Not as Orphans
The printed guide is laid out to teach from: a run sheet, a page per section with room for notes, and a one-sheet handout with a kids’ page on the back.
Jesus does not leave his people alone; his Spirit stays with them.
Open with it, bring it back after every section, close with it. By the end they should be able to finish the sentence for you.
John 14:1-14, The Way — You don't need a map home. You need to know Jesus.
John 15:1-17, Abide in Me — Remain in Jesus' love; lasting fruit grows from him, not from us.
Open
Ask: When have you felt left on your own, a first day somewhere new, a hospital waiting room, a house after someone moved out? Read John 14:18: "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." Big idea: Jesus does not leave his people alone; his Spirit stays with them. Ask one person what stuck from last time.
The run sheet
Another Advocate
John 14:15-20
Jesus answers his friends' fear of being left alone with the promise of the Spirit, who will stay forever.
- Jesus is leaving, and his friends are afraid.
- He promises another Helper who will stay forever.
- Because he lives, they will live too.
The Father will give you another Advocate to be with you forever.
I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
Discuss: Why do you think Jesus chose the word orphans to describe what his friends were afraid of?
- Advocate means one called alongside to help, like a friend beside you in court; another means one like Jesus himself (v16).
- "Because I live, you also will live": their future rests on his life, not their strength (v19).
- The Spirit "abides with you and will be in you" (v17): not a visitor but a resident.
Illustration idea: A child at the school gate whose parent says, I am going, but someone you know is coming to stay with you.
Listen for:
- They were losing their teacher and felt like children left behind.
- Orphans feel unprotected and unwanted; Jesus says they are neither.
If it drifts: If talk drifts into debates about the Spirit's gifts, bring it back to verse 18: the point here is that they will not be alone.
However alone you feel, he has not left you on your own; his Spirit stays.
Short on time? Skip the optional point on verse 17 and keep verses 16, 18 and 19.
Bridge → So who is this promise for, and what does it look like in a life? Verses 21-24 tell us.
We Will Make Our Home
John 14:21-24
The God who has a home ready for his people comes to make his home with them now.
- Love for Jesus shows in keeping his word.
- Jesus shows himself to those who love him.
- The Father and the Son come to live with them.
We will come to him and make Our home with him.
The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father.
Discuss: What is the difference between visiting someone and making your home with them?
- Earlier Jesus spoke of rooms in his Father's house (14:2); here the Father and Son come to make their home with us (v23).
- Love and keeping his word go together, but the help comes first: the Spirit is given before anyone proves anything (v16, v23).
- Judas (not Iscariot) asks why Jesus will not show himself to the whole world (v22); the answer is personal, not a public show.
Illustration idea: The difference between a guest who stays one night and family who move in for good.
Listen for:
- A visitor leaves; someone at home stays and belongs.
- A home is where you are known and do not have to perform.
If it drifts: If someone turns verse 21 into a test of whether they love God enough, read verse 16 again: the Spirit is given first, as a gift.
He has not left you alone; he comes to make his home with you.
Short on time? Drop Judas's question and keep verse 23.
Bridge → And what does he leave them with, on his way out of the room? Verses 25-27.
My Peace I Give You
John 14:25-27
Jesus leaves his friends his own peace, and the Spirit to keep his words alive in them.
- The Spirit will teach and remind them.
- Jesus leaves his own peace as a gift.
- His peace is not the world's kind.
He will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you.
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you.
Discuss: How is the peace Jesus gives different from the peace the world gives?
- The Spirit reminds them of Jesus' words; John shows the disciples understanding them only later (2:22; 12:16).
- "I do not give to you as the world gives": his peace does not depend on circumstances going well (v27).
- Peace (shalom) means wholeness and rightness with God, not just calm feelings.
Illustration idea: A parting gift that is not an object but a person's own calm, handed to someone frightened.
Listen for:
- The world's peace lasts until something goes wrong.
- His peace stays even when things do not get better.
If it drifts: If people start listing ways to feel calmer, return to the words My peace: it is his to give, not ours to produce.
You are not alone, and the peace he leaves you is his own.
Short on time? Skip the optional note on shalom.
Bridge → Read verse 27 slowly together and let it land.
Close — never cut it
This passage comforts. Read verse 27 slowly: "Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid." Remind them that Jesus said this to people about to face the worst week of their lives, and let the promise stand without adding homework.
If the last section starts late, skip its discussion question and keep the slow reading of verse 27.
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:18
With one friend, over coffee
About 30 minutes · for a friend who is curious, or not sure
- Start with being left. Ask about a time they felt left on their own. Listen more than you talk.
