Key Verse
And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
—Mark 4:9
Key Verse Thought: Read today’s Key Verse. Everyone has ears. What do we use our ears for? (i.e.: to hear; hold glasses; etc.). We are to understand the primary purpose for our ears is to hear. In this lesson, we will learn that Jesus taught by parables. Parables are “earthly stories with heavenly meanings.” Jesus wanted His followers to understand His teachings. He wanted them to put on their “spiritual ears” and not only hear what He taught, but to do what He taught.
Emphasis: In this lesson, we are to understand that God’s Word is the seed and once the seed is planted, it is to grow, producing fruit. That means that once we hear about Jesus and become a Christian, we are to live a life pleasing to Him. Christians have the ears that are to hear the truths taught by Jesus and live accordingly.
Lesson Summary: In our last lesson, we learned about a few of the miracles of Jesus. In those miracles we saw the compassion of Jesus and the call to faith – to believe in Jesus.
In this lesson, we will learn that Jesus taught in parables. Parables are often referred to as “earthly stories with heavenly meanings.” Jesus told many parables, but we will only look at a few today: the Sower and the seed; the parable of the Good Shepherd; the parable of the Good Samaritan; the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son; ending with the parable of the prayer of the Pharisee and the publican.
In the first parable Jesus taught (the Sower and the seed), it revealed that Jesus is the Sower, and the seed is the Word of God. The people who received the Word of God grew and produced fruit. He ended with the phrase, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” for it was a call for anyone who would to receive God’s word and be saved. When the disciples asked why Jesus taught in parables, Jesus explained it to them. He wanted His followers to understand what He was teaching.
Some of today’s parables may be familiar to you, but try to understand what Jesus was teaching his followers. Even those who did not fully understand were called to make a decision – to follow Jesus and His teachings, or not. In these parables Jesus taught not only how be saved, but that once saved, a Christian is to grow. Jesus also taught there is only one way to Heaven – Jesus.
Y3Q1 – Lesson 6 Questions
Y3Q1 – Lesson 6 Children’s Worksheets
If you are teaching this to younger children, we planted seeds in a small pot for this lesson to remind them of the parable of “The Sower and the Seed.”