Great Fast Week 5: Paralyzed Man

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this lesson is for the students to learn about the power and love of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is also important to understand that only Jesus can forgive sins because He is God.

INTRODUCTION & HOOK - 5 Minutes

Ask the students "Have you heard about people that Jesus healed? What did He heal them from?"

Wait for responses, then introduce the lesson by explaining that Jesus had done many miracles of healing, and today we will talk about when he healed a man who could not walk (paralyzed).

HOLY SCRIPTURE - 5 Minutes

Reference: John 5:1-18

Memory Verse - "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you." John 5:14

CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 15 Minutes

In Jerusalem, there was a special pool called the Pool of Bethesda. Once a year, an angel would come down and stir the water in the pool. The first person to get into the pool while it was being stirred would immediately be healed from whatever sickness they had. Many people would sit and wait by the pool so that they could be the first one in.

There was a Jewish feast, so Jesus was in Jerusalem and was walking by the pool. As He was walking, He saw a sick man who was laying on his mat or bed . The man was paralyzed, which meant that he couldn't walk. In fact, he had been paralyzed for 38 years. Jesus knew that he had been sick for a long time. When Jesus saw the man, He said, "Do you want to be made well?" The man said: "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me." Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.

That day was the Sabbath, which for the Jews meant that they weren't supposed to do anything that was like "work." When the Jews saw that the man was cured, they said to him, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed." The man responded to them saying that the One who healed him had told him to take up the bed and walk. So they asked him who it was who told him that. But the man who was healed did not know who it was, since there was a large crowd and Jesus had withdrawn into the group of people. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you." The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 5 Minutes

Review:

  • Who was lying near the pool? Answer: A number of sick people who were blind, lame, and paralyzed
  • How many years had the one man been sick for? Answer: 38 years
  • Why hadn't he been healed by the water before? Answer: He had no one to put him in the pool
  • What did Jesus say to the paralytic when he healed him? Answer: "Rise, take up your bed, and walk."
  • Why did the Jews disapprove? Answer: Because it was the Sabbath and the man was carrying his bed.

LIFE APPLICATION - 5 Minutes

After He healed him, Jesus told the paralyzed man "Go and sin no more." It is important that we do our best to avoid sinning, and if we do, then to confess and repent. Jesus is always willing and waiting to forgive us.

Additionally, just like Jesus knew that the man had been sick for 38 years, Jesus knows our needs and seeks us out. We should rely on Jesus for our needs.

ACTIVITY - 10 Minutes

Option 1 - Word Search Worksheet

Option 2 - Paralyzed Man Craft

SERVANT RESOURCES