BIG IDEA: Jesus cares for everyone.
This free Bible lesson, Jesus Heals Many, will teach preschool and elementary students about how Jesus healed many people during His earthly ministry, but that is not the main reason He came to earth. He came to die on the cross, be buried, and then raise from the dead to take the punishment for our sins.
FOCUS BIBLE PASSAGE: Matthew 4:23-25, 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56
All of the printable activities and digital slides needed for the lesson, as well as a full printable lesson plan for both elementary and preschool are available.
Below is the outline of the free elementary Bible lesson.
PREP & SUPPLIES
- printed, trimmed, & hole punched “Matthew 5:16” Memory Verse Cards
- card decorating supplies
- “Pin the Band-Aid on the Heart” person printed and assembled OR drawn on a poster board
- printed band-aids (sized to print on Avery 5160 labels),pencils, and a blindfold
- tape (if printed band-aids are not adhesive)
- video: God’s Story: Jesus Heals a Woman and a Girl from Crossroads Kids’ Club (link)
- Band-Aids with point values written on the packages OR printed & trimmed “Band-Aid Alternative” points
- optional: buzzer for large group game
- “Jesus Heals” Hearts printed on red paper and cut out so each student has one heart
- “Jesus Heals” Craft Mats (one per student)
- Band-Aids – one per student (or additional print outs of printed band-aids)
- markers, scissors and glue
MEMORY VERSE: “In the same way, let your light shine so others can see it. Then they will see the good things you do. And they will bring glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 (NIrV)
THIS WEEK’S MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY:
- Students will get a new card for their Memory Verse Collection today.
- Leaders may choose to:
- allow students to break into tables for 5-10 minutes to decorate their cards and reflect on the memory verse, and then come back to large group
- wait until small group time to pass out memory verse cards and allow students 5-10 minutes to decorate and reflect on the memory verse.
- ALTERNATIVELY: Allow students to get into groups and make up motions for the words of the memory verse and then present them to the large group. This should take 5-10 minutes.
- Leaders: Remind students and parents to add their card to their ring at home.
- If students need to get “caught up” with their collection, please be sure to send home (1) a binder ring, (2) a “title page” cover card, and (3) all of the cards up to this week.
LESSON HOOK ACTIVITY
(SLIDE 1) You will need the printed band-aid labels. If your band-aids are not self-adhesive, you will also need tape. Each student will put a piece of tape on their band-aid before being blindfolded.
Before we get to our Bible story today, we are going to play “Pin the Band-Aid on the Heart”. This is like “Pin the Tail on the Donkey”.
You will each get a band-aid. Write your name on it. When it is your turn, you will put on the blindfold, a leader will spin you around 3 times, and then you will try to place your band-aid as close to the heart as possible.
*After the game*
What do we use band-aids for?
Medicine and band-aids help us get better when we are sick or hurt, but God is the One Who heals our sicknesses, and our hearts.
(SLIDE 3) Read from the Bible Matthew 4:23-25
[Jesus went all over Galilee. There he taught in the synagogues. He preached the good news of God’s kingdom. He healed every illness and sickness the people had. News about him spread all over Syria. People brought to him all who were ill with different kinds of sicknesses. Some were suffering great pain. Others were controlled by demons. Some were shaking wildly. Others couldn’t move at all. And Jesus healed all of them. Large crowds followed him. People came from Galilee, from the area known as the Ten Cities, and from Jerusalem and Judea. Others came from the area across the Jordan River.]
Jesus was starting to attract a lot of attention from the people. Some of the people believed He was Who He said He was, but some of the people did not believe Him.
In today’s story, we are going to learn about two people who DID believe Jesus. They believed that He could perform miracles of HEALING. The story can be found in three of the four Gospel books in the Bible, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Remember the Gospel books are the books that tell of Jesus’s time and ministry on earth.
