Teach Them Jesus with Building Bricks
The Friends Who Opened the Roof
Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26; Galatians 6:2 New Testament PrincipleFriendship
Four friends couldn't get their paralyzed friend to Jesus, so they opened the roof and lowered him down. Jesus forgave his sins and then healed him. Real friends carry each other to Jesus, because Jesus carries our biggest burden.
Jesus carries our heaviest burden, our sin, and forgives us. Because He does, we carry one another and bring our friends to Him.
- CreationGod made it
- FallWe broke it
- RedemptionJesus fixes it (this lesson)
- RestorationJesus makes it new
Memory verse
“Carry one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
Galatians 6:2 BSB
The Big Story · Redemption
Sin broke everything, our bodies and our hearts. Jesus came with authority to forgive sins and to heal, a preview of the day He will make all things new.
Teacher Guide
This version includes:
- Background and context for the passage
- Hidden in Plain Sight: the detail most people miss
- The Christ Connection: how this story points to Jesus
- A 45-minute class plan and prep checklist
- Object lesson: Through the roof
- Ellie’s Lab (science experiment): Four threads
- A skit to act out the story
- Review game: Carry the verse
- Pronunciation help, tips for every age, song ideas and a note for parents
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Preschool (ages 3–5)
Friends bring friends to Jesus!
This version includes:
- An opening hook and a 4-minute Bible story written for this age
- 3 discussion questions
- 2 activities: Carry your friend, Color the four friends
- 5 “Dasch Digs Up” facts
- Real-life connections: with friends, at church
- Song ideas, Live It, a prayer, and a printable student handout (preview below)
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
Free preview · Kindergarten – 2nd grade
Four friends opened a roof to bring their friend to Jesus. Jesus forgave his sins and healed him. Good friends carry each other to Jesus.
Start here
Build a little house and surround it with a "crowd" of bricks. Put a minifigure on a mat outside. Ask, "How can this man get to the person inside? The door is blocked!" Let kids give ideas. Say, "Today four friends found a way nobody expected!"
Bible story 6 min
Jesus came home to the town of Capernaum. People heard He was there. They came and filled the house. There was no room, not even by the door!
Four men came, carrying their friend on a mat. Their friend could not walk.
They could not get in. So they climbed up on the flat roof. They dug a hole in it! Then they let their friend down on his mat, right in front of Jesus.
The rest of the story, discussion questions, songs, Live It and prayer are for members.
Try an activity
Open the roof 10 min
You’ll need: A tub of building bricks, Baseplates, A minifigure or small brick person
- Each child (or pair) builds a small house with a flat roof made of plates.
- Take turns lifting off a roof plate and lowering a minifigure on a mat into the house.
- Each time, say what Jesus said, "Son, your sins are forgiven. Get up and walk!"
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
3rd – 4th grade
Four friends refused to let a crowd stop them from bringing their paralyzed friend to Jesus. Jesus forgave the man's sins and healed him to prove He has God's authority. Because Jesus carries our biggest burden, we carry one another to Him.
This version includes:
- An opening hook and a 8-minute Bible story written for this age, with a Hidden in Plain Sight moment
- 5 discussion questions
- 2 activities: Four friends, one Jesus, Mat relay
- 5 “Dasch Digs Up” facts
- Real-life connections: with friends, at school, at church
- Song ideas, Live It, a prayer, and a printable student handout (preview below)
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
5th – 6th grade
The four friends' faith brought a paralyzed man to Jesus, and Jesus met his deepest need first by forgiving his sins, then healed him to prove He holds God's own authority. Because Christ carried our greatest burden, we carry one another to Him.
This version includes:
- An opening hook and a 10-minute Bible story written for this age, with a Hidden in Plain Sight moment
- 6 discussion questions
- 2 activities: Who can forgive sins?, My four friends
- 5 “Dasch Digs Up” facts
- Real-life connections: with friends, online and on screens, at church
- Song ideas, Live It, a prayer, and a printable student handout (preview below)
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
More lessons on Friendship
The same principle in other Bible stories.
Seeing God's WorldReal Friends in a Screen WorldDaniel 3:1-30; Daniel 2:17-18; Hebrews 10:24-25When King Nebuchadnezzar ordered everyone to bow to a giant gold statue, three friends stood together and trusted God. God was with them in the fiery furnace and brought them out without even the smell of smoke. Real friends help each other stand for God, and screens can't replace them.Old TestamentFriendship
Kings and ProphetsDavid and Jonathan1 Samuel 18:1-4; 1 Samuel 19:1-7; 1 Samuel 20:1-42Jonathan, the king's son, became David's loyal friend, gave up his own claim to the throne, and protected David from King Saul, pointing to Jesus, the Friend who laid down His life for us.Old TestamentFriendship