YEA Lesson Library
The Paralytic Walks
About This Lesson
This lesson teaches about Jesus’ healing of the paralytic who was lowered through the roof of the house. As God, Jesus has the power to forgive our sins, healing us spiritually.
Scriptures
Matthew 8:5-13
Matthew 9:1-8
Matthew 9:2
Matthew 14:13-14
Mark 2:1-12
Luke 5:18-26
Luke 6:17-19
Luke 7:2-10
Hebrews 11:1, 13-14
James 5:16
Words to Know
BLASPHEMY - to insult or show contempt for God
ILLUSION - making the eyes think they saw some- thing they really didn’t
MIRACLE - the power of God, something that usually cannot happen
PARALYTIC - someone who is unable to move S
COURGE - to whip or lash
The Lesson
What is your favorite magic trick? Do you like the never-ending scarf? Are you amazed when the rabbit comes out of the magician’s hat? Do you clap when the lady is sawn in two, then steps out of the box? Magic appeals to most people. They like to be amazed at people floating in the air. They think magic is kind of neat! But magic is something that is done just to fool the audience into believing in something they know really can’t happen. But there are things that our God has the power to do that have nothing to do with magic. God performs these miracles because He has the power to do whatever He wants to do. It’s not a trick to fool you. God’s power is real!
Jesus performed many miracles when He walked this earth 2000 years ago. One of them involved a man who was paralyzed. If you’ve ever broken a leg, sprained an ankle, or injured your foot, you know that it’s not much fun being unable to walk around. This paralyzed man wanted very much to be able to walk. He knew that Jesus had been healing people. So several of his friends carried him to the house where Jesus was teaching. But the crowds were very large. There were so many people that his friends couldn’t get him into the house where Jesus was. At that point many would have given up. Perhaps they would just have waited for Jesus to come out. But not the friends of the paralyzed man! They hoisted him up on the roof. Then they made a hole in the roof so they could lower him through it right in front of Jesus!
Can you imagine being in the house when they started digging a hole in the roof? Their persistence showed a great deal of faith. Going to this much trouble showed they really had faith that Jesus could heal their friend. And they were right. When Jesus saw their faith, He said, “‘My friend, your sins are forgiven!’
“Who does this fellow think he is?” the Pharisees and teachers of the Law exclaimed among themselves. “This is blasphemy! Who but God can forgive sins?” Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he replied, “‘Why is it blasphemy? I the Messiah, have the authority on earth to forgive sins. . .”
This is very interesting! Jesus had been healing many people. The Pharisees and teach- ers of the Law really got excited when they heard Jesus say, “Your sins are forgiven!” Jesus knew talk is cheap—anyone could say that. So He proved that He had power to forgive sins by healing the paralytic. He told the paralyzed man to pick up his mat and go home, because he was healed! While everyone watched, the man picked up the mat he had been lying on and went home praising God. What a great miracle! It was obvious this man had been healed.
Our injuries and diseases are usually very obvious too. There’s a saying: “They stick out like a sore thumb.” Our health problems get our attention because we don’t like pain. It’s easier for us to ignore such sins in our lives as lying, bad attitudes, bad language, or disrespect for our parents, than to ignore pain. When we break God’s commandments we do harm to ourselves and to others. God gave us His commandments for our good and to show us how to treat other people. When we break one of His Laws, it affects us physically, spiritually, and emotionally—even though we may not immediately see or feel it.
Eventually, we will all die if Christ does not return before we do. If we ask God to forgive us of our sins, we can live forever with Him in His Kingdom. Jesus Christ came to this earth to pay the penalty for our sins. His was not an easy death. He was beaten and scourged so that we might be healed. He died that we might have forgiveness of our sins. We cannot take our sins lightly. They are very serious business. If you ask God to forgive you He will.
Jesus performed this incredible miracle of healing the paralytic to show us that He can for- give sins. Think what it must have meant to that man to be able to walk! When you get down on your knees and ask God to forgive you of your sins, don’t you feel free and happy? Don’t you want to praise God as the healed man did?
