Curriculum

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath Go to Curriculum multi-week pack

Bible Background

What Kids Will Learn

Jesus loved His relationship with God and with others. His relationships were more important than keeping all the rules.

Scripture Summary

Religious leaders, Pharisees and Sadducees, were offended and threatened by Jesus and His teachings. He was contradicting much of what they held dear in order to validate themselves.

In the Ten Commandments, God was clear that His followers were to observe the Sabbath and keep it holy (Exodus 20:8). He knew that we would be tempted to work too hard and for too long. With our best interests at heart, God wanted to protect us from workaholism. This act of resting on the Sabbath was an act of worship—affirming that God is in control.

And the religious leaders took this rule, this law, and ran with it. Rather than focusing on the intent behind the rule, the leaders focused only on whether or not people adhered to said rule. They missed God’s point.

There were many times that Jesus broke Sabbath and worked on this holy day. His disciples picked grain on the Sabbath. In this passage, Jesus healed a woman who had been crippled for 18 years. Rather than seeing an opportunity for compassion, the leaders only wanted to uphold the law.

Jesus shed light on the hypocrisy of the religious leaders. They would untie and care for their own animals, yet they didn’t see or act on similar opportunities to care for others.

Why Is This Important

Spending time with God and in His Word will help us discern between opportunities to follow the rules and times the needs of others are more important.

Teacher Devotion

Scripture

“But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, ‘Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.’ (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.)” (Joshua 2:4-6)

Rahab was praised by God for her quick action in protecting the spies that Joshua sent into the city of Jericho. This controversial account included Rahab lying to the authorities. Many have struggled with this story and wondered when is it okay to break the rules. Rules—especially God’s rules—are intended to protect us and give us the best life.

And even Jesus broke many of the religious rules that the Jewish people held dear. He healed on the Sabbath and associated with sinners and tax collectors.

In a devotional-biography entitled Rich Mullins / His Life and Legacy: An Arrow Pointing to Heaven, James Bryan Smith gives a firsthand account of how Rich interacted with others in community. Smith quotes Rich’s words: “When does faithfulness to Jesus call us to lay aside our biases and when does it call us to stand beside them?”

Jesus was all about relationships—relationship with the Father and with others. He wasn’t in a hurry when traveling from place to place. He was interruptable. He was compassionate. He placed the needs of others above the rules.

Of course, God’s rules are intended for good. He calls us to live a righteous life—starting with loving Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And we are to love others as we do ourselves. This looks like choosing to be honest in our dealings and honoring our parents. It also looks like occasionally skipping church in order to meet the need of a neighbor.

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for giving me guidelines on how to live. I love that freedom in You also includes flexibility to break the rules for the sake of a relationship. Please help me understand the difference and how to choose Your way today. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Get the full Sunday school lesson plan

  • Bible Memory Verse
  • Interactive Bible Experience
  • Animated video with companion questions

Bible Memory Verse

You’ll Need: Bibles, Index cards, Pen

Get Ready: Write words or phrases from the verse on the index cards. Make one set for every five or six kids. Place them around the room.

“Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” (Luke 13:16)

Have kids learn the Bible memory verse in this way:

  • Divide the class into small groups.
  • Have kids open their Bibles to Luke 13:16.
  • Read aloud the verse together.
  • Have kids stand and bend over at the waist.
  • Explain to kids that you’ve hidden the words to the verse around the room. Together in their groups, they’ll find all the words and arrange them in the correct order, all while remaining in a bent-over position.
  • Once they have their verses in order, they can stand straight.
  • Have them practice the verse, taking away words gradually until kids can say the whole verse without help.

ASK:

  • What was this activity like for you?
  • How might it help you understand why Jesus cared more about helping the woman than following a rule?

SAY: Jesus cares that we follow God’s laws because He knows they’re good for us, but Jesus always puts people’s needs above rules, and we can, too.

Interactive Bible Experience

You’ll Need: Bibles, “Jesus Heals on the Sabbath” handouts, Pens

Get Ready: Before class, print copies of the handout, one for each child.

Follow these steps to explore the Bible passage and its meaning:

  • Have kids open their Bibles to Luke 13:10-17.
  • Read aloud the passage.
  • Invite kids to summarize it.
  • Give each child a “Jesus Heals on the Sabbath” handout.
  • In small groups, have kids look up the two examples and discuss in their groups how people’s needs were put above rules in each example. They’ll write their answers.
  • Have kids in small groups discuss and record additional examples of ways Jesus might ask kids to put people’s needs above rules.

ASK:

  • Share an example of how kids might follow Jesus’ example.
  • Why do you think Jesus would support your decision not to follow the rules in your example?

SAY: Rules often keep us safe and healthy. Even the rule of resting on the Sabbath helps keep us healthy, and it gives us special time with God. That’s important. But in the Bible passage, Jesus knew that helping the woman who had been unwell for a long time was important. And it did not keep Him from resting and worshipping God. He made her needs more important than the rule.

Snack

Bendy Snacks

You’ll Need: Gummy bears or other gummy creatures

Follow these steps for the snack:

  • Have kids clean their hands.
  • Give each child some gummy snacks.
  • Have kids partner up, and encourage partners to retell what happened in the Bible passage using the gummy snacks.
  • Enjoy!

SAY: Jesus cares so much about our needs that He’ll break the rules to care fo

Game

Healing Touch Relay

Follow these steps for the “Healing Touch Relay”:

  • Divide the class into two teams of even numbers.
  • Have one team stand along one wall while the other team stands along the opposite wall.
  • The first team member from each line will run to the opposite side of the room. The person must run fully bent over to the opposite team. Any person from the opposite team will reach out and touch the run- ner with a “healing touch.” Once touched, runners stand up straight and run back to their side of the room. They’ll then tag the next person in line on their team to begin running.
  • Runners from both teams will have to avoid running into each other.
  • Play until all kids from both teams have had a chance to run and be “healed.”
  • Repeat as time allows.

SAY: Jesus healed a woman on the Sabbath when He touched her and she was able to stand up straight. But that’s just one example of a way He put the needs of people above rules. We can follow His example.

Craft

People’s Needs First Scrolls

You’ll Need: “10 Commandments Scroll” handouts, Markers, String

To make the craft, have kids follow these steps:

  • Give each child a handout.
  • Lead kids in reading through the list of rules from God.
  • Have kids draw a symbol next to each command to represent it.
  • Invite kids to take a marker and write across the whole page, “People’s needs first.”
  • Invite kids to decorate the page.
  • As they work, invite them to talk about times they’ve seen people who’ve had needs that might have come before the rules.
  • When they’ve finished, they can roll their papers and tie them in place with some string.

SAY: Take home your scrolls as a reminder that all of God’s laws are good and helpful for us, but that God did not want us to forget about people’s needs when we are following God’s ways.

Prayer

People Over Rules Prayers

You’ll Need: Scrolls from the craft

Lead kids to pray in this way:

  • Have kids form a circle.
  • Have kids consider who in their life might have needs that they could be there for.
  • Allow a moment for kids to look at their scrolls to see if helping might be in line with or not in line with God’s rules.
  • Allow time for kids to pray over this.
  • Close in prayer.

PRAY: Dear God, thank You that you care more about people’s needs than rules. Thank you for giving us Jesus as an example. In Jesus’ name, amen.