Jesus was the Son of God, and He had manyimportant things He wanted to tell people.

He told them about God His Father, andabout the kingdom of heaven. He also taughtthe people about Himself. He gave Himselfdifferent names to describe who He was andwhat He could do.

Jesus told a story about a shepherd who hadone hundred sheep. One evening the shepherdrealized that one of his sheep was missing. Al-though he still had ninety-nine sheep, the shep-herd did not want to lose even one.

Leaving his flock, the shepherdwent looking for the sheep thatwas lost. He wanted to find itbefore some hungry animaldid.

In the story, the shep-herd found the sheep andbrought it back to safety.He called his neighborsand told them, “Celebratewith me, for I’ve foundmy lost sheep.”

Jesus told the peoplethat He was the GoodShepherd. Like the shep-herd who cares for hissheep, Jesus cares for us. Likethe shepherd who went lookingfor his lost sheep, Jesus doesn’twant us to be lost in sin or lonelywithout Him. Jesus said that as ourGood Shepherd, He would give His lifeto help us.

In those days, a shepherd kept his sheep ina sheepfold during the night.The sheepfoldhad walls that kept the sheep safe from hungry

animals like wolves. “I am the Door of thesheepfold,” Jesus told the people.

Jesus is like a door because no one can enterthe safety of the sheepfold unless they knowJesus. No one can be in the kingdom of heavenunless they believe in Jesus.

One time Jesus took five loaves of bread andtwo fish and made them into a meal that fed acrowd of over 5,000 people. After that miracle,the people wanted to make Jesus into a king.Jesus didn’t let them; He slipped off to be alone.

The next day, crowds of people searched forJesus.When they found Him, Jesus

told them, “You’re looking forMe only because you got agood meal yesterday.”Heknew that most of themwere not serious aboutlearning from Him.

Jesus kept talking.He told the people, “Icame down fromHeaven to give life tothe world. I am theBread of Life. He thatcomes to Me will neverget hungry. Everyonewho believes in Me willlive forever.”Many of the people lis-

tening didn’t understand Jesus.At first they thought Jesus meant

He would give them a special kind ofbread that would enable them to live forever.But Jesus didn’t mean that.

All of us need food to live, and Jesus wassaying that He is like bread because He bringslife. Just like food gives us energy, Jesus gives us

22

Luke 15:1-7; John 6; 9:1-7; 10:1-18

JJeessuuss TTeeaacchheess WWhhoo HHee IIss66

23

Lesson 6

strength to do what is right. And without Jesus,we would not be able to have the life that lastsforever. We would not be able to live forever inHeaven.

Later, Jesus met a man who had been blindfrom the day he was born. This man hadlived in darkness all his life. Jesusbrought light to the man by healinghis eyes. Jesus told His disciples, “Iam the Light of the world.”

Jesus taught that wrong andevil are like darkness. A personwho does things he knows iswrong is like a person walkingin darkness. Walking in the dark

makes it easy to become lost and afraid, becausethere is no light to see by.

When we obey Jesus, He brings light to ourhearts. Like light chases away the dark, the sinin our hearts is taken away. Instead of doingwrong things, we now love to do good for otherpeople. When we do good things, there is lessdarkness and more light in the world. That iswhat Jesus wants.

There are many names for Jesusin the Bible. Jesus told us these

names to help us understandHim better. As we under-stand more about Him, wecan better follow Him.

I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:12

Memory Verse

but shall have

the light of life. his life will not be

sinful anymore.

I am the onewho brings understanding

to people’shearts.

Draw a line from each phrase to the box that best translates that phrase. Then use the newwords from the boxes to write the meaning of the verse on the lines below.

I am the light

of the world:

he that followeth me

shall not walkin darkness,

•

•

My powerto do right.

Instead, hewill have

If a personobeys Me,•

•

••

24

Lesson 6

Rhyming Review of JesusFill in the blanks with words that complete the rhymes about Jesus.

1. Though with the people Jesus trod,

He surely is the .

2. Good shepherds go to any cost

To save each single lamb that’s .

3. So Jesus will do all He can

To rescue every sinful .

4. And He can keep us rescued, for,

He’s both the shepherd and the .

5. More than five thousand Jesus fed

With just a bit of fish and .

6. For fish and bread and good teaching,

The people tried to crown Him .

7. This hungry world is full of strife,

But Jesus is the .

8. “Light of the world” and “Lord of Right,”

Jesus gave the blind man .

9. Since Jesus is both Bread and Light,

He gives us power to do what’s .

10. Then, entering the Shepherd’s Door,

We’ll live with Him for .

25

Lesson 6

* For more activities on Lesson 6, turn to pages 52–53.

Jesus Is . . .Use words from the shaded strip to create mini-crosswords.

1.

AW

Y

RT

UTH

Use the words from each mini-crossword to write a sentence telling what Jesus meant whenHe said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

1. The way:

2. The truth:

3. The life:

Map ItUse the map on page 62 to complete the exercises.

• The Bible says that Jesus sometimes traveled and taught in the desert east of the JordanRiver. Color the area east of the Jordan a pale orange.

2.

L

FE

3.

COMPLETE DIE HEAVEN NEVER TAUGHT

26

Jesus was always kind and helpful to theneedy, but in His wisdom He didn’t alwaysoffer the kind of help people wanted.

