Lesson 4: The Pharisee and the tax collector.
Passage: Luke 18:9-14 - Jesus tells a parable about a Pharisee and a tax collector. The pharisee prays to God thanking God that he is a good person, while the tax collector prays for forgiveness for the wrong things he’s done. Jesus says that it is the tax collector who is justified before God, and that everyone who exalts themselves will be humbled while those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Big Idea: God loves a humble heart.
For Teachers:
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit on the circle time rug. Introduce yourself and ask the kids about their week.
Warm Up Activity — Activity Leader
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we're going to be learning about another one of Jesus' stories and what important lesson we can learn from it. This story is about two people who were praying to God.
One of them thought that he was a really good person and he prayed and thanked God for making him so good. The other person knew that he wasn't always a good person and that he sometimes cheated and stole money from others. He felt bad about the wrong things he'd done and asked God for forgiveness.
Let's watch our video to find out more about the story...
Play Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Can you remember what the two people in the story were praying to God about?
Which of them was God the most happy with? Why do you think that is?
Do you think that the Pharisee/religious person thought that he was better than the tax collector? Why?
Do you think that everyone makes mistakes sometimes? What should we do when we make a mistake?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the story we learned about today and how it teaches us that you love us even when we make mistakes. We know that everyone makes mistakes sometimes and it's important to say sorry and ask for forgiveness. It's also important to forgive others when they make mistakes and not think that we're better than anyone else. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Sand Drawing — Activity Leader
Direct the children to the sand boxes on the tables, where they can use a paintbrush to draw pictures in the sand.
If a child is not interested in the activity, allow them them move to free play.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit near the TV. Introduce yourself and ask about their week.
Warm Up Activity: Red Light, Green Light — Activity Leader
Choose one kid to be the leader who will stand on one side of the room while the other kids stand on the other side.
When the leader calls out "green light," the kids begin walking across the room towards them. When the leader calls out "red light" everyone has to stop and freeze. If anyone moves during "red light," they have to go back to the beginning.
The kid who reaches the other side of the room first wins and becomes the next leader. If more than one kid reaches the end at the same time, choose the next leader.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we're going to be learning about another one of Jesus' stories and what important lesson we can learn from it. This story is about two people who were praying to God.
One of them thought that he was a really good person and he prayed and thanked God for making him so good. The other person knew that he wasn't always a good person and that he sometimes cheated and stole money from others. He felt bad about the wrong things he'd done and asked God for forgiveness.
Let's watch our video to find out more about the story...
Play Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Can you remember what the two people in the story were praying to God about?
Which of them was God the most happy with? Why do you think that is?
Do you think that the Pharisee/religious person thought that he was better than the tax collector? Why?
Do you think that everyone makes mistakes sometimes? What should we do when we make a mistake?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the story we learned about today and how you love us no matter what, even when we make mistakes. Please help us to not think that we are better than everyone else, but to remember that everyone makes mistakes, even us. Thank you that when we make mistakes we can talk to you and admit that we were wrong and ask for forgiveness. Please help us to forgive others too when they make mistakes. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Water colour painting pages — Activity Leader
Make sure all kids have a water colour page as well as access to water, a paintbrush and watercolour paint.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in the pillow area. Introduce yourself and ask the kids about their week.
Warm Up Activity: Find the facts — Activity Leader
Hidden in the Bibles are six facts about tax collectors. Have the kids find them, and the first one to find them can read them to the group
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we'll be learning about another one of Jesus' parables, which were the stories he told his followers to teach them important lessons about God.
Today's story is about a Pharisee and a Tax Collector.
Does anyone know what a Pharisee is? (a religious person in Jesus' time)
Does anyone know what a tax collector is? (in Jesus' time, tax collectors had a bad reputation for being cheaters who stole from the people)
Let's watch our video to find out more about the story...
Play Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Have you ever met someone who thought they were better than everyone else? Why did they think that
What are some things that make you a good person? What are some things you could work on?
Do you think God prefers for people to always be perfect, or to admit when they’re wrong? Why?
What are some things we can do when we know we made a mistake or did something wrong?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for your great and unconditional love for us. You love us no matter what - when we do the right things and when we make mistakes. Help us to remember that we are not perfect and that we are not better than anyone else. Please help us to be humble, to admit our faults, and to never look down on others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Water colour painting — Activity Leader
Kids will be given colouring pages, water, and paint to make their own watercolour paintings.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
For Parents:
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What was the story that you learned about in class today?
What were the two people in the story doing? What were they praying about? Which one was God happier with?
Do you think that everyone makes mistakes or does the wrong thing sometimes?
Have you ever had to say sorry to someone before? Has anyone ever said sorry to you?
Do you think that God forgives us and loves us when we make mistakes?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
What were the two men in the story doing? What were they praying about?
What did that story teach you about bragging and thinking we’re better than other people?
What did it teach you about what we should do when we make mistakes or do something wrong?
Do you think that God loves the good person more than the person who made mistakes and asked for forgiveness? Why or why not?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Which of the two men was God most happy with - the Pharisee or the tax collector? Why?
What do you think makes someone a good person?
Do you find it easy or hard to not judge others for the mistakes they've made? Have you ever felt judged before?
What do you think this story teaches us about forgiveness?
