Hearing Jesus for Kids: Daily Bible Study for Kids

Everyone Has a Seat at the Table of Jesus (Luke 5:27-32)

Have you ever been told not to hang out with someone because of what people might think of you? In Jesus’ time, there was a whole group of people the religious leaders refused to be around, people they thought were too bad and too far gone. Today we see Jesus walk right up to one of them and invite himself to dinner, and it shows kids that nobody is too far gone for Jesus.

Who was Levi, and why did Jesus call him? One day Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax booth. Tax collectors were considered traitors because they worked for the Roman government, and many of them cheated their own people to make extra money. They were some of the most disliked people in town. But Jesus looked at Levi and said, “Follow Me.” Levi got up, left everything behind, and followed Him.

Why did Jesus eat with people everyone else avoided? That night Levi threw a big dinner at his house for Jesus. The guest list was full of other tax collectors and people the religious leaders called sinners, people nobody in the synagogues wanted to be around. The religious leaders grumbled to Jesus’ disciples and asked why He ate and drank with those people. Jesus answered, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the people who have it all figured out, but the people who do not.” The religious leaders had built a system where certain people were permanently seen as not good enough, but Jesus looked at them differently and became their friend.

What does it mean that Jesus came for the sick? A doctor’s job is not to stay in a healthy neighborhood away from sick people. A doctor’s job is to be where the sick people are, so they can get well. Jesus was explaining that He is kind of like a doctor, and to be a good one, He had to be near the people who needed Him. There may be people at your school or in your neighborhood who everyone else has decided are not worth knowing, or kids who feel left out because they carry a reputation they cannot shake. Jesus kept sitting down to eat with people like that. It is not our job to fix anyone, but sometimes we get to choose to sit with them and point them to Jesus.

Talk about it as a family. What do you think it means for the people who thought they already had it all together that Jesus came for the sick? Is there someone at school or in your neighborhood who feels left out? What would it look like to sit with them and point them to Jesus?

A prayer to pray together. Jesus, thank You that You did not stay in safe circles. Thank You that You went to Levi’s house for dinner with people who were rejected. Help us to see the people everyone else is walking past and to be willing to stop. Amen.

Coming up next. Next time on Hearing Jesus for Kids, Jesus and His disciples get into trouble for picking grain on the wrong day, and what Jesus says about it is going to surprise you.

Episode Reference: Luke 5:27-32

The Healing Touch of Jesus (Luke 5:12-26)

Can you imagine being so sick that for your whole life, nobody was allowed to touch you or even come near you? Today we meet two people who needed Jesus badly, and what Jesus did for each one tells kids a lot about who He is.

Who was the man with leprosy, and what did Jesus do? In Bible times, a man with a disease called leprosy had to stay away from other people, even his family, and had to shout to warn anyone who came near. He could not be with friends, go to church, or work, and he depended on people throwing food to him so he could eat. This man fell down in front of Jesus and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” He did not just ask to be healed. He knew he was separated from everything. And Jesus reached out and touched him. That was really unusual, because touching someone with that sickness would make a person unclean too. But Jesus said, “I am willing. Be clean,” and immediately the man was healed.

What happened with the man on the mat? The second man could not come to Jesus on his own, because he was paralyzed and could not walk. His friends carried him on a mat to the house where Jesus was teaching, but the crowd was so thick they could not get through the door. So they climbed up on the roof, opened a hole, and lowered their friend right down in front of Jesus. Luke says Jesus saw their faith, not just the faith of the paralyzed man, but the faith of the friends. Jesus told the man his sins were forgiven, and the religious leaders complained that only God can forgive sins. Jesus knew what they were thinking, and He asked which is easier to say, your sins are forgiven or get up and walk. Then He healed the man so they would know He has authority to forgive. The man got up, picked up his mat, and walked home praising God.

