Lesson 3 : Teacher’s Guide

I. Opening Prayer: You can ask one kid to lead the prayer (optional)

II. Recap on Previous Lesson: King Hezekiah trusts God and asks for help

a. Summary of the Story

III. Introduction:

IV. Story telling: Why Jesus Told Parables

V. Written Activities
You can separate the activities according to age.
For ages 7 years old below – tracing and coloring activity
For ages 8 to 10 years old – coloring and break the code activity

*Ang edad ay depende pa din sa kung sino na ang marunong bumasa at sumulat. Kapag 8 to 10 years old na at hindi
pa rin marunong bumasa at sumulat, ibigay ang activity na pang 7 years old and below. Kung 7 years old na at
marunong ng magbasa, pwedeng ibigay ang activity na pang 8 to 10 years old.

VI. Group/ Individual Activities

Review Questions:
1. True or False Hezekiah’s father King Ahaz was a godly king. (False)
2. True or False Hezekiah was a good king who trusted and obeyed God. (True)
3. What condition was God’s city Jerusalem like when Hezekiah became king? (It was a mess, the temple doors
were closed, people were worshiping false gods on altars all over Jerusalem)
4. What did Hezekiah do about the mess Jerusalem was in? (He had the Levites repair the temple and remove
all the wicked things that didn’t belong in there)
5. What message did Sennacherib send Hezekiah and God’s people? (He said that Hezekiah was lying to them
that God would protect them and told them to make peace with him so they could live and not die)
6. How did Hezekiah respond when he heard Sennacherib’s threats? (He prayed)
7. How did God answer Hezekiah’s prayer? (He protected His city and His people, 185,000 Assyrians died in one
night, Sennacherib was killed by his sons)
8. How did God answer Hezekiah’s prayer when he was dying? (He allowed him to live for 15 more years)
9. What can you pray confidently about this week that you know God will hear and you can trust He will
answer?

VII. Take home activities

*Those who will do their assignment will have a price, to make them excited for next Sunday.
LESSON 3: Why Jesus told Parables?

Main idea: Parables are stories Jesus told to teach us important lessons about the Kingdom of Heaven.
Teacher preparation:
 Read Scripture references, Proverbs 28:13-14, Isaiah 6:9-10, Mark 4:10-12 and Luke 8:9-10
 Gather: Bible; dry erase markers or chart paper and markers; random box of stuff for storytelling, one item
per child; Parable mini book (Download here), one per child; markers, crayons, or colored pencils; scissors
 Take time to meditate on this week’s Scripture and think about your own life. Do you have an open mind and
a humble heart when it comes to Scripture? Do you turn to God for understanding and wisdom? Do you live
out what you read, or just let it sit in your heart?
Scripture references:
 Hebrews 4:12
 Matthew 13:10-17
 Ephesians 4:18
 James 1:5
 James 1:22-25

