💪 WHOLESOME STRENGTH: SEEN AND RESTORED
The Story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10)
👉 Objective:
The children will understand that God sees and loves them even when they make mistakes or feel small. They will learn, through Zacchaeus, that trying hard to be close to Jesus can help them be brave and kind to others.
🟦 Introduction (5 minutes)
- Good morning, everyone! Let us start by making the Sign of the Cross and thank God for this wonderful day He has given us.
- Today, we’re going to hear a very special story about a man named Zacchaeus. Has anyone ever felt like they were too small to see something exciting, or maybe felt a little bit shy or not good enough to be noticed? Imagine trying to see your favourite superhero or a big parade in a huge crowd, but you’re just too short! That’s kind of how Zacchaeus felt. He was also a tax collector (a persons who collects money for the government) but also collected more money than he should have so people didn’t like him very much. But Jesus saw him!
📖 The Storytelling (5min)
You can animate the story (by downloading and reading the adapted version) or invite them to watch the video from the PowerPoint: The Story of Zacchaeus
After the story, ask the children to quickly tell the story in their own words. The children can act out the story while you say it in your own words.
Here you can use an interactive activity so that students become more engaged with the story before briefly discussing some important points.
🎭 Interactive Activity (10 minutes) – Climbing the Tree Role-Play:
Objective: To help children understand Zacchaeus’s effort to overcome challenges and connect it to their own lives.
Instructions:
- Divide the children into small groups (e.g., 3-4 children per group).
- Ask each group to create a short skit where they act out the story of Zacchaeus climbing the tree. Encourage them to show how hard he tried!
- After the role-play, discuss briefly: Zacchaeus found it hard to climb the tree to see Jesus (to do something good). Do you find it difficult to do something good? Discuss these examples: sharing toys, saying sorry, behave even when you want to do something else, put away your toys and clear up your own mess.
- Discuss how, like Zacchaeus, they can make an effort to overcome these obstacles, even if it means doing something difficult or unusual. For example: Overcoming shyness to whisper or draw prayers to God; forgiving friends even when it’s hard; being kind even when others are not; asking for help with difficult lessons instead of giving up.
🟦 Brief Discussion of the story (7 minutes) – use the PowerPoint
Use these questions for a brief discussion:
- Why do you think Zacchaeus climbed the tree?
- He was short and couldn’t see over the crowd. He really, really wanted to see Jesus! He was determined to find a way to see Jesus, even if it meant climbing a tree.
- How do you think Zacchaeus felt when Jesus went to his house?
- Surprised! Jesus was a very important person. Happy and excited, because he probably didn’t expect Jesus to notice him. Maybe a little nervous, because he knew he hadn’t always been a very good person.
- Why did the crowd grumble when Jesus said He was going to Zacchaeus’s house?
- Because Zacchaeus was a tax collector, and some people thought he wasn’t a good person. They didn’t think Jesus should spend time with someone like Zacchaeus. But Jesus loves everyone!
- How did Zacchaeus change after meeting Jesus?
- He decided to give half of his money to the poor people. He promised to pay back anyone he had cheated, four times over! He became a better person. He showed that he was truly sorry for his past actions and wanted to make things right.
- Why did Jesus choose to visit Zacchaeus?
- Jesus wanted to help Zacchaeus, to offer him forgiveness, and to show that God’s love is for everyone, especially those who feel left out or have made mistakes. Jesus saw how much Zacchaeus wanted to see Him, and that made Jesus want to reach out to him.
🟦 Conclusion (2 minutes)
Summary: Just like Zacchaeus, we all have things we need to work on, but God sees us, loves us, and wants to be close to us. When we try our best to get closer to Him and show love to others, amazing and wonderful things can happen!
🙏 Prayer: Dear God, thank you for seeing us and loving us, just as you loved Zacchaeus. Help us to be brave like Zacchaeus, to show kindness and love to everyone around us. Amen.
💪WHOLESOME STRENGTH – SEEN AND RESTORED
The Story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1–10)
👉 Objective:
The students will be able to understand that God sees and loves them despite their shortcomings and weaknesses. They will be able to recognise, through the story of Zacchaeus, how encountering Jesus can inspire them to overcome obstacles and show kindness to others.
