Dr. Pat's Orthodox Super Sunday School Curriculum

FORGIVENESS/ THE PARALYTIC

Objectives:

1. Children should be able to tell the story of the paralytic and his four friends.
2. Children should know that Jesus can forgive sins because He is God.

Possible Lesson Plan:

1. Open with prayer.
2. Read the story of the paralytic in the Beginner’s Bible, pages 328-333, the Children’s Bible Reader, page 187, or the Read with Me Bible, pages 3003-303. Supplement with the Golden Children’s Bible, page 370 or the Arch Book, “The Lame Man Who Walked,” if desired. What does “paralytic” mean? Where was Jesus? Where were the friends with the man? How did they get into the house? What did Jesus do? Say? What happened? How do you think the man felt? His friends?

3. True/False Questions:

True                                                     False

            The paralytic man could not walk.                  The paralytic man could not see.

            There was a big crowd around Jesus.             Jesus was all alone in the house.

            The man’s friends cut a hole in the roof.        The  friends went in the window.

            Jesus forgave the man’s sins.                          Jesus told the friends to carry the

            Jesus healed the man and he could walk.                   man back home.

4. Talk a bit about disabilities: What would it be like to be a paralytic? Lie on the floor and pretend you can’t move your arms or legs at all. Can you walk? Can you eat? Can you brush your teeth? What would it be like to be blind? Close your eyes or turn out the lights. Pass around several familiar objects – a pencil, a crayon, a brush, a rubber band, etc. Can you identify them? What would it be like to be deaf? Try talking to each other by only moving the lips. Can you understand each other? How do you suppose the paralytic felt when he was healed?

5. Who forgives sins? Jesus said something unusual to the paralytic before he healed him. What did He say? The Prodigal Son asked for forgiveness; did the paralytic? We all can forgive each other. Tonight, in church, we’ll be celebrating Forgiveness Sunday. We’ll go from one to another asking forgiveness and being forgiven. Demonstrate and practice with the class how to do the sign of the Cross and a bow and to ask forgiveness. But, only one person can forgive us all our sins. Who is that? When Jesus told the paralytic that his sins were forgiven, Jesus was claiming to be Whom? And, when the paralytic walked, Jesus proved that He was indeed God!

6. Make a  "movie" of the story by printing on cardstock, color, cut out house and strip, cut slits, and insert strip as the "film" to show the story. 

7. Close with prayer.