BIBLE LESSON
Show the video: God’s Story: Jesus Heals a Woman and a Girl from Crossroads Kids’ Club (LINK)
[If the video does not work, you can read this summary: One day Jesus was getting off a boat when a big crowd of people gathered around Him. An important religious leader named Jairus came up to Jesus and fell at His feet. Jairus’s 12 year old daughter was sick and dying and he begged Jesus to come to his house and heal her. He knew that if Jesus touched her she could get better, so Jesus went with him. As Jesus followed Jairus a large crowd followed Him. There were so many people Jesus could barely move in the crowd. There was a woman who was very sick and had been bleeding for 12 years. She had gone to every doctor she could find but none of them were able to help her and she only got worse. She also wasn’t able to spend time with her family and friends because people thought her sickness made her unclean, She had to be separated from them. When she heard Jesus was there she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His robe, because she believed that if she could just touch His clothes she would be healed. Immediately her bleeding stopped and she knew she had been healed. Her suffering was gone. As this happened, Jesus realized that power had gone from Him. He turned around and asked who touched Him. He kept looking around to see who had done it so the woman came and fell at His feet. She was fearful but she told Him the whole truth. Jesus wasn’t mad at the woman for touching His clothes. He was glad she had been brave and had faith that Jesus could heal her. So Jesus said to her, “Daughter your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” As this was happening some people from Jairus’s house arrived and told him that his daughter was dead. They told Jairus he shouldn’t bother Jesus anymore, but Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid, just believe and she will be healed.” Jesus went to Jairus’s house along with a few of His closest disciples. When they got there, lots of people were crying and wailing loudly. Jesus went in and told them they didn’t need to be sad because the girl is not dead but asleep. The people laughed at Jesus. They didn’t believe Him. Jesus made everyone leave the house and then He took the girls’ parents and His disciples to where the girl was. Jesus took her by the hand and said to her “Little girl, I say to you, get up.” Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around. Jesus didn’t just heal her from sickness. He had brought her back to life. Her family was completely amazed. After that Jesus told them to get the girl some food, and then He told the disciples not to let anyone know about what had happened. Jairus had faith that Jesus could heal his daughter just like the bleeding woman had faith that she would be healed by touching Jesus’s clothes. They both believed that Jesus had God’s power and they were right! Jesus is God’s Son which means He has the power to heal people’s sickness and bring people back from the dead and even forgive our sins. Jesus wants us to have faith too. We can ask Him for the things we need. Even though Jesus doesn’t always do things the way we expect, He is always good and we can trust Him no matter what.]
SEE FOCUS BIBLE PASSAGES ON PAGE 3 TO REFERENCE THE STORIES OF HEALING.
(SLIDE 4) The story we heard was about two people being healed by Jesus. Remember this story is found in three of the four Gospel books in the New Testament of the Bible. Who can tell me the names of the four Gospel books? (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
All of the Gospel writers except John included this story. Isn’t that amazing?
There are many stories that are told in all four Gospel books, and some stories that are only told in one of the four Gospel books. What is really incredible is that all of the books were written by different human authors at different times, but since the Holy Spirit gave the human authors the words to write, they are all 100% correct!
Can someone volunteer to tell a summary of the story?
SUMMARY WITH DISCUSSION: A man named Jairus, who was a religious leader, came to Jesus because his daughter was very sick and close to dying. Jesus agreed to go with Jairus to heal the little girl, but along the way, another woman who was sick wanted to be healed by Jesus. What did she do to be healed? (touched Jesus’s clothing)
This is amazing! Jesus knew someone had touched Him, and the woman was afraid. Why do you think she was afraid? (she was afraid Jesus would be mad)
But Jesus was NOT mad! He was happy that she had so much faith in Him. And she was healed IMMEDIATELY. What does “immediately” mean? (right away, no waiting)
In the meantime, what happened? (Jairus’s daughter had died, and people came to give him the news; they said that Jesus didn’t need to come anymore.)
But what did Jesus say? (He said, “Do not fear. Only believe and she will be healed.”)
Then what did Jesus say to the people at Jairus’s house when he arrived and found them crying? (He told the people that the girl was not dead, but only sleeping.)
Did the people believe Jesus when He said the little girl was only sleeping? (No, they laughed at Him.)
When Jesus went in to heal the little girl, the Bible tells us that she IMMEDIATELY got up and began walking around. What do you notice? (this is the same as the bleeding woman; they both were healed immediately by Jesus)
Both of the people in today’s story (Jairus and the sick woman) had FAITH. What does this mean? (they believed in something even though they didn’t understand it; they had full trust in Jesus because of who He is; they believed that Jesus had the power to heal)
Jesus wants us to have faith in Him also. What can we do to learn more about Him so we can have faith in Him? (read the Bible; go to church; talk with a grown up)
We can ask Jesus for the things that we need, and even things that we want, but does Jesus ALWAYS answer our prayers in the way that WE think He should, or the way WE WANT Him to? (No, He answers prayers in the way that He knows is best. He always works everything out for our good.)
Has anyone ever had a prayer that you felt like God didn’t answer?
Sometimes we feel like that, but always remember that God takes care of everything that we need, especially when we are faithful in believing in Him, talking to Him in prayer, and learning more about Him by reading our Bibles.
(SLIDE 5) We also know that JESUS CARES FOR EVERYONE. That is our Big Idea for this week. While Jesus was alive on the Earth, He healed A LOT of people, and He still has the power to heal even now. He doesn‘t always choose to heal in the way we may want Him to, but that doesn’t mean that He doesn’t care, because He DOES care!
Jesus didn’t come to Earth to ONLY perform miracles, and heal people. He came to die on the cross, be buried, and then raise from the dead to take the punishment for our sins.
He is a great HEALER. He heals our HEARTS by comforting us when we are hurting, and most importantly by cleansing us of our sins!
We, as humans, are not able to perform any type of miracle. Only God can perform miracles. Jesus performed miracles while He was here on Earth to show people that He is God and that He cares for everyone.
