The Ten Lepers

Jesus healed many people throughout His ministry. In Luke 17:11-19, Jesus healed ten lepers, but only one was thankful.

Key Points:

• We should ask God for mercy.
• Jesus hears our requests.
• We should thank God when He answers us.

Lesson Guide – The Ten Lepers

As you sit down for your Bible time, give your children a small treat such as their favorite fruit. Be sure to praise them if they say, “Thank You.”

Explain how leprosy was a very bad disease. People who had it could not be near people who didn’t. They lived in special places away from other people. It’s likely that your child has recently lived through isolation due to COVID-19. Share how people with leprosy also had to quarantine themselves from the community, sometime for the rest of their lives.

Speak about how it feels to be away from people you love.

Read Luke 17:11-19 from your child’s Bible.

Ask your child to hold their hand up and count their fingers. Each finger represents one of the lepers who asked Jesus to heal them.

Share how they asked Jesus for mercy and He healed all ten of them. Jesus showed mercy to these men, but only one came back to say, “Thank you.”

Have your child hold both hands up again but with only one finger open. Speak about how the nine never returned to thank Jesus.

Did Jesus know that most of them would not say thank you? Yes, He did, but He still healed them. Have you ever done something nice for someone and they haven’t said thank you or appreciated it? Talk about a time this happened.

What are ways we can show gratitude? Talk about different ways we can say it such as “thank you” or “I am grateful for…” Also, talk about ways we can show gratitude such as carrying dirty dishes to the kitchen after dinner or cleaning up our toys.

Read James 1:17 together. Talk about how everything comes from God. Begin a gratitude journal. Each night, everyone takes a turn saying one thing for which to be grateful. Encourage children to be creative in coming up with things. Write them down and thank God for each one.

Pray and ask God to help develop gratefulness. Thank God for everything.

Video lesson for children

Free Printable Bible Story

Games and activities

Gratitude journal

It is important we help our children notice and seek out things to be grateful for around them. This practice will become a habit that will hopefully continue throughout their lives. A great way to start is by creating a gratitude journal.

Decorate a notepad and each day take turns to write, draw or place photos inside of something for which you are grateful. Take time to pray and thank God.

Do not touch

Place a rope or wool on the floor to create a circle. Have your children walk around inside the circle but explain they must not touch each other, or they will be out. As the game continues make the circle smaller and smaller. Remind your child how people with leprosy were not allowed to touch or get close to others.

Bell memory game

Place bells or other musical objects on the table. (You could use jars with different amounts of water and a wooden spoon.) Ring a bell and have your child repeat. Each time your child rings the bells in the correct sequence add one to the sequence.

Worksheets

Free Bible Coloring Pages – The Ten Lepers

Craft – Thank you flower

You will need:

• Template page,
• Cardboard tube,
• Paint, (or other coloring equipment)
• Scissors,
• Glue.

What to do.

1. Paint the cardboard tube. Allow it to dry.
2. Decorate the flower and leaves.
3. Cut out the flower, leaves and verse and glue them onto the cardboard tube.

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Translations