Bible Module 5:
Zacchaeus
Question to Ponder!
Where can we find the true riches in this world?
Ans. ____________________________________________________________
This week you are going to learn the story of Zacchaeus. It will help you understand the true
riches in this world.
Zacchaeus the tax collector
This story is about the time when Jesus used to roam from place to place to convey the message
of God to the people. Jesus used to tell people that God loves all of us and he can even forgive us
for our sins, we just have to pray to God with a sincere heart and we have to apologize to him for
our sins.
People listened attentively to Jesus and walked on the path that he told to everyone
because Jesus was preaching the message of God to the people.
Jesus was very popular among the people and everyone wanted to see him. Now Jesus will
deliver the message of God to the city named Jericho. The news of Jesus‘ arrival spread
throughout the city. Jericho used to be in the land of Canaan in those days, but these days it is a
city in Palestine which is located in the valleys of Jordan.
In those days there lived a man named Zacchaeus in the city of Jericho. He was very small in
height but he was much richer and wealthier than others. Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector of
Jericho. People called him a sinner and oppressor. This was because he used to charge tax
unfairly by fooling people. Used to persecute(torture) people for not paying taxes.
Zacchaeus heard the news of Jesus coming to Jericho many times. He would repeatedly listen to
the news of Jesus‘ arrival and thought, who is Jesus? And why are people so happy with his
arrival? In angry, Zacchaeus asks his wife, “Jesus, who is Jesus? Why do people attract towards
him? Does he have more money than me?”
Zacchaeus’ wife listened carefully to Zacchaeus’ abstract questions and replied, “Jesus of
Nazareth is the son of God. He is God himself who is above wealth.”
Now Zacchaeus decided that he too would go and meet Jesus. He got out of his house and joined
the crowd of the people. Everyone’s eyes were towards Jesus, but he could not see him because
of Zacchaeus’ short height. He tried hard and stood in the tip of his toe, trying to see Jesus, but
he could not see Jesus.
Zacchaeus climbed into a Sycamore tree nearby to see Jesus. He could see Jesus very easily after
climbing the tree. Jesus was moving slowly. As soon as Jesus came down to the sycamore tree,
he looked up and said, “What are you doing up there, Zacchaeus. Come down, I have to stay at
your house. You are Abraham’s son.”
Jesus is talking about the Abraham whom God had told to leave his country and go to another
country. Abraham had no children, but later God gave him two sons, one of whom was Ishmael
and the other was named Isaac. Ishmael’s mother was Hagar and Isaac’s mother was Sarai.
Zacchaeus was attracted to Jesus and he could not understand what was happening. He was
surprised to hear Jesus’ words and starts thinking how does Jesus know his name? Zacchaeus
said to Jesus, “My God, you are welcome in my house. I am very happy that God is coming to
my house.”
Zacchaeus was happy with all this, but the residents of Jericho were not happy. People started
talking to each other about why Jesus is going to a sinner’s house. Various types of questions
started to arise in the minds of people. People said, “It is difficult for the rich to enter the
kingdom of God. What is impossible for man is possible for God.”
The same Jesus departs inside Zacchaeus’ house and receives food from him. Jesus sees
expensive things lying around and says to Zacchaeus, “Zacchaeus, no one cannot serve any two
masters because he will hate one and love the other. He will honour one of his masters and
despise the other. No one can serve both money and God at one time. If he considers wealth as
his master, he will stay away from God. “
Upon hearing such a thing of Jesus, Zacchaeus was in tears and said to Jesus, “My God, have
mercy on me. I will launder half of my possessions to poor people and will also distribute to the
people what I have fraudulently taken from them. “
After saying this, Zacchaeus immediately went out and apologized to the people for his sins. He
started distributing his assets among people. Zacchaeus also provided food for the people to eat
so that the hungry could fill their stomachs. This time Zacchaeus was completely changed.
Seeing Zacchaeus distributing his wealth in this way, all of them were surprised that what
happened to him? Zacchaeus, who was so sinful and used to persecute others, has completely
changed today. People understood that this is the glory of God. Jesus has shown Zacchaeus the
right path.