Who likes stories? What are some of your favorite kinds of stories to read and listen to? (Allow children briefly to
respond, and share some of your favorite children’s stories.) Why do you think we like stories so much? (Allow
children to respond.) Stories are fun! We get to use our imaginations and learn new things through stories. We also
have an easier time remembering things we learn when we learn them through a story. Stories stick with us. Did you
know that Jesus told stories, too? Why do you think he told stories? (Allow children to respond.) Jesus is a really great
teacher. He taught important lessons in a lot of different ways. One of the ways he used a lot was through telling
stories. Can anyone tell me what we call the stories Jesus told, which are written down in the Bible? That’s right, the
stories Jesus told in order to teach us important things are called parables. Today we are going to start learning about
some of the parables Jesus told. We won’t look at every parable Jesus told, because there are a LOT of them, but we
will study many stories over the next several weeks. You may have heard some of these stories before, and that’s
okay. The word of God is alive and powerful. It says so in Hebrews 4:12. It says, “For the word of God is alive and
powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and
marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” This means that even if we read the same Bible stories over
and over, there is always something new to learn and apply to our lives. Even grownups learn new stuff when they
read familiar stories from the Bible!
Sometimes the parables can be difficult to understand. We may hear a good story, but not be sure how that parable
is supposed to change our lives. Jesus told us in the Bible why parables are so hard to understand sometimes. Let’s
read that together in Matthew 13:10-17. (Read, or have a student read, this passage. You could go around the room
and have each student read one verse at a time.)
“10 His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?”
11
He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. 12 To those
who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for
those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. 13 That is why I
use these parables,
For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.
14
This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,
‘When you hear what I say,
you will not understand.
When you see what I do,
you will not comprehend.
15
For the hearts of these people are hardened,
and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes—
so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me
and let me heal them.’
16
“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 I tell you the truth, many
prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you
hear, but they didn’t hear it.”
So can anyone explain why, based off the passage we just read, Jesus chose to teach in parables? (Allow a few
responses.) Jesus was a well-known man. Lots and lots of people came to listen to what he had to say. But not all of
these people were really interested in learning anything from Jesus. Some of the people came to listen to Jesus
because they were hoping to see him do a miracle, or because they wanted to see this man who everyone was so
excited about. Then there were the religious leaders, the scribes and Pharisees, who didn’t want to learn from Jesus
at all. They just wanted to try and catch him saying something wrong so they could arrest him. So all sorts of people
came out to hear Jesus, but only the people who were really interested in learning about the Kingdom of Heaven and
salvation were able to understand the stories. No one else could understand what Jesus was teaching in his parables
because their hearts were hardened towards God. Now, Jesus did not always teach in parables. He often said things
directly, right out so everyone could understand. The parables are different. We are supposed to want to learn more,
and we are supposed to work hard to understand what these stories have to say.
What do we need to do to understand the Word of God? Let’s think about what we just read. Why won’t some
people understand the parables? This passage tells us that some people have hardened their hearts toward God.
What does it mean to harden your heart to God? (Allow a student to answer.) It means that you have stopped
listening to what God has to say and you do not do what he wants you to do. Ephesians 4:18 puts it this way: “Their
minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and
hardened their hearts against him.” We definitely don’t want to close our minds and harden our hearts to God! So
what’s the opposite of closed minds and hard hearts? (Allow students to answer.) That’s right, the opposite of having
a closed mind is to have an open mind that is willing to learn from God. We are willing to change the way we think
about things so we can think like Jesus does. The opposite of a hardened heart is a soft heart, one that is willing to let
conviction come in and change the way we feel. We are willing to change the way we feel about people and the
world so we can feel like Jesus does. Humble hearts are soft hearts. So in order to understand the parables, we have
to keep an open mind, eager to learn new things about God and the Kingdom of Heaven, and we have to have soft,
humble hearts, willing to change the way we feel and therefore the way we act around people and situations in our
lives. (Write “open minds” and “humble hearts” on the board.) What else can we do to help us understand the
parables?
Let’s have a sword drill to find out. Take all fingers and bookmarks out of your Bible. When I say go, look up James
1:5. Go! (Read, or have a student read, James 1:5.) “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to
you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” This verse tells us that if there is something we don’t understand in the Bible,
we can ask God, and he will help us understand it. James goes on to say more in James 1:22-25: “22 But don’t just
listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the
word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you
look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget
what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.”
So in order to understand the parables, we need to have open minds and humbles hearts. We also need to ask God
to help us understand the Bible. We ask God for help by praying. (Write “pray” on the board.) We also need to live
out what we learn! If you go to school and learn your multiplication tables, can you go home and never think about
them again, and still remember your multiplication tables a year from now? Probably not. We need to practice the
things we learn. That includes the things we learn from the Bible, too. We need to put the lessons we learn from the
parables to practice, and do the things we learn in real life. God will bless us when we do what we learn. (On the
board, write “do it!”)
Now there is one more thing to learn about the parables before we close for today. The parables are all different
kinds of stories, dealing with different kinds of people in different situations. But they all have one thing in common.
All the parables are about the Kingdom of Heaven. In Matthew 13:11, after the disciples ask Jesus why he uses
parables, Jesus says, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven.” If we have open
minds, humble hearts, pray and live what we learn, then the parables teach us about the Kingdom of Heaven. We will
learn what Heaven is like, who can go to Heaven, how citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven behave, and how the King of
Heaven behaves. We have a lot to learn, and I am looking forward to sharing these stories with you all!
Name: ________________________________________________________ Age: ___________

Lesson 3: Coloring Activity

LESSON 3: COLORING ACTIVITY