The Broken Cistern
Watching a leaky cup fail to hold water makes Jeremiah 2:13 unforgettable and sets up the question of what we’re drinking from.
- Hold the leaky cup over the bowl. Ask a volunteer to fill it “to the top” with water. They can’t; it pours out the bottom.
- SAY“Keep trying. Pour faster.” Let it keep failing for a few seconds.
- Read Jeremiah 2:13. Explain: a cistern was a rock tank for storing rainwater. Israel walked away from a flowing spring and dug their own tanks that leaked.
- Ask: “What are the broken cisterns people our age dig? Things that feel like they’ll fill you up and never quite do.” Take two or three answers.
Class screen: 🫗 Why dig a leaky tank when there’s a flowing spring? · Jeremiah 2:13
No supplies? Do this instead
Instead of: A plastic cup or water bottle with several holes poked in the bottom (the broken cistern), A bottle or pitcher of water and a bowl or tray to catch the drips
The Battery That Won’t Hold
- Ask: “Who has had a phone that says 80 percent and then dies an hour later? You charge it all night and it still won’t hold.”
- SAY“Imagine plugging it in harder. Charging it more often. It still leaks.”
- Read Jeremiah 2:13. Explain: a cistern was a rock tank for storing rainwater. Israel walked away from a flowing spring and dug their own tanks that leaked.
- Ask: “What are the broken cisterns people our age dig? Things that feel like they’ll fill you up and never quite do.” Take two or three answers.
Class screen: 🪫 Charged all night, dead by lunch. Sound familiar? · Jeremiah 2:13