Free Bible lesson for kids · On the Way to Jerusalem

Ten Lepers Are Healed

Ten men with leprosy cried out to Jesus for mercy. He sent them to show themselves to the priests, and as they went they were cleansed. Only one, a Samaritan, came back to thank Him.

Teach this lesson: film, sheets and guide Print the coloring page

Bible passage: Luke 17:11–19
Big idea: Remember to thank God for what He does.
Memory verse: And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, Luke 17:15 (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

On His way to Jerusalem, Jesus passed through Samaria and Galilee (Luke 17:11). As He entered a village, ten men with leprosy, a terrible skin disease, met Him. They stood far off and cried out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us” (Luke 17:12–13). Jesus told them to go and show themselves to the priests. As they went, they were healed (Luke 17:14).

One of them saw that he was healed. He turned back and praised God with a loud voice (Luke 17:15). He fell down on his face at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him, and he was a Samaritan (Luke 17:16). Jesus asked, “Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?” Only this stranger had come back to give glory to God (Luke 17:17–18). Then Jesus told him, “Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole” (Luke 17:19).

Read it in the Bible: Luke 17:11–19 (KJV)

¹¹And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. ¹²And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: ¹³And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. ¹⁴And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. ¹⁵And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, ¹⁶And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? ¹⁸There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. ¹⁹And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Questions to ask

How many lepers did Jesus heal?
Ten.
How many came back to give thanks?
One.
What did Jesus ask?
“Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?”

What this story teaches

Jesus hears when we cry out for mercy (Luke 17:13–14).
Jesus has power to heal and make people clean (Luke 17:14).
God wants us to come back and thank Him (Luke 17:15–16).
Jesus notices when we forget to give thanks (Luke 17:17–18).
Jesus welcomes people from every nation who trust Him (Luke 17:16, 19).

Jesus Makes Us Clean

Jesus made ten lepers clean. Even better, the blood Jesus gave on the cross cleanses us from all sin.

1 John 1:7

A 45-minute lesson plan

5 min	Welcome and pray. Greet each child by name and pray: Thank God for three things He has done for us.
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: “Remember to thank God for what He does.” What does that mean for us?
5 min	Memory verse. Say Luke 17:15 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 or out · about 10 minutes

Thank-You Tag

You need: Open space

Choose two taggers. When a child is tagged, they freeze in place.
A frozen child is set free when a friend comes and says “Thank you, Jesus!” with a high five.
Switch taggers every couple of minutes.

Ten men were healed, but only one came back to say thank you. Let’s be the one who comes back.

For youth group · activity · indoors · about 15 minutes

Gratitude Wall

You need: A roll of butcher paper on the wall, markers

Everyone writes as many things as they can thank God for in five minutes, big and small.
Read some out. Circle the ones you often forget.
Pick one person to thank face to face this week.

The one who came back fell down at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks. Gratitude turns us back to Jesus.

Pray

Thank God for three things He has done for us.