🟦 Introduction (5 minutes)
• Good morning, everyone! Let’s begin by making the Sign of the Cross and thanking God for the gift of this day.
• Today we are going to hear a story about a man named Zacchaeus. Have you ever felt too small or not good enough to get other people’s attention? Imagine trying to see your favorite superhero in the middle of a big crowd, but you’re too short to be noticed! That’s exactly how Zacchaeus felt when he couldn’t see Jesus. What kind of work Zacchaeus do? He was a tax collector for the government, and sometimes he collected more than he should have! Because of this, many people didn’t like him.
📖 The Storytelling (5 min)
You can animate the story (by downloading and reading the adapted version attached) or invite them to watch the video from the powerpoint: The Story of Zacchaeus (5 minutes)
After you can use an interactive activity so that students become more engaged with the story before briefly discussing some important points.
🎨 Activity – “Seen and Loved” Art Project: (10 min)
Objective: To reflect on the feeling of being seen and loved by God despite their shortcomings.
Materials: Paper, crayons, markers, stickers.
Instructions:
- Have each child draw a picture of themselves near a tree.
- Encourage them to write or draw something they feel insecure about on the trunk of the tree (e.g., “I’m not good at sports,” “I get angry sometimes”).
- Then, have them decorate themselves with bright colours and stickers to show how God sees them as special and loved despite their insecurities. We all have to make an effort for our goodness to shine bright to overcome those things that make us insecure.
- Discuss:
- How does it feel to know that God sees you and loves you, even when you don’t feel perfect? How can you show love to others, even when they have shortcomings?
- How can you show kindness and love to those around you, just like Jesus did for Zacchaeus? (Invite someone who is sitting alone to play with you; Help a classmate who is struggling with their work; accept others who is different from you.)
🟦 Discussion of the story: (10 min)
Ask the students to say the story in their own words briefly. Discuss the following questions:
1 Why do you think Zacchaeus climbed the tree?
He was short and couldn’t see over the crowd. He really wanted to see Jesus. He was determined to find a way to see Jesus despite the obstacles.
2 How do you think Zacchaeus felt when Jesus invited himself to his house?
Surprised, because Jesus was a famous and important person. Happy and excited, because he probably didn’t expect Jesus to notice him. Maybe a little nervous, because he knew he wasn’t a very good person.
3. Why did the crowd grumble when Jesus said he was going to Zacchaeus’s house?
Because Zacchaeus was a tax collector, and people didn’t like tax collectors. They thought he was a sinner. They didn’t think Jesus should be spending time with someone like Zacchaeus.
4. How did Zacchaeus change after meeting Jesus?
He decided to give half of his money to the poor. He promised to pay back anyone he had cheated. He became a better person. He showed that he was sorry for his past actions and wanted to make things right.
5. Why did Jesus choose to visit Zacchaeus?
To save a lost soul, offer forgiveness, transform his life, and show that God’s love is for everyone, especially those considered outcasts. Jesus noticed Zacchaeus’s effort to see him, which motivated Jesus to reach out.
🟦 Conclusion (2 minutes)
Summary: Just like Zacchaeus, we all have things we need to work on, but God sees us, loves us, and wants to be close to us. When we make an effort to get closer to Him and show love to others, amazing things can happen!
🙏 Prayer: Dear God, thank you for seeing us and loving us, just as you loved Zacchaeus. Help us to overcome our obstacles and show kindness to everyone around us. Amen.
💪 WHOLESOME STRENGTH: SEEN AND RESTORED
The story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10)
🟦 INTRODUCTION (5 mins)
1. Engaging Opener
- The animator begins by asking:
- 👉 “What comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘wholesome’?”
- Invite a few responses and affirm all contributions.
2. Link to the Series
- Explain that wholesome means “full, complete, and well-integrated.”
- The Wholesome Storytelling Series helps us explore how to become whole in:
💓 Heart
🧠 Mind
💪🏼 Body (Strength)
🔥Soul
3. Set the Scene
- “Today’s story is about strength – what comes to mind when you hear strength?”
