LESSON 12: JESUS HEALS PEOPLE Large Group Leader Guide

Classroom: Sacred Girls

 Luke 4:38-40; 5:12-16

01/04/2017

Teachers Dig In Dig In to the Bible Read: Luke 4:38-40; 5:12-16 In This Passage: When Simon’s mother-in-law is sick with a terrible fever, Jesus heals her. She gets up right away, completely healed. Then people bring Jesus other people who have a lot of different diseases, and Jesus heals them just by touching them. Later, a leper begs Jesus to heal him, and Jesus does. Jesus heals us! Bible Point: Jesus heals us. Summary Verse: “No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed every one” (Luke 4:40).

Dig Deeper You’ll Be Teaching: Jesus heals us. This point may be a little confusing to some kids. They may have lost loved ones who were not healed despite prayers asking for healing. Help kids understand that Jesus can heal anyone of anything, but he’s not a vending machine that will always give us what we want. Think About: What’s one way you need physical healing? emotional healing? What does being healed mean to you?

Dig In to Prayer Think of the kids in your class who are suffering from physical or emotional problems. Pray for Jesus to bring healing in their lives.

Quick Tip When you need to form pairs or groups, use creative ways to help build new relationships. You could form groups based on the first letter of kids’ first, middle, or last names. Or you could use birthdays, color of clothing, type of pets, or similar characteristics.

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This Lesson at a Glance

OPENING Kids share about a topic related to the lesson.

Supplies Bible

LOW-ENERGY GAME Kids try to match their partners’ actions.

MUSIC VIDEO Kids sing songs of praise to God.

Supplies “Hope in the Lord” (Psalm 33:20) music video (watch or download here) “His Great Love” (Romans 5:8) music video (watch or download here) “God Loves Us So” music video (watch or download here)

CORE BIBLE DISCOVERY Kids experience the feeling of a fever and leprosy and go to Jesus’ hand for healing.

Supplies

Easy Prep

Bible 1 copy of the “Hand” handout (download here) sticky notes pens

Hang the “Hand” handout on the wall.

CRAFT Kids make care packages for cancer patients.

Supplies

Easy Prep

“Envelope” handout (download here) card stock scissors

Copy the “Envelope” handout onto card stock, one per child. Make a sample craft to show kids.

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tape tissue paper in a variety of colors glue sticks paper markers stickers individually wrapped cough drops peppermint or ginger tea bags individually wrapped mints stickers

Arrange with a local hospital to donate “chemo care packages” to patients, or find out how to donate them to church members with cancer.

OBJECT LESSON Kids guess the temperature of water.

Supplies thermometer, preferably digital (1 per small group) cup of very warm water (1 per small group) cup of cold water (1 per small group) cup of room-temperature water (1 per small group) ice cubes paper pens

HIGH-ENERGY GAME Kids will race with and without a handicap.

LIFE APPLICATION WRAP-UP Kids fill in a heart with paper scraps and pray for healing.

Supplies

Easy Prep

blue, yellow, and red construction paper Glue Dots extra-large sheet of paper

Draw the outline of a large heart on the extra-large sheet of paper. The size of the heart will depend on how many kids are in your group. You’ll want the heart to be filled with one small scrap of each color paper per child. Rip the construction paper into small scraps.

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*Marked supplies are also used in Core Bible Discovery Let's keep kids safe! You can help by using supplies as instructed for only ages 3+, purchasing childsafe items, and being aware of allergy concerns.

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OPENING

[5 min]

Welcome

Supplies Bible

Welcome Thank kids for coming. Just for fun, have kids give a high-one (high-five with just one finger) to three friends. Make announcements. Introduce new kids. Celebrate birthdays by doing a “happy birthday” wave. Collect the offering. Introduce the Lesson Say: Today we’ll learn about some times Jesus healed people in the Bible. Jesus heals us, too! Share Tell about a scar or injury of yours. Have kids get in pairs and tell about their scars or injuries. After partners have discussed, ask two or three kids to share with the whole group what they talked about with their partners. Summarize Open a Bible, and say: Today we’ll explore how Jesus heals us and what that means to us. We’ll dig into the Bible to find out. The Bible isn’t like other books; it’s God’s special book. The Bible is one way God shows us what he can do. As we read his Word today, let’s see what he does in us. Pray, thanking Jesus that he heals us.

