LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS
In Matthew 18:21-35, Peter approaches Jesus with a question about forgiveness, asking how many times he should forgive someone who sins against him. Jesus responds with a parable about a king and his servant. The servant owed the king an enormous debt, equivalent to millions of dollars, far more than he could ever repay. When the king demanded payment, the servant begged for mercy. The king, moved with compassion, forgave the entire debt and released him. However, this same servant immediately went to a fellow servant who owed him a small amount, just a few dollars, and demanded payment. When the fellow servant could not pay, the first servant had him thrown into prison.
When the king heard about this unforgiving behavior, he was furious. He summoned the servant and said, “Should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?” The king then handed him over to the jailers until he could pay back everything he owed. Jesus concludes the parable by warning that our Heavenly Father will treat us the same way if we do not forgive others from our hearts. This parable teaches us that God has forgiven us an immeasurable debt through Jesus Christ. Because we have received such overwhelming mercy and grace, we must extend that same forgiveness to others, no matter how often or how deeply they hurt us.
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 | Forgiveness Hearts
Items Needed
- Heart Pockets (Printed on cardstock)
- Heart Stickers
- Crayons
- Glue Sticks
Have children decorate their forgiveness heart pockets with crayons. Then give them pre-cut heart stickers to put inside the pockets. When they get mad about something this week, they should be encouraged to give a heart to the person and tell them they forgive them for whatever made them upset.
BIBLE STORY 9:15–9:25
Question 1: Where is this found in the Bible? Matthew
Question 2: Is this in the Old Testament or New Testament? New Testament
One day, Peter came to Jesus and asked a question. He said, “Jesus, how many times should I forgive someone when they do something wrong to me?”
Jesus told Peter a story to help him understand.
Once there was a king. This king was very rich! He had LOTS of money!
The king had servants who worked for him. One servant owed the king a lot money.
The king was very upset. He said, “You must be sold as a slave! Your whole family must be sold!”
The servant fell down on his knees. Can you get on your knees? [Model and wait for children to kneel] He begged and begged! He said, [Use a pleading voice] Please, please, please be patient with me! I will pay you back!
The king looked at the servant. The king felt sorry for him. Can you put your hand on your heart? [Model this] The king’s heart was kind. The king said, “I forgive you! You don’t have to pay ANY of the money back!”
How do you think the servant felt now? [Wait for responses]
The servant left the king. He was walking along [walk fingers in the air] when he saw another servant. This other servant owed him just a little bit of money. Not very much at all! Just a few dollars!
Do you think the first servant was nice? [Wait for response] No! He told the other servant, “Pay me the money you owe me.”
The other servant said, “Please be patient with me! I will pay you back!”
But the first servant said NO! He had him put in prison!
The other servants saw what happened. They went and told the king. The king was VERY angry, and he called the servant back. He said, ” “I forgave you ALL that money! You should have forgiven that other servant too!”
The king sent the servant to prison. The servant had to stay there until he paid back all the money.
Jesus told this story to teach us something important. Can you listen carefully? [Put hand to ear]
God has forgiven us for EVERYTHING! God wants us to forgive other people, too! When someone says they’re sorry, we should forgive them! Can you say, I forgive you? [Wait for children to repeat]
Theological Questions:
- Who told this story about forgiveness? (Jesus)
- Did the king forgive the servant who owed him lots of money? (Yes)
Life Application Questions:
- When someone says sorry to you, what should you say? (I forgive you)
- How does it feel when someone forgives you? (Happy, good, better)
Prayer: [Fold hands with children]
Dear God, thank You for forgiving us. Help us to forgive others just like You forgive us. Amen! [Everyone says] AMEN!
WORSHIP IN SONG 9:25–9:35
PRAYER 9:35–9:45 a.m.
Transition kids to the floor for prayer time. Pray for help to forgive others when they hurt us, just like God forgives us.
BIBLE STORY GAME 9:45–9:55 | Coin Collecting Race
Items Needed
- Assortment of coins
Scatter a number of coins across the floor and race to collect them one at a time. See how quickly you can collect all the coins, or run as a relay race.
BIBLE CRAFT 9:55–10:10 | Crown of Forgiveness
Items Needed:
- Crown Template (Cardstock)
- Stapler
- Crayons
- Glue
- Ziplock Bags + Masking Tape
Precut the crowns and jewels. Place jewels into Ziplock bags by jewel type and tape each bag to the wall. Let kids color their crowns. Then have them take turns picking a jewel off the wall and handing it to their friends to glue onto the crown. Discuss what the Bible teaches us about forgiveness with each jewel.
SNACK TIME & BIBLE STORY VIDEO 10:10–10:25
Pass out snacks and allow kids time to watch the Bible story video.
BONUS ACTIVITY | Heavy Heart, Light Heart
Items Needed:
- A small bag for each child
- Rocks or blocks
- Cotton balls or feathers
Have the child hold an empty bag and say, “This is our heart.” Add rocks one at a time for things like anger, sadness, and refusing to forgive. Let them feel how heavy it gets. Then remove the rocks and replace them with cotton balls or feathers while saying words like mercy, kindness, and forgiveness
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE | Matthew 18:21-35 (ESV)
Then Peter came up and said to him, Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times? Jesus said to him, I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything. And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, Pay what you owe. So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, Have patience with me, and I will pay you. He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you? And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.
PARENT TAKE HOME SHEET
Today’s Key Takeaway: Forgive Others
What I learned today: Today we learned that Jesus told a story about a king who forgave his servant a huge debt. But that servant would not forgive another servant who owed him just a little bit of money. Jesus teaches us that God has forgiven us so much, and we should forgive others from our hearts.
Questions to ask me:
Theological Questions:
- Who told the story about the unforgiving servant? (Jesus)
- Did the king forgive the servant who owed him lots of money? (Yes, he forgave all of it)
- How much money did the first servant owe the king? (So much he could never pay it back)
- What did the king do when he found out the servant would not forgive? (He sent the servant to prison)
- Does God want us to forgive people? (Yes, from our hearts)
Life Application Questions:
- When someone says sorry to you, what should you say? (I forgive you)
- How does it feel when someone forgives you? (Happy, good, relieved, loved)
- What should you do if a friend takes your toy and says sorry? (Forgive them)
- Who has forgiven you when you made a mistake? (God, parents, friends, teachers)
- Can you think of a time you needed to forgive someone? (Answers will vary based on child’s experience)