- “Yes through the story of Zacchaeus, we will be hearing about physical strength but also about bodily limits — that we need not hide because there are better solutions that help us find new strength. We’re calling it: “Wholesome Strength: Seen and Restored.”
📖 FIRST READING (Luke 19:1–10) – Optional Full Reading (5 mins).
- Animator leads the Sign of the Cross and reads the passage from the Bible or screen.
- Then asks:
- “Have you heard this story before?”
- “What stood out to you?”
- Listen openly and without correcting — this moment is about encounter.
Introduce the 3 Core Points:
- Identifying our strengths and limits – we can improve ourselves without losing sight of what is good
- Allowing ourselves to be seen beyond our efforts – hidden from many, our needs are not invisible to God
- Our strength is made whole – responding from a position of having been seen and restored
🟪 PART 1 (2 mins) – Reading verses 1–4:
IDENTIFYING OUR STRENGTHS AND LIMITS – WE CAN IMPROVE OURSELVES WITHOUT LOSING
Animator’s Talking Points + Questions:
- Zacchaeus was curious to know more about Jesus and made a physical effort to see him by climbing a tree.
👉 What are your strengths? What effort can you ‘do’ to know more about Jesus or to improve yourself?
- Who was Zacchaeus? He had a lot of money but was short.
👉 We can be wealthy in many ways but we can also be short in many ways – say limits or needs. Reflect.
- Zacchaeus was a tax-collector, disliked by the people of his time and probably returned the compliment by stealing them.
👉 We tend to struggle with certain relationships or people – how do we deal with them? Do we tend to make it worse?
🌳 Activity: Trunks of Strength (3 mins):
- Give students a small paper tree (or ask them to draw it).
- Invite them to write a “strength” they could use or an “effort” they could make in pursuing the good at the trunk of the tree.
- These trees will be used later in the session.
🟨 PART 2 (2 mins) – Reading verse 5:
ALLOWING OURSELVES TO BE SEEN BEYOND OUR EFFORTS– HIDDEN FROM MANY, OUR NEEDS ARE NOT INVISIBLE TO GOD
Animator’s Talking Points + Questions:
- Zacchaeus climbs up the tree to see Jesus, but also to do so without being seen.
👉 Sometimes we tend to hide (or ignore) our needs (or values) to protect ourselves or to cope – What “tree” are you on in your life? How do you cope with your unmet needs or within a hostile environment?
- Jesus sees Zacchaeus and calls him by name to “come down.”
👉 Have you ever had someone truly see what you’re going through without you saying a word? Can you acknowledge a personal or relational need that you have?
🎭 Activity: Unmasked (3 mins):
- Invite students to acknowledge a personal or relational need they may be hiding or avoiding.
- Ask them to write it down on the leaves of the tree template.
🟩PART 3 (2 mins) – Reading verses 6–9:
OUR STRENGTH IS MADE WHOLE –RESPONDING FROM A POSITION OF HAVING BEEN SEEN AND RESTORED
Animator’s Talking Points + Questions:
- Zacchaeus felt safe to come down from the tree because Jesus saw him, without judgment.
👉 How would you feel if someone truly saw your needs or values or what you are going through and welcomed you? It could be someone caring enough to offer you help or someone you feel comfortable enough to reach-out to.
- Zacchaeus “stood up” as a sign of having been restored in strength.
👉 Who in your life is inviting you to stop hiding, so you can “stand up” and be counted?
- Addressing Jesus, Zacchaeus made amends, not out of weakness – because of pressure – but out of gratitude for the new strength received.
👉 Sometimes, we need to be restored first before we can help others. What emends would you do with regards to your relationship if you were given the strength or chance to do so?
🤝 Activity: Seen and Restored (3 mins):
- Invite students to turn to someone nearby.
- Each person can:
- Share the needs they wrote on their paper tree.
- Strengthen and pray for each other.
- Finish by writing on each other’s tree: “Seen and Restored.”
🙏 CLOSING
- Jesus wants to come to our house too: A short prayer of openness and restoration:
“Lord, even when we feel hidden, needy, or alone — You see us. You invite us to come down and walk with You. Thank You for offering restoration and strength. Help us to use that strength to care for others. Amen.”