What does this story teach kids about being a good friend? The man could not come to Jesus on his own. He needed people who cared enough to carry him. Those friends faced an impossible situation, a packed crowd and no way through the door, and still they found another way. Sometimes the most important thing you can do for someone is refuse to give up on getting them to Jesus. If you have a friend or family member who is struggling, you can carry them by praying for them and by being the one who does not give up, even when the door seems blocked. And if you are the one on the mat right now, remember that Jesus saw the faith of the friends and healed him. The people around you matter, so make sure they are people who love Jesus too.

Talk about it as a family. What do you think kept the four friends from giving up when they could not even get through the front door? Who in your life needs someone to carry them to Jesus right now? How could you pray for them this week?

A prayer to pray together. Jesus, thank You that You healed both of these men, the one who was untouchable and the one who could not walk. Thank You that You care for the whole person, not just the outside, but the inside too. Help us to be the kind of friends who carry people to You, and help us to trust You with everything that needs to be made clean. Amen.

Coming up next. Next time on Hearing Jesus for Kids, Jesus invites the most unlikely person to dinner.

Come and Follow Me (Luke 5:1-11)

Has anyone ever called you to do something at exactly the moment you felt like a failure? Maybe you had just messed up, and instead of being told to go away, you were told to come closer. That is what happened to a fisherman named Simon on the day Jesus stepped into his boat. It is a story for any kid who has worked really hard and come up empty.

What happened when Jesus got into Simon’s boat? Simon and his partners had been fishing all night and caught nothing. They were washing their nets on the shore when Jesus got into Simon’s boat and asked him to push out a little from the land so He could teach the crowd from the water. Simon did. When Jesus finished teaching, He told Simon to push out into the deep water and put his nets back in. Simon was honest. He said, “We worked all night and caught nothing, but because You say so, I will do it.”

Why did Simon ask Jesus to go away? Jesus filled the nets with so many fish that it took two boats to hold them, the nets started to break, and both boats began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he got down on his knees and asked Jesus to go away because he felt so unworthy. It is an interesting reaction. He did not say thank you or ask for another miracle. He felt the weight of who Jesus was, and he realized how unworthy he was to be near Him. But Jesus said, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will be catching people.” When the boats came to shore, Simon and the others left everything and followed Jesus.

Why did Jesus call Simon right after a failure? Simon was not at his best. He was tired, and he had nothing to show for a whole night of work. But Jesus did not wait for Simon to clean himself up before calling him. He showed up in the middle of Simon’s failure. We see that over and over with the disciples. Jesus calls people from the middle of their mess, not after they have already fixed it. You do not have to have it all together before you decide to follow Jesus, and you do not have to perform well just to get His attention. He is looking for people who will say, okay, because You say so, I will try again, even when it does not seem to make sense.

Talk about it as a family. Why do you think Jesus chose the moment when Simon felt like a failure to call him? Do you think there was a better moment He could have chosen? Is there something you have tried that did not work, where you could say to Jesus, because You say so, I will try again?

A prayer to pray together. Jesus, thank You that You called Simon in the middle of his failure, not after. Thank You that You do not wait for us to be at our best before You come near. Help us to say yes to You, even when we feel like we have nothing to show. Thank You, God, for calling us. Amen.

Coming up next. Next time on Hearing Jesus for Kids, Jesus heals two people who were both desperate for Him, and both of them got something more than they expected.

Nothing Too Big for Jesus (Luke 4:31-44)

Have you ever felt like your battery was running low, like you were carrying too many things at once? Today Jesus shows what He is really capable of, healing sickness and facing down darkness, and then He does something surprising the very next morning. It is a story about bringing everything to Jesus in prayer, and about why even Jesus needed time alone with His Father.

What happened when Jesus went to Capernaum? Jesus went to Capernaum, a town near the Sea of Galilee, and taught in the synagogue on the Sabbath. The people were amazed because He spoke with real authority, not like the religious teachers they were used to. A man in the synagogue with an evil spirit cried out, “I know who You are, the Holy One of God.” Jesus told the spirit to be quiet and come out, and it left the man without hurting him. Everyone was stunned, and the news spread immediately.