One time a man wanted Jesusto help him get some moneyfrom his brother who had justreceived an inheritance. Jesusrefused to get involved. In-stead, He told the man towatch out for jealousy andselfishness. “Your life isnot valued by how muchyou own,” Jesus said.

Jesus went on to tell aparable. With the parable Heshowed that there is somethingmore important than money.

The main character of the parable was a richman whose farm had yielded a plentiful harvest.The farmer’s barns weren’t big enough to holdall the crops. “What should I do?” the manwondered.

He decided to tear down his old barns andbuild bigger ones. With so much stored up, helooked forward to living a life of ease andpleasure.

But God told the rich man, “You are a fool.Tonight you will die, and what good will yourriches be to you then?”

Jesus ended the parable by saying, “If you layup treasure for yourself, but are not rich towardGod, you are like the rich man.” The selfish-ness of the farmer showed that he was notobeying God.

Many times Jesus talked about money andpossessions with His followers. He taught thatmoney and the other things we own are giftsfrom God to share with others.

To show us that we do not need to worryabout having enough, Jesus talked about nature.“God feeds the birds, and you are much morevaluable than birds to God,” Jesus said. “Andlook at the lilies,” Jesus added. “They don’t workfor a living, yet God gives them life and beauty.How much more will God care for you?”

Jesus reminded His listeners that God caresabout them. “Do your best to obey kingdom rulesand God will give you everything you need.”

Jesus instructed the people to give money tothe poor. He said that was a way to gain re-wards in Heaven. That kind of reward cannever be stolen like money can be. “It will be atreasure in Heaven that never fails,” Jesus said.

Another time, Jesus told about another richman who neglected to help a poor man wholived nearby. The rich man wore expensiveclothes and ate fine food every day.

A beggar, whose name was Lazarus, lay out-side the gates of the rich man’s estate every day

Luke 12:13-34; 16:19-31

Jesus Warns About Money and Possessions77

27

Lesson 7

to beg for food. Lazarus was a sick man, anddogs came and licked his sores.

One day Lazarus died. Angels carried himto Heaven, where he rested in comfort.

Soon afterward, the rich man died and wasburied. Instead of being carried away by an-gels, he found himself in a terrible placeof torture. Looking up from Hell,he saw Lazarus far away, safe withAbraham—a man who lived forGod long before.

“Father Abraham, have mercy on me,”the rich man cried. “Send Lazarus here, that hemay dip the tip of his finger in water, and coolmy tongue, for I am tormented in flames.”

Abraham refused. “Son,” he replied, “remem-ber how rich you were all your life, and the good

things you enjoyed, while Lazarus suffered andbegged for crumbs at your gate? Now he iscomforted and you are tormented. Besides all

that, there is a great gulf be-tween us, and we are un-able to cross and help you.”

The sad fate of the richman who didn’t care about

other people warns us that we shouldalways be ready to share the good things

we have with people who need them.Jesus said that anyone who gives up wealth

or possessions for the kingdom of God will berepaid with far greater things in Heaven. Aheavenly treasure is worth far more than atreasure on earth.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world,and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 1 Timothy 6:6, 7

Memory Verse

For we broughtnothing intothis world,

and it is certain

we can carrynothing out.

and being satisfied withwhat we have

Obeying God

Draw a line from each phrase to the box that best translates that phrase. Then use the newwords from the boxes to write the meaning of the verse on the lines below.

But godliness

with contentment

is great gain. •and certainly

we can’t take any-thing with uswhen we die.

is a greattreasure,•

•

•

•

for we ownednothing beforewe were born

•

God or Riches?To discover a kingdom rule about God and the love of riches, cross out every F, I, J, K, P, Q, R,S, W, X, and Z. Write the remaining letters in order on the lines.

SS FF JJ KK YY ZZ OO II

UU XX CC QQ PP AA WW KK

WW NN ZZ NN RR PP SS OO

QQ TT PP LL KK OO QQ ZZ

VV RR JJ EE FF BB XX OO

RR WW TT II HH GG SS JJ

XX OO WW PP RR QQ DD AA

NN II ZZ DD MM FF OO FF

NN KK XX RR JJ EE XX YY

28

Lesson 7

.

Treasures In HeavenGo to page 67 and remove the section for Lesson 7. Follow the instructions to make a fold-up message about true riches.

29

Lesson 7

* For more activities on Lesson 7, turn to pages 54–55.

How We Handle Riches Will Affect Us ForeverMatch the causes with their effects.

1. Jesus knew the man loved his thingsmore than he loved his brother, so . . .

2. The rich farmer thought he was incontrol of his own life and future, so . . .

3. God wants to give us everything weneed, so . . .

4. The rich man cared more for himselfthan for the beggar at his gate, so . . .

5. A man who gives up wealth for thekingdom of God . . .

6. If godly people are content withwhat they have, . . .

A. . . . gains treasure in Heaven.

B. . . . He warned him about selfishness andjealousy.

C. . . . he found himself in a place of torturewhen he died.

D. . . . we don’t need to worry about havingenough.

E. . . . he planned to build more barns andlive in pleasure.

F. . . . God will bless them with far greaterthings in Heaven.

Map ItUse the map on page 62 to complete the exercises.

• Find the scale of miles. Use it to estimate how far it was to walk from Nazareth in Galilee toBethany in Judaea. About miles.

• If a man can walk about 20 miles in one day, how long did it take Jesus and His disciples towalk from Nazareth to Bethany if they didn’t stop along the way, except to sleep? About

days.