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LOW-ENERGY GAME

[10 min]

Blind, Fever, Leprosy

Ideal for 6 or more kids. Play the Game Say: How many of you have ever played rock, paper, scissors? Pause for a show of hands. This game is similar, only you’re trying to match your partner, not beat your partner. And it’s called Blind, Fever, Leprosy. Show kids the motions: Blind: cover your eyes Fever: put hand on your forehead Leprosy: scratch your arms

Have everyone find a partner. If you have an uneven number of kids, join in to make a pair. The older person in each pair is the Healer, and the younger person is the Sick Person. Say: You’re going to stand back to back with your partner. Without telling your partner, the Sick Person in each pair will decide what you need healing from (blindness, a fever, or leprosy) and make the right motion. The Healers will each decide which disease they’re curing and make that motion. I’ll count 1, 2, 3, go! On “go,” you’ll turn around and show each other your motions. Ready? 1, 2, 3, go! Have kids turn around and see if their motions match their partners’ motions. Say: If your motions matched what your partners were doing, you were successfully healed or you healed someone! Good job! Find a new partner and play a new round. If you didn’t match, keep playing with your partner until one of you is healed! Keep the game going by counting “1, 2, 3, go!” each round. Play as long as time allows. Talk About It Have small groups discuss these questions. Ask: • How did you feel when you and your partner’s motions didn’t match? • How did you feel when they did match? Say: Some of the people in the Bible had been sick for a really long time. Maybe they had tried other ways to get healed, but it didn’t work. But when they met Jesus, Jesus healed them. Jesus heals us because he’s not limited to only being able to heal one type of disease. Jesus can heal anything!

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MUSIC VIDEO

[10 min]

Hope in the Lord

Supplies “Hope in the Lord” (Psalm 33:20) music video (watch or download here) “His Great Love” (Romans 5:8) music video (watch or download here) “God Loves Us So” music video (watch or download here)

Sing Songs to God Sing the three songs in any order.

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CORE BIBLE DISCOVERY

[20 min]

Jesus Heals People (Luke 4:38-40; 5:12-16)

Supplies Bible 1 copy of the “Hand” handout (download here) sticky notes pens

Easy Prep Hang the “Hand” handout on the wall.

Talk About It Say: Today we’re going to be talking about people who were really sick. Tell kids about a time you were really sick and how you got well. In pairs, have kids share about a time they were really sick. Say: It’s no fun to be sick! Let’s see what was wrong with the first person Jesus healed. Feel Feverish Read Luke 4:38. Say: Simon’s mother-in-law had a fever. Ask: • What does it feel like to have a fever? Say: When we have fevers, we feel hot and sweaty. Sometimes we feel dizzy! Let’s see what that feels like. Have kids spin in circles for about one minute or until they feel really dizzy. Have kids lie down. Say: Sometimes when we’re sick, we feel better just by resting. That will probably help you not be so dizzy right now. But Simon’s mother-in-law wasn’t getting better, even with rest. So people asked Jesus to heal her. And he did! Jesus heals us. Read Luke 4:39. Have small groups discuss this question. Ask: • What are some things you like to do when you’ve just gotten better from being sick? Bring Sick People to Jesus Say: After Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law, people found out that Jesus heals us. And they wanted Jesus’ healing, too! That night, a lot of people brought sick family members to Jesus. Read Luke 4:40.

