I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life 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: “So many homes in the Father’s house!”
It was evening. Jesus was having supper with his friends. Jesus loved his friends very much. He told them he would go away soon. Outside, it was night.
Jesus called them, “Little children.” He said, “I will be with you a little while longer.” Where Jesus was going, they could not come yet. His friends were worried and sad. Then Jesus said, “Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another.”
Jesus said, “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me.” Troubled means worried. Believe means trust. Jesus wanted to comfort his friends.
Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many homes. If it weren’t so, I would have told you.” Jesus always tells the truth. So many homes in the Father’s house!
Long ago, big families often lived together in one big house. There was a room for everyone. Grandma and Grandpa, moms and dads, and all the children!
Let’s count homes on our fingers. One, two, three, four, five! Six, seven, eight, nine, ten! And many, many more! So many homes in the Father’s house!
Jesus said, “I am going to prepare a place for you.” Prepare means to get ready. Like getting a bed ready for a guest! Fresh sheets. A soft pillow. Everything ready! Jesus is getting a place ready for you!
Jesus said, “I will come again and will receive you to myself. That where I am, you may be there also.” Receive you means: take you home with me. So many homes in the Father’s house!
Then Jesus said, “You know the way.” But Thomas was puzzled. Puzzled means he did not understand. Thomas said, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Can you shrug your shoulders like Thomas?
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.” The way is the path. The truth means everything Jesus says is true. The life means Jesus gives life that never ends.
Jesus is like a path that leads home to the Father. Can you walk in place, step by step, on the path?
Jesus said, “From now on, you know him and have seen him.” Then Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father.” Jesus said, “Have I been with you such a long time, and do you not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father.” When we look at Jesus, we can see what God is like.
Jesus is the way to God, our Father. Jesus went away, but he promised to come again. One day, we will be home with him. So many homes in the Father’s house!
3. Talk together (3 min)
- What do you do to get ready when a guest comes to your home?
- How do you think the friends felt when Jesus said he would come again?
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)
Draw the Father’s house with many, many homes.
6. Verse and prayer (2 min)
“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” — John 14:6 (the way → point down a path; the truth → hand on your heart; and the life → open your arms wide)
Dear Jesus, thank you that you are the way to the Father. Thank you for getting a place ready for us. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: Jesus leads us home
Memory verse: “Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me."” — John 14:6 · WEB
The Bible story
Jesus comforts His worried friends with a gentle promise: He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and He is going to make a wonderful home for them.
Talk about it
- Where were Jesus and His friends one evening? — At supper in a room
- How were the friends feeling? — Troubled and worried
- What did Jesus say to calm their worried hearts? — "Do not let your hearts be troubled"
- What was Jesus going to prepare for His friends? — A place for them
- Which friend asked, "How can we know the way?" — Thomas
- What wonderful thing did Jesus say about Himself? — "I am the way, the truth, and the life"
Where is Jesus in this story?
In this story Jesus does not just point to the way, He says that He is the way. Because Jesus loves us so much, He came to earth to open the path back to God, a path that had felt far away. When we trust Him, He carries us home to the Father, gives us the Holy Spirit as our Helper, and prepares a place for us in heaven. Jesus is God's rescuing love with a face and a name, reaching out to hold our hand.
What God wants to tell us
Sometimes our hearts feel worried, and we are not sure which way to go. Jesus gives us the most comforting answer of all: we do not need to figure everything out on our own, we just need Him. He is the Way that leads us to God, the Truth we can always believe, and the Life that fills us with joy. When you follow Jesus, it is like holding a loving hand in the dark. He knows the path, He is getting a beautiful home ready for you, and He promises never to leave you alone.
Prayer
Loving God, thank You that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. When my heart feels worried, help me to remember that I am never lost with You. Thank You for making a home for me and for staying close to me always. I love You. Amen.
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