Then Jesus comes out of the house and says, “Today salvation has arrived in this house. He is the
son of Abraham who was lost. You must first be in search of the kingdom of God and his
righteousness and all these things you will get easily. “
So in this way, Jesus brought another wandering man into the path of God. You children should
also tell these stories to others so that all of us can make this world of God like heaven.
If you liked this story of Zacchaeus, then share it with your friends. By doing this, the message
of Jesus and that God will reach more and more people, Amen.
Evaluation.
Directions. Read and understand carefully on what is being asked. Answer the question in
compete sentence.(5 points each)
1. Why did a lot of people don’t like Zacchaeus?
_______________________________________________________________________
2. How would you describe the life of Zacchaeus before he know Jesus?
_______________________________________________________________________
3. What changes happen to Zaccheaus after he met Jesus?
______________________________________________________________________
Directions. Read and answer carefully. Encircle the letter that corresponds to the correct answer.
1. According to Luke 19: 1, in what community did Jesus encounter Zacchaeus?
a.Bethany
b.Capernaum
c.Bethsaida
d. Jericho
2. Zacchaeus occupation is given in Luke 19: What is the name of his job?
a.Shepherd
b.Fishermen
c.Carpenter
d.Tax Collector
3. According to Luke 19: 2, what was the economic stature of Zacchaeus?
a.Average
b.Poor
c.Wealthy
d.Not determined
4. He was short in stature and had difficulty seeing Jesus due to the large number of people who
had turned out for the occasion. To get a better view of Jesus, he climbed a tree, as reported
in Luke 19: 4 (New International Version). What type of tree did he climb?
a.Palm tree
b.Cedar tree
c.Sycamore tree
d. Date tree
5. According to Luke 19: 5 (New International Version), when Jesus spotted Zacchaeus in the
tree, what's the first thing he said to him?
a. Zacchaeus come down immediately. I want you to meet my disciples.
b. Zacchaeus come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.
c. Zacchaeus come down immediately. I have a proposal to make to you.
d. Zacchaeus come down immediately. I want to know why you climbed that tree!
6. In Luke 19: 6, how did Zacchaeus respond to Jesus' initial statement?
a. He welcomed Jesus gladly.
b. He rejected him and told him to go away.
c. He was perplexed at what Jesus said.
d. He said he wanted time to think things over.
7. According to Luke 19: 7, what did the crowd think about the conversation between Jesus and
Zacchaeus?
a. They muttered about Jesus befriending a sinner.
b. They cheered the two of them.
c. They thought it was marvellous that the two had met up.
d. were indifferent and didn't say anything.
8. Zacchaeus made a pledge to right things if he had done any wrong. In Luke 19: 8 (New
International Version), what percentage of his possessions did he say he would give to the
poor?
a. one-ffth
b. one-tenth
c. Half
d. Quarter
9. Complete the missing number in this statement by Zacchaeus from Luke 19: 8 in the NIV
Bible: "... if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back ____ times the amount."
a. four
b. ninety-nine
c. two
d. Three
10. In Luke 19: 9 in the NIV Bible, Jesus made the following statement to the people about
Zacchaeus: "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of
Abraham." How did Jesus finish the statement in verse 10?
a. For the Son of Man came to seek those who are not in need of repentance.
b. For the Son of Man likes people like you, Zaccheaus.
c. For the Son of Man came to seek those who are lowly and meek.
d. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost
Bible Module 6: Elijah
Question to Ponder!
Who is your favorite prophet of God and why?
Ans.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________
Prophet Elijah
This story dates back to the time when Ahab was the king of Israel. Ahab also had a wife named
Jezebel. At that time, the people of Israel worshipped the weather god Baal and used to do such
things which God don’t like. Sin was increasing in Israel, so God ordered Elijah to deliver a
message to King Ahab.
Elijah was a man who made small mistakes, was afraid of many things, but he loved God and
trust God very much.
One day God said to Elijah, “Elijah, go to Israel and tell King Ahab to stop sinning in his country
and come on the path of God. If he does not do so then there will be no rain in his country for 3
years. “
Elijah did as God told him, he went to King Ahab and gave him the message of God. Elijah told
the king, “My God has sent a message for you. He has said that Ahab must stop committing all
his sins. If you do not do this, there will be no rain at all for the next 3 years.”