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Distribute a pen and a sticky note to each child. Say: Maybe you have a family member or friend who is sick. Maybe you’re sick. Write that person’s name on your sticky note. Allow time. Say: Now let’s bring our sick friends to Jesus, just like the people in the Bible. Remember, the touch of his hand healed every one. Have kids bring their sticky notes to the “Hand” handout and stick them on or around the hand. Have kids discuss this question in their small groups. Ask: • Talk about the person you wrote about. What do you want Jesus to do for that person? Have small groups pray together for the people they talked about. Allow about two or three minutes. Say: We don’t know if Jesus will heal everyone you prayed about. But we know he can, because Jesus heals us. Leprosy Tag Say: After Jesus healed a lot of people in that village, word about his healing kept spreading. In another village, a man with a sickness called leprosy wanted to be healed. Read Luke 5:12. Say: You might not know much about leprosy because it’s not very common today. Leprosy was a really bad disease. Everyone thought leprosy was very contagious, so they thought they might catch it. In fact, people thought leprosy was so contagious that there were special rules for people with leprosy. Read Leviticus 13:45-46. Say: Those rules come straight from the Bible in the Old Testament. Let’s play a game to see what it would be like to have leprosy. Assign a few kids (about one for every 10 kids you have) to have leprosy and the same number of kids to be “It.” Say: If you have leprosy, you can’t play. You have to walk around shouting “unclean!” and trying to make sure you don’t touch anyone. Everyone else will play a game of Freeze Tag. If you get tagged, you’ll be frozen for 10 seconds. Make sure to stay away from the people with leprosy! If you accidentally touch someone who has leprosy, you can’t play anymore either. You’ll walk around shouting “unclean!” just like them. Play several rounds, switching roles each time. In their small groups, have kids discuss these questions. Ask: • What did it feel like to play this game as a person with leprosy? • What do you think it would be like to live all by yourself and not be able to go near people? Tell kids about a time you felt left out. Then have kids share with their small groups about times they felt left out. Say: Jesus healed that man—by touching him! Even though people 9 of 23

weren’t supposed to touch anyone with leprosy, the touch of Jesus’ hand healed him. Jesus heals us, and even the man with leprosy wasn’t left out of Jesus’ healing. Read Luke 5:13. Say: Jesus told him not to tell anyone what had happened, but I’m sure you can imagine how excited the man was. He just had to tell people! So more people came to Jesus to be healed, because they knew Jesus heals us.

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CRAFT

[20 min]

Chemo Care Packages

Supplies “Envelope” handout (download here) card stock scissors tape tissue paper in a variety of colors glue sticks paper markers stickers individually wrapped cough drops peppermint or ginger tea bags individually wrapped mints stickers

Easy Prep Copy the “Envelope” handout onto card stock, one per child. Make a sample craft to show kids. Arrange with a local hospital to donate “chemo care packages” to patients, or find out how to donate them to church members with cancer.

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Make an Envelope Ask: • Have you ever had to take medicine that didn’t taste very good? What did it taste like? Say: Jesus heals us. We’ve all been sick and had to take yucky medicine to get better. Some of you might’ve had experiences being really, really sick, but a lot of us may not know what that’s like. Some people have cancer, and they have to go through something called chemotherapy, or “chemo” for short. Chemo is a kind of medicine. Cancer is a bad sickness, and chemo helps get rid of the cancer. But chemo itself can be really hard to go through! It usually makes people feel really tired or sick to their stomach, and it sometimes makes people get sores in their mouth. It’s good because it fights the cancer— but it makes people feel sick before it makes them feel better. We’re going to make chemo care packages for people who are going through chemo right now. You might know someone with cancer. If so, you could take your care package to that person. If not, we’ll donate all the extra packages to [name of place you’ll be donating to]. To start, we need to make an envelope. Distribute the “Envelope” handouts, and have kids cut around the edge of the envelope template and then fold and tape the envelope together, leaving the top flap open. Say: We’re going to decorate the envelopes with tissue paper. Have kids tear the tissue paper into small pieces and then glue the pieces onto the envelope as a mosaic. As kids work, remind kids that Jesus can heal people who are broken or have an illness. Ask kids to talk about people they know who’ve been really sick. 12 of 23

Encourage Say: Next, we need to fill our chemo care packages with things that will help people feel better. First, have kids write encouraging notes or Bible verses. For example, they could write “I hope you feel better soon!” or “I’m praying for you!” They could also write verses such as Luke 4:40, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Isaiah 40:31, or Matthew 11:28. Provide suggestions as needed, and allow time for kids to pray and listen to God, asking him what they could write to encourage someone with cancer. Then let kids write whatever they feel led to write. They can decorate the notes with stickers and markers and put them in an envelope. Say: Sometimes chemo can leave people with dry mouths. Have kids each put a cough drop in their envelope. Say: Sometimes people get a bad taste in their mouth from chemo. Have kids each put a mint in their envelope. Say: Sometimes people feel sick to their stomach from chemo. Tea can help settle their stomachs. Have kids each put a tea bag in their envelope. Have kids each use a sticker to seal their envelopes. Talk About It Have small groups discuss this question. Ask: • What helps you feel better when you’re sick? Say: I hope our crafts help people who are sick feel better. But we can’t heal people! We know that Jesus healed a lot of people in the Bible. Jesus can heal us, too! Let’s pray that Jesus will heal the people who get our chemo care packages. Have small-group leaders lead their groups in praying for the recipients of the crafts. Collect the crafts for donations, unless some kids have someone in mind to give them to.