Our God is truly an awesome God! He has power that we cannot even begin to understand. So even though magic shows may be interesting, they are just tricks. You have a chance to come to know the power of God. He can forgive your sins and heal you. And that’s not a trick or an illusion. It’s real!
Student Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for showing us glimpses of your greatness and power. We want to come to know you. Please heal us of our physical and spiritual illnesses and bring us into your Kingdom.
In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday - Matthew 9:1-8
Monday - Hebrews 11:1, 13-14
Tuesday - James 5:16
Wednesday - Matthew 8:5-13
Thursday - Matthew 14:13-14
Friday - Luke 6:17-19
Saturday - Luke 7:2-10
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Retell the events in Mark 2:1-12.
2. Explain why Jesus told the man his sins were forgiven.
3. Compare the power of God with the illusions of man.
Topics & Themes
Blasphemy
Eternal Life
Faith
Forgiveness
God's Omnipotence
Jesus, God the Son
Jesus, His Miracles
Healing
Jesus, Messiah
Perseverance
Pharisees
Repentance
Sin
Materials Needed
Bible, YEA Students’ and Teacher’s books, attendance and memory verse charts, stars, CD, CD player, nature pictures, dry erase board and marker, equipment for magic tricks, butcher’s paper, crayons or colored markers, awards
Preparation
Before teaching this lesson, learn a couple of easy magic tricks. For example, if you put a half cup of salt on a table under a tablecloth and place an egg on top of it, the egg will appear to stand on end. Start the lesson with a couple of these tricks. Don’t leave students in suspense, however. Tell them how each trick was done.
Also, collect several pictures which display God’s majesty in nature. It was no magic trick that created our universe. Calendar pictures of nature may be a good source.
If possible, locate a story of a paralytic. Reader’s Digest may have some short stories that can give the students an idea of what it means to be paralyzed—if that is completely outside their realm of experience.
This is the final lesson in this book. Present a small award to each student who can successfully recite all the books of the Bible assigned in lesson one.
Place a strip of butcher’s paper on the wall of the classroom to make a timeline. Divide it into time frames and number each (for as many scenes as you can think of for students draw). Before class, write brief descriptions of the scenes on strips of paper (numbered corresponding to the frames). Fold the paper strips and place them in a basket.
How to Teach This Lesson
After opening with prayer, follow the lesson plan.
More Than Magic - Perform a couple magic tricks for the students. Let them propose solutions as to how you did each trick. Then state that God does not do tricks, He really has power over everything. Ask students to help you make a list of amazing things God can do. Display some pictures that show God’s hand in creation. Then be sure to state that God’s power exceeds all of their suggestions.
Paralyzed - Discuss what it means to be paralyzed. You may read or refer to a true story about someone who is paralyzed. Point out that in Mark 2:1-12, it was the kindness and help of friends that enabled the paralyzed man to get to Jesus. It was their faith and belief that Jesus could and would heal him that made that healing possible.
The Pharisees - Tell how the Pharisees and teachers of the Law were outraged over Jesus’ words to the paralytic man. Ask: Can anyone remember what Jesus said? (“The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”) Explain that “authority” means power. Ask students to give reasons why this statement upset the Pharisees and teachers of the Law.
Injuries and Sicknesses - Discuss how and why we give extra care and attention to a broken wrist, a skinned knee, or an illness. Let students tell about times when they were hurt and how their mothers or fathers took care of them. Why is it easier to ignore our sins than to ignore a broken wrist or a skinned knee? Which do you think God is more interested in, a broken wrist or our sins? What are some sins that we might want to ignore? (Lying, bad language, disrespect for our parents, doing things on the Sabbath that we shouldn’t do, etc.) When we break God’s commandments who do we harm? Discuss how our sins are serious business, and to be as free from our sins as the paralytic was free to walk, we must repent and ask God’s forgiveness.
God’s Purpose - God always has our good in mind. We should never doubt that He loves us. When, for some reason, God doesn’t heal a person, we must believe He has a reason. You may have to spend some time discussing why God doesn’t always heal people in this life. We do not always understand the ways of God. Isaiah 55:8 says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.” God sees the end from the beginning, and He knows what is best for us.
