BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER WHY DID GOD CREATE PEOPLE? God created people to worship Him, love Him, and show His glory! Jesus healed the ten men who cried out to Him. The one who had faith was saved. READ THE STORY:
Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem when He stopped in a village. He was approached by ten men who had leprosy. The men didn’t get too close because according to Jewish law, their disease meant they were unclean. Leviticus 13–14 details the law regarding skin diseases such as leprosy. A person had to go to a priest for a diagnosis, was isolated from others, and then—after healing occurred—returned to the priest to be examined, cleansed, and restored to the community. The men cried out to Jesus for mercy, and He commanded them to go and show themselves to the priests. As they went, Jesus miraculously healed them. This healing gave the men a new beginning. They would be able to return to their friends and family members. One of the men—a Samaritan among Jews—seeing that he was healed, returned to Jesus. Luke tells us how this man responded: “He … gave glory to God. He fell facedown at his [Jesus’] feet, thanking him” (Luke 17:15-16). This humility and gratitude were evidences of faith. The man’s response shows an understanding of God’s mercy and goodness. Jesus declared, “Get up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you” (v. 19). This man was healed not just physically but spiritually. Jesus healed the ten men who cried out to Him. The one who had faith was saved. When we trust in Jesus by faith, He heals us from something greater than a disease; He saves us from our sins. We can give Him thanks and worship Him for making us new. The Bible says all of us have sinned. Our sin makes us unclean, but we can cry out to God like the men with leprosy: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” God hears our prayers and answers. The gospel welcomes everyone who turns from their sin and trusts in Jesus. As you talk with your kids, emphasize that when we trust in Jesus by faith, He heals us from something greater than a disease; He saves us from our sins. We can give Him thanks and worship Him for making us new. GOSPEL APPLICATION K-2nd:
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BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER WHAT MAKES PEOPLE SPECIAL? People are special because we are made in God's image, as male and female, to know Him. Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to everyone who comes to Him by faith. We can worship Him as Lord and Savior wherever we are. READ THE STORY:
At the time Jesus was on earth, Jews and Samaritans didn’t get along. The strife between the two groups stretched back hundreds of years, to the Babylonian exile. When the Babylonians attacked Judah, they moved a large group of God’s people away from their homes. But some of the people—the poorest, sickest, least able to work—were left behind in the region that became known as Samaria. The exile lasted 70 years. During that time, those left in Samaria began to mingle with their neighbors to the north. They intermarried and practiced foreign customs. While the Samaritans still believed in God, they adapted foreign beliefs as well. The Jews who returned home from Babylon to rebuild God’s temple in Jerusalem rejected this new way of life. They were dedicated to obeying and worshiping God, so they didn’t agree with the Samaritans’ practices. The Samaritans opposed the Jews’ efforts to reestablish their nation. In time, the Jews’ hate for the Samaritans grew—so much so that a Jew traveling from Judea to Galilee would take a longer route to travel around Samaria rather than through it. Jesus broke down barriers when He traveled to Galilee by way of Samaria. Even more surprising, Jesus stopped at a well around noon and asked a Samaritan woman for a drink. Jewish men did not speak to women in public. But Jesus was kind to her, and He offered her a gift: living water. The woman didn’t understand, but Jesus revealed His knowledge of her past. He even gave her a glimpse of the future. The Samaritan woman expected a Messiah to come and fix everything. Jesus said, “I am He.” Explain to kids that the living water Jesus offers is the Holy Spirit. (See John 7:37-39.) The Holy Spirit is a gift that He is eager to give us when we ask Him. Those who receive His grace will never be thirsty again. Jesus offers something better than physical water; He gives us Himself. Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to everyone who comes to Him by faith. We can worship Him as Lord and Savior wherever we are. GOSPEL APPLICATION K-2nd:
BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER WHAT MAKES PEOPLE SPECIAL? People are special because we are made in God's image, as male and female, to know Him. Nicodemus needed new life—eternal life—but he could not do anything to earn it. Eternal life is a gift that comes only from God. READ THE STORY:
Jesus’ ministry had begun. His early miracles included turning water into wine, casting out demons, and healing people. John 2:23 says that “many believed in his name when they saw the signs he was doing.” Jesus likely spent a large part of His day teaching. When the day was done, He spent time alone or with His disciples. One night, a man named Nicodemus approached Jesus. Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews; that is, he was a religious leader who taught God’s law, and he was a member of the Sanhedrin—a Jewish governing body. Nicodemus held to the belief that if a person was a law-abiding Jew, he would be accepted by God. Jesus gave Nicodemus a lesson that would turn his belief system on its head. Jesus was a carpenter (Mark 6:3), so the religious teachers likely assumed He didn’t know theology. But they had seen Jesus’ miraculous signs in Jerusalem. Nicodemus had to conclude, “You are a teacher who has come from God” (John 3:2). Nicodemus initiated the conversation, but Jesus chose the subject. His words perplexed Nicodemus: “Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Jesus explained that spiritual birth is not unlike physical birth in that a person cannot do it himself; it is something that happens to him. Jesus reminded Nicodemus of an Old Testament account, the disobedient Israelites and the bronze snake. The Israelites could not help themselves, but when they trusted in God and looked to the bronze snake lifted up on the pole, they were healed. (Num. 21:4-9) Emphasize to your kids that every person is born a sinner—spiritually dead and alienated from God. It is by God’s Spirit—not our own effort—that we are born again. We look to Jesus and His finished work on the cross for our salvation. Nicodemus needed new life—eternal life—but he could not do anything to earn it. Eternal life is a gift that comes only from God. God showed His love in this way: He sent His one and only Son to save the world. Everyone who believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life. GOSPEL APPLICATION K-2nd:
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December 2023
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