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OBJECT LESSON

[10 min]

Temperature Gauge

Supplies thermometer, preferably digital (1 per small group) cup of very warm water (1 per small group) cup of cold water (1 per small group) cup of room-temperature water (1 per small group) ice cubes paper pens

Guess the Temperature Distribute paper and pens. Say: In today’s Bible story, Simon’s mother-in-law had a fever. A fever is when your body’s temperature is really high. Have you ever had someone feel your forehead to check if you might have a fever? Allow for a show of hands. Have small-group leaders retrieve the cups of water for their groups. Say: Let’s see how good your hands are at feeling for a fever. Your group has three cups of water. Stick a finger in each cup, and then guess the temperature. Write your guesses on your paper. To help you make guesses, it might help to know that water turns to ice at 32 degrees and boils at 212 degrees. The human body is about 98.6 degrees when you’re healthy. So if you think the warm water is just a little warmer than you are, you might guess 105 degrees. Allow time. When all the kids have written their guesses, choose a child from each group to take the temperature of the first cup of water. While the thermometer is measuring, ask for a few guesses. Then see how close the temperature is to kids’ guesses. Repeat, having a new child to take each cup’s temperature. Guess Again Say: When Simon’s mother-in-law had a fever, Jesus healed her. That means her temperature went from hot to normal really fast. Let’s see if we can cool down our water. Have small-group leaders put a few ice cubes in each cup. Have kids feel the water again and write new guesses for each cup’s temperature. Again, have a few kids take the temperature and compare to the guesses. Then have everyone sit back down for a discussion. Talk About It Have small groups discuss these questions. 14 of 23

Ask: • How close were you to guessing the right temperature? • Explain if you were surprised by how much the ice cubes lowered the temperature of the water. Say: We can lower the temperature of water, and sometimes we can try to lower the temperature of a person. We might put a cool cloth on someone’s forehead, give them medicine, or let them soak in cool water. But none of those things will instantly cure someone of a fever. Only Jesus can do that, because Jesus heals us.

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HIGH-ENERGY GAME

[10 min]

Shuffle Run

Recommended for 6 or more kids. Run a Race With Knees Together Have children stand with their small groups and line up on one side of the room facing the opposite wall. Each small group will be a team. You or an adult helper will stand against the wall on the opposite side of the room. Say: In our Bible story, many people came to Jesus to be healed of sickness and disease. Other places in the Bible tell that Jesus also made lame people walk and blind people see. Those people were able to do things after Jesus healed them that they couldn’t do before. Let’s play a game to see what that’s like. In this relay race, children run to you—one at a time—while keeping their knees together. Once they tag you, they may run as usual back to where they started. If their knees come apart before they tag you, they have to go back and start again. Before you start the race, demonstrate for children how to run with their knees together. If time allows, have kids repeat the game, moving with their legs crossed or their ankles together. Talk About It When the race is done, have children sit where they are. Have small groups discuss this question. Ask: • What was it like to run with your knees together? Say: You couldn’t run like you wanted to at the start of the game, just like sick people who were coming to Jesus couldn’t do things the way they wanted to. Some couldn’t walk. Others couldn’t see. People with leprosy were so contagious with sickness that they couldn’t be around other people at all! Tell kids about a time you couldn’t do something because you were hurt or sick. Have children discuss the following questions in their small groups. Ask: • Tell about a time you couldn’t do something because you were hurt or sick. • How did it feel when you got better? Ask a few small groups to tell the whole group what they talked about. Say: People came to Jesus because they knew he could heal them. And after he healed them, they were excited! They jumped around and told others they were healed! We can be excited that Jesus heals us, too!