Ahab used to worship Baal, the god of weather. It seemed that whatever his deity would do, he
would continue to show his grace in this country. He will continue to rain here. So he did not pay
much attention to Elijah and continue his evil deeds and sinful acts.
The entire city was not going to rain for 3 years. Due to this there could be a shortage of food
and water, that’s why God told Elijah to hide.
After this, Elijah hid in a place where there was a source of water and from there he could take
drinking water. A raven would have given him bread and a piece of meat to eat. The raven would
give him bread and a piece of meat in the morning and night. For some time Elijah was living
there with no trouble.
Gradually, the source of water was also drying up. Seeing this Elijah’s concern was increasing.
He thought that from where he would bring water for the future. Because he knew that it would
not rain for the next few years. So he would ask God every day. He Prayers to know what he will
do now and from where will he bring water?
God hears Elijah’s prayer and says to him, “Elijah, you worry, I’m with you, go to a place called
Zarephath. There you will find a woman who will give you food to eat and water to drink.”
Elijah believed in God, so he listened to him this time too and went to the place where God told
to him.
Now Elijah has left to go to the place that God has told him. It took him a few days to reach
there, but as soon as he started going inside the city, he found a woman there. Elijah asked the
woman, “Can you give me a cup of water to drink and some bread to eat? If I get both of these, it
would be nice I’m hungry for a long time.”
The woman said to Elijah, “It seems that you believe in God and I also believe in God
wholeheartedly. I believe in God with full devotion. But, there is only a little bit of flour and a
very small amount of oil left in my house. So that I can cook the meal for now. But I do not have
much quantity to cook ahead and I feel that later on I and my child will die of hunger. “
Elijah listened to the woman and could understand the woman’s concern. In such a situation,
Elijah said to her, “Don’t worry, God has sent me to you and he has told me. The flour of your
house will never run out and the oil in your house will never dry until it rains.” But first, you
have to make a small bread out of it and give it to me. “
The woman did the same according to Elijah. She immediately went to her house and started
making a piece of bread for Elijah. After the bread is made she went to Elijah to give bread.
Then she returns to her home. As soon as she comes home, she saw that her house was full of
flour and oil. She was surprised to see this. After this, she again finished her house flour and oil.
But it was full again. Now she would make bread and give water to Elijah every day.
There was no rain because it was God’s order. One day, suddenly the woman’s child became ill
and died due to illness. Seeing the death of the child, his mother started crying loudly.
Seeing her crying, Elijah came to her and said, “What’s the matter, why are you crying so
much?”
“God is punishing me for my sins, God is punishing me for all the bad things I have done.” The
woman said to Elijah.
Elijah asked her again “What happened tell me. Why are you crying so much?”
“He was sick for a long time. My child has died. He is not alive and that is why I am crying so
much in his grief.”
After this, Elijah said to the woman, don’t you worry, your son will rise again. After saying this,
Elijah went inside the house and knelt near that child. He put his two hands up and started
praying to God.
Elijah said in his prayer, “Lord, listen to my prayers. You are the shelter of the poor and their
father. Lord, make this child alive.”
Like all times, this time also God heard the prayer of Elijah and the child came alive. The woman
was happy to see her child alive and thanked God.
Time has passed and it happened as God had said. There was no rain in all of Israel for 3 years.
After 3 years of this, God again ordered Elijah to return to Israel. God said to Elijah, “Elijah, my
child, now you go back to Israel. Go there and tell the people of Israel. Introduce them to their
true God. They are all in darkness and bring them in the light.”
When Elijah reached Israel he met King Ahab in the city. As soon as Ahab saw Elijah, he started
calling him a bad man and blamed him for not having rained in Israel for 3 years.
Hearing all this, Elijah said to King Ahab, “Tomorrow you will come to Mount Carmel. Also
bring the people of Israel as well as the priests of your God Baal. Tomorrow I will show you who
is the true God of Israel?” “
The next day, the people of Israel, Ahab and the priest of Baal, gathered there on Mount Carmel.
