This is a re-write of the healing of the paralytic story, the none-translated version we used.
(Please note we have mostly younger children and the story reflects that, also note that we make the man dance at the end to tie in with the craft a little more, it’s not biblical, but artistic licence in the spirit of the passage)
A grumpy man lay on his mat outside in the street. It was hot and he was irritated because he knew Jesus had come to his town but he wouldn’t get to see him. He knew this because he couldn’t walk, he couldn’t move at all, he was paralysed. To make things worse he had to listen to all the people as they ran down the street talking about this man Jesus. “He is the most amazing teacher I’ve ever heard” one man said, “He can perform miracles” said another, “ he’s healed so many people” said yet another man as he too ran past. And so the man lay on his mat getting hotter and more irritated until as last he saw a familiar face, four familiar faces. “What are you doing here?” he asked “didn’t you want to hear Jesus?”, “Oh yes” they replied, “but when we got there we realised that you should meet him too” and they slipped long ropes under his man and carried him to the house.
The man was so happy his friends had arrived, but when they got to the house, where Jesus was, they couldn’t get in. There were people everywhere, at every window and every door. The man became grumpy again, they were just too late. But, his friends wouldn’t give up. They climbed up to the top of the house and started to make a hole in the roof.
As Jesus was talking the roof started to be pulled apart by four men. Everyone stopped and looked up and there they saw four faces and then a man being lowered down. The man landed at Jesus’s feet, just missing the heads of some very angry looking priests. Everyone looked at Jesus. Jesus smiled. He looked at the man laying on the floor. “Your sins are forgiven” he said.
“What!”thought the man, “What!” thought the priests. The man looked at Jesus, he knew he was a bad man, he knew he needed his sins forgiven more than to walk. The priests looked at Jesus, they were now very angry, only God could forgive sins. Jesus looked at the priests and knew what they were thinking.”Why do you think these things?” he said, “which is easier to say -your sins are forgiven or pick up your mat, and walk?, soon you will see I have power to say both” Jesus looked at the man, still laying on the floor. “Go” he said “Pick up your mat and walk”. The man looked at Jesus, his feet were tingling, he could move his toes for the first time in years, he tried to bend his leg and it moved. He jumped up, grabbed the mat he had be laying on and started to dance.
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