Dear God,
Thank you for the true stories about the faith that Jairus and the sick woman had. Thank you for all of the true stories in the Bible. We love that we have the Bible so we can learn more about You every day. Please guide us as we read our Bibles to learn what You want us to learn. Please help us to have the same kind of faith that Jairus and the sick woman had. We know that You care for everyone and we thank you so much for loving us!
We love you and we pray all of these things in Jesus’ sweet name, Amen.
LARGE GROUP ACTIVITY
We are going to play a game to review the Bible story from today.
PREP: Point values should be written on the back of band-aids OR print outs of the included band-aids with point values should be available. Place point values face down, or fold and place into a small basket for students to draw from.
Divide the class into two teams.
Options:
- provide teams with buzzers
- alternate which team gets to answer
Teams will work together to answer the review questions. If your team answers a question correctly, then someone will come up and pick a band-aid out of the basket to see how many points the team earns. If your team answers the question incorrectly, the other team will have the opportunity to answer. If they answer correctly, they will pick a band-aid out to see how many points the team earns. Then they will have the opportunity to answer the next question.
After a point value is picked out of the basket, it will be returned back into the basket.
Questions begin on Slide 6
(SLIDE 6) What did Jairus ask Jesus to do? (heal his sick/dying daughter)
(SLIDE 7) In which 3 of the 4 Gospel books can today’s story be found? (Matthew, Mark, Luke)
(SLIDE 8) How was the sick woman healed? (She touched Jesus’s clothing.)
(SLIDE 9) What were the people at Jairus’s house doing when Jesus arrived? (crying)
(SLIDE 10) What is the Big Idea for this week? (Jesus cares for everyone.)
(SLIDE 11) What did Jesus tell the people at Jairus’s house when He found them crying? (The girls is not dead. She is sleeping.)
(SLIDE 12) What did the people at Jairus’s house do when Jesus told them the girl was just sleeping? (They laughed at Him.)
(SLIDE 13) Both the woman and the little girl were healed by Jesus. Hint: time frame (immediately)
(SLIDE 14) What does it mean to “have faith”? (to believe something when you can’t see it or you don’t understand it; to trust in Jesus because of who He is)
(SLIDE 15) Jesus healed a lot of people when He lived on Earth. What was the MAIN reason He came to Earth? (to die on the cross, be buried, and raise from the dead to take the punishment for our sins)
SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY
We are going to do a quick craft today to remind you of today’s Bible story. Each person will get (1) one red heart, (2) one mat with Psalm 147:3, (3) one band-aid
Psalm 147:3 says “He heals those who have broken hearts. He takes care of their wounds.”
We have been talking a lot today about how Jesus has the power to heal, so this verse can serve as a reminder to you that He is a great HEALER. He heals our HEARTS by comforting us when we are hurting, and most importantly by cleansing us of our sins!
When you get your heart, you will cut around it on the dark line, then you will tear or cut down the middle of it and glue your “broken heart” next to Psalm 147:3. Finally, you will place your band-aid over your “broken heart” and write Jesus’s name on top of then band-aid.
BREAK INTO SMALL GROUPS TO COMPLETE THE ACTIVITY.
Discussion Prompts for Small Group Leaders:
- Which of the 4 Gospel books does NOT talk about the two stories of healing that we learned about today? (John)
- What is special about the Gospel books? (they tell about Jesus’s life on Earth; they were written by 4 different human authors at different times; they were inspired by the Holy Spirit; they contain some of the same stories, but not all; some stories are found in all 4 books and some are only found in 1 book)
- Does anyone have/want to talk about a time when they felt that they prayed and asked God for something and He didn’t answer the way you wanted Him to?
- Do you have any questions about today’s lesson?
- What is this week’s Big Idea? (Jesus cares for everyone.)
- How can you use the Bible story today to teach others about Jesus?
- Does anyone know any other stories that are found in the Bible about Jesus healing people while He was on the Earth?
- Why does God not ALWAYS heal when we ask Him? (He works everything for our good. Sometimes the things we ask of Him are not what is best for us.)
- We know that Jesus healed a lot of people when He was here on Earth. What was the MAIN reason that He came to Earth? (to die on the cross, be buried, and raise from the dead to take the punishment for our sins)
CLOSING REFLECTION
We learned that Jesus healed many people when He was alive on the Earth. The people that He healed had faith, which means they believed in something they didn’t understand and they had full trust in Jesus because of who He is. He doesn’t always choose to heal in the way we may want Him to, but that doesn’t mean that He doesn’t care. Jesus didn’t come to Earth to ONLY perform miracles, and heal people. He came to die on the cross, be buried, and then raise from the dead to take the punishment for our sins. He performed miracles while He was here to show people that He is God and that He cares for everyone.
Reflection Questions:
- Where in the Bible can we find today’s story? (Matthew, Mark, Luke)
- Jesus healed a lot of people while He was alive on the Earth. Why else did He come to Earth? (see explanation above)
- What does it mean to “have faith”?
- Does anyone have any questions about today’s lesson?
Find other free Bible lessons for kids:
