VERSES: Luke 5:12-26; Matthew 9:2; Mark 2:3
MEMORY VERSE: Luke 5:24 "...Arise, take up your bed, and go into your house."
BOOK TO REMEMBER: 1 Thessalonians. Write "1 Thessalonians" on small slips of paper for the student to memorize at home.
PRAYER: Pray that God will help those who are sick.
SPECIAL SONG: Read, Read Every Day (see February - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #1 on this blog. Click on orange circle to hear tune.)
VISUAL AID: TV Box (see instructions on February - Visual Aid #1 -TV Box)
LESSON POINTS:
- As we have studied before, Jesus went from town to town, preaching about the kingdom of God and healing people. Jesus would even heal people with terrible things wrong with them like leprosy. When Jesus would heal someone with troubles that other people could see or maybe they would know the person that Jesus had healed and there was no doubt that their friend or the person who lived in their town had been healed. Jesus healed people with leprosy, blind people, and people who could not walk. Soon, great amounts of people from everywhere would come to hear Jesus and be healed by Him.
- One day, important people like the Pharisees and doctors of the law had come from every town in Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem and were sitting and listening to Jesus. There were a lot of people! People everywhere in the house
- A certain man could not walk at all. He had palsy and had to depend on other people like his friends and family to help him go from one place to another. Since the man could not walk, four men had brought the man who had palsy to Jesus on a bed. The men must have heard that Jesus was healing people because they brought their friend to Jesus, hoping that Jesus would heal him.
- Because there were SO many people, the men had a problem. They could not find a way to bring their friend close to Jesus, so they took the man with palsy on his bed up to the top of the house and let him down through the roof right to where Jesus was! There was no doubt in the minds of the men that if they could get their friend close to Jesus that Jesus would heal him. They had great faith! When Jesus saw what they had done and knew how much faith they had, Jesus told the man with the palsy that his sins were forgiven.
- That is when people began to talk about Jesus. The Pharisees and scribes reasoned and made judgments and thought to themselves, "Who can forgive sins, but God alone?" We, today, know, but the people did not know that Jesus was the Son of God. Jesus could forgive sins since He was God's Son! But, Jesus knew the Pharisees and scribes' hearts and knew what they were thinking. He said to them, "What judgments are you making in your hearts? Are you thinking which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven' or to say 'Rise up and walk?' So that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins, (then he turned to the man sick with the palsy) I say to you, Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house." Immediately, the man with the palsy, stood up, took up his bed, and went home, glorifying God as he went!
- Everyone who saw what happened was amazed and glorified God and had a deep respect and reverence for God. The people said, "We have seen strange things today."
- Sometimes we hear of false preachers say they can heal people. Sometimes we hear it on TV or the radio. They say they are healing someone's liver or heart or something that we can't see, but Jesus always healed someone who had something wrong with them that people could see, like their eyes or legs. And, it was always healed immediately. There was no waiting for six months, Jesus healed right then! We will study soon how Jesus brought a dead man to life. No one could do that, but Jesus, the Son of God!
Materials needed: 6" x 9" dark brown construction paper, 5" x 16" light brown construction paper, tan and white scraps of paper, four 2" lengths of thread or string, scissors, tape, glue, marker, crayons.
- Hand out light brown paper.
- Fold light brown paper in half.
- Fold light brown paper in half again.
- Unfold.
- Fold back one of the light brown panels. This is the house.
- On one side of the light brown paper, draw a large door.
- Cut out door.
- On the other side of the light brown paper, draw lots of people. Stick people are fine.
- Fold light brown paper into a box.
- Secure with tape.
- Hand out scraps of tan and white paper.
- Draw, cut out, and color six men. Four men should have one arm sticking out. (see picture)
- Fold the four arms of the men at right angles.
- On one of the men without arms, write "Jesus." Set aside.
- On another man without arms, write "Man with the palsy." Set aside.
- On white scrap of paper, cut out a rectangle, small enough to fit through the top of the house.
- Write "Bed" on white paper.
- Glue "man with the palsy" on top of bed.
- Hand out the thread.
- Line up four men on table.
- Tape one of each length of thread to each man's hand.
- Glue men to the top of the house.
- Tape a corner of the bed to the other end of each string, so it is suspended in air. This may be a little more difficult, but definitely the 'cool' part of the project. Teacher may get to help some of the younger students. (Make certain "man with the palsy" is looking at you when you look down into the house.)
- Hand out dark brown paper. This is the floor or the foundation of the house.
- Fold Jesus' feet.
- Tape Jesus' feet to the middle of the dark brown paper, so Jesus is standing the middle of the paper.
- Place four small pieces of tape on each of the four sides of the house. (see picture.)
- Place house around Jesus, so it looks like he is inside the house.
- Secure tape to the dark brown paper.
- Write "Jesus Heals The Man With The Palsy" and "Luke 5" on one end of the dark brown paper.
