VERSES: Luke 17:11-19
MEMORY VERSE: Luke 17:17 "And Jesus answering said, 'Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?'"
BOOK TO REMEMBER: Numbers. Write "Numbers" on small slips of paper and hand out to the students when class is over.
PRAYER: Thank God, the Creator of the universe, for remembering us and our needs. Thank God for the food, clothing, shelter, and so many good things He gives us. We know that all good things come from above.
SPECIAL SONG: Jesus Taught By Parable And Miracle (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #4 on this blog. Click on orange circle to hear tune.)
VISUAL AID: TV Box (see February 2014 - Visual Aid #1 for description and instructions), Bible map, showing Samaria, Galilee, Jerusalem.
LESSON POINTS:
- In Bible times, there was a disease that some people were afflicted with that was called leprosy. Like all dreaded diseases, there was no cure for it. If a person got leprosy now, they could take some medicine and get better, but not in Bible times. People never recovered from leprosy back then and, sometimes, not on purpose, but accidentally, they would touch someone or maybe their clothes would touch another person, and the other person would get leprosy, too. People with leprosy were commanded to stay away from other people. It was a very bad disease. Naaman, the leper, was one of the few that was healed of leprosy in the Old Testament (see September 2014 - Lesson - Naaman, The Leper on this blog).
- One day, as Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem, he passed right through the middle of Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a particular village, there were ten lepers that met Him, yet they stood a safe distance away from Jesus. When they saw Him, they must have known who Jesus was because they cried out to Him and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"
- When Jesus saw them, He said to them, "Go show yourselves to the priests," which was something lepers were required to do. As the men with leprosy were going to see the priests, they were cleansed of their disease. One of the lepers, when he saw that he was healed and did not have leprosy anymore, turned and went back to Jesus and, with a loud voice, glorified God. He fell down at Jesus' feet and thanked Jesus.
- The Bible tells us a little more about this thankful leper. It says that he was a Samaritan. Samaritan and Jews did not get along with each other. The Jews would have nothing to do with the Samaritans because they thought they were better than the Samaritans. But, here was a Samaritan that was so very thankful to Jesus and, out of the ten lepers, he was the only one who said thank you.
- Jesus noticed that only one of ten lepers were thankful and said to the Samaritan, "Weren't there ten lepers? Where are the other nine? No one returned to give God the glory except this stranger", meaning the Samaritan. Jesus said to the Samaritan, "Get up, go your way, your faith has made you whole."
- Being thankful is and has always been important to God. He wants us to be thankful and, even God already knows if we are thankful, He wants us to tell Him. There are many verses in the Bible, telling us to be thankful. Read Deuteronomy 8:10, Psalms 100:4, Colossians 1:12, Colossians 3:20, and Ephesians 5:20. It is always good to be thankful.
ACTIVITY: Ten Lepers
Materials needed: 9" x 12" yellow construction paper, 3" x 12" brown construction paper, scraps of brightly colored paper, glue, scissors, crayons, marker.
- Hand out yellow paper. This is the foundation of the picture.
- Hand out brown paper.
- Tear top edge of brown paper.
- Glue brown paper to bottom of yellow paper. This is the road.
- Hand out dark brown scraps of paper.
- Cut three medium-sized squares out of the dark brown scraps.
- Glue dark brown squares on brown road. These are the houses in the village. Small black rectangles can be cut for door, if desired.
- Fold the entire yellow paper with road and houses in half. Later, the scene may be folded in half as the story is told and the nine lepers will not be seen.
- Hand out different colored scraps of paper.
- Cut out eleven triangles. These are the ten lepers and Jesus.
- Set one triangle aside. Do not glue. This is the thankful Samaritan leper.
- Glue nine leper's triangles on left side of the picture.
- Glue Jesus on the bottom far right side of the picture.
- Hand out tan scraps of paper.
- Cut out twelve small circles. These are the men's heads (two for the thankful leper).
- Glue heads on the nine leper's bodies and Jesus' body.
- Glue two heads on the one thankful leper that was set aside. Glue one head on one side; turn the man over and glue another head right on top of the other head. Set this thankful leper aside. Do not glue him on the picture.
- Draw the profiles (side of face) of the nine lepers, going away from Jesus.
- Draw Jesus' profile, facing the lepers who are walking away from Him.
- Draw arms on the lepers and Jesus. See picture.
- Write "Jesus" on Jesus.
- On one side of the thankful leper, draw profile.
- Turn thankful leper over and draw profile of his face.
- Draw arms (one each side) on thankful leper who is not glued.
- Write "Samaritan" on the thankful leper who is not glued to picture.
- Write "Jesus Heals The Ten Lepers" and "Luke 17:11-19" at the top of the yellow paper.
- Turn yellow paper over to the back.
- Cut out a 3" x 3" square out of any color paper.
- Glue three edges of square on either side of yellow paper. This is the thankful leper's pocket.
- The way it works: As the student tells the story, the movable leper can, at first, be in the lepers group. As the lepers walk away from Jesus, fold the paper, so the nine lepers cannot be seen. Suddenly, the thankful leper discovers he is healed, and can quickly be turned around and fall at Jesus' feet, saying "Thank You!."
- Place thankful leper in pocket on back of yellow paper before leaving class.
