Bible Christian Church Children’s Sermon Supplement March 2015 March 7/8: Mark 2:1-12 Preschool/Younger Elementary Watch the video on the Paralyzed man and his friend https://www.pinterest.com/pin/366691594629948460/ Paralyzed Man Cut out craft Healing of a Paralytic Coloring Page Jesus Heals the Paralytic Word search (Easy) Items That Can Help Me Get Well worksheet: o Discuss how the praying hands and the Bible can also help us get well. The Bible teaches us about Jesus, who can heal us not only when we are sick, but also from our sins. When we pray, God hears our prayers, and is always willing to give us what we need. Older Elementary Woven Matt Craft Digital puzzle http://www.dltk-bible.com/jesus/paralytic_puzzle.htm Jesus Heals the Paralytic Anagram 1. Easy version Jesus Heals the Paralytic Crossword Jesus Heals the Paralytic Word Search (Harder) Discussion questions 1. Why was it almost impossible for the men to get their friend to where Jesus was? (Because it was so crowded.) 2. How did they solve this problem? (By cutting a hole in the roof and lowering him down on his mat.) 3. Did Jesus heal the crippled man? (Yes.) 4. Did Jesus show compassion and provide comfort for this man? (Yes.) 5. How would you feel if you were one of the people who saw this miracle taking place? (Allow for answers.) 6. Have you ever been sick, and prayed to God to make you better? What happened? (Allow for answers.) 7. If you were crippled like this man, and Jesus made you walk again, what would you do? (Allow for answers.)
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Bible Christian Church
Children’s Sermon Supplement
March 2015
March 7/8: Mark 2:1-12
Preschool/Younger Elementary
Watch the video on the Paralyzed man and his friend
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/366691594629948460/
Paralyzed Man Cut out craft
Healing of a Paralytic Coloring Page
Jesus Heals the Paralytic Word search (Easy)
Items That Can Help Me Get Well worksheet:
o Discuss how the praying hands and the Bible can also help us get well. The Bible teaches us
about Jesus, who can heal us not only when we are sick, but also from our sins. When we pray,
God hears our prayers, and is always willing to give us what we need.
Older Elementary
Woven Matt Craft
Digital puzzle http://www.dltk-bible.com/jesus/paralytic_puzzle.htm
Jesus Heals the Paralytic Anagram
1. Easy version
Jesus Heals the Paralytic Crossword
Jesus Heals the Paralytic Word Search (Harder)
Discussion questions
1. Why was it almost impossible for the men to get their friend to where Jesus was? (Because it
was so crowded.)
2. How did they solve this problem? (By cutting a hole in the roof and lowering him down on his
mat.)
3. Did Jesus heal the crippled man? (Yes.)
4. Did Jesus show compassion and provide comfort for this man? (Yes.)
5. How would you feel if you were one of the people who saw this miracle taking place? (Allow for
answers.)
6. Have you ever been sick, and prayed to God to make you better? What happened? (Allow for
answers.)
7. If you were crippled like this man, and Jesus made you walk again, what would you do? (Allow
Set up an obstacle course. Make it difficult or unpleasant in spots. (For example, lead the children under a low object forcing them to crawl on their bellies.) Have the children line up and tell them, “Follow me.” Periodically as you are leading them through the course repeat the phrase, “Follow me.” When you are finished talk about when it was difficult to follow. Ask the children if they were tempted to side step an obstacle and go their own way. Talk about what Jesus meant when He said, “Follow me.”
I Follow Jesus Coloring page
Older Elementary
Discussion - Make the following points from the story:
1. Jesus called Levi, knowing that Levi was a tax collector. 2. Jesus called Levi to follow Him even though Levi did bad things even though Levi was a sinner. 3. Levi was “sick” spiritually He did not love God or follow God or do what was right 4. Jesus came to invite sick, sinful people into the family of God. 5. We are all sick, sinful people, even if we think and feel we are healthy.
Application 1. Do you think that it is important to be in the family of God? Is it more important to be in the family of
God than in your family? Why? 2. Do you think that you deserve to be in the family of God? Why? 3. What do you think it means to “follow Jesus”?
Word Scramble: FOLLOW ME. 1. As they are working, discuss the call of Jesus to His disciples and their response. Once the children have
unscrambled the word, discuss how the disciples followed Jesus. Ask the children what they might need to give up in order to follow Jesus or what they would be willing to give up.
Have a parent share how he/she was called by God
Set up an obstacle course. Make it difficult or unpleasant in spots. (For example, lead the children under a low object forcing them to crawl on their bellies.) Have the children line up and tell them, “Follow me.” Periodically as you are leading them through the course repeat the phrase, “Follow me.” When you are finished talk about when it was difficult to follow. Ask the children if they were tempted to side step an obstacle and go their own way. Talk about what Jesus meant when He said, “Follow me.”
