INITIATION:
How do you respond when Mum gives you food or looks after you when you are ill? What do you say when dad buys new shoes for you? You say “thank you” don’t you?
On the other hand, recall how you feel when you do something nice to someone and he is mot thankful. God wants us to be thankful to Him when He blesses us. He also wants us to thank Him even when we have not received an answer to our prayer. He also wants us to be thankful to people when it is necessary.
Ten men who were lepers came to Jesus and He healed them all. Were they thankful or not? That is what we are going to find out in this lesson.
🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀
BIBLE TEXT:
Luke 17:11-19
🌹 🌹 🌹 🌹 🌹🌹
SUBJECT:
JESUS HEALS TEN LEPERS
🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀🍀
MEMORY VERSE
In everything, give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NKJV).
🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀🍀
TARGET:
To help the child learn to trust God in times of need and to thank God for help given to him.
🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀🍀
FOCUS :
In this lesson, each child will show that he or she understands the lesson by:
- Naming things for which he or she can give thanks for.
- Praying a prayer of thanks to the Lord for the things he or she needed.
- Planning how he or she can show love to someone other people might try to avoid.
🌿 🌿 🌿 🌿 🌿 🌿
MAIN LESSON DISCOURSE:
1. The Condition of the Lepers.
Leprosy is a disease that is very bad. The Bible mentioned such so many times. Those who have the disease are called lepers. The disease made sores all over the bodies of those suffering from it. Sometime leprosy cripple people or made them blind. When people had leprosy in the days of Jesus, they have to leave their homes. They lived outside the city. They lived far away from friends and families. Often, they stayed together so as to have the company of one another. At that time, they had to carry bells. These bells were to warn people coming near them that they were lepers. While ringing the bell, they would be saying “Unclean, unclean”. They did this so that no one would touch them because anyone who touched them might get the disease also.
Such was the condition of the lepers then even now. Everybody avoided them. They could not work to earn their living. Instead, they stayed by the roadside and begged from people, lepers were very lonely people indeed. At that time, Lepers didn’t get better, only worse.
💧💧💧💧💧💧
2. THE CRY AND CURE OF THE LEPERS - LUKE 17:11-14
One day, ten men stood beside a road begging. They were lepers. While still begging, they overheard people passing by, say that Jesus was coming up the road. Everyone was excited. Everyone wanted to see Jesus and to hear Him teach about God. Those who were sick were hoping to be healed. As a result, people began to gather along the road that led to the village. Then ten lepers who were there begging wanted to see Jesus too.
Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem at the time. He was just passing through the village. When He came within sight, the lepers saw Him. They however, did not come close to Jesus, but stood at a safe distance. They did not want Jesus and His disciples to come in contact with the disease. All the time, they rang their bells saying, “We are lepers! Don’t come near us”.
The lepers must have wondered how they could ever get Jesus to hear them. They so much wanted to be healed. But the crowd made so much noise that no one could understand what was being said. They, therefore, decided to shout together to get Jesus to hear them above the noise.
Immediately, they started shouting together, they said “Jesus Master, have mercy on us” and Jesus heard them. He wanted to help them. So He told them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”
In those days, when a leper became well, he would then go to the priest. The priest would examine him and confirm that the leper had been healed. It is only then that the person would be allowed to go home.
Meanwhile, the lepers obeyed Jesus. As they were going, they became healed, their leprosy had gone. They could not believe it. They were so happy.
💧💧💧💧💧💧
3. THE THANKFULNESS OF ONE LEPER - LUKE 17:185-17
One of the lepers who has been healed, suddenly stopped running home in excitement. He had remembered the One who healed them. He felt that he had to thank Jesus. He hurried back to Jesus, fell at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him for healing him. And this man was not even from Israel. He was from Samaria which was despised by the Jews. The other nine men, in their joy, had gone home without coming back to thank Jesus, they were from Israel.
Jesus is happy when we are thankful to Him for His help and care, He was pleased with the one man who came back to say “thank you” Jesus said to him, “Rise and go; your faith had made you well”
💧💧💧💧💧💧
APPLICATION:
Six year old Udo was singing. His mother heard him and went into his room. Udo Was sitting on the bare floor with legs crossed and eyes closed. He was singing:
O’ Lord, You have been so good, You are so good to me. O Lord, You are excellent, in my life everyday (Repeat).
Udo didn’t even realise that his mother was in the room. He was lost, singing the song over and over again. This incident happened the day after Udo was discharged from hospital.
From infancy, Udo had a problem in his throat which affected him so much. So, when he was taken to the hospital, the doctor said he would be operated upon. The operation was very successful and Udo spent only a few days in the hospital.
He came home and was very happy. That was why, that morning after his return, he just sat down and sang praises to God all day long. Thus did Udo express thankfulness to God for healing him. Just as one of the lepers did.
💧💧💧💧💧💧
QUESTIONS:
1. How many lepers did Jesus heal?
(A) 10
(B) 8
(C) 2
(D) 4
2. How many lepers went back to give thanks?
(A) 10
(B) 1
(C)2
3. How did the lepers, get their healing?
(A) They cried to Jesus.
(B)They followed Jesus.
(C) They confessed their sins.
(D) They obeyed the instruction of Jesus.
4. How did Jesus feel about the other lepers who did not come back to give thanks?
(A) He was happy with them.
(B) He was satisfied.
(C) He was not happy with them.
(D) None of the above.
💧💧💧💧💧💧
DAILY BIBLE DOSE:
MONDAY: The Gratitude of Naaman (2 Kings S:15-19).
TUESDAY: Learn to Be Thankful (1 Chronicle 16:8).
WEDNESDAY: Dangers of Being Unthankful (Psalm 28:5; Mal 2:1-4).
THURSDAY: Multiplication by Thanksgiving (Matthew 15:35-39).
FRIDAY: Perfection by Thanksgiving (Luke 17:15-19).
SATURDAY: Restoration by Thanksgiving (John 11:41-44).
💧💧💧💧💧💧
DISCLAIMER:
The original production and publication of this extracts belong to Sunday School Department of Assemblies of God Nigeria, as shown on the front page. We teach in the church and social media available.