Teacher-Directed Activity
Let each child choose a numbered strip of paper, go to the corresponding numbered frame on the timeline, and draw the scene described on the paper. Be sure to have them label and caption the frame to tell what is happening. If you have a large class, have two or three students work together on a scene.
REACH Activity
Word Study: Hamartia
The Greek word which was translated “sins” in the memory verse is “harmartia.” It means sin, in the sense of missing the true goal and scope of life. The offense is directly against God and the word emphasizes this and the resulting guilt. How many of us are guilty of this sin against God— the sin of not focusing on what is really important in our lives? Did you know that this is sin? What an interesting event in Matthew 9! The Creator of the world, in physical form as Jesus Christ, has come face to face with one of His creations. Then Jesus forgives the man for not keeping his priorities straight.
Did You Know?
A typical house in the Middle East had a flat roof accessible by means of an outside staircase. The roof was often made of a thick layer of clay (packed by a stone roller), supported by mats of branches across wooden beams. (Source: NIV Archaeological Study Bible, p. 1624.)
Music Notes: Great is Thy Faithfulness
This hymn is found on page 73 of the CEM Hymnal. The words were written by Thomas Obediah Chishold (1866-1960) who was born in a simple log cabin in Franklin, Kentucky. After finishing his elementary training in a country school, he began teaching in that school at age 16. Later, he became the editor of The Pentecostal Herald and was eventually ordained as a Methodist minister. Over his lifetime, he wrote more than 1200 sacred poems, many of which have become well-known hymns. A short time before his death, Thomas Chisholm wrote:
“My income has never been large at any time due to impaired health in the earlier years which has followed me on until now. But I must not fail to record here the unfailing faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God and that He has given me many wonderful displays of His providing care which have filled me with astonishing gratefulness.” (Source: Amazing Grace, Osbeck, K., p. 348.)
Journal Jot
The paralytic came to Jesus to be healed, to be able to walk. He was given so much more! He had his sins forgiven. And then Jesus healed him so he could walk. But what was the greater healing? Is it more important to be healed physically? Or to be healed spiritually? Which one lasts longer? Even though we focus on the physical healing and think about what our lives are like right now, God is focused on making you part of His family in His Kingdom. If we need a physical problem to keep us seeking God, then God will allow that problem. Write about this idea in your Bible journal—and then thank God that He loves you enough to want you in His Kingdom forever.
Back to the Bible
The Bible speaks of many places where Jesus preached the Gospel. In this YEA lesson Jesus was in His home town of Capernaum. There were so many people wanting to hear and see Him that the paralytic’s friends had to come up with a better idea than going through the front door. This took some unique problem solving. But because their faith that Jesus could heal their friend was so strong, they had to find a way to get him in the house. How long do you think it took for them to find a solution? We are never told how long it took, but it was definitely worth their effort! According to The Companion Bible, Jesus forgave not only the paralytic but also his friends. Their faith led to forgiveness. All the work they went through and the time it took was worth it. It is like that for us, too. This life is difficult. We sin, but we know that when we are repentant, we are forgiven. God longs to hear your voice. Have the faith that you will be heard and forgiven.
Just Toolin’ Around
Research the city of Capernaum. As a travel guide, present the information you find to the Sabbath School class or your family. Remember to provide maps for your audience.
Stretch It Out
Was there a particular lesson in Mission:Possible that helped you the most or made a difference for you? Was it Closer Than a Brother, which spoke of Jesus as your friend? Or was it the lesson on forgiveness in The Sinful Woman? Choose one or two and, in your journal, explain why the lesson helped you. You do not have to share your response.
Questions?
Remember to write any questions that you have in your journal. That way you will remember to ask you parents, teachers, or minister.
Song
“Oh, How I Love Jesus” is on page 66 of the Kids Classics Collection.
Closing Prayer
Ask a student to lead in prayer thanking God for giving them glimpses of His greatness and His power. Lead them to request healing for those they know who are sick.
Printable Pages
