2026-03-22 Jesus Teaches Sinners

Introduction

In this lesson, children will explore the profound truth of Jesus’ full humanity alongside His divinity. While we often focus on Jesus as the "perfect" and all-powerful God, it is equally vital for children to understand that He was born and became like us in every way—experiencing hunger, tiredness, physical pain, and even temptation. By looking at His life and His victory over Satan in the desert, students will learn that Jesus is athe mercifulgreatest Highteacher Priestof all. He didn't use big, complicated words that only scholars could understand. Instead, He used simple stories called parables, along with everyday pictures and actions, to teach people about God. Through the Parable of the Sower, children will discover that not everyone responds to Jesus' teaching the same way. Jesus' true friends are those who trulylisten, sympathizes with our weaknesses. The goal is for students to find comfortbelieve, and strength in knowing that because Jesus suffered when tempted, He is uniquely able to help us when we face our own struggles to obey God.His words.

Main Ideas:

• Humanity:Teacher: Jesus wasreveals athe realtruth humanabout God through words, pictures, and actions that everyone can understand.

• Understanding: Jesus gives understanding to simple sinners, not just smart or important people.
• Response: Jesus' true friends (disciples) are those who experiencedrespond everythingin wefaith do,demonstrated includingthrough hunger, pain, and exhaustion.

• Temptation: Jesus was tempted by Satan to sin, but He never yielded.
• Sympathy: Because Jesus lived as a man, He can truly sympathize with our weaknesses and struggles
• Helper: Jesus is our all-powerful Savior who is always ready to help us when we are tempted to do wrong.obedience.

Praise and Worship (15 mins)

Parents: The parent and child scheduled for this week will lead us in singing on Sunday. Please take time to practice the songs together at home, helping your child feel confident and joyful as they prepare to lead.

Prayer and Offering (5 mins)

Parents: Please encourage your children to bring an offering to church. You may help your child prepare by setting aside a coin for them to bring on Sunday. This is a great opportunity to teach them about giving to God with a thankful heart and trusting Him to provide.

What is Offering?

Offering is when we give something to God to show our love and thankfulness. In church, we often give money as an offering, but we can also give our time, talents, and kindness to God and others.

Why Do We Make an Offering?

To Thank God – Everything we have comes from God! Giving back is a way to say, “Thank You, God!”
To Trust God – When we give, we show that we trust God to take care of us.
To Help Others – Offerings help the church teach about Jesus, help people in need, and share God’s love.

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 9:7,
"God loves a cheerful giver!" That means God is happy when we give with a joyful heart!

Prayer for Offering

Dear God, thank You for giving us everything we need. We want to give back to You with joyful hearts. Please use our offering to help others and share Your love. Help us to always trust You. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Review Verse from Last Week

MatthewLuke 1:214:18a

"She[Jesus willsaid,] bear'The aSpirit son,of andthe youLord shallis callupon hisme, name Jesus, forbecause he willhas saveanointed hisme peopleto fromproclaim theirgood sins.news to the poor.'"

Bible Story (10 min)

Introduction (12 min)

Props Needed:

• A

  diaper

  small clay or plastic pot
• A small bag of potting soil
• A package of bean seeds
• A few rocks
• Sticks or twigs (to represent weeds/thorns)
• A small artificial or real plant in a pot

 

(TeacherKeep holdsall upthe items hidden in a babybag diaperor behind your back. Don't show them yet.)

 Teacher: "WhoI wearsbrought these?some special items to class today, and I'm going to teach you something. Are you ready? Listen carefully..."

Teacher: (speaking in a very fancy, complicated voice) "Today I am going to demonstrate how to deposit organic medium into an earthen receptacle in order to establish a botanical specimen."

(Pause and look at the children's confused faces.)

Teacher: "Did anyone understand what I just said?"

(Let children respond. They will likely say no!)

Teacher: "Those words were too big and confusing, weren't they? Let me try again. What if I show you what I'm talking about?"

(Pull out the pot, soil, and seeds.)

