LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS
In Matthew 18:10-14, Jesus shares a powerful parable to teach His disciples about the value of every individual in God’s kingdom. The disciples had been arguing about who would be the greatest in heaven, but Jesus redirects their thinking by placing a child before them and telling this story. A shepherd who owns one hundred sheep discovers that one has wandered away. Rather than being satisfied with the ninety-nine that remain safe, he leaves them in a secure place and searches diligently until he finds the missing one. When he discovers the lost sheep, he joyfully carries it home on his shoulders and celebrates with his friends and neighbors. Jesus explains that in the same way, God does not want even one little child to be lost.
In Luke 15:1-7, Jesus tells this same parable to address the Pharisees’ criticism of Him spending time with sinners and tax collectors. The religious leaders believed they were more deserving of Jesus’ attention than those who had strayed from God’s ways. Through this parable, Jesus reveals that heaven rejoices more over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance. God actively seeks those who are lost, demonstrating His relentless love and care for every person, no matter how far they have wandered. Every sheep matters to the shepherd, and every person matters to God.
PLAY ROOM 8:45–9:00
Children will be dropped off in the playroom between 8:45–9:00 a.m. Allow them to play freely as they arrive. Transition them to the classroom at 9:00 a.m.
OPENING ACTIVITY 9:00–9:15 | Sheep Face Mask
Items Needed
- Sheep Face Mask (Cardstock)
- Stretch Cord
- Hole Punch
- Glue
- Cotton Balls
Precut the masks and pre-hole punch them. Tie the string to them. Children will glue cotton balls to their face mask.
BIBLE STORY 9:15–9:25
Question 1: Where is this found in the Bible? Matthew and Luke
Question 2: Is this in the Old Testament or New Testament? New Testament
[Hold up your fingers and start counting] Let’s count together! Ready? One, two, three, four, five! [Keep counting on your fingers] Great job!
A shepherd is someone who takes care of sheep. In our story today, there was a shepherd who had lots and lots of sheep. Not just five. Not just ten. He had ONE HUNDRED sheep! That’s a LOT of sheep! Can you say one hundred? [Wait for response]
The shepherd loved every single one of his sheep. He knew all of their names! [Cup your hand to your ear] Can you say Baaaa like a sheep? [Let kids make sheep sounds] Good! The shepherd would call his sheep, and they would come running to him!
Every day, the shepherd would take his sheep to find yummy green grass to eat. [Pretend to chew like you’re eating grass] Munch, munch, munch! And he would find clean water for them to drink. [Pretend to drink]
But do you know what? Sometimes there were dangerous animals around! Big, scary bears! [Make bear growls and hold up claws] GRRR! And lions! [Roar like a lion] ROAR! But the shepherd was brave! He would protect his sheep and chase those animals away! [Make a shooing motion] Go away, dangerous animals!
Every single night, the shepherd would count all of his sheep to make sure they were all safe. Let’s count some sheep together! [Hold up fingers and count slowly] One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten! [Stop] But remember, he had one hundred sheep! That would take a long time to count!
[Look worried and concerned] But one night, something happened. The shepherd started counting his sheep. One, two, three, four, five. [Keep counting on your fingers, then stop and look puzzled] Wait a minute! When he finished counting, he only had ninety-nine sheep! One sheep was LOST!
The shepherd was so worried! Where did that little sheep go? Was the sheep hurt? Was the sheep scared?
Now, the shepherd still had ninety-nine sheep that were safe. That’s a lot of sheep! But do you know what the shepherd did? He didn’t say, “Oh well, I still have ninety-nine sheep.” NO! That one lost sheep was so important to him!
The shepherd left the ninety-nine sheep in a safe place, and he went to look for that one lost sheep! Let’s pretend to search for the sheep! [Everybody stand up and help me look! Is the sheep over here? [Look to one side] No! Is the sheep over there? [Look to the other side] No! Keep looking! [Let children walk around and pretend to search]
The shepherd looked and looked and looked. He climbed up hills! [Pretend to climb] He looked behind rocks! [Pretend to look behind something] He called out the sheep’s name! [Cup hands around mouth] Little sheep! Where are you?
[Suddenly look excited] And then, guess what? He FOUND the lost sheep!
The shepherd was so gentle with that little sheep. He picked it up very carefully. [Bend down and pretend to pick something up gently] And do you know what he did? He put that sheep right up on his shoulders! [Pretend to lift something onto your shoulders] Can you pretend to carry a sheep on your shoulders? [Let kids pretend]
The shepherd carried that sheep all the way home. And when he got home, he was so happy that he told all his friends and neighbors! [Cup hands around mouth like you’re calling out] Come and celebrate with me! I found my lost sheep!
