Free Bible lesson for kids · Ministry Begins
Rejected at Nazareth
In His hometown synagogue, Jesus read from Isaiah and said the Scripture was fulfilled that day. The people grew angry and tried to throw Him off a hill, but He passed through them and went on His way.
- Bible passage
- Luke 4:16–30
- Big idea
- Jesus came to bring good news, even to people who reject Him.
- Memory verse
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luke 4:18 (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
In Nazareth, where He grew up, Jesus stood up to read in the synagogue on the sabbath day (Luke 4:16). From the book of Isaiah He read, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor” (Luke 4:17–18). Then He sat down and said, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:20–21).
The people wondered at His gracious words, but they asked, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” (Luke 4:22). Jesus said no prophet is accepted in his own country (Luke 4:24). He reminded them how God’s prophets once helped a widow and a man named Naaman, who were not Israelites (Luke 4:25–27). The people were filled with anger and tried to throw Him off a hill (Luke 4:28–29). But Jesus passed through the middle of them and went His way (Luke 4:30).
Read it in the Bible: Luke 4:16–30 (KJV)
16And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 17And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. 22And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son? 23And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. 24And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. 25But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; 26But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. 27And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. 28And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. 30But he passing through the midst of them went his way,
Questions to ask
Which prophet’s book did Jesus read?
Esaias (Isaiah).
How did the people respond?
They were filled with wrath and tried to cast Him down a hill.
What did Jesus do?
He passed through the midst of them and went His way.
What this story teaches
- Jesus came to preach good news to the poor (Luke 4:18).
- Jesus came to heal broken hearts and set people free (Luke 4:18).
- God’s Word came true in Jesus, just as it was written (Luke 4:21).
- God’s love reaches people of every nation (Luke 4:25–27).
- No angry crowd could stop God’s plan for Jesus (Luke 4:29–30).
Jesus Sets Captives Free
Sin holds people like captives. But when Jesus, the Son of God, makes us free, we are free indeed.
John 8:34–36
A 45-minute lesson plan
| 5 min | Welcome and pray. Greet each child by name and pray: Ask God to help us share good news even when it is hard. |
|---|---|
| 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 came to bring good news, even to people who reject Him.” What does that mean for us? |
| 5 min | Memory verse. Say Luke 4:18 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 10 minutes
Who Has the Scroll?
You need: A small rolled-up paper “scroll”
- Kids sit in a circle with their hands behind their backs. One child stands in the middle.
- The circle secretly passes the scroll behind their backs.
- When the leader says “Stop!”, the child in the middle guesses who has it. If right, they swap places.
Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah and said, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”
For youth group · activity · indoors · about 15 minutes
Mission Statement
You need: Bibles, paper, markers
- Read Luke 4:18–19 together: Jesus’ own mission statement.
- In small groups, list what Jesus came to do and who He came for.
- Each person writes a one-sentence mission for their week, at school, at home and online.
Even when His own town rejected Him, Jesus kept on with His mission. Ours is to follow Him.
Pray
Ask God to help us share good news even when it is hard.