The Paralyzed Man Lowered Through the Roof Preschool Lesson
Preschool lesson (ages 3–6, 20 minutes)
1. Welcome (3 min)
Sit in a circle, greet every child by name and show one thing from the story to touch.
2. The little story (5 min)
Teach the refrain first: “Four helpers carried him to Jesus.”
There was a man who could not walk. He could not even move his legs. He had to lie on his mat all day. A mat is a soft little bed you can roll up and carry.
But the man had four helpers. Let’s count them on our fingers: one, two, three, four!
One day Jesus came back to the town of Capernaum. People heard, “Jesus is at home!” Right away many people came to the house. Soon the house was full. There was no more room, not even around the door. Jesus told them God’s word.
Then the four helpers came, carrying the man on his mat. Maybe each helper held one corner. Lift, carry, lift, carry! Four helpers carried him to Jesus.
But they could not get near Jesus. The crowd was too big. They could not even get through the door. What do you think the helpers did?
Houses in that land had flat roofs. People could go up and walk around on top. So the helpers went up on the roof of the house. They began to open up the roof, right above Jesus. Scrape, scrape, scrape! They broke a big hole in it. Can you make a scraping sound with your fingers?
They let the mat down through the hole. Down, down, down – right in front of Jesus! Slowly, gently, they let him down. Four helpers carried him to Jesus.
Jesus saw that the helpers trusted him. He said to the man, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
Sins are the wrong things we do, the things that make God sad. Forgiven means the wrong things are taken away. They are gone, and God loves us still.
Some teachers of God’s law were sitting there. They did not say anything out loud. But in their hearts they thought, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Jesus knew what they were thinking. He said, “Why do you reason these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to tell the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven;’ or to say, ‘Arise, and take up your bed, and walk’?” A paralytic is someone who cannot move his body.
So Jesus said to the man, “I tell you, arise, take up your mat, and go to your house.” Arise means get up.
And the man got up! Right away he picked up his mat. He walked out in front of them all. Can you stand up and walk like him? Step, step, step! Four helpers carried him to Jesus.
Jesus wanted them to know that he really can forgive sins. Now they could see it with their own eyes.
Before, the mat carried the man. Now the man carried the mat!
All of them were amazed – the crowd, the teachers, and the four helpers too. They all praised God. “We never saw anything like this!” they said.
Jesus can forgive, and Jesus can make us well. He sees us, and he knows our hearts. Four helpers carried him to Jesus.
3. Talk together (3 min)
- How do you think the helpers felt when they could not get through the door?
- What do you think the people in the house said when the roof opened?
4. Move (3 min)
Refrain Freeze: move around the room; when you say the refrain, everyone freezes and says it together.
5. Make (4 min)
Color the 4 helpers who carried the man to Jesus.
6. Verse and prayer (2 min)
“Son, your sins are forgiven you.” — Mark 2:5 (Son → open your arms wide; your sins are forgiven → wipe your hands clean)
Dear Jesus, thank you that you forgive and that you heal. Thank you for people who help. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: Bring your friends to Jesus
Memory verse: “Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."” — Mark 2:5 · WEB
The Bible story
Four brave friends carry a man who cannot walk to Jesus, and when the door is full, they find a surprising way in through the roof!
Talk about it
- Which town did Jesus come home to? — Capernaum
- Why couldn't the friends get into the house? — It was too crowded
- What was wrong with the man his friends brought? — He could not walk
- How many men carried the man? — Four
- What did the friends carry the man on? — A mat
- When they couldn't get through the door, what did the friends do? — Climbed onto the roof
Where is Jesus in this story?
Only God can forgive sins and make broken bodies whole, and here Jesus does both. This shows us that Jesus is God's own Son, sent to rescue us. Just as He lifted the man off his mat, Jesus lifts us up and gives us a fresh new start. He is our forever Friend who welcomes everyone who comes to Him.
What God wants to tell us
This story shows us the beautiful gift of good friends and how much God loves us. The four friends would not give up, and their love and faith helped their friend meet Jesus. God sees when we are kind, when we keep trying, and when we bring the people we love to Him. And He shows us that Jesus cares about our whole self, healing our bodies and forgiving our hearts, always with gentle, powerful love.
Prayer
Thank You, God, for good friends and for Your amazing love. Thank You that Jesus can make broken things whole and give us a fresh start. Help me be a kind friend who never gives up, and help me bring the people I love closer to You. Amen.
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