The Lost Coin - Parable of Jesus Sunday School Activity

Parables of Jesus are earthly lessons with heavenly meanings. These lessons not only helped those Jesus was talking to at the time, they can help us on a daily basis.

To go along with the parable about the lost coin, we've come up with a couple of activities for you to do with your Sunday school class.

You can find the parable about the lost coin in Luke 15.

Sunday School Activities

In this first activity, you'll only need three things:

• coins
• white copy paper
• crayons/pencils

Each child will need one sheet of paper. Let each child place a coin under the sheet of paper. Let them use the crayon or pencil to make a stencil of the coin by rubbing the crayon over the coin until you can see the coin design on the paper. On the top of the paper, let the kids write:

The Lost Coin

Luke 15

The kids can take this home as a reminder of how we are to look for that lost person we can tell about our Lord and savior.

 

 

In the second activity, you will need either a real coin or a paper coin you've drawn or printed out. Have the kids close their eyes while you hide the coin in the room. Once you've hidden the coin, tell the kids to find the 'lost' coin.

 

Whichever child finds the coin, let them hide the coin the next time. Continue playing until every child has a chance to hide the coin.

 

 

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Parables of Jesus - The Lost Coin - Sunday School Lessons

Jesus sets example after example for us to follow in the bible. For one, he doesn't avoid sinners or people nobody likes. In this lesson, the people no one likes are tax collectors. In case you didn't know, tax collectors were hated during this time. Many would take more money than they were suppose to from the people just so they could put more money in their own pockets which made them hated.

If you look in Luke 15, the chapter begins with Jesus sitting and eating with sinners and publicans (or tax collectors). The Pharisees and scribes began talking about Jesus saying, "Can you believe Jesus is eating and talking with those sinners?"

Let's think about this for a minute - aren't we all sinners? They had no business judging when they were sinners too, but they did.

This Sunday school lesson begins when Jesus starts telling the parable of the lost coin. You can get the FREE Sunday school lesson about the lost sheep, as well. The lost sheep parable comes just before the lost coin parable in Luke 15. You can use them hand-in-hand or as two separate lessons.

Just this weekend, I told both parables during the same lesson since they express the same point Jesus was trying to make.

Get the FREE lost coin Sunday school activity!

The Parable of the Lost Coin - Sunday School Lesson

This parable is very short. If you have children that can read, have the children turn to the passage in their bibles or have bibles ready for them to read from.

Here is the lesson:

Ask the kids, "Would you want to be around a sinner?"

Wait for answers.

Most kids will respond with the answer - no.

Ask them, "Why wouldn't you want to be around a sinner?"

Wait to hear what the kids will respond.

Now say, "Did you know that you are a sinner?"

This will get their attention. Then, say, "What if no one wanted to be around you? What if no one wanted to talk to you?"

You see, if no one wanted to talk to you, you wouldn't have any friends. You wouldn't have had someone to tell you about Jesus. If you didn't know about Jesus, you wouldn't be here today.

We are sinners because we've all done something that we shouldn't. Maybe we've told a lie. Maybe we've taken something that wasn't ours. Most of us haven't minded our parents at one time or another. What about complaining or griping? Did you know those were sins too?

Philippians 2:14 KJV

¹⁴ Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

We have all complained about something in our life, haven't we?

When the Pharisees and the scribes started to talk about Jesus being around sinners, Jesus said this:

There was a woman who had 10 pieces of silver. If she lost one of those pieces, wouldn't she light a
candle, sweep the house and keep looking for it until she found it?

Think about this for a minute - If you had 6 puppies and one got lost, wouldn't you want to look for it? You may even have called your grandparents or your friends and told them one of your puppies was missing.

You would look and look and look and look some more.

When you found it, wouldn't you tell all of your friends or grandparents that you found it? You would be so happy and want them to be happy with you, right?

That is exactly what the woman did in this parable of Jesus.

She looked until she found it. Then, she called her friends and neighbors together to rejoice with her.

What This Teaches Us

This parable was told to help us understand that we are to talk to those who need to hear about Jesus. We are to spread his word.

At the end of the parable, Jesus concludes...

There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

Whenever someone gives their life to the Lord (is saved), the angels rejoice in heaven. Imagine, for any of those who have asked Jesus to be their Savior, the angels in heaven were rejoicing with you!

If we don't tell others (sinners) about Jesus, how will they ever know.

We need to spread God's word to whoever we can and then, if they accept Jesus as their Savior, we can rejoice with them along with all of the angels in heaven!



Photo of puppy was taken by Sigismund von Dobschutz (Wikimedia Commons).


 

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Parables of Jesus - One Lost Sheep - FREE Sunday School Lesson

A parable is a earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Jesus used parables to help get his point across. In one parable of Jesus, he talks about one lost sheep.