Teacher: "Now can you guess? I'm going to... put dirt in a pot and plant some seeds! That's right—babies!much Weeasier allto woreunderstand, theseright?"

once

Interaction because(Age we4-6): "If you were allgoing tiny,to weakteach babiesa wholittle neededkid help.something, would you use really big, hard words, or small, simple words? Show me a thumbs up for simple words!"

DidTeacher: "Good teachers use words you knowcan thatunderstand, whenthings Godyou sentcan see, and actions you can watch. And guess what? Jesus to saveis the world,BEST teacher of all. He didn't comeuse asbig, afancy giantwords orthat aonly superheroreally first?smart Hepeople camecould as a tiny baby who had to wear diapers, just like you did. Even thoughunderstand. He isused thesimple all-powerfulstories God,and Heeveryday chosethings toso becomethat aeveryone, realeven personchildren, withcould alearn realabout body.God!"

Story Telling: JesusThe UnderstandsParable Youof the Sower (10 min)

Props / Visuals Suggested:

• Clay Babyor diaperplastic pot with soil
• ToyBean seeds
• BandageRocks
• PieceSticks/twigs of food(weeds)
• Blanket
Small
• Shinyplant heartin cutouta pot

 

Part 1: TheJesus "Justthe Like Us" ChallengeTeacher (32 mins)

Teacher: "I want to see if you can guess who I'm talking about. I'm thinking of someone who used to wear a diaper. They played with toys, they laughed when they were happy, and if they tripped and scraped their knee, they cried because it really hurt. Who do you think it is?"

(Let the children shout out names like 'Me!' or 'My brother!')

Teacher: "AllLast ofweek thosewe arelearned greatthat guesses!Jesus stood up in the synagogue and made the biggest announcement ever. He told everyone: 'I am the one God sent to save you!' After that, Jesus didn't just sit back and wait. He started traveling from town to town, teaching people about God."

Teacher: "And here's something amazing about Jesus as a teacher: He is God, so He is the smartest person who has ever lived. He knows EVERYTHING. But did youHe knowuse thisbig, fancy, hard-to-understand words when He taught people?"

(Let children respond.)

Teacher: "No! Because Jesus didn't come to save only really smart people. Jesus came to save ALL sinners, including children! So He used simple stories called 'parables.' A parable is alsoa exactlypretend whatstory Jesusthat was like? Even though Jesus is the all-powerful God, the Bible tellsteaches us Hesomething becametrue. aToday realwe're humangoing being,to madehear likeone usof inJesus' everymost way.

famous

Interaction (Age 4-10): parables."Everyone, show me your 'happy playing' face! Now, show me your 'I just scraped my knee' face. Jesus felt those exact same things."

 

Part 2: GrowingThe UpFarmer and Gettingthe TiredSeeds (23 mins)

Teacher: "AsOne day, a huge crowd of people came to see Jesus. They were all pushing in close, trying to hear Him. And Jesus grewtold up,them this story..."

Teacher: "He didn'tsaid: 'A farmer went out to plant his seeds.' Everyone watching Jesus knew about farmers and seeds. They saw them every day! Jesus used something they already knew about to teach them something new."

(Hold up some seeds.)

Teacher: "The farmer scattered his seeds, and they fell in four different places. Let's find out what happened to each one."

Teacher: "First, some seeds fell on the hard path."

(Pack down some soil in the pot to make it hard, and drop a seed on top.)

Teacher: "The path was hard and packed down. The seeds just 'magic'sat Hison waytop. throughAnd life.then... Hethe birds came and gobbled them up! Those seeds never even had a realchance bodyto justgrow."

Interaction (Age 4-6): "Can everyone flap their arms like yours.birds Atand say 'chomp chomp chomp'? Those birds ate up all the endseeds on the path!"

Teacher: "Next, some seeds fell on rocky ground."

(Place rocks in the pot and drop a seed among them.)

Teacher: "There was a tiny bit of soil between the rocks, so the seed started to grow. But when the hot sun came out, the little plant dried up because its roots couldn't go deep enough. The rocks were in the way."

