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Matthew 9 · Grade 4

Friend of Sinners

Name Date

Read and Think

Jesus came back to His own town, and people brought Him a paralyzed man lying on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said, "Son, cheer up! Your sins are forgiven you." Some scribes thought this was blasphemy, because only God can forgive sins. To show that He has authority on earth to forgive sins, Jesus told the man to get up, and he did.

Then Jesus saw Matthew sitting at the tax booth. Tax collectors were seen as traitors and cheats. Jesus said, "Follow me," and Matthew got up and followed. At dinner, many sinners ate with Jesus. When the Pharisees objected, Jesus quoted Hosea: God desires mercy, and not sacrifice. He came to call sinners to repentance.

Jesus kept showing mercy. He raised a ruler's daughter, healed a woman who touched the edge of His garment, and opened the eyes of two blind men who cried, "Have mercy on us, son of David!" Moved with compassion for the crowds, He told His disciples, "The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers are few."

Show What You Know

  1. Why did the scribes think Jesus was speaking blasphemy?

  2. Why was it surprising that Jesus called Matthew?

  3. What did Jesus quote from Hosea, and what does it mean?

  4. What did Jesus ask His disciples to pray for?

Word Bank Fill-In

Use the word bank to fill in each blank.

forgiveJesusGodMatthew
  1. came back to His own town, and people brought Him a paralyzed man lying on a mat.
  2. To show that He has authority on earth to sins, Jesus told the man to get up, and he did.
  3. Then Jesus saw sitting at the tax booth.
  4. When the Pharisees objected, Jesus quoted Hosea: desires mercy, and not sacrifice.

Think About It

  1. Matthew wrote this book! How do you think he felt remembering the day Jesus called him?

  2. Who are people others avoid? How could you show them Jesus' mercy?

Memory Verse

But you go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Matthew 9:13 (WEB)

Copy It

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for this Bible story. Help me to . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • Jesus said the workers are few. How can you pray and help in God's work?
  • Why do you think Jesus said He came for sinners, not for people who thought they were good?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.