Jesus Teaches on the Hill

Five-minute object lesson

Prop: a salt shaker and a flashlight

Hold up a salt shaker and a flashlight. In about five minutes, tell the class this: On a hillside, Jesus blesses the unlikely and teaches people how to shine, pray, and trust. Show the prop and ask, “What does this have to do with Jesus Teaches on the Hill?” Let two children answer. Then read Matthew 5:16 together: “Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Close by asking one child to say the lesson back in their own words, using the prop.

Story script

Crowds followed Jesus, so he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered, and he taught them. He surprised everyone by blessing people the world overlooks: the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers. God’s kingdom turns trophies upside down.

He said his followers are the light of the world, like a city on a hill or a lamp on a stand. You do not light a lamp and hide it under a bowl. He taught them to love enemies, to pray simply — “Our Father in heaven” — and not to show off their gifts. He said not to worry, because the Father who feeds birds knows what children need.

He finished with a picture. A wise person hears his words and does them, like a builder who puts a house on rock. A foolish person hears and does not do them, like a house on sand. Storms come to both houses. The difference is the foundation.

Pick one teaching for this week: be a peacemaker, pray the Lord’s Prayer, or do one hidden kindness. Hearing is the start. Doing is the rock under the house.

Open the bedtime version