Teacher: "Then, some seeds fell among thorns and weeds."

(Stick the twigs into the soil and drop a longseed daynearby.)

Teacher: "The seed started to grow, but the thorns and weeds grew up around it and squeezed it. The weeds stole all the water and sunlight, and the little plant couldn't survive."

Teacher: "But finally, some seeds fell on good soil."

(Place a seed in fresh, loose soil. Then bring out the healthy plant.)

Teacher: "This soil was soft and deep and rich. The seed grew roots, grew tall, and became a big, strong, healthy plant that produced lots and lots of work,fruit!"

His

 legs

felt

Part heavy3: What Does It Mean? (3 mins)

Teacher: "Now, Jesus' disciples were a little confused. They asked Him: 'Jesus, what does a story about a farmer have to do with God?' And Jesus, because He is a patient and Hegood neededteacher, explained it to them."

Teacher: "Jesus said: 'The seed is the Word of God.' That means the seed represents God's truth, the good news about Jesus!"

Teacher: "And the four types of ground? Those represent four types of people and how they respond when they hear about Jesus."

Teacher: "The hard path is like someone who hears about Jesus but says, 'I don't care. That's not true. I don't believe it.' The truth bounces right off them, like a softseed blanketsitting on hard ground."

Interaction (Age 4-6): "Show me what it looks like when you don't want to sleep.listen. WhenCover Heyour hadn'tears eatenand shake your head! That's what the hard path person does with God's Word."

Teacher: "The rocky ground is like someone who hears about Jesus and says, 'Oh cool!' at first. But when things get hard, like when friends make fun of them for abelieving while,in HisJesus, tummythey wouldgive growlup. andTheir Hefaith woulddoesn't gethave verydeep hungry.roots."

Teacher:

• "The thorny ground is like someone who hears about Jesus but gets distracted by other things. Maybe they think toys, games, or being popular is more important than Jesus. Those things are like weeds that choke out what really matters."

  Question (Age 7-10): "Why doCan you think God wanted Jesus to feelof things that might be like hunger'weeds' in our lives, things that distract us from Jesus?"

  Teacher: "And the good soil? That's someone who hears about Jesus, believes in their heart that it's true, and tirednessobeys insteadHim. ofTheir justfaith stayinggrows deep and strong, like a powerfulhealthy spirit in heaven?plant!"

(Hold

• up the healthy plant.)

  Teacher Key: "It's because He wanted to show us that He truly understands how we feel. He isn't a God who is far away; He's a God who has walked in your shoes."

Part 3:4: TheWhich BigSoil TestAre in the DesertYou? (42 mins)

Teacher: "OneHere's time,the Godbig sentquestion Jesus intowants aus desert.to Itthink wasabout: hot,Which empty,soil andare there was no food at all. Jesus was there for 40 days—that is more than a month!. Imagine how weak and hungry He felt.you?"

Teacher: "Then,Jesus someonesaid namedsomething Satanvery showed up.important. He knewsaid: 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.' 'Abide' means to stay close to, to listen, believe, and obey. And 'disciples' means friends. So Jesus wasis hungry, so he tried to trick Him. He told Jesus,saying: 'If you'reyou listen to me, believe me, and obey me, you are really God'smy Son, why don't you turn these stones into bread?friend.'. Satan was trying to get Jesus to disobey God. This is called temptation."

• Interaction (Age 4-6)8): "HasLet's anyonesay everit felttogether in simple words: 'tempted'If toyou sneaklisten, abelieve, cookieand whenobey Mommy saidteaching, no?you Orare temptedreally tomy hitfriend.' backCan whenyou someone was mean? Give me a thumbs up if you've ever feltrepeat that 'tug'after to do something naughty.me?"

(Have

• children repeat it.)

  Teacher: "Jesus feltdoesn't thatwant 'tug' too! Satan triedus to getjust Himhear His words and forget them. He wants His words to thinkgrow thatdeep Godin wasn'tour hearts, like seeds in good soil. He wants us to be the mostgood important person. But even though Jesus was so tired and so hungry, do you know what He did?soil!"