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LIFE APPLICATION WRAP-UP

[5 min]

Heart Mosaic

Supplies blue, yellow, and red construction paper Glue Dots extra-large sheet of paper

Easy Prep Draw the outline of a large heart on the extra-large sheet of paper. The size of the heart will depend on how many kids are in your group. You’ll want the heart to be filled with one small scrap of each color paper per child. Rip the construction paper into small scraps.

Name People Who Need Healing Give each child one scrap of each color construction paper. Say: Today we learned about many people that Jesus healed, and we learned that Jesus heals people today, too. Have kids pick up their blue scraps of paper. Say: It’s not just other people who need healing. We all need Jesus to heal us. Some of you may have broken hearts—there’s something making you sad. Ask: • What are things that make you sad? Have kids pick up their yellow scraps of paper. Say: Some of you have broken bones. Some of you or someone you love might be very sick. Have kids pick up their red scraps of paper. Say: And some of you might need healing because you have broken relationships with family or friends—you’re not getting along very well with someone. We can ask Jesus to heal anything that’s broken. Ask: • What are some things people need healing from? Bring Your Hurts to the Cross Say: Let’s pray for Jesus’ healing in our own lives. Think of a way you want Jesus to heal you. Say: Silently talk to Jesus about your hurt. Then invisibly write or draw it on one of your paper scraps with your finger. Jesus knows your hurt. When you’re ready, bring your papers to the heart. Have the kids use Glue Dots to attach the pieces all over the heart to make a mosaic.

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Pray: Jesus, you have a huge heart of love for us. And you know all the hurts on this heart. We know you heal us. Please bring healing to everyone in our group. In your name, amen. Say: Our heart shows us that Jesus can take our brokenness and bring healing, making things beautiful in our lives! I hope you all can experience Jesus’ healing this week. Thank you for coming to church today! This week, keep praying for Jesus’ healing in your life.

The Life of Jesus, Lesson 12: Jesus Heals People. Design and base content copyright © Group Publishing, Inc. Licensed for use with 1-20 students. Permission to reproduce granted for local church use only.

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LESSON 12: JESUS HEALS PEOPLE Small Group Leader Guide

Classroom: Sacred Girls

 Luke 4:38-40; 5:12-16

01/04/2017

Teachers Dig In Dig In to the Bible Read: Luke 4:38-40; 5:12-16 In This Passage: When Simon’s mother-in-law is sick with a terrible fever, Jesus heals her. She gets up right away, completely healed. Then people bring Jesus other people who have a lot of different diseases, and Jesus heals them just by touching them. Later, a leper begs Jesus to heal him, and Jesus does. Jesus heals us! Bible Point: Jesus heals us. Summary Verse: “No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed every one” (Luke 4:40).

Dig Deeper You’ll Be Teaching: Jesus heals us. This point may be a little confusing to some kids. They may have lost loved ones who were not healed despite prayers asking for healing. Help kids understand that Jesus can heal anyone of anything, but he’s not a vending machine that will always give us what we want. Think About: What’s one way you need physical healing? emotional healing? What does being healed mean to you?

Dig In to Prayer Think of the kids in your class who are suffering from physical or emotional problems. Pray for Jesus to bring healing in their lives.

Quick Tip When you need to form pairs or groups, use creative ways to help build new relationships. You could form groups based on the first letter of kids’ first, middle, or last names. Or you could use birthdays, color of clothing, type of pets, or similar characteristics.

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This Lesson at a Glance

TALK-ABOUT VIDEO Kids watch a video and discuss the Bible Point.

Supplies “Von’s Story” teaching video (watch or download here)

DEEPER BIBLE Kids grapple with unanswered prayers for healing.

Supplies

Easy Prep

Bibles index cards envelopes

Write “healed” on enough index cards for about half the kids, and write “not healed” on index cards for the rest of the kids. Seal each index card in a separate envelope.

*Marked supplies are also used in Core Bible Discovery Let's keep kids safe! You can help by using supplies as instructed for only ages 3+, purchasing childsafe items, and being aware of allergy concerns.