John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they came and said to Him, “Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” (Mark 2:18).
The first issue brought up by the Pharisees deals with the question of fasting. Fasting was an important part of their religion. It was their practice to fast twice a week. Monday and Thursday were their special days of fasting. There is nothing wrong with such a practice. The Bible teaches and encourages fasting.
Consecrate a FAST, proclaim a solemn assembly; gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord. (Joel 1:14).
Blow a trumpet in Zion, consecrate a FAST, proclaim a solemn assembly. (Joel 2:15).
Fasting was used in times of crises. In times of emergency prayer, a fast would be proclaimed. It was at such a time that David fasted when his son was sick to the point of death. Likewise, the people of Nineveh entered into a fast at the preaching of Jonah when they were told of a coming judgment.
Furthermore, fasting is not limited to Old Testament times. It was also practiced within the early church.
And while they were ministering to the Lord and FASTING, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, when they had FASTED and prayed and laid their hands on them, the sent them away. (Acts 13:2-3).
And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with FASTING, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. (Acts 14:23).
In each of these cases, fasting is linked with prayer. I believe it to be a sacrifice of comfort given to God as a part of prayer and worship.
The Pharisees knew about fasting. It was a part of their religious life. And they noticed something. They noticed that Tuesday and Friday had come and the disciples were still eating. They compared notes and found that these disciples were not in the habit of fasting at all. And while Jesus had fasted for 40 days in the wilderness at the beginning of His ministry, He did not participate in a regularly scheduled fast.
This stood in stark contrast to the disciples of John the Baptist. His disciples DID fast regularly.
“John's disciples fast”
and... “The disciples of the Pharisees fast”
BUT... “Your disciples do not fast”
Do you see what the Pharisees are saying? “Everyone who is spiritually minded is fasting, so why aren’t you?” This is religious peer pressure.
Peer pressure makes people do funny things. If you don’t believe that, then visit your local high school. Kids are notorious for trying to conform to the expectations of their peers. I grew up in a generation of non-conformists and we struggled to be exactly alike in our non-conformity.
But peer pressure isn’t limited to the young. It is just as evident among the old. And all too often, it is seen in the church. It is seen when we dress alike and talk alike and act in a manner that is expected of us - when we raise our hands alike or don’t raise our hands alike.
Spirituality is not to be measured in conformity to outward appearances. It is to be measured in our conformity to the person and character of Jesus Christ. Anything less is merely a cheap substitute. Jesus didn’t bow to peer pressure. He didn’t care that “everyone else is doing it.” And we shouldn’t, either.
WEDDING ILLUSTRATION:
The answer to the Pharisees’ question is given in the form of three illustrations. They are short parables.
2:19-20 2:21 2:22
Attendants of a Bridegroom
New Patches on Old Clothes
New Wine in Old Wineskins
Illustrates disciples Illustrates scribes and Pharisees
1. Illustration of a Bridegroom.
And Jesus said to them, “While the bridegroom is with them, the attendants of the bridegroom cannot
fast, can they? So long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
“But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that
day. (Mark 2:19-20).
There was no more happy time in the ancient world than at a wedding. When we have a wedding, we go to a
church or some other meeting place, have a ceremony followed by a short party and then we send to couple off
on a honeymoon. They used to do it differently. In the ancient world, everyone went on the honeymoon. They
would have the wedding at the house of the groom and the couple would stay there with the guests for an entire
week of honeymooning. That entire week would be a party time for the people who loved the couple. It was
not a time of fasting. It was a time of rejoicing.
The attendants of the feast would be made up of the best friends of the groom. It was their responsibility to
keep the party alive. They would promote the festivities and carry out the celebrations. One thing that these
attendants would never do during the course of the party would be to mourn.
Do you see the connection? Fasting is always to be in conjunction with mourning or praying. It is used in
crisis situations. But the Pharisees had turned it into a meaningless routine. They fasted only because it was a
part of their program, not because there was any repentance on their part. They were only locked into their
ritual.
Here is the meaning of the parable. Jesus is the bridegroom. When the bridegroom is present, it is time to
party. Jesus is here. And that makes it a time of celebration, not of mourning. There will come a time of
mourning, but it has not come yet. It will not come until the bridegroom has been taken away.
Now I want to ask you a question. Should we fast today? I think that we should. We should fast in times of
mourning and in times of repentance and in times of spiritual crisis. But it should never become a mere
ritualistic routine that is to be followed so that we can look down our nose at someone else.