How far would you go to help a friend?
Four friends carry a man who can’t walk to the house where Jesus is teaching. The house is packed, so they climb onto the roof, dig a hole and lower him down. Jesus sees their faith, forgives the man, and tells him to pick up his mat and go home, and he walks out in front of everyone.
Four friends carry a man who can’t walk to the house where Jesus is teaching. The house is packed, so they climb onto the roof, dig a hole and lower him down. Jesus sees their faith, forgives the man, and tells him to pick up his mat and go home, and he walks out in front of everyone.
Kids play one of the friends and the man on the mat, make 4 choices, and stop twice to look through different ways of knowing. The grown-ups notes speak to children who use a wheelchair or can’t walk: the man was loved before he walked, and Jesus never said he couldn’t walk because of something he did.
Ages 4–9
Jesus was showing that the deepest healing is being right with God, and that he had the authority to give it. The walking proved the words.
Mark 2:1–12, also in Matthew 9 and Luke 5. A house in Capernaum is so packed that four friends carrying a paralyzed man on a mat can’t get in, so they dig through the roof and lower him down. Jesus sees their faith and first says, “Your sins are forgiven,” which upsets the religious teachers, and then tells the man to get up and walk. He does, and everyone is amazed.