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TALK-ABOUT VIDEO

[10 min]

Von’s Story

Supplies “Von’s Story” teaching video (watch or download here)

Discuss and Watch “Von’s Story” Say: In the Bible story today we learned about a lot of different people who were healed by Jesus. We’ve all had experiences where Jesus has healed us from a cold or the flu or a cut or even a broken bone. But what about when someone is really sick…super sick? Is Jesus powerful enough to heal someone who is super sick? Let’s hear from a boy named Von to find out. Watch “Von’s Story.” Ask: • Do you know anyone who has leukemia or another kind of cancer? Let any kids who do know someone tell a little bit about that person. If you know someone who has cancer, you can share as well. Say: It’s really scary to be that sick, and as we heard from Von, the medicine you have to take might taste really bad or it might have to go into your body with a needle. It took Von a few years to get better, and he said he still is not all the way back to being strong—but he is improving. Ask: • If you have a friend or family member who is very, very sick, what could you do to help that person feel better? Have kids share their ideas in groups of three, and then invite a few of the kids to share their ideas with the larger group. Say: Von’s family shared a few ideas like talking to God, talking to a friend, or giving a hug. Those aren’t too hard! It can mean a lot to someone who is really sick to know that someone else is praying for them and asking Jesus to heal them or wants to give them a hug. We know that Jesus heals us, and it’s great to hear from Von and know that God is healing him!

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DEEPER BIBLE

[15 min]

What If Jesus Doesn’t Heal Me?

Supplies Bibles index cards envelopes

Easy Prep Write “healed” on enough index cards for about half the kids, and write “not healed” on index cards for the rest of the kids. Seal each index card in a separate envelope.

Count the Healings Say: In today’s Scripture, Jesus healed many people. Let’s see if we can count how many. Form groups of four or fewer. Have groups read Luke 4:38-40 and Luke 5:12-16 and count how many people were healed. Afterward, ask kids how many people were healed. There’s no definitive number, so allow any number kids give. Say: We can’t even count how many, but Jesus healed many people! But right after our story ends, we find out there were more people who wanted to be healed and probably weren’t. Read Luke 4:42-43. Say: So what’s up? Does Jesus heal us or not? Maybe you know someone who died from a disease, even though you prayed they’d get better. Ask kids to share examples. Say: What happens if Jesus doesn’t heal us? Let’s dig into that. Receive Healing...or Not Say: Imagine you’re sick right now. I have an envelope for each of you. Inside, you’ll find out whether you’re going to be healed or not. Give each child an envelope. Have kids open up their envelopes to see if they were or were not healed. Afterward, ask: • What did you feel like when you read your card? • What do you think it would be like to be sick and not get healed by Jesus? Say: Some of the people in the Bible didn’t get physical healing from Jesus. I think they must’ve been very disappointed. Let’s see what some other people experienced. 22 of 23

Dig In Tell kids to listen to these verses and think about how they’d describe the person’s feelings. Read aloud Psalm 6:3-4. Ask: • How would you describe this person’s feelings? Tell kids about a time God took a long time to help you. Ask: • Have you ever felt like God was taking too long to help you? Talk about that. Say: The person who wrote these verses was a king named David, who lived a long time before Jesus. He had a lot of trouble with the king who came before him trying to hurt him. Later he had a problem with his own son trying to hurt him! In the end, David lived a good, long life. But he sometimes had to wait a long time for God to help him! Ask: • Is it healing even if God takes a long time? Explain. Say: Let’s look at another man who met Jesus after Jesus came back to life. His name was Paul, and he wrote a lot of the New Testament in the Bible. He also traveled to a lot of cities and helped spread the word about Jesus to many people. I’m going to read some words he wrote. As you listen, think about why God didn’t heal Paul. Read 2 Corinthians 12:7-9. Ask: • Why do you think God didn’t heal Paul? Reread 2 Corinthians 12:9. Ask: • Based on this verse, what could be a good thing about God not healing someone today? Say: We don’t know what Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was. But we know God never healed him. And because Paul wasn’t healed, he was able to rely on God even more! We can trust that Jesus can heal us because we’ve seen a lot of examples of him healing people. But we also know that sometimes Jesus doesn’t heal us, and that’s okay. We can still trust Jesus and rely on him for help.

The Life of Jesus, Lesson 12: Jesus Heals People. Design and base content copyright © Group Publishing, Inc. Licensed for use with 1-20 students. Permission to reproduce granted for local church use only.

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