A Children’s Sermon on Luke 10:1-15

Preface for Pastors and Parents

Here’s my children’s sermon on Luke 10:1-15. That’s the Gospel reading assigned by the Revised Common Lectionary for the 14th Sunday after Pentecost, aka Proper 19(24) in Year C.

The story contains two lovely parables. I was tempted to go my usual route, which would be to focus entirely on one of the parables, expanding it into a more complete story.

I really don’t want to talk to kids about Judean tax collectors in terms of the occupation of Rome and its corrupt financial system. I want to talk about the fact that nobody liked them. Every kid knows there are kids nobody likes.

And I don’t want to talk about Phaisees in terms of their adherence to the finer points of the law of Moses as interpreted by Rabbinic scholars. I want to describe them for what we see: They are grumpy, judgy people.

You can let me know wether you like those choices in the comments or by email. Meanwhile, enjoy my children’s sermon on Luke 10:1-15.

A Children’s Sermon on Luke 10:1-15

Good morning kids! I am so happy to see you. It is terrific that you are here in worship this morning. And I’m especially glad that you came up to hear the children’s sermon.

I wonder if you’ve ever met someone that no one seemed to like. Maybe in school, or maybe in your neighborhood. Or maybe at scouts or your sports team.

Back in the time of Jesus there was one particular group of people that almost nobody liked. It was people who had the job of collecting taxes for the government.

Now there are lots of reasons people don’t like certain kinds of people.

• When I was little, a lot of people didn’t like me because I was too small.
• But I knew kids who had a hard time making friends because they were too big.
• I knew someone who had a hard time because her skin was too brown.
• And I knew someone who had a hard time because his skin was too white.
• Some kids have a hard time because other kids don’t like the country their parents come from, or where their family goes to worship.

Honestly there are so many reasons people don’t like other people that it’s kind of crazy.

But in Jesus’ time, pretty much nobody liked tax collectors

Except Jesus. 

Tax Collectors

One day Jesus found a man named Matthew working in his office as a tax collector. 

Jesus went right up to him and said “Hey, you want to come with me? You can be one of my Apostles!”

“That sounds wonderful,” sighed Matthew, “but I can’t.”

“Why not?” asked Jesus.

“Because I’m a tax collector.” Matthew said. “Nobody likes me.”

“I like you,” Jesus said, “Come and follow me. Someday you can write a book about all the things we do together and everyone will think you’re great!” 

And he did. Matthew the tax collector wrote one of the four books in the Bible about the life of Jesus.

Then one day Jesus and his friends were walking down the street. There was a big crowd, because everybody wanted to see Jesus.

But there was one man, a tax collector named Zacchaeus who was so short that he couldn’t see at all. So the tax collector named Zacchaeus climbed up a tree beside the road.

When Jesus looked up, there was Zacchaeus the tax collector! 

Jesus said “Hi, Zacchaeus! Come down from there! I want to eat dinner at your house tonight.”

And that’s what they did. 

Friends

So then, Zacchaeus and Matthew were talking.

“So you’re a tax-collector too?” asked Zacchaeus.

“Yeah!” said Matthew. “At least I used to be. Now I’m working with Jesus full time. You too?”

“Actually, I’m still a tax collector,” said Zacchaeus. “Boy, I was so surprised Jesus wanted to eat at my house. Usually people won’t even talk with me.” 

“I know! Right?” said Matthew.

Well, Matthew and Zacchaeus did know some other people. Other tax collectors of course. So they both told their tax collector friends about Jesus.

“What?” one asked. “You mean Jesus talked with you?”

“What?” another asked. “Jesus ate at your house?”

“Yeah!” said Zacchaeus. “And he’s coming over again tonight. You wanna come?”

“Sure!” said the tax collectors.

So that night Jesus ate with a whole houseful of tax collectors.

Jesus told them stories. They all told Jesus about their lives. And they had a great time together. In fact they had so much fun that people could hear them talking and laughing from way down the street. 

Complaints

While Jesus was talking and laughing with his tax collector friends, there was a knock at the door.

When Zacchaeus opened the door there were some grumpy judgy people outside.

“Jesus!” called the grumpy judgy people. “What do you think you’re doing?!?”

“Hi guys!” said Jesus. “I’m having dinner with some friends. You want to join us?”

“No!” said the grumpy judgy people. “You are eating with tax collectors! We don’t even speak to tax collectors. You should only hang out with good, respectable, cool people!”

“Actually,” said Jesus, “I get to hang out with anyone I want to. Plus, these guys are great. But you know, nobody is ever very nice to them.”

“That’s not the point!” said the grumpy judgy people. “These tax collectors—they’re terrible. They’re losers!”

“They really aren’t losers,” said Jesus. “It’s more like they were lost. I really like them. So I came to find them.”

“What do you mean?” asked the grumpy judgy people.

Jesus said, “let me tell you a story.”

A Story

Once upon a time there was a shepherd. He had a flock of 100 sheep. One night as they came into the sheepfold, the shepherd counted them to make sure they were all safe and sound.

“96, 97, 98, 99— Hey! Where’s Beatrix?!” said the shepherd.

So he closed the gate to keep the 99 sheep safe, and he went out to find his lost sheep. 

He looked everywhere the sheep had been that day. He looked in the pastures. He looked by the lakeshore, He looked along the rocky cliffs. Finally he heard something.

“Baa! Baa! Baa!”

So the shepherd followed the sound and, what do you know? There was his lost sheep!

“Beatrix!” said the shepherd. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”  Then he put Beatrix the sheep on his shoulders and carried her home.

He told all the sheep “Our friend Beatrix is back safe and sound!”

He told his own friends, “My sheep was lost but I searched and searched and found her! Isn’t that great?”

And Jesus said, “Then all the people were happy. And all the sheep were happy. And that’s what it feels like in heaven when I find one of my lost sheep.”

Wondering

I wonder how the judgy grumpy people felt when Jesus still wanted to be with the tax collectors?

I wonder if you’ve ever felt like you were lost and alone?

I wonder how Jesus feels about the people in our lives that nobody wants to be around?

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You are, of course, free to use this children’s sermon, or adapt it as you find most useful. But, if you use it, please do one (or more!) of the following.

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