Passage to Study: Luke 7:36-50.
Read with the class: Luke 7:36-50.
Memorization Text: Younger children. -- Romans 3:22-23.
Older children - Psalm 130:3-4.
OBJECTIVES: To show that:
1. The woman felt very thankful for the forgiveness she received from the Lord Jesus.
2. Simon had a mistaken idea about Jesus.
3. To be forgiven means to be freed from paying a debt.
4. When someone recognizes the greatness of the pardon received, that person feels
thankful and shows it.
SCENE No. 1. VISUAL AIDS. Figures of Jesus in the house of Simon the Pharisee with
the repentant woman at His feet.
DEVELOPMENT:
- Jesus accepts an invitation from Simon and it becomes a learning experience for the
Pharisee.
- The Pharisees were proud of their religion and did not consider themselves to be as
sinful as were others.
- The woman was known for her sinful past.
- The Lord Jesus has pardoned her recently.
- The woman comes with the intention of showing her gratitude and appreciation to the Lord
Jesus Christ.
- She wanted to give the Lord something valuable for what He had done in her life.
- She had shed tears of shame for her sinful past and now she sheds tears of gratitude.
- She brought no towel. Her hair becomes the towel.
- She shows her love by anointing Him with ointment to refresh his feet, and she kisses
them, carrying out a service Simon had not given Jesus.
- Simon had thought that Jesus was a prophet, but now he doubts it, because of what Jesus
permits.
- Simon was only THINKING. He did not put his thoughts into audible words.
Sug. The students should be aware that neither their thoughts nor anything else of their
inner self is hidden from God.
Lsn. God makes no difference between one person and another.
- Jesus is going to reveal that not only is He a prophet, but also that He is an
omnipotent God.
- Jesus knows not only all about the woman, but also all about Simon.
- Simon allows Jesus to speak to him.
SCENE No. 2. VISUAL AIDS. Figures of a lender and his two debtors. Two
large bills with the words ONE HUNDRED written on one and the words ONE THOUSAND written
on the other. Prepare a strip with the words PAID IN FULL to be placed over each bill.
DEVELOPMENT:
- The story Jesus told, the parable, is easy to understand.
Sug. Use the local currency as a point of reference to describe the debts. These
could be pesos, dollars, or pounds, etc. This will make it easier for the children to
understand the differences in the amounts of the debt.
- The woman is represented by the debtor who owed the most in the parable.
Cmt. Explain, using an example, that an unpaid debt is an inescapable obligation.
Ask what the debtor can do if he has nothing with which to pay it.
Cns. When a friend intervenes and pays it for him, the debtor is freed from his
obligation. This is what pardon means.
Sug. After establishing the idea of debt, present the case of the woman and her sinful
life to the students. She has nothing to offer God that could cover her sin.
The Lord pardoned her.
Cmt. The Lord was going to suffer on the cross for sin, including that of the woman.
He Himself would be paying for her. (1 Peter 2:24)
- Pardon means to be COMPLETELY freed, not just partly so, not just a certain percentage,
but cleared 100% of the debt.
Note: Find an illustration from the daily life of the pupil that will enable him to
understand what it means to have a debt he can not pay.
Sug. Ask the students if they have loaned something to someone who could not return it.
This might be money, or a toy, or something damaged and ruined.
Cmt. Pardon is not the same as saying: "it does not matter". It is saying
"you owe me nothing".
- Emphasize the relief that is felt when one knows oneself to be pardoned.
SCENE No. 3. APPLICATION: Figures of a cross and of one or two children around
it looking concerned or worried about their debts of sin. Then show a figure of the
same children with faces that show their relief. They could be kneeling or showing
thankfulness. Above them place an unpaid account with the words, "hundreds of
sins" and above the other, the words "thousands of sins". Have ready
two other strips with the word "pardoned" to show that the account is paid.
Also show a figure of hands offering a gift and another pair of empty hands ready
to receive the gift.
DEVELOPMENT:
- The work of the cross is the payment made by the Lord Jesus so that we can receive
pardon.
- Pardon is the lifting of the judgment imposed on every person on account of his/her sin.
- Christ paid it all in order to set us free.
Cns. In 1 Peter 2:24, the reason given for the work which the Lord did to obtain our
pardon is "that we, being dead to sins should live unto righteousness".
Cns. Would the pardon given the woman in Simon's house produce changes in her life?
Sug. Talk with the children about the changes which ought to be seen in the life of a
person who has been pardoned (saved) by the grace of God in Christ Jesus. Cmt. Show
the contrast between the two figures of the same young person. One shows the person before
he knows he is pardoned and then the other shows the happiness he feels now. Mention also
that gratitude should be shown in definite ways.
Cns. Teacher: How do you show your gratitude to the Lord?
Lsn. How can a student show his gratitude to God?
Apl. As is shown by the case of the woman, the Lord accepts every evidence of
thankfulness. |
