Luke 18

Continue the conversation throughout the week with your kids by asking them questions pertaining to the lesson from Sunday at Redemption Kids.

The questions asked below were asked on Sunday during our time at Redemption Kids. Take some time to read the passage together, discuss the questions, watch a BRAND NEW video of the lesson, memorize the Bible verse, and remember the big idea of this week!

Ask the Questions

Bigs Discussion Questions

What was your favorite part of today’s Bible story?
Luke 18 In today’s Bible story, Jesus met with a group of people who thought they were better than everyone else. Jesus told them a story to teach them a lesson. “Two men went into the temple to pray,” Jesus said. “One man was a religious leader.” Religious leaders tried hard to make God love them. They tried to follow all the rules. They even made up new rules to follow. “The other man was a tax collector,” Jesus said. Many tax collectors were unfair and dishonest. People usually did not like tax collectors. “At the temple, the religious leader stood alone and prayed. ‘God, I thank You that I am not like that tax collector. To show You respect, I tithe, giving You one-tenth of what I have. The tax collector prayed, ‘Have mercy on me, God! I am a sinner!’ ” The religious leader’s prayer was very different from the tax collector’s prayer. Jesus said that God was happy with the tax collector, and He forgave him. But God was not happy with the religious leader. Jesus said, “If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you are humble, God will honor you.”
What did you learn about God in today’s Bible story?
God was happy with the tax collector’s prayer because he was humble and asked for mercy and God forgave him. God honors the humble. God already knows what we deserve, but He stands ready to give us mercy when we ask Him to rescue us.
In Jesus’ story, which man did God forgive?
God forgave the tax collector. The tax collector’s prayer shows that he understood how holy God is and how sinful we are. The tax collector was sorry for the wrong things he did and asked God to show him mercy.
What is mercy? Mercy is when God does not give us the punishment that we deserve.

Elementary Discussion Questions

Why did Jesus tell the parable?
Remind kids that Jesus told the parable to those who were confident in their own righteousness and looked down on others. The parable is also a reminder to us. We can have pride at times and need to listen to Jesus’ teaching on the mercy God gives. (Option: Read Luke 18:9.)
What were the differences in how each person prayed in the parable?
Point out that the Pharisee stood alone and prayed. He boasted in his prayer. He talked about his righteousness and the sin of everyone else. The tax collector stood at a distance. He asked God for mercy and said he was a sinner. (Option: Read Luke 18:9-13.)
What happens to the prideful and the humble person?
Lead kids to understand that the prideful person will be humbled. The humble person will be exalted. God will justify the humble. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. (Option: Read Luke 18:14; Jas 4:6.)