Jesus Heals the Paralytic

The child will be able to identify Jesus’ power to both heal and forgive sins.

Bible Story Reference: Luke 5:17-26

Memory Verse: 

Psalm 103:2-3 (NIV)

Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins.

Introduction

In the last lesson, we learned about what it means to be born again.  ( It means to become a child of God. It means having a relationship with God by trusting in Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Saviour. It means trusting in God, not in our own abilities.)
Today, we will learn about Jesus’ power and how he both healed and forgave a man who could not walk.

Bible Story

One day, Jesus was teaching in a crowded house. Many people were there, including some Pharisees and other religious leaders.
There was also a man there who was paralyzed. This meant he could not walk or move his legs.
But several people carried the man on a mat. They tried to take him inside. The friends wanted to get him in front of Jesus. But it was just too crowded.
So, they went up on the roof instead. They removed some of the tiles and then gently lowered the man down into the middle of the room.
Jesus saw what the people had done to help the paralyzed man. He saw how much faith they all had.
“Friend,” Jesus said. “Your sins are forgiven!”
But the Pharisees and the religious leaders started to argue.
“Who does this man think he is?” they said. “Only God can forgive sins!”
Jesus knew what they were thinking.
“Why are you thinking that?” Jesus asked. “Is it easier for me to tell this man that his sins are forgiven or to tell him to get up and walk? Now you will see that I have the power to forgive sins.”
Then, Jesus told the paralyzed man to get up, pick up his mat, and walk home.
At once, the man stood up, picked up his mat, and walked home.
Everyone was amazed! They all praised God.

Review

Even when other people did not know who Jesus was, the evil spirits inside the man did. They knew Jesus was the Son of God. They also knew that Jesus is more powerful than Satan or any evil spirit. Jesus showed this. The evil spirits inside the man had to obey him.
The one true God is all-powerful. There is nothing more powerful than God. When Jesus showed his power and authority over the evil spirits, Jesus showed that he was the one true God and deserving of all our worship.

God is supreme over every evil power and disease. There is nothing more powerful than God.
Only the power of Jesus can heal people and forgive sins. No one else can do this. God has given Jesus authority.

    1. How do you know that Jesus has the power to heal? (Jesus showed that he has this power when he healed the paralyzed man.)
    2. How do you know that Jesus has the power to forgive sins? (Only God has the power to heal and forgive sins. But Jesus showed that he has this power and authority from God by healing the paralyzed man.)
    3. How did the paralyzed man’s friends show their faith? (They did not give up. They made a way to get their friend in front of Jesus.)
    4. How did the paralyzed man show faith? (When Jesus told him to get up, he did.)
    5. What are some ways that you can show your faith? (choosing to do the right thing even when it is difficult, helping others even when we are in need, and choosing to not worry or give in to fear.)

Prayer

Dear God,
What an honour it is to be able to pray in your name! Help me to remember this and to do it often. Amen.

Crafts

Jesus Heals A Paralytic Mat

What You Need

  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Ruler
  • Pencil
  • one piece of paper – this piece will become the background color for the placemat
  • strips of paper in a single color or multiple colors
  • Piece of paper for the feet

Steps

  1. Take the piece of paper and fold it in half across the width.
  2. Use your ruler to mark inch wide spaces all along the folded edge.
  3. Do the same along the open edge but the marks should be 1 inch from the edge of the paper.
  4. Draw a line connecting the marks.
  5. With the paper still folded and starting at the fold cut along the lines being careful to stop one inch from the open edge.
  6. Unfold the paper to reveal the loom that you have created.
  7. Weave the one inch strips through the loom. If you are using multiple colors be sure to alternate them for the most colorful effect.
  8. Glue the ends of the strips to the edges of the loom to hold them in place.
  9. On another piece of paper draw an outline of two feet and cut them out
  10. Glue the feet to the mat by arranging the feet on the mat and then gluing them in place