OVERVIEW
Luke 19 is a chapter about transformation. It’s a chapter about God doing what only God can do: transforming us from the inside out. The story of Zacchaeus is a story of transformation. Zacchaeus meets Jesus and everything changes — the inside and the outside. Zacchaeus pays back the people he had cheated and he gives money to the poor as Jesus declares: “Salvation has come to this home today…”
The theme of transformation is continued in the story of the Parable of the Servants. These servants have the chance to use what they have been given for the king. But one of them does not. Instead, he hides what he has. God transforms us from the inside out not so we can hide, but so we can shine.
When Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem, he receives a king’s welcome. The people praise God, letting what is on the inside out: their worship. However, the Pharisees look on and decry what is happening. They do not want Jesus praised because they do not believe Jesus is God.
Finally, this theme is wrapped up in the story of Jesus clearing the Temple. The Temple was a place of prayer, but people had been selling sacrificial animals in the Temple. One of the things that was happening at this time was these people would “inspect” the sacrifices brought and often declare them “unworthy” when they were perfectly fine sacrifices. Then they would charge an exorbitant amount of money for the animals they had for sale in the Temple. Because so many were being cheated, Jesus drives them out of the Temple.
When we decide to follow Jesus, everything changes. The Holy Spirit does the transforming work in our lives, making us more and more like Jesus: loving God and loving others!
BIG IDEA
This week’s big idea was: Everything changes when we decided to follow Jesus!
When we decide to follow Jesus, everything changes! God forgives and frees us from sin and death, and we are made new in Christ. We become brand new in Jesus. But it’s not just one little thing that changes when we follow Jesus; it’s everything: the inside and the outside!
WELCOME / EXPECTATIONS
We started the morning out with a welcome and our expectations reminder. We always have three expectations:
- Respect Each Other.
- Respect the Leaders.
- Respect the Stuff.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Take prayer requests and have the kids pray for each other after each individual request. You can also split the kids up into groups to pray for each other as well.
GAME: Snow In The Ski Lodge
ITEMS NEEDED: Fake Snowballs, Cones, 4 Baskets on the outside of the playing area
Ahead of time, put cones in a cross shape in the middle of the playing area so there are four equal sections. Split the kids into four teams and assign each team a corner. Place the baskets on the outside corners of the playing area. Make sure they are outside the playing area.
Say: Today, you are all workers at the Ski Lodge, and you have to get the snow out of the ski lodge! You can’t leave your zone. You can throw as many snowballs at one time as you can. Ready, go!
The kids will start throwing the snowballs around. The aim of the game is to get the snow out of the ski lodge. The best place for doing so is by putting the snowballs into the baskets around the playing area. But don’t tell the kids this! Let them try to figure out what to do. While the kids are playing, make observations about what they do; such as if any of the kids start to put snowballs into the baskets.
After about 2-3 minutes, call the time, count up the snowballs in each zone, but then add them all together. Tell the kids how many snowballs were still in the ski lodge.
Then say: Do you remember what the point of this game was? Let the kids answer. The point was to get the snowballs out of the ski lodge. All of you are in the ski lodge! Ask the kids about your observations. Ask them why they did certain actions or didn’t think to do other things. Snow doesn’t belong inside the ski lodge. It belongs outside! In today’s story, there was something happening inside the Temple in Jerusalem that was not supposed to be happening there at all! Let’s go find out what it was!
GAME VIDEO: “Racing Into the New Year”
ITEMS NEEDED: “Racing Into the New Year” (Click here to purchase!)
Play one of the “Racing Into the New Year” videos as a transition back to their seats after the perseverance challenges. Hype up the kids by asking them who they think will make it to the end!
WORSHIP SONGS
ITEMS NEEDED: “Deep Cries Out” by Children’s Ministry Deals (Click here to purchase!) + “Gratitude” by Children’s Ministry Deals (Click here to purchase!)
To introduce the songs, remind the kids to stand for the first song and engage with hand motions and to sing out as they worship God with their voices and movement! For the second song, you can have the kids continue to stand, or sit down to take a more reflective tone as they think about the words and sing them.
PASTORAL PRAYER
Pray for the kids as you open up Scripture to read together. Ask the Holy Spirit to be at work in the lives of the kids as they listen to these stories about Jesus.
SCRIPTURE: Luke 19 (NLT)
NARRATOR
Jesus entered Jericho and made His way through the town. There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, because Jesus was going to pass that way.
When Jesus came by, Jesus looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name.
JESUS
Zacchaeus! Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.
NARRATOR
Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the people were displeased.
PEOPLE
(grumbling)
He’s gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner.
NARRATOR
Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord.
ZACCHAEUS
I’ll give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I’ve cheated people on their taxes, I’ll give them back four times as much!
JESUS
Salvation has come to this home today, because this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. Because the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.
NARRATOR
The crowd was listening to everything Jesus said. And because Jesus was getting close to Jerusalem, He told them a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away.
JESUS
A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver.
NOBLEMAN
Invest this for me while I’m gone.
JESUS
But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him.
DELEGATION
We don’t want him to be our king.
JESUS
After the nobleman was crowned king, he came back and called in the servants to whom he’d given the money. He wanted to find out what their profits were.
FIRST SERVANT
Master, I invested your money and made ten times the original amount!
KING
Well done! You’re a good servant. You’ve been faithful with the little I gave to you, so you’ll be governor of ten cities as your reward.
NEXT SERVANT
Master, I invested your money and made five times the original amount.
KING
Well done! You’ll be governor over five cities.