(Wait for kids to answer)

Teacher: "He said 'NO!' every single time. He used God's Word to stay strong. Even though He was tempted in every way just like we are, He never sinned. His heart stayed perfectly shiny and clean."

Part 4: Our Strong Helper (1 min)

Teacher: "This is the best part: Because Jesus was tempted and suffered, He is now the perfect person to help us when we are struggling. He doesn't get mad that we feel weak; He sympathizes with us and gives us His strength to say 'no' to sin."

Final Interaction: (Hold up the Shiny Heart ) "Whenever you feel like it's too hard to obey, remember that Jesus is your Strong Helper. You can talk to Him anytime!

Wrap-up & Discussion (4 min)

 

(Gather children close for reflection.)

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Discussion Questions:

Teacher: "So,Let's whythink about what we learned today."

Question: "Why did Jesus use simple stories to teach people instead of big, complicated words?" (Because He wanted everyone to understand, not just really smart people. Jesus came to save ALL sinners.)

Question: "In the story of the Sower, what does itthe matterseed thatrepresent?" (God's Word, the truth about Jesus.)

Question: "What kind of soil does Jesus waswant hungryus orto tempted?be?" It(The mattersgood soil! People who listen, believe, and obey.)

Question (Age 7-10): "Is it easy for sinners to obey Jesus? Why not? Who can help us want to obey?" (No, it's not easy because now, when you feel sad, or when youwe are temptedsinners. But God can help us through His Holy Spirit.)

Teacher: "Remember: you don't have to be naughty—likesuper wantingsmart or know big words to takeunderstand a toy that isn't yours—Jesus knows exactly how that feels.Jesus. He isn'twants lookingto downteach atYOU. The question is: will you thinking,listen, 'I don't understand.' He says, 'I know it's hard,believe, and Iobey? am here to helpWill you be strong'.

the

Question:good What is one thing that is hard for you to obey?

Question: Since Jesus was tempted but never sinned, do you think He can help you when you feel like doing something wrong? soil?"

Closing Thought & Prayer

 

Teacher:
“God sent baby Jesus to His people to do the biggest job of all—to save sinful people. It doesn't seem like a tiny baby could do such a big job. But the Bible tells us that "Jesus is reallythe best teacher who ever lived. He uses stories, pictures, and actions to help us know God. IsAnd any job too hard for God? No! So,He is anyso jobpatient toowith hardus! forEven Jesus?”when we don't understand right away, He keeps teaching us. What a wonderful Savior we have!"

(Fold hands and bow heads.)

Prayer:
“ "Dear God,Jesus, thank You arefor perfectbeing such a good and holy.patient teacher. Thank You for sendingusing Jesussimple words and stories so that even children can understand Your truth. Help us to be ourlike Savior.the good soil. Help us rememberto thatlisten Heto isYou, thebelieve most special person of allYou, and worthyobey ofYou. allMake our love.faith grow deep and strong. In Jesus' name, Amen.”"

Memorizing Verse: HebrewsJohn 2:188:31b

 

HebrewsJohn 2:188:31b

"For[Jesus becausesaid,] he'If himselfyou hasabide sufferedin whenmy tempted,word, he is able to help those whoyou are beingtruly tempted.my disciples,'" 

Hand Gestures:

• "ForIf becauseyou he himself.abide...": PointHug upwardyourself (referringstaying toclose, Jesus)abiding).

• "...has suffered...": Rub your knee or hold your heart (representing pain/suffering).

• "...when tempted...": Put a hand to your ear as if listening to a whisper (representing the temptation to do wrong).
• "...he is able to help...": Reach out both hands as if offering a hand up.
• "...thosein whomy word...": Hold hands open like a book (the Bible).
• "...you are beingtruly...": tempted.Give a big thumbs up (truly, for real!).
• "...my disciples.": Point to yourself and yourthen friends.to friends around you (we are His disciples/friends).

