobs
   • They left their families
   • They chose Jesus first
   • We should put Jesus first too!
2. Stay close to Jesus
   • The apostles spent time with Jesus
   • They learned from Him
   • We should spend time with Jesus too
   • Through prayer and reading the Bible
3. Obey Jesus
   • The apostles did what Jesus said
   • Even when it was hard
   • We should obey Jesus too
4. Love each other
   • The apostles loved each other
   • They worked together
   • We should love our Christian family
5. Tell others about Jesus
   • The apostles preached about Jesus
   • We should tell others about Jesus too
   • Share the good news!

Does Jesus call you his brother or sister too?

If you:

• Believe in Jesus
• Follow Jesus
• Obey Jesus
• Love Jesus

Then you are Jesus’ brother or sister! You are part of God’s family! You belong!

Song

We are one in the Spirit
We are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit
We are one in the Lord

And we pray that all unity
May one day be restored

And they’ll know we are Christians
By our love, by our love
Yes, they’ll know we are Christians
By our love

Evaluation

Choose the correct answer.

1. Brotherly love means loving others like _____.
   • a) enemies
   • b) family
   • c) strangers
2. Jesus had _____ apostles.
   • a) 10
   • b) 12
   • c) 15
3. Peter was a _____ before following Jesus.
   • a) teacher
   • b) fisherman
   • c) doctor
4. Brotherly love means we should _____ each other.
   • a) fight
   • b) help
   • c) ignore
5. Jesus is not ashamed to call us His _____.
   • a) enemies
   • b) brothers and sisters
   • c) servants only

Assignment

1. Name 5 of Jesus’ apostles.
2. Do one act of brotherly love this week.
3. Draw the 12 apostles with Jesus.
4. Share something with a friend or sibling.