After everyone came, Elijah said to everyone, “How long you will keep doing this? If your God
is Baal then you all should be followers of Baal. I will prove that who is our true God? I am the
only prophet and the number of prophets of your Baal is 850. Go bring two bulls and put them on
the bed but they will not be set on fire by us but by God. Whose god today will do this then he
will be the true God.”
Elijah wanted to test Baal. Elijah knew that the people of Israel worship a false god and the true
God is his God who shows him the right path.
The people of Israel were impressed with Elijah’s idea. People started saying that yes this is a
good way to find out whose God is true? But on the other hand, the fear inside the priests had
increased and they all knew that Elijah was daring them.
Seeing the people, Elijah said, “What are you worried about go and get two bulls.”
After this, the people did as Elijah was saying, they went and brought two bulls. Then Elijah said
that the number of priests of Baal is high. I give the first opportunity to those priests.
All the priests made the bed and prepared the bull and laid it on it. After doing this, all the priests
started praying to their God Baal, “God send your fire. Make it light and prove that you are our
true God. Baal Baal Baal”
Listening this Elijah made fun of those priests and said, “What’s the matter? Are your God is
sleeping or are they not concerned about you?”
The priests spend hours praying to their God but nothing happened to the bull. Now after this, it
was Elijah’s turn and he had to prove that his own God is the true God.
He first prepared the bed and put the bull on it and then put all the woods on it. Then he did
something that no one could expect. He asked the people to pour water on this bed and on this
bull. People were shocked to hear that why he is asking to do so. Because after adding water it
cannot burn at all.
After all is done, Elijah prays to God, “O God, God of Abraham and Isaac, God of Israel tell us
that you are the true God of Israel. I did what you said. Tell the people that you are the true one
God. “
Elijah prayed to God with a sincere heart and God heard his prayer. After some time the fire
ignited on that bed. The bull started burning, seeing that the people of Israel, the priest and King
was shocked.
The people of Israel saw all that was happening before their eyes. Seeing this, everyone knew
that who is their true God and whom should they pray for? Then all the priests were killed by the
public and King Ahab fled to his palace. In this way Elijah introduced people of Israel to their
true God.
So this was the “Elijah Bible Story For Kids” written for children. If you like this story, then
definitely share it with your friends.
Evaluation.
Directions. Read and answer carefully. Answer the questions in complete sentence. (5 points
each)
1. How did prophet Elijah warn to king Ahab?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. How did God feed prophet Elijah in the brook of Cherith?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. Why did queen Jezebel persecute the prophets?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
B. Directions. Read and answer carefully. Encircle the letter that corresponds to the correct
answer.
1.) Who was King of Israel when Elijah was a Prophet?
a. Asa
b. Ahab
c. David
d. Solomon
2. How many prophets of Baal did Elijah put to death?
a. 250
b. 450
c. 650
d. 950
3. Why did Elijah flee to Mount Horeb?
a. He was afraid of Jezabel
b. He was running from God
c. He was afraid of a fire
d. He was afraid of a flood
4) Who was the prophet that took over for Elijah?
a. Moses
b. Elisha
c. Daniel
d. Jeremiah
5. What idol did Ahab and Jezebel worship?
a. god
b. Baal
c. Budah
d. The golden calf
6. What message did God have Elijah tell Ahab because of his sins?
a. There would be no fun
b. There would be no work
c. There would be no rain
d. There would be plagues
7. Why wasn't Elijah afraid to meet with his enemies on Mount Carmel?
a. He trusted in God.
b. He knew he was strong.
c. He knew he had wisdom.
d. He had a back up
8. What happened when the prophets of Baal prayed to their god for fire?
a. It started on fire.
b. Nothing happened
c. It lit a small fire
d. A big fire appear
9. How long did God say it would be that no rain fell in all of Israel?
a. One year
b. 3 years
c. Until Elijah said it would again
d. 3 months
10. Where did Elijah go when he ran as God instructed him to do?
a. to the desert to eat bread that fell from the sky.
b. to sit beside a brook and be fed by ravens.
c. to his house to eat leftovers.
d. to the queen’s place.
