Jesus shows that He is the Son of God
key words
biblical reference
Luke 5:17-26
lesson objective
To help the children understand that Jesus has the power to do amazing things because he is the Son of God.
memory verse
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
Today, as happened in biblical times, many people believe that Jesus was only a teacher and prophet. However, he is the Son of God. His presence and love made a great difference in the ancient world and continue to do so in today’s world. His birth divided history into two periods and transformed the lives of countless people. He alone has the power to forgive sins and restore the relationship between people and God. He was the only one who performed amazing miracles, such as giving sight to the blind and healing the paralyzed.
Jesus made a difference because his life represented the beginning of the redemption of mankind and the destruction of sin.
At this stage, elementary children are easily impressed, and tend to imitate behaviors and fashions. Sometimes the models they follow are not the most appropriate. However, you have the opportunity to teach them that Jesus is the perfect model. In these lessons, by emphasizing the qualities of Jesus’ character encourage children to be imitators of Christ in their daily lives.
biblical commentary
Read Luke 5:17-26. This well-known passage reminds us of the great love of some men who took their sick friend to Jesus. Above all, it tells us about the power and mercy of God through Jesus Christ.
Evading all obstacles, these four bold friends made an opening in the roof of the place where Jesus was teaching. Thus, they achieved what they wanted: a miracle of healing. But the most interesting thing is that Jesus declared his authority, not only to heal the body, but also to restore the soul through the forgiveness of sins.
Jesus knew that the time of his sacrificial death would soon come, and that the redemptive work would be accomplished. Therefore, he took this opportunity to make it clear that he was not just a doctor, but that his mission on earth was to save humanity that was condemned by their sin.
Jesus healed the man, and he got up, took his bed, and left the house walking and praising God. This miracle not only shows us Jesus’ compassion towards the paralytic, but it gives us a convincing proof that he is the Messiah.
introduce the lesson
Figures with stones
For this activity, you will need very small stones/ pebbles of different sizes and textures, cardboard or poster board, scissors, glue, colored markers and wool/yarn.
Place all the materials on a table and have the children sit in chairs around the table. Ask your children to observe the shapes, textures and sizes of the stones. Then ask them to draw a person or animal on the card. Then, they are to use the stones to make the eyes, nose, mouth, etc.
Tell them to complete the work with other materials, such as wool/yarn for hair, whiskers, etc. The important thing is that they do all the activity without getting up from their chairs even once. It does not matter if they drop the material or need something else; if they need help, they should raise their hands and you will help them.
When the jobs are finished, let them dry and ask them: How did you feel when you could not get out of your chair? Listen to their answers, and tell them that people who cannot walk often feel frustrated and helpless. However, God takes care of them because he loves them. In the Bible story, we will learn more about this.
Note: You can substitute the activity of the stones for another craft that suits the needs of your group.
teach the lesson
Invite a young man from your congregation to represent one of the friends who brought the paralytic to Jesus. Provide him with a robe, and ask him to tell the story. Give the study materials in advance and allow him to interact with the children.
Jesus heals a paralytic
The people of Capernaum were happy because Jesus was with them. Many wanted to hear his teachings, so the house where he was had filled with people.
Many had stayed outside, but they could look in through the door and the windows.
Four men passed near the house and saw the large crowd.
“What’s happening here?” asked one of them.
“Jesus is in that house,” someone answered.
Then, one of the four men said, “I know what we can do. Let’s go bring our friend. I’m sure Jesus can heal him.”
“You’re right. Let’s get him!” called another.
Everyone agreed, so they went for their friend who could not walk.
“You must come with us to see Jesus,” they said to him after they found him.
“But I cannot go,” said the paralytic. “I cannot walk; how could I get there?”
“We’ll take you. You must listen to the teachings of Jesus and see the miracles he does.”
“Ok, let’s go!” he said excitedly.
Each of the friends held tightly to one of the corners of the mat on which their friend was lying and set out on the road.
When they arrived near the house, one of them said, “There are too many people in front of the door and we’ll never reach the place where Jesus is. What can we do?”
“Look! There is a stairway that leads to the roof,” said another of the friends.
Everyone knew what they should do, so they very carefully held their friend and climbed the stairs to the roof. One by one, they began to remove the tiles that covered the roof until they made a big hole. Then, they tied the mat with ropes and carefully lowered their friend, until they put him in the middle of everyone, right in front of Jesus.
Some people who were in the house began to say things about the paralytic.
“Poor man! Surely he did something very bad to deserve such punishment,” thought someone.
Then Jesus approached the paralytic and said, “Friend, I forgive you of all your sins.”
Upon hearing those words, many people became angry and began to speak badly of Jesus.
“Who do you think you are to forgive sins?” they said annoyed. “Only God can do that.”
Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he spoke again to the man, saying, “Get up, take your mat and go home.”
Then in front of the whole crowd, the man stood up, rolled up his mat and headed for the door. While walking, he shouted, “Glory to God! Look what Jesus did for me. He healed me!”
Everyone was amazed to see the man walking, and they began to praise God saying, “What wonders we have seen today!”
connect the lesson
A hole in the roof!
Hand out Student Activity Sheet #199-A and #199-B. Then give each child a piece of wool/yarn. Explain that they must cut off the strip on the bottom of Student Activity Sheet #199-A and cut out the bed and the figure of the paralytic.
Then, tell them to fold the mat in half, following the dotted line (the colored part should face outwards), and place the figure of the paralytic inside.
Help them make the four holes marked on the bed of the paralytic, and one in the roof opening of the house. Pass the piece of yarn through the holes in the bed and roof opening, to simulate that the paralytic is descending.
On Student Activity Sheet #199-B, ask the children to draw a line that links the circle, the star, the square and the triangle to the people who can do what the phrases say. Talk about what only Jesus can do because he is the Son of God. Then, decipher the mysterious message.
As your children, prepare to go home, remind them to use their activity sheet to tell their family members the Bible story.
practice the memory verse
If you are utilizing the Verse of the Month Club, pass out the card for the unit. Then, tell the group to divide into pairs to review the memory verse. Each person should say the text to his or her partner using different voice tones. Pay attention and choose the most creative to come to the front and tell others the text, modulating their voice in different ways.
wrap-up
Pray
Ask the group to tell their prayer needs. Then lead the children in prayer, thanking God for having sent his Son Jesus to save us from our sins.
Encourage
Encourage the children to study the biblical text during the week.
Invite
Say some interesting things about the next session and challenge them not miss the next meeting. Thank those who came with friends and encourage them to continue to invite friends.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™