Introduce the Story
Bring a bowl of warm water and a large towel to class. One helper sits
while you wash her feet. As you do this,
talk about how people used to walk outside wearing sandals. Talk about dusty or
muddy streets where animals walked. People always washed their hands and their
feet before they ate. People used to lay
down on cushions around low tables so sometimes you sat very close to people’s
feet. Who would want to eat with someone’s stinky feet nearby? If I invited you
to my house to eat, the very first thing I would do is give you a kiss on the
cheek. Then I would either give you water to wash your feet, ask a servant to
do it, or if you were an important guest, I might even wash your feet for you.
Then I would give you some perfumed ointment to put on your head in case you
were hot and sweaty. In today’s story Jesus was invited to someone’s house for
a meal. Let’s find out what happened...
One day Jesus was invited to eat at the home of a Pharisee. Who knows what the word Pharisee means? Pharisees were religious men who liked to
obey lots of rules. They obeyed all the rules in the Old Testament Law. Not
only that, they obeyed all the rules that other religious people made up.
Pharisees talked so much about obeying rules that they forgot to think about
God. They thought all the rules were more important than God. They did not like anyone who did not obey
rules just like them.
Jesus met a Pharisee named Simon. Simon invited Jesus to his house to eat.
When Jesus arrived at Simon’s house Simon did not give him a kiss. Simon did
not give Jesus water to wash his feet with. Simon did not offer Jesus perfumed
oil to put on his head. Jesus reclined on the cushion anyway. Other very
important guests were eating with Simon also.
Someone else came to Simon’s house. But Simon had not invited her. The
person that came in was not someone who liked to obey rules like Simon. This
was a woman who had been very bad. Everyone knew that this was a sinful woman.
Why do you think she was there?
The sinful woman did not come to see Simon. She knew Simon would not help
her. She was sorry for the bad things and she had done. She believed that Jesus
could forgive her of her sins.
While everyone was eating, the woman came and knelt on the floor behind
Jesus. She was so sorry for her sins that she began to cry. When she saw that
Jesus’ feet had not been washed, she used her tears to wash his feet. She did
not have a towel but she used her long hair to dry Jesus’ feet. Then she took
her jar of perfume and put it on Jesus feet.
Simon could not believe what he was seeing! He thought to himself, “How
dare this woman come into my house! How dare Jesus let her touch him, much less
wash his feet? Didn’t Jesus know about following rules? Jesus must not be a
true teacher.” But Simon did not say one word out loud. He only thought these
things to himself.
Jesus could read Simon’s mind. He decided to tell Simon a story. “Simon,”
Jesus said, “once two men borrowed money. One borrowed 500 denarii (denarii is
a kind of money - pretend it’s 50 dollars) and the other fifty denarii (pretend
it’s 5 dollars). After a while, the lender told the men that they did not have
to pay him back. They could keep the money. Which of those men do you think
loved the money lender the most?
Simon, “The man who owed the most money would be the happiest. He would
love the money lender the most.” Jesus
said, “you’re right. See this
woman? She is like the man who owed 500
denarii - or $50. She has done many bad things.
She loves me so much that she kissed my feet and washed them, and put
oil on them. She loves me so much
because I forgave her so much…. Simon,
you are like the man who owed only $5.
You asked me to your house but you did not kiss my cheek or wash my feet
or give me oil for my head. You only
love me a little, because you were only forgiven a little.”
Then he told the woman, “I forgive you of all of the sins you have done.
Now you can go in peace.”
Group Activity
(get a cross big enough to hold several sticky notes)
We want to show you, by using this cross, how is it that this woman loved
Jesus so much? Wasn’t she bad? How could someone who is bad love Jesus?
Let’s see. Let’s pretend we can
count her sins. For each sin, we'll put
a sticky note on the cross - then you can all see it. (Ask children to put the
notes on the cross as you write them)
1. When she played a game, she cheated.
2. Before she ate, she did not wash her hands.
3. She did not obey her mom.
4. She did not obey her dad.
5. She didn’t work hard. She let
other people do all the work.
6. She made fun of other people.
So what did Jesus do with her sins?
Doesn’t she have to be punished for them? No, Jesus decided to take her
punishment. He hung on a cross - he took
those sins with him on the cross.
Jesus took her punishment. How many sins did Jesus take from this
woman? 6
Let’s see how many sins Simon has.
Simon was good. He doesn’t think
he has any sins. Does anyone know what
sin that is?? Pride.
1. Simon didn’t think he had any sins.
How many sins is that? 1
Jesus said, he forgave both people.
Let’s put Simon’s sin on the cross too.
Do you see why the woman loved him more?
It was because she had more sins!
When she was washing his feet, she was saying thank you. She said thank you at least 6 times.
Jesus loves to save people . He
wants to save people that are really bad, because they will love him a
lot.
Art Activity
You could make a cross with two pieces of paper. Cut them out, and glue them.
Then you can take crepe paper or thin paper and scrunch it up to show your
sins. See if you can think of a sin you have done. The more sins you can think
of, the more you will love Jesus! Jesus took all your sins on the cross. Those
sins do not count anymore. He loves you. You can love him, too.
