FOUR FRIENDS WORK TOGETHER – Luke 5:17-26 Bible Story
Preparation: Make story props as shown in the picture.
If you were unable to use your legs to walk, could you kick a soccer ball? If you were unable to use your legs to walk, could you jump rope? If you were unable to use your legs to walk, could you ride a skateboard? If a person cannot use their legs or arms, they are what we call paralyzed. (Open your Bible to Luke 5.) Here in the Bible, Luke 5, there is a story about a man who was paralyzed.
The paralyzed man could hear people outside his home talking: “Jesus is here in Capernaum. I can’t wait to go see Jesus!”
The man said to his four friends: “I wish I could jump out of bed and go with everyone to see Jesus! I can’t even sit up or move my legs and arms. Do you think Jesus could help me?”
Friend # 1 said: “YES! I think Jesus can help you!”
Friend # 2 said: “We have heard that Jesus can heal people and make them well.”
Friend # 3 said: “We’d like to take you to see Jesus.”
The paralyzed man replied: “I can’t go with you. You know I can’t walk.”
Friend # 4 said: “We are going to carry you on your bed.”
Each of the four friends took a corner of the mat on which the man lay and carefully carried him out of the house. VERY slowly the four friends walked through the streets. VERY carefully they carried the mat with the paralyzed man until they came to the house where Jesus was. There was a really, really, really BIG crowd of people in the house.
Friend # 1 said: “What are we going to do?”
Friend # 2 said: “It’s not going to be easy but I have an idea! Let’s carry our friend up the outside stairs of the house to the flat roof. Then we can open up the roof and lower him down in the middle of everyone, right in front of Jesus.”
Friend # 3 said: “I’ll remove some of the tiles and make the hole in the roof.”
Friend # 4 said: “I’ll start tying the ropes to the corners of the mat so we can let our friend down in front of Jesus.”
Everyone wondered what was happening, but Jesus knew. Jesus said to the man: “Son, your sins are forgiven. Get up. Take your mat and go home.”
The paralyzed man jumped to his feet and left for home, praising God all the way.
Song: Everybody Has a Body (Lighthouse CD and Mary Rice Hopkins & Puppets with a Heart DVD). Click HERE to listen to a song clip.
Prior to singing ask, “How did the four friends work together to help the man?” (By using their different abilities and talents. One may have had a good mind and came up with the idea; another was perhaps good doing things with his hands and tied the ropes to the mat for lowering through the roof.)