A Little Or A Lot Object Lesson (Luke 7:47)

One of my very favorite verses is Luke 7:47, “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven–as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” I know for a fact I’ve been forgiven much. What about you, kids? Have you been forgiven much or just a little?
Let’s talk about that! I have some things here to show you. (Before class, arrange a measuring cup, tablespoon, glass pitcher and some milk on a display table.)
From what these verses say, people who have been in a lot of trouble, who sinned a lot–when they ask Jesus to forgive them, they have a lot of love placed inside them. I think that’s because God scoops out the sin and leaves His love behind. You know, the Bible says that everyone has sinned. Everyone. Period. But the problem is not everyone wants to admit they’ve sinned. They might be a little sorry for a few things but they don’t think they’ve done anything wrong, really. Those are people who love just a little.
See these things? They are all containers but they aren’t the same kind of containers. (Hold up the spoon.) What’s this? That’s right. It’s a spoon. (Hold up the measuring cup.) What’s this? That’s right. It’s a measuring cup. Now what’s this? Yes indeed! This is a pitcher of milk. Each one can hold a certain amount of milk. Let’s get to pouring. (Pour milk in the measuring cup and in the spoon.) Gee, that’s not very much. Not like the pitcher. I think we are like these containers. People who don’t admit they sin, that think they are perfect are like these spoons. They hold only a little love. People who admit a little more but not all their sins, they are like this measuring cup. That’s a good amount of God’s love but not a lot.
We want to be like this pitcher, full of God’s love and that happens when God forgives us for a lot of things. I encourage you to talk to God about your sins. Tell Him everything and He will forgive you and leave lots of love behind.
Stop by Mimi’s blog at Tools for Kids Church.