Jesus heals a sick girl
key words
biblical reference
Luke 8:40-42; 49-56
lesson objective
To enable children to know that Jesus grew up and helped others.
memory verse
“And the child grew and became strong” (Luke 2:40a, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
Scripture tells us that many people rejected Jesus’ teachings. However, others listened to him and believed his message. That is the case of today’s story. Jairus asked Jesus urgently to go to his house to see his daughter whom was about to die.
On the way to the house, there were women who were crying and wailing since it was Hebrew custom while mourning for the dead. When Jesus arrived and saw the girl, he ordered her to wake up, and asked her parents to feed her. They were very happy and thanked God for healing their daughter.
This lesson presents the opportunity to remind the children about God’s promise that he is always with them. Stir in them feelings of love, compassion, and safety during class.
Did your children ask for prayer for a friend or family member who is sick? When you intercede and pray for a child, it encourages them to do the same for others. They learn goodness through the examples they see in their teachers and parents.
The children know what it is like to be sick and lying in bed. Maybe in a certain circumstance they were worried about a family member or a friend that was sick. The girl in this story was severely sick. Jesus was concerned about that family and helped them through that difficult time.
During this stage, the children experience a variety of illnesses. It is possible for them to catch a cold six to eight times in a year. When they enter the school environment, they are exposed to a larger quantity of illnesses. Due to the fact that children do not want to be sick, the concept of healing may be hard for them to understand. Show your faith in the promise that God is always with us, even in times of illness.
Encourage the children, through this story, to learn to trust God when they are sick and to pray for those that need healing.
introduce the lesson
Recognize the differences
Have the mural from the previous class ready, “And the child grew and became strong.” Also have some cut outs from magazines of adults with different jobs.
Show your children the new cut outs you brought to class and let them say what they think their responsibilities are. Ask a volunteer to stick them on the mural. Talk to them about how Jesus grew up: first about how he was a baby, then a boy, and then an adult.
Tell them: “In today’s story, we will learn about something Jesus did when he grew up. He was a great man who loved and wanted to help everybody. He healed the sick, and children like you too. Let’s see what happened this time.
Mural: You can grow like Jesus
For this activity, prepare beforehand a big poster board, cut outs of sick people or people that are in hospitals, a picture of Jesus, and colored pencils.
Compile a mural with the figure of Jesus in the center. If you do not have one, spell Jesus in big letters (vertically). Stick the different cut outs of sick people around Jesus, and at the bottom of the mural place the title, “I can grow like Jesus.”
Talk to your children about the different illnesses that can be seen in the pictures and how they imagine those people feel. Talk about Jesus’ love for others and His wish that everybody be happy. Allow them to tell you how we can help those people feel better.
Tell them: “Jesus was interested in the people because he loved them all very much. His wish was for them to be healthy, and he wanted them to feel better. Today we will learn about what Jesus did with a sick girl.”
teach the lesson
Study carefully Luke 8:40-42 and 49-56 prior to the session. Be prepared to tell the story in your own words. Direct your children to the designated area for the Bible story. You will need a sheet to simulate a bed. Ask some of the children to play out the Bible story. Ask a girl to play Jairus’ daughter and have her lie on the sheet. Other girls can pretend to be mourners. Pick two boys, one to play Jairus and the other to play Jesus. Guide the children as you tell the story.
When finished ask some review questions:
How do you think the mourners felt knowing that the girl was very sick?
How did Jairus and his wife feel?
Who did Jairus ask for help?
What did Jesus do?
Talk to your children about the joy that Jesus brought to that family and how he helped them when they were sick.
connect the lesson
My book about Jesus
Give the children Student Activity Sheet #3-A and #3-C. Help them cut out the picture of the little girl and Jesus. The, help them paste it in their Book about Jesus in the right place.
Jesus helps Jairus’s daughter
Give each child a copy of Student Activity Sheet #3-B. Then, explain the instructions. Guide them to cut out the cards and mix them up, so that afterwards they can sort them in order and review the story.
Ask the questions on Student Activity Sheet #3-C and allow the children to participate: How does Jesus care for you? How does Jesus show his love for others? How do your parents show you their love? Encourage the children to take home SAS #3-C and share it with their families and friends.
practice the memory verse
Teach the children the following motions. Then practice the memory verse with them using the motions.
“And the child…" (move your arms as if rocking a baby)
"…grew…" (crouch down and slowly stand up)
"…and became strong” (flex your arm muscles)
"Luke 2:40" (put your palms together and open them as if you were opening the bible)
As you speak to their family members, encourage them to ask the child to recite the memory verse with the motions.
wrap-up
Pray
Before finishing, ask the children if they have any prayer requests. Maybe one of them knows someone that is sick. This is a good opportunity to put into use what they have learned. Ask them to get down on their knees, and pray for requests that were mentioned. Give thanks to God for healing people that are sick. When you finish the prayer, ask all the children to say out loud, “Thank you God, because you hear us!”
Encourage
Encourage the children to pray and read the Bible at home and memorize the verse and tell the Bible story to their parents and relatives.
Invite
Create anticipation for the next session. Tell them the topic to make a connection and awakening interest in them for not missing.
* 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.™