Jesus Heals the Paralyzed Man Sunday School Lesson for Kids

This free Jesus heals the paralyzed man Sunday school lesson teaches kids to bring others to Jesus, like the four men who carried a man "sick of the palsy" and let his bed down through the roof (Mark 2:3–4). It also teaches who Jesus is: when the scribes asked, "who can forgive sins but God only?" (2:7), Jesus forgave the man's sins and healed him, because Jesus is God manifest in the flesh. 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 carry-it-together blanket game, a short story with hand motions and repeat-after-me lines, three simple questions, a shortened memory verse ("Bear ye one another’s burdens") with a motion, and a hole-in-the-roof drawing.
• Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 45 minutes, 3 pages: the Help Me Carry game, the story in simple words, five recall questions with answers, the Four Strips memory verse game, and a Four Corners Relay.
• 3rd to 5th grade, 45–60 minutes, 4 pages: a find-another-way game, kids look up verses in their own Bibles during a fuller story ("borne of four," "through the tiling," "who can forgive sins but God only?", "Whether is it easier"), five thinking questions and three recall questions, and a Bible look-up race.
• Preteens (ages 11–12), 45–60 minutes, 3 pages: students read Mark 2:1–12 and Luke 5:17–26 out loud themselves, then discuss obstacles that keep people from Jesus, why forgiveness is the bigger need, and how the story shows Jesus is God. Six discussion questions, a journal page, and two memory verses (Galatians 6:2 and Isaiah 43:25).

Lesson at a glance

• Bible passage: Mark 2:1–12; Luke 5:17–26
• Main point: Be a friend who brings others to Jesus. Jesus is God, and He can forgive sins.
• Memory verse: Galatians 6:2 (KJV), with Isaiah 43:25 added for preteens
• Ages: preschool to preteen, in four versions

Lesson outline (the same in every version)

1. Opening game: a short game about carrying together or finding another way.
2. Bible story: the crowded house in Capernaum (Mark 2:1–2), the man "borne of four" (2:3), the men who "uncovered the roof" and "let down the bed" (2:4), "Son, thy sins be forgiven thee" (2:5), "who can forgive sins but God only?" (2:7), "Arise, and take up thy bed" (2:11), and the man walking out before them all (2:12). 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 Galatians 6:2.
5. What this means for us: bring others to Jesus, Jesus forgives sins, the gospel (Acts 2:38), and a challenge for the week.
6. Activity: the word search, crossword, maze, worksheet, the Jesus heals the paralyzed man craft, a blanket relay, a Bible look-up race or a journal page, depending on the age.
7. Prayer.

Tips for teaching Jesus heals the paralyzed man

• Read Mark 2:5 straight from your Bible. Jesus saw "their faith," and the first thing He gave the man was forgiveness.
• Use the King James words: "sick of the palsy" (paralyzed), "borne of four" (carried by four men) and "Arise, and take up thy bed." Each level explains the old words.
• The Bible says "four" and "men" (Mark 2:3; Luke 5:18); it doesn't call them friends or give their names. The lessons call them "four men" and use friendship in the application: we can bring our friends to Jesus.
• When the scribes asked, "who can forgive sins but God only?" (2:7), they were right that only God forgives. Each level answers it simply: Jesus is God manifest in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16).
• Short on time? Do the story, three questions and the memory verse. That is a solid 25-minute lesson.