The Sermon on the Mount

Unit 27, Session 1: The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5 - 7

Thank you for continuing this journey of The Gospel Project^® for Kids. Over the next few weeks, preschoolers will be studying some of Jesus’ sermons and parables. During His time on earth, Jesus spent time preaching about God’s kingdom. One of Jesus’ most well-known sermons is the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is recorded across three chapters in the Gospel of Matthew. In Matthew 5–7, Jesus taught how believers should live. While Matthew 5:1-2 specifies that Jesus taught His disciples, Matthew 7:28 reveals that the crowds listened to His sermon as well.

First, Jesus began with the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes describe God’s great blessings for believers. God’s kingdom belongs to the spiritually needy, God will comfort those who are sad, and God will give mercy to those who show mercy to others. Jesus gives believers reason to be glad when life on earth is hard because great rewards await in heaven. Jesus also taught how believers should live in a world that does not honor Him. Jesus called believers “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” (Matt. 5:13-14). He said the good works of His followers should cause others to give glory to God.

Jesus taught about a righteousness that comes from the inside. God’s people had the law of Moses, but some of them—the Pharisees, in particular—were concerned mostly with the appearance of being righteous. The scribes and Pharisees looked righteous on the outside, but Jesus taught His disciples about a righteousness that comes from the inside. People who know and love Jesus have changed hearts that want to honor Jesus.

Jesus Healed a Man's Hand

Unit 26, Session 6: Jesus Healed a Man's Hand

Matthew 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11

Thank you for continuing this journey of The Gospel Project^® for Kids. Last week, preschoolers learned that four friends brought their paralytic friend to Jesus. Preschoolers also learned that from that time, the Pharisees kept a watchful eye on Jesus, to see if they could catch Him in sin. One Sabbath as Jesus taught in the synagogue, a man was there who had a paralyzed hand. The religious leaders knew Jesus had power to heal people. They watched to see if He would heal on the Sabbath. According to the law, people should not do work on the Sabbath.

Jesus was not only aware of the scribes and Pharisees watching Him, but He knew their thoughts as well. So Jesus called to the man with the paralyzed hand. “Stand up here,” Jesus said. So the man stood, and Jesus addressed the religious leaders.

“Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do what is good or to do what is evil, to save a life or to kill?” Jesus asked. The religious leaders did not answer. The hardness of their hearts made Jesus sad. They didn’t understand God’s purpose for the Sabbath. Jesus told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” The man’s hand was healed. The Pharisees and scribes were angry, and they discussed what they might do to Jesus.

Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath (Luke 6:5), meaning that He has control. But Jesus hadn’t come to get rid of the Sabbath; He wanted to remind the people why God gave them the Sabbath. (See Exodus 20:8-11.) God intended for the Sabbath to be a blessing to His people, a day of rest from their hard work. But the Pharisees made the Sabbath all about following the rules, making the Sabbath a burden instead.

Jesus showed that God’s laws were meant to help people, not to hurt them. Jesus acted in love, even on the Sabbath. The religious leaders planned to kill Jesus. They did not know Jesus was going to die to show God’s love to the whole world. God provided forgiveness and salvation through Jesus’ death on the cross.