Jesus Heals the Leper Sunday School Lesson for Kids

This free Jesus heals the leper Sunday school lesson teaches kids that Jesus cares and is willing to help. A leper came to Jesus, kneeling down and saying, "If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." Jesus, "moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him," and said, "I will; be thou clean" (Mark 1:40–41). 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 sticky-note Spots Away! game, a short story with hand motions and repeat-after-me lines, three simple questions, a short memory verse ("I will; be thou clean," Mark 1:41) with motions, and a drawing activity.
• Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 45 minutes, 3 pages: the I Will! game, the story in simple words, five recall questions with answers, the Touch and Say memory verse game, and a From Every Quarter game.
• 3rd to 5th grade, 45–60 minutes, 3 pages: a can-he-or-will-he game, kids look up verses in their own Bibles during a fuller story (the law for lepers in Leviticus 13:46, the leper's "If thou wilt," "moved with compassion," the priest and "every quarter"), five thinking questions and three recall questions, and a Bible look-up race.
• Preteens (ages 11–12), 45–60 minutes, 3 pages: an outside-the-circle opener, students read Leviticus 13:45–46 and Mark 1:40–45 out loud themselves, then look closer at "if thou wilt," Jesus' touch, the priest and the cost of disobeying. Six discussion questions, a journal page, and two memory verses (Mark 1:41 and 1 Peter 5:7).

Lesson at a glance

• Bible passage: Mark 1:40–45
• Main point: Jesus cares, and He is willing. We can come to Him with anything.
• Memory verse: Mark 1:41 (KJV), with 1 Peter 5:7 added for preteens
• Ages: preschool to preteen, in four versions

Lesson outline (the same in every version)

1. Opening game: a short game about asking for help and someone who says "I will."
2. Bible story: the leper kneeling to Jesus (Mark 1:40), Jesus "moved with compassion" touching him (1:41), the leprosy departing "immediately" (1:42), the command to show himself to the priest (1:44), and the news spreading until people came "from every quarter" (1:45). 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 Mark 1:41.
5. What this means for us: Jesus cares and is willing, the gospel (Acts 2:38), and a challenge for the week.
6. Activity: the word search, crossword, maze, worksheet, the Jesus heals the leper craft, a from-every-quarter game, a Bible look-up race or a journal page, depending on the age.
7. Prayer.

Tips for teaching Jesus heals the leper

• Read Mark 1:41 straight from your Bible. Jesus' answer, "I will," is the heart of the story.
• Explain why the touch mattered: God's law said a leper lived alone, outside the camp (Leviticus 13:46). Jesus reached out and touched him.
• Keep the sickness simple. Mark doesn't say what the leprosy looked like, so don't add bells, rags or other details.
• This is not the ten lepers (Luke 17:11–19). That story is about giving thanks; this one is about Jesus' willing touch.
• Short on time? Do the story, three questions and the memory verse. That is a solid 25-minute lesson.