Who did Jesus heal that day? After that, Jesus went to the home of Simon Peter, where Simon’s mother-in-law had a very high fever. Jesus stood over her and told the fever to leave, and she got better right away and got up to make them dinner. That evening, as the sun was setting, people brought everyone who was sick to Jesus. One by one, He placed His hands on them and prayed, and they were healed. He also cast out evil spirits, but He did not let them speak, because they knew who He was.

Why did Jesus go off alone to pray the next morning? After healing crowds of people, Jesus slipped away early the next morning to a quiet place to be alone with God. The crowd found Him and tried to keep Him from leaving, but He told them He had to share the good news of God with other towns too, because that is why God sent Him. Think about a phone. The more you use it, the faster the battery drains, and if you never charge it, eventually it stops working no matter how powerful it is. Jesus was fully God, but He was also fully human, which means He got tired. He needed time with His Father to be renewed. Prayer was not optional for Jesus. It was how He stayed connected to the source of everything He was doing.

What does this mean for kids carrying heavy things? If Jesus needed time with His Father, then we do too. Maybe you are carrying things you are worried about, math problems at school, situations you cannot fix, or fears that feel bigger than you. Jesus showed us there is nothing too dark or too sick for Him to handle. You can bring all of it to Him, and the more you bring to Him in prayer, the more you will be able to handle what comes next.

Talk about it as a family. Why do you think Jesus got up early to be alone with God after healing so many people? What are some things you are carrying right now that you could bring to Jesus in prayer? What would it look like to build a few quiet minutes with God into your day?

A prayer to pray together. Jesus, thank You that nothing is beyond Your power. Thank You that You heal people one by one, stopping for each person. Help us to bring everything to You, the things we are worried about, the things we are afraid of, and the things that feel too big for us. Help us learn from You how to stay connected to Father God as we pray. Amen.

Coming up next. Next time on Hearing Jesus for Kids, Jesus borrows a fisherman’s boat and it changes that fisherman’s life forever.

Good News for Everyone (Luke 4:14-30)

Have you ever had to tell the people who know you best something really important about yourself, and wondered how they would react? Today Jesus goes home to Nazareth and tells the people who watched Him grow up exactly who He is. Their reaction shows kids that God’s love is bigger than any group, and that the circle is wider than we sometimes want it to be.

What did Jesus read in the synagogue at Nazareth? Jesus had been traveling through Galilee teaching, and people were impressed. When He came back home, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath, just as He always did, and was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He read, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then He rolled up the scroll, sat down, and said, “Today these words are fulfilled right in front of your eyes.”

Why did the crowd go from amazed to angry? Those words from Isaiah were written hundreds of years earlier, and they described what God promised the rescuer would do. Jesus was telling everyone, I am the rescuer, and I am here. At first the crowd was impressed, but then Jesus reminded them that in the past, God sent miracles through Elijah and Elisha to outsiders and foreigners, not only to the people of Israel. He was saying that God’s blessing is not only for the people who think they deserve it most. The crowd got so angry that they drove Jesus out of town and tried to throw Him off a cliff, but with God’s help, Jesus walked right through the middle of them and left.

What does this story teach kids about God’s love for everyone? Sometimes the hardest message to hear is the one that says something we thought belonged only to us is meant to be shared. Maybe you have been in a group where someone suggested sharing something you thought was only for your group. The people in Jesus’ hometown thought they knew exactly who deserved God’s blessing, but Jesus was expanding the circle. His mission was good news for people who were poor, freedom for people held captive, and sight for people who were blind. It was a picture of how God runs toward the people who are hurting the most, and that same Spirit rests on all of us who follow Him.

Talk about it as a family. Why do you think the message that God’s love is for everyone made some people so angry? Where do you see people who are hurting? What is one way you could help someone like that know who Jesus is this week?

A prayer to pray together. Jesus, thank You that Your good news is for everyone. Help us to never think we are the only ones You love. Help us to carry Your mission the way You did, toward the people who need it the most. Thank You for Your love. Amen.

Coming up next. Next time on Hearing Jesus for Kids, Jesus walks into a synagogue and something very powerful happens, and then He goes to a friend’s house and does it again.