Lesson Learned: Zacchaeus was a small man but had a big heart for God.
Materials Needed: piece of paper, marker
Bible Verse:
Luke 19:1-9
1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Talking Points: Zacchaeus was a tax collector and he took money from people. People didn’t like him very much One day, Zacchaeus knew Jesus was in town and he wanted to go see him, but he was so short, he couldn’t see over all the people. So he climbed a tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus. When Jesus saw Zacchaeus, Jesus said, “Come down; I am going to go to your house.”
Now usually when you have guests over, you clean the house and get everything ready for that person to come over. Zacchaeus didn’t clean his house; instead, he cleaned his heart and became a person who loved Jesus. Zacchaeus may have been a small man, but he had a BIG heart for God.
Questions: Who did Zacchaeus want to see? Why couldn’t Zacchaeus see over the crowd? Have you ever wanted to look at something at couldn’t see because you were too short? How did it make you feel?
Activity: Draw the outline of 2 men on the piece of paper, a large one and a small one. Explain to the child that these are opposites. One is small and one is big. Zacchaeus was a small man. What is the opposite of small?
Now, flip the paper over. Draw a large heart. Tell the child you are going to draw the opposite of a large heart. Ask them, “So should I draw a small heart or big heart?”
Song to Sing:
Zacchaeus was a wee little man
And a wee little man was he
He climbed up in a sycamore tree
For the Lord he wanted to see
And as the Savior passed that way
He looked up in that tree
And He said, “Zacchaeus, you come down!
For I’m going to your house today
For I’m going to your house to stay
Prayer: Thank You Jesus for using all people, big and small. We want to have a BIG heart for You. Amen!