Luke 6
Explanation and Bible story for toddlers and preschoolers (ages 3-6)
The Explanation
It was a rest day. A quiet day.
In the village, nobody worked. No hammers. No shovels.
People walked to a big room to hear about God.
Inside it smelled of stone and dust. It was cool there.
A man sat on a bench. He was quiet.
He kept one hand under his coat. His right hand.
That hand did not work. It was small and stiff.
He could not hold a cup with it. Not a spoon.
Not the hand of a little child. Never.
Then Jesus came in. Jesus began to talk about God.
Some men watched Jesus. They watched with hard eyes.
They did not like Jesus. They wanted to catch Him out.
Jesus knew what they were thinking. Jesus always knows.
And Jesus looked at the man with the stiff hand.
"Stand up," said Jesus. "Come and stand here in the middle."
Ooh. Everybody was quiet. Very, very quiet.
The man stood up. He walked to the middle.
His hand was still hidden under his coat.
Jesus said, "Stretch out your hand."
What Does This Mean?
The man pulled his hand out from under his coat.
Slowly. He stretched it out. Right in front of Jesus.
And then… then his fingers moved!
They opened wide. All five of them.
His hand was strong and warm and good.
Just like his other hand. All better!
Maybe he clapped. Maybe he laughed out loud.
Jesus made his hand new again. On the quiet rest day.
Because Jesus loves doing good. Every single day.
The hard men were angry. Very angry.
But Jesus was not sorry. Jesus wanted to help.
The Common Thread
That evening Jesus walked up a mountain.
It got dark. The stars came out. It got cold.
And Jesus talked with God, His Father. All night long.
The whole night. Until the sun came up again.
In the morning Jesus came down. He called His friends.
Twelve friends. Peter and Andrew and John and more.
And so many people came! From near and far.
Sick people. Sad people. People with sore arms and legs.
They all wanted to touch Jesus. Just a little touch.
And Jesus made them better. All of them.
Then Jesus said something wonderful. "Are you sad? You will laugh."
"Are you hungry? You will be full."
Jesus said, "Be kind. Even to someone who is mean."
"Give things away. God gives you so much more back."
For You
Jesus told about two men who built houses.
One man dug deep. He built on hard rock.
The rain came. The water came rushing. Whoosh!
But that house stood still. It did not fall.
The other man built quickly on soft sand.
The water came. And his house fell down. Crash!
Do you want to be like the strong house?
Then listen to Jesus. And do what He says.
Be kind, like Jesus. Even when it is hard.
What could you give away today? A cookie? A turn?
Talk About It
Do you remember what Jesus said to the man? What did his hand do then?
Who could you be kind to today?
Praying Together
Dear Jesus, thank You for making that hand better.
Thank You that You are kind.
Help me to be kind too. Amen.
What others discovered
Notice what comes just before: "Don't judge... don't condemn... forgive." So the giving Jesus means is mercy handed out, not just money. And the picture is a grain seller pressing down, shaking, pouring till it spills into your lap. Ask yourself honestly what size cup you hold out to the person hardest to forgive. That same cup comes back to you.
If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same." Jesus strips away our polite religion here. Loving people who love you back is just trade. It costs nothing. He is asking for something wilder: goodness that flows toward those who cannot or will not repay. Who in your life falls into that category today?
Looking for something for slightly older children?
We also have dedicated versions for elementary age (7-12) and teens (12 and up).
Open in the Children's Bible tool
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