Parable of the Great Supper Sunday School Lesson for Kids

This free parable of the great supper Sunday school lesson teaches kids to come when God calls. Jesus told about a certain man who "made a great supper, and bade many" and sent his servant to say, "Come; for all things are now ready" (Luke 14:16–17). The guests all made excuses, so the master brought in the poor, the maimed, the halt and the blind, and then people from the highways and hedges, "that my house may be filled" (14:21–23). It comes in four age levels, each a separate printable teacher lesson, plus one take-home sheet for families. Everything is in the order you teach it.

Choose your age level

• Preschool (ages 3–5), 20–30 minutes, 2 pages: a Come to the Table game, a short story with hand motions and repeat-after-me lines, three simple questions, a shortened memory verse ("Come; for all things are now ready") with motions, and a drawing of the supper table with room for them.
• Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 45 minutes, 3 pages: a Come, It's Ready! game, the story in simple words, five recall questions with answers, the Five Strips memory verse game, and a Fill the House game.
• 3rd to 5th grade, 45–60 minutes, 3 pages: a Best Excuse team game, kids look up verses in their own Bibles during a fuller story (the Pharisee's table, the three excuses, the streets and lanes, "yet there is room," the highways and hedges), five thinking questions and three recall questions, and a Bible look-up race.
• Preteens (ages 11–12), 45–60 minutes, 3 pages: a What Comes First? game, students read Luke 14:12–24 out loud themselves, then discuss good things that become excuses, grace, who God wants at His table and inviting others. Six discussion questions, a journal page, and two memory verses (Luke 14:17 and Matthew 11:28).

Lesson at a glance

• Bible passage: Luke 14:15–24 (with Luke 14:1 and 14:12–14 for the setting)
• Main point: God invites everyone. When God calls, come!
• Memory verse: Luke 14:17 (KJV), with Matthew 11:28 added for preteens
• Ages: preschool to preteen, in four versions

Lesson outline (the same in every version)

1. Opening game: a short game about coming when you are called, excuses, or what comes first.
2. Bible story: the great supper (Luke 14:16), "Come; for all things are now ready" (14:17), the three excuses (14:18–20), the poor, the maimed, the halt and the blind (14:21), "yet there is room" (14:22), and the highways and hedges (14:23). Every fact has its verse reference so you can check it.
3. Questions to ask: with answers, at the right level for each age.
4. Memory verse: a game or motion to help kids learn Luke 14:17.
5. What this means for us: come when God calls, invite others, the gospel (Acts 2:38), and a challenge for the week.
6. Activity: the word search, crossword, maze, worksheet, the great supper craft, a Fill the House game, a Bible look-up race or a journal page, depending on the age.
7. Prayer.

Tips for teaching the great supper

• Read Luke 14:17 and 14:22 straight from the Bible: "Come; for all things are now ready" and "yet there is room." The invitation and the open door are the heart of the story.
• Explain the old words: bade and bidden mean invited, yoke means a pair of oxen, maimed means badly hurt, and halt means not able to walk well.
• Speak of the poor, the maimed, the halt and the blind with respect. The master wanted them at his supper, and Jesus had just told His host to invite people like them (Luke 14:13).
• Short on time? Do the story, three questions and the memory verse. That is a solid 25-minute lesson.