Craft /& Game (10 mins)

Game: "JesusLooking Wasfor LikeGood Us"Soil" Treasure Hunt

ThisChildren sectionhunt isfor designedhidden toseed bridgecards theand physicalidentify realitywhich type of Jesus’soil lifeeach withone therepresents.

spiritual truth of His mission.

⏰ Time: 105 minutes

👧 Age Group: 4–124-8 years

🧩 Lesson Connection: ThisReinforces gamethe four types of soil and helps children recognize that Jesus,identify the Word,"good becamesoil" flesh to dwell among us.response.

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🪜 Setup & Materials Needed:

• Place4 varioussmall itemsplastic incups awith largepotting bag:soil
  inside
  • a4 pieceseed cards (each showing one type of foodsoil: path, rocky, thorny, good), taped to craft sticks and inserted into the cups
  • aHide smallthe blanket
  cups
  • aaround toy
  the
  • aclassroom bandage
  before
  • athe picture of a family

• 
  

  game

---

🎲 How to Play:

Step 1: Play: Have children take turns pulling an item out ofTell the bag

children:

“I have"I've hidden four treasureseed picturescups around the roomroom. thatEach representone wordsshows a different type of soil from our memorystory. verse:Your Word,job Flesh,is Dwelt,to andfind Us. When I say go, look for them!”them!"

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Step 2: DiscussionWhen a child finds a cup, they bring it to the front and the group identifies which soil it represents.

ForStep each3: item,Ask: ask"Is this one the group:good "How does this show Jesus was like us?soil?" (e.g.,If Theyes, bandageeveryone shows He could get hurt;says the foodmemory showsverse Hetogether!

got

Step hungry)4: .Have children close their eyes, hide the cups again, and repeat.

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Craft: HebrewsSeed 2:18and PuzzleSoil Picture

ToChildren givecreate a picture showing the childrenfour somethingtypes tactileof soil to take home that reinforces the lesson.home.

Materials: HebrewsPaper 2:18divided Puzzleinto Handouts4 sections (printedlabeled: onPath, cardstock)Rocks, Thorns, Good Soil), real seeds or grain (e.g., oats, wheat), glue, markers or crayons, scissors, and plastic bags.crayons.

The Activity:

• Section

  Coloring1 (AgePath): 4-12): HaveColor the childrenground colorbrown/grey and draw a bird eating the puzzleseed. pageGlue whilea discussingfew howseeds Jesuson understands when they feel sad or tempted

  top.
• CreatingSection 2 (Rocks): Draw rocks and a small wilted plant. Glue seeds among drawn rocks.
• Section 3 (Thorns): Draw thorny weeds and a small choked plant. Glue seeds among the Puzzleweeds.
• Section 4 (AgeGood 7-12)Soil): OlderDraw childrenrich brown soil and a big, healthy plant with fruit. Glue seeds in the soil. Write the memory verse below: "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples." (John 8:31b)
• Take Home: Children can cutshow alongtheir family the dashedfour lines to create their own 4-8 piece puzzle. For the 4-year-olds, teachers may need to assist with pre-cut pieces.
• The Race: Once the puzzles are cut, give a signal for everyone to scramble their piecessoils and seeexplain howwhat fasteach theyone canmeans, put the verse back together.
• Take Home: Every child puts their puzzle in a bag to "re-solve" withteaching their parents during the weekparable!

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Response Song

Closing Prayer & Snack Time (10 mins)

"Dear Jesus, thank You for beingteaching victoriousus overthrough sinstories andwe death.can understand. Thank You for risingbeing frompatient the dead and showingwith us thatwhen nothingwe candon't stopget You.it right away. Help us to rememberbe thatlike whenthe wegood trustsoil, to let Your words grow deep in You,our we're on the winning side.hearts. We love You! Amen."

Now, let us thank You for the snack we’re about to enjoy.
We fold our hands.
We bow our heads.
We thank You, God,
for this daily bread.
Amen.

Free Time & Children Pickup (15 mins)