[Sit back down and speak gently] Now, Jesus told this story to teach us something very special. Every single sheep was important to that shepherd. Even though he had ninety-nine safe sheep, that ONE lost sheep mattered so much to him that he went searching until he found it.
And do you know what? YOU are just like that sheep to God! God loves you SO much! [Point to different children] God loves you, and you, and you, and every single person in the whole world! Every person is special and important to God!
God doesn’t want anyone to be lost. Just like the shepherd searched for his lost sheep, God searches for people who don’t know about His love. And when someone comes to know God, heaven has a big party! [Clap hands] Can everyone clap with me? [Lead kids in clapping and celebrating]
Remember, you are SO important to God! He knows your name, just like the shepherd knew his sheep’s names. He loves you and will never, ever give up on you!
Theological Questions:
- Who told this story about the lost sheep? (Jesus told this story)
- How many sheep did the shepherd have at the beginning? (He had one hundred sheep)
Life Application Questions:
- Does God think you are important? (Yes! God thinks I am very important!)
- What should we do if we know someone who doesn’t know about God’s love? (We should tell them about God and help them learn about Jesus)
Prayer: Dear God, thank You for loving each one of us so much. Thank You for searching for us like the shepherd searched for his lost sheep. Help us remember that every person is special and important to You. Amen! [Have everyone say Amen together loudly]
WORSHIP IN SONG 9:25–9:35
PRAYER 9:35–9:45 a.m.
Transition kids to the floor for prayer time. Pray for each child by name, thanking God that He knows them and loves them individually. Pray for people in our community who don’t yet know about God’s love.
BIBLE STORY GAME 9:45–9:55 | Find the Lost Sheep
Items Needed:
- One stuffed sheep
- optional shepherd’s staff (made from craft or a pool noodle)
Before the game begins, hide the stuffed sheep in the classroom while children close their eyes or face the wall. Choose one child to be the shepherd first. The shepherd searches for the lost sheep while the other children remain seated in the flock of sheep making sheep sounds (Baa!). When the shepherd finds the lost sheep, everyone shouts, “The shepherd found his sheep!”
The child who was the shepherd then chooses the next shepherd, and the game continues with the sheep hidden in a new location. Rotate until every child has had an opportunity to be the shepherd. This active game reinforces the story’s message that the shepherd searches diligently and celebrates when the lost sheep is found.
BIBLE CRAFT 9:55–10:10 | Hidden Sheep Craft
Items Needed
- Hidden Sheep Craft (Cardstock)
- Green crayons
- Glue
- Optional (cotton balls torn thinly)
Have children color the grass around their sheep. (Optional, have them glue thin pieces of cotton balls onto the sheep, must be thin). Have them color the grass for the sheep to hide behind. Help them glue it down.
SNACK TIME & BIBLE STORY VIDEO 10:10–10:25
Pass out snacks and allow kids time to eat snacks while watching the Bible story video.
BONUS ACTIVITY | Herd Behavior Magnet Demonstration
Items Needed:
- Several small magnets
- Paper clips
- Larger magnet
Scatter paper clips on a table. Show children how one magnet can attract and pick up one paper clip (like the lost sheep). Then demonstrate how multiple paper clips stick together when attracted to a magnet (like sheep staying together in a flock).
Move the large magnet slowly and watch how all the paper clips follow it together. Explain that sheep have a natural instinct to follow their shepherd and stay together as a group, which keeps them safe. When one wanders away from the group, it’s in danger.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE
Matthew 18:10-14 (ESV) “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”
Luke 15:1-7 (ESV) “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, This man receives sinners and eats with them. So he told them this parable: What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost. Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”
PARENT TAKE HOME SHEET
Today’s Key Takeaway Everyone is Important
What I Learned Today Today we learned that Jesus told a story about a shepherd who had one hundred sheep. When one sheep got lost, the shepherd searched everywhere until he found it. God loves every person and thinks each one of us is special and important.
Questions to Ask Me
Theological Questions:
- Who told the story about the lost sheep? (Jesus told the story)
- How many sheep did the shepherd have? (The shepherd had one hundred sheep)
- What did the shepherd do when one sheep was lost? (He went searching until he found it)
- Where did the shepherd carry the lost sheep when he found it? (On his shoulders)
- Does God love every person? (Yes, God loves every single person)
Life Application Questions:
- Are you important to God? (Yes, I am very important to God)
- Does God know your name? (Yes, God knows my name)
- What does God do when someone is lost? (He searches for them because He loves them)
- How can we be like the shepherd? (We can care about others and help people know about God’s love)
- What should we do if we see someone who seems lonely or left out? (We should be kind to them and include them, just like God loves everyone)