This is a great story for all ages to help them understand the importance of trying to find that one person who needs to come to Jesus.

The parable begins when the church leaders start to talk bad about Jesus. Why were they talking bad about him?

Jesus was eating and talking with sinners (which we all are) and tax collectors. Tax collectors were hated during this time because many of them took more money from the people than they were suppose to.

The point of this Sunday school lesson and this parable is to help the kids understand the importance of bringing people to Christ. If we don't tell people about Jesus, who will?

Just as Jesus' disciples spread the word of God, we too should tell as many people about him as we can.

This Sunday school lesson can be found in Luke 15: 1-7 KJV.

You can start your lesson by having the kids turn to the verses in the bible. If they are old enough, let them read along with you. It is good practice to show the kids that the bible stories you teach are found in the bible and where.

Parable of Jesus - One Lost Sheep

Jesus told this parable to the church leaders who were saying bad things about him spending time with the sinners and tax collectors.

The parable of Jesus began with a question to the leaders. It went like this...

If you had 100 sheep and one got lost, which one of you wouldn't leave the 99 sheep and go out to look and find the one lost sheep?

When you find the lost sheep, wouldn't you put it on your shoulders and rejoice (be happy) because you found it?

Then, when you got back home, wouldn't you call all your neighbors and friends and say, "Rejoice, with me. I have found my one lost sheep?"

Just as you would be happy about your one lost sheep, all of heaven will rejoice when one sinner turns to God (repents)? They will be more happy that the one comes to God than 99 people who do not need to repent.

You see, Jesus wants us to go looking for that one lost sheep.

Of course, this doesn't mean that we are to go buy a bunch of sheep and wait until one gets lost so we can find it.

In the bible, the Lord is called the Shepherd and we (people) are the sheep.

Psalm 23

The Lord is our shepherd; I shall not want.

For very small children, have them learn the first part of this verse. For older kids, have them learn the whole verse and discuss what it means to 'not want' (more on that below).

If you are teaching teens, have them learn the whole 23 Psalm. Maybe even offer them a prize for whoever can recite it the following week. It doesn't have to be a big prize - a bag of chips, a pack of gum, a sucker or even a book mark.

Not only does this verse give us the assurance that the Lord being our shepherd will find us if we are lost, it shows us that he will provide. We do not need to want things. He will give us what we need.

As part of his flock, we are to search for those people (or sheep) who do not know him as their savior. We are to tell them how much Jesus loves them and wants to be a part of their lives.

What We've Learned

From this parable of Jesus, we learn that we are to go looking for that lost sheep, or friend that doesn't now about him.

We can pray for them. We can invite them to church or Sunday school. If your parents can, how about picking them up and bringing them with you. Maybe their parents will start coming if their children do.

If you have youth meeting or VBS, invite them to that as well.

This week, tell the kids it is their job to be a shepherd and look for one lost sheep to tell about Jesus or invite to church. As a Sunday school teacher, do the same. It's not good enough to tell the kids what they should do. We have to set the example and invite someone too.

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One Lost Sheep Coloring Page - Sunday School Coloring Pages

Jesus' parable about 'one lost sheep' explains that when one person is lost, he needs to be found. While the parable is using an earthly story to explain the importance of leaving 99 sheep to find the one lost sheep, the heavenly meaning behind the parable is much deeper.

The deeper meaning is so that we can understand that when one lost person is brought to Christ, the heavens rejoice! Imagine playing a part in all of heaven rejoicing!

Each day, we go about our busy lives and think only about the tasks at hand.

As Sunday school teachers, we may think about getting our Sunday school lesson ready for the following week or maybe even about what snacks we are going to serve.

But, guess what.

These things aren't nearly as important as spreading God's word and looking for that one 'lost sheep' that God is waiting for to join his flock.

It is our job as Christians and as Sunday school teachers to go looking for that one 'lost sheep' and teach our class to do the same.

Below is a coloring sheet with the words "ONE LOST SHEEP' written on the side. Have the kids color the page and take it home.

Tell them to hang it somewhere they will be able to see it every day.

If they hang it on their door, they will be reminded to talk to someone about Jesus each day. If they hang in over their bed, they will be reminded to pray for someone each night.

Make sure to encourage them to move the sheep around the house to keep reminding them of their job for Christ - finding the lost and leading them to salvation!

Sunday School Coloring Page

The Sunday school coloring page below can be colored and left as is or use your imagination and let them cut it out and paste it on a colorful sheet of paper. Maybe even let them add cotton balls to the sheep. If you don't mind a mess, let them use glitter!

Let the kids have fun as they will hopefully use it as a reminder for a long time to find the 'lost sheep'.

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I found this great site that offers amazing ideas for the lesson of One Lost Sheep.
I hope you like it!

Click for more FREE "One Lost Sheep" material!

 

 



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