How did they get him to Jesus?

They uncovered the roof and let him down.

What did Jesus do first?

He forgave the man’s sins, then healed him.

Free Bible lesson for kids · Ministry in Galilee

Through the Roof

The house was so crowded that four friends could not bring a man sick of the palsy to Jesus. They opened the roof and let him down. Jesus forgave his sins and told him to rise and walk.

Teach this lesson: film, sheets and guide Print the coloring page

Bible passage: Mark 2:1–12 · Luke 5:17–26 · Matthew 9:1–8
Big idea: Jesus has power to forgive sins, so bring your friends to Him.
Memory verse: When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. Mark 2:5 (KJV)
Ages: Preschool to preteen (3 to 12), with tips for each age
Time: About 45 minutes
Included, free: Animated story film, coloring page, class sheet, teacher guide, questions and answers, a game

The story

Jesus was preaching in a house in Capernaum, and so many people came that there was no room, not even by the door (Mark 2:1–2). Four men brought a friend who was sick of the palsy, but the crowd kept them from Jesus (Mark 2:3–4). So they went up on the roof, broke it open, and let the man down on his bed right in front of Jesus (Mark 2:4; Luke 5:19).

When Jesus saw their faith, He said, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee” (Mark 2:5). Some scribes thought, “Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” (Luke 5:21). To show that He had power on earth to forgive sins, Jesus told the man, “Arise, and take up thy bed” (Mark 2:10–11). At once the man got up and walked out before them all, and everyone glorified God (Mark 2:12).

Read it in the Bible: Mark 2:1–12 (KJV)

¹And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. ²And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. ³And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. ⁴And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. ⁵When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. ⁶But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, ⁷Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? ⁸And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? ⁹Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? ¹⁰But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) ¹¹I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. ¹²And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

Read it in the Bible: Luke 5:17–26 (KJV)

¹⁷And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. ¹⁸And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. ¹⁹And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. ²⁰And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. ²¹And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? ²²But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? ²³Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? ²⁴But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. ²⁵And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. ²⁶And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.

Read it in the Bible: Matthew 9:1–8 (KJV)

¹And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city. ²And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. ³And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. ⁴And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? ⁵For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? ⁶But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. ⁷And he arose, and departed to his house. ⁸But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.

Questions to ask

How many men carried their friend?
Four.
How did they get him to Jesus?
They uncovered the roof and let him down.
What did Jesus do first?
He forgave the man’s sins, then healed him.

What this story teaches

Jesus has power on earth to forgive sins (Mark 2:10).
Jesus sees faith that keeps going when things are hard (Mark 2:4–5).
Jesus met the man’s biggest need first: forgiveness of sins (Mark 2:5).
Jesus knows what we think in our hearts (Mark 2:8).
Good friends bring their friends to Jesus (Mark 2:3–4).

Jesus Forgives Our Sins

Jesus proved He has power to forgive sins. Through His blood shed on the cross, we can be forgiven by the riches of God’s grace.

Ephesians 1:7

A 45-minute lesson plan

5 min	Welcome and pray. Greet each child by name and pray: Pray for a friend who needs Jesus.
10 min	The story. Play the story film: each verse appears on screen in the King James Version while the scene plays. Pause to ask what happens next.
10 min	Talk about it. Ask the three questions below. Then ask: “Jesus has power to forgive sins, so bring your friends to Him.” What does that mean for us?
5 min	Memory verse. Say Mark 2:5 together, covering one word at a time until the children can say it alone.
10 min	Activity. Younger children color the coloring page while you retell the story; older children do the class sheet (memory-verse fill-in, word search and questions).
5 min	Pray and send home. Pray together and send the sheet home so families can talk about the first question this week.

Preschool: keep it short and physical. Act out the story, use a simple prop, and repeat the big idea in one sentence.
Elementary: let children find the passage in their own Bibles. Ask “who, what, where” questions first, then “why.”
Preteens: read the verses before and after the passage, and ask how this story fits the whole story of the Bible.

Game time

For kids · game · indoors · about 12 minutes

Through the Roof Relay

You need: A towel and a teddy bear for each team, a hula hoop, a cushion, cones for an obstacle path

Teams of four each hold a corner of a towel “mat” with a teddy bear lying on it.
They carry their friend through the obstacle path without letting him fall.
At the end, a leader holds the hula hoop flat at shoulder height: the team lifts the bear over and lowers it down through the “roof” onto the cushion.
Run back and hand the mat to the next four.

Four friends carried a man who couldn’t walk all the way to Jesus. Who can you bring to Jesus?

For youth group · game · indoors · about 12 minutes

Blanket Pull Relay

You need: Old blankets or sheets, a smooth floor, cones

Teams of four: one sits on the blanket, three pull them around the cone and back.
Rotate until everyone has had a ride.
Talk: what did it take for the friends to get the man to Jesus?

Jesus saw their faith. Real friends help each other get to Jesus.

Pray

Pray for a friend who needs Jesus.