* LESSON
* SKIT
* HANDOUT
* JESUS MEETS ZACCHAEUS PLAY
* LESSON: JESUS MEETS ZACCHAEUS
Bible Memory Verse:
"The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." Luke 19:10
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE MIRACLES JESUS DID WHEN HE WAS ON EARTH? (healing blind, crippled, paralyzed, making food to feed over 5,000 out of 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, calming a storm, raising people from the dead)
But the greatest miracle Jesus performed then and a miracle He still does today is to change men’s hearts. He saves them from the devil and hell. Today’s story is about a man who was changed from doing what the devil wanted to doing what God wanted.
In Jesus day, people did not like tax collectors. A tax collector was someone who collected money for the government. The Jewish people were ruled by the Roman government and they didn’t like that. They didn’t like being ruled by another nation.
Also, tax collectors often cheated people by collecting more money than they were supposed to. How would you like it if you bought something from someone for $2 and found out later, they were only supposed to charge you $1?
There was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector and rich. He had probably gotten some of his money by cheating people. One day Zacchaeus heard that Jesus was coming to town. He couldn’t see Jesus because there was so many people, and he was so short. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Jesus since Jesus had to come that way.
When Jesus reached the tree where Zacchaeus was, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly. I must stay at your house today." So Zacchaeus came down and welcomed Him gladly.
All the people saw this and said, "He has gone to be the guest of a sinner!" The people knew that tax collectors were sinners so they didn’t think that a man like Jesus was supposed to have anything to do with sinners. Actually, we are all sinners. That is why Jesus came to earth–to save sinners from hell and the devil.
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to Jesus, "Look, Lord, here and now I give half of everything I have to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will give him four times the amount." He was saying that he loved Jesus so much, he would do he could to pay back the wrong he had done to people .
Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house. For the Son of Man hs come to seek and to save what was lost."
Jesus called Himself the Son of Man. That is why He came–to seek and save lost sinners. Zacchaeus believed in Jesus, and repented of his sins. He had changed in his heart. That is why Jesus said, "Today salvation has come to this house." Zacchaeus was now saved and going to be in heaven someday.
QUESTIONS:
1. What was Zacchaeus’ job?
2. Why did people not like tax collectors?
3. Why did Zacchaeus climb a sycamore tree?
4. Why did Jesus know Zacchaeus?
5. How do we know that Zacchaeus was saved?
CHARACTERS: CROWD OF PEOPLE OR PERSON IN CROWD, ZACCHAEUS, JESUS
PERSON IN CROWD: (looking in direction from which Jesus is coming) Jesus is coming! Jesus is coming!
ZACCHAEUS: (near the crowd) There are so many people, and I am so short. I know what I will do. I will climb this sycamore tree so I can see Jesus when He comes by." (He runs over and climbs a tree–climbs on a chair or box, etc.)
JESUS: (Jesus come to the tree.) Come down quickly, Zacchaeus, I must stay at your house today.
PERSON IN CROWD: (pointing at Jesus, horrifed) He is going to be a guest of a sinner!
ZACCHAEUS: (comes down quickly from the tree and talks eagerly to Jesus) Jesus, I am going to give half of everything I own to the poor, and, if I have cheated anyone, I will give them four times the amount."
JESUS: (Faces audience) Today salvation has come to this house. The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.
JESUS MEETS ZACCHAEUS
Bible Memory Verse:
"The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." Luke 19:10
Words to choose from: HALF, REPENTED, TAX, SHORT, SALVATION, CHEATED, FOUR, DEVIL, CHANGED, GOD
1. Zacchaeus was a __ __ __ collector.
2. Tax collectors often __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
3. Zacchaeus climbed a tree to see Jesus because he was __ __ __ __ __.
4. Zacchaeus told Jesus that he would give __ __ __ __ his money to the poor.
5. Zacchaeus told Jesus that if he had cheated anyone he would give them __ __ __ __ times the amount he had cheated them.
6. Zacchaeus __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ (changed his mind and stopped doing them) of his sins.
7. Jesus said that __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ had come to Zacchaues.
8. Salvation means that a person who once belonged to the family of the __ __ __ __ __now belongs to the family of __ __ __.
9. Zacchaeus was saved because he __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
Bible Memory Verse:
"The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." Luke 19:10
CHARACTERS–JESUS MEETS ZACCHAEUS PLAY: Jolly the Giraffe, Polly the Polar Bear, Leo the Lion
JOLLY, POLLY, LEO: (enter) Hi, kids
LEO: You know, Zacchaeus wasn’t afraid of what people might think of him.
JOLLY: What do you mean, Leo?
LEO: First of all, he climbed up in a tree in front of a whole crowd of people. He must have been an important business man, and important business men don’t do things like that.
POLLY: That’s right! He wanted to see Jesus so much that he didn’t care what people thought of him.
LEO: And then he admitted his sin in front of Jesus and all the people.
JOLLY: He probably felt the love Jesus had for him so strongly that he didn’t think of anything else, except to please Jesus.
LEO: Zacchaeus was a good example.
JOLLY: Zacchaeus was a good example in another way.
LEO: In what other way, Jolly?
JOLLY: He really repented of his sin, so that everyone should have known he repented.
POLLY: Would you tell me again what you mean by repent, Jolly?
JOLLY: To be sorry for your sin. If you change your mind then you will change your actions. And Jesus will help you change your actions if you ask.
LEO: I see what you mean. Zacchaeus not only was going to pay back the people he had cheated, he was going to pay them four times the amount he had cheated them out of!
POLLY: And not only that—he was going to give half his money to the poor!
JOLLY: No wonder Jesus said salvation had come to Zacchaeus. His heart had really changed!
LEO: Jesus didn’t care what Zacchaeus had done. He loved Zacchaeus and knew he could change. Remember our Bible Memory Verse: "The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." Luke 19:10
JOLLY: That’s a good example for us, isn’t it? We should just love people. We don’t know who will change and become a follower of Jesus.
POLLY: That’s what I try to do.
LEO: I know you do, Polly. You try to love everyone.
JOLLY: That’s a good idea for this week. Let’s see if we can love people. Let’s try to do things to show people we love them. Then next week, we’ll see if anyone has interesting stories.
POLLY: That’s a great idea!
JOLLY, POLLY, LEO: Good-bye, kids!
(Puppets exit)