JESUS
But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money.
THIRD SERVANT
Master, I hid your money and kept it safe. I was afraid because you’re a hard man to deal with, taking what isn’t yours and harvesting crops you didn’t plant.
KING
You wicked servant! Your own words condemn you. If you knew that I’m a hard man who takes what isn’t mine and harvests crops I didn’t plant, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could’ve gotten some interest on it.
JESUS
Then, the king turned to the others standing nearby and gave orders.
KING
Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one who has ten pounds.
PEOPLE
But, master, he already has ten pounds!
KING
Yes, and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. And as for these enemies of mine who didn’t want me to be their king — bring them in and deal with them.
NARRATOR
After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of His disciples. As He came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, He sent two disciples ahead.
JESUS
Go into that village over there. As you enter it, you’ll see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks, “Why’re you untying that colt?” just say, “The Lord needs it.”
NARRATOR
So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners spoke to them.
OWNERS
Why’re you untying that colt?
DISCIPLES
The Lord needs it.
NARRATOR
So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for Him to ride on.
As Jesus rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of Him. When He reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of His followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they’d seen.
FOLLOWERS
Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the LORD!
Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!
NARRATOR
But some of the Pharisees among the crowd spoke up.
PHARISEES
Teacher, rebuke Your followers for saying things like that!
JESUS
If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!
NARRATOR
But as Jesus came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, He began to weep.
JESUS
How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it’s too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. They’ll crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies won’t leave a single stone in place, because you didn’t recognize it when God visited you.
NARRATOR
Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices.
JESUS
The Scriptures declare: “My Temple will be a house of prayer,” but you’ve turned it into a den of thieves.
NARRATOR
After that, Jesus taught daily in the Temple, but the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders of the people began planning how to kill Jesus. But they could think of nothing, because all the people hung on every word Jesus said.
MESSAGE: When You Decide to Follow Jesus, Everything Changes!
ITEMS NEEDED: Solid-Colored Cup, Soil, 1 Liter of a Soda or Juice Drink, Fake Gold Coins
Ahead of time, put some soil into the Solid-Colored Cup. Make sure the kids cannot see the inside of the cup.
Today we heard a lot of stories about Jesus. We heard about a man named Zacchaeus who was a tax collector. Hold up the fake gold coins. In Jesus’ time, the Roman Empire was in charge of Israel. Everyone had to pay taxes to the Roman Empire. Tax collectors like Zacchaeus would collect the money to give to the Roman Empire, but sometimes they cheated people. They would tell someone they owed a lot more money than they really did. Then the tax collectors would keep the extra money for themselves.
But something happened to Zacchaeus. What changed him? Let the kids answer. Zacchaeus met Jesus, and decided to follow Jesus. Everything changed in that moment because when you decide to follow Jesus, everything changes!
When you decide to follow Jesus, Jesus forgives and frees you from sin and death, but that’s not all — you become part of God’s family! John 1:12 says, “But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God.” But not only do you become part of God’s family, you also receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God, and the Holy Spirit lives in you, transforming you from the inside out!
When you decide to follow Jesus, everything changes!
Zacchaeus was changed, but there were some other people who were watching what was happening and they did not like it. As these people watched, they complained about Jesus going to Zacchaeus’ house. You see, these people acted like they were changed, but they had not been completely changed by deciding to follow Jesus!
Hold up the cup with the dirt inside. We’ve been talking for a while. Is anyone a little bit thirsty? Hold up the 1 Liter of Soda or Juice. Invite up a kid and let them see inside the cup while you pour a little bit of the juice or soda into the cup. Would you like to drink some? Let the kid play up being disgusted by the dirt in the cup. Then reveal to the other kids what is in the cup. It’s just a little bit of dirt in the cup. But the outside of the cup is clean! What’s the big deal?
Why would you not want to drink out of a cup filled with dirt? Let the kids answer. Yeah, it’s dirty! It’ll taste bad! One time, Jesus was talking to some of these people called Pharisees who acted like everything had changed, but Jesus told them this in Matthew 23:25: “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy — full of greed and self-indulgence!” Jesus was saying these people acted like they had been changed but they hadn’t — because they had never decided to follow Jesus.
Have you ever decided to follow Jesus?
Jesus loves you very, very much. He died on the cross and came back to life three days later to defeat sin and death and to free us and forgive us from it! We all have a problem called sin — anything we do, say, or think that breaks God’s heart. We need someone to save us from our sin, and that one person is Jesus. Jesus is God, but became a human being. He is 100% God + 100% human. He lived a perfect life, showing us how to love God and love others. And then He died on the cross and came back to life three days later.
Anyone can decide to follow Jesus. You can come to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you and free you from sin. You can ask to become part of God’s family because you want to follow Jesus.
When you decide to follow Jesus, everything changes — the inside and the outside!
Take time to pray and allow the kids to respond to the message. Finish by praying for God’s work in the life of each kid.
SNACK CRAFT: Zacchaeus Trees
ITEMS NEEDED: Paper Plates, Hand Sanitizer, Fun Size Twix, Sour Patch Kids, Green Candy of some Kind
Have the kids each sit down at a plate. Hand them a Fun Size Twix, 2 Sour Patch Kids, and some Green Candy. Then have them put together a tree with the candy pieces, using the Sour Patch Kids as Zacchaeus and Jesus. Once they have put together their tree, take a picture of each child’s creation and then let the kids eat it as they tell each other the story of what happened with Zacchaeus!
(C) 2024 by Shaun Stevenson.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.