- Read verses 15-20. Read it together. Notice that Jesus names his friends' fear: being left as orphans.
- Explain the Advocate. Say plainly that the Spirit is God himself with his people, someone called alongside, not a force or a feeling.
- Read verses 23 and 27. God comes to make his home with people who love Jesus, and Jesus leaves his own peace.
- Leave the question with them. Ask what it would mean if the God who made them wanted to make his home with them. Leave it open; there is no rush.
“Isn't the Spirit just a feeling people talk themselves into?”
Jesus ties the Spirit to his words, not to feelings: the Spirit teaches and reminds people of what Jesus said, which you can read and weigh for yourself.
“Why would God only show himself to some people?”
Judas asked the same thing (v22). Jesus' answer is that he makes himself known to anyone who loves him and keeps his word. The door is not closed to anyone who comes.
“Do I have to be good enough first?”
No. Jesus promises the Spirit as a gift before anyone proves anything, to friends who would run away that very night.
“What does his peace actually change?”
It does not promise that problems disappear. It promises that you do not face them alone, and that your standing with God does not depend on how the day goes.
Evergreen principles
Four standards every week. The rest rotate: each lesson brings the few that fit its passage best.
Let the Bible do the talking
The passage's own words carry the comfort better than our explanations.
If you’re new: Read verses 18 and 27 aloud twice and let them stand.
If you’ve taught for years: Trace monai in 14:2 and monē in 14:23 and let the class discover the turn.
Plan for the skeptic and the grieving
Orphans and being left alone will touch people who have lost someone.
If you’re new: Have a tissue box nearby and a quiet word ready for anyone who goes silent.
If you’ve taught for years: Name gently that grief is real and Jesus speaks into it, without rushing anyone to feel better.
Let the passage land the way it lands
This passage comforts; it does not assign homework.
If you’re new: End on verse 27, not on a task.
If you’ve taught for years: Resist turning verse 21 into a guilt test; keep verse 16's gift in front of it.
Pray before you prepare
Teaching the Bible is spiritual work first (John 15:5).
If you’re new: Pray for your class by name during the week.
If you’ve taught for years: Pray for the one person you find hardest to reach.
Study the text first
Understand the passage yourself before any help.
If you’re new: Read it in two translations; write your own questions first.
If you’ve taught for years: Don’t lean on old notes. What did you miss last time?
Teach one big idea
People remember one sentence, not four points.
If you’re new: Write it in 12 words or fewer before anything else.
If you’ve taught for years: Test every story against it. If it doesn’t serve it, cut it.
Point to Christ
All of Scripture points to him (Luke 24:27).
If you’re new: Ask: what does this show about Jesus?
If you’ve taught for years: Show grace as the reason for obedience, not just the rule.
Openings & closings
Pick one opening and one close; rotate so class doesn’t get predictable.
ask a real-life question
When have you felt left on your own?
use an object
Hold up a house key: the difference between a visitor and someone who lives here.
start in the text
Read verse 18 and ask who in the room has ever felt like an orphan.
restate the big idea
Jesus does not leave his people alone; his Spirit stays with them.
allow quiet reflection
Read verse 27 slowly, then give thirty seconds of silence.
send them out with a verse
Send them out with John 14:18.
When class gets hard
Someone in the room has lost a parent, and the word orphans hits hard.
Acknowledge it gently, do not explain it away, and let verse 18 be a promise rather than a lesson.
Someone says they have never felt the Spirit and wonder if they are left out.
Point to verse 26: the Spirit's work is tied to Jesus' words, not to feelings; and verse 16: he is a gift, not a prize.
Silence after a question
Wait. Then rephrase simpler, or ask them to talk to a neighbor first.
One person dominates
“Thanks. Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t spoken yet.” Talk privately if it continues.
A question you can’t answer
Say so, write it down, bring an answer next week.
A tangent takes over
“Great question. Let’s catch it after class so we can finish the passage.”
Read this week
- Ezekiel 36:26-27
- Romans 8:15-16
- John 20:19-23
For kids
The printable guide puts this on the back of the handout, with a word search and a secret code.
Jesus never leaves his friends alone.
- Jesus eats supper with his friends.
- Jesus says he is going away.
- His friends feel scared.
- Jesus promises the Holy Spirit.
- Jesus gives them his peace.
- The disciples: worried
- Judas (not Iscariot): worried
- Jesus: happy
- The Father: happy
Memory verse: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:18
Act it out: One child pretends to leave for a trip and hands a friend a card that says I will come back, while another child stays beside them.
Draw it: Draw a house with Jesus inside it, and you there too.
Finish the sentence: Jesus never leaves me alone because...