The Daily RootedHome StoriesGradesChurchesWhat's NewAbout
Bible:
Answer key (separate)‹ Back to chapter 9

Prints on letter paper in black and white. No answers are printed on the student sheet.

Matthew 9 · Grade 5

Mercy, Not Sacrifice

Name Date

Read and Think

Matthew 9 continues the King's miracles and also shows growing conflict. When Jesus forgives the paralyzed man, the scribes accuse Him of blasphemy. Jesus asks which is easier, to say "Your sins are forgiven" or "Get up, and walk." The healing, which anyone could see, proved the forgiveness, which no one could see. Jesus has authority that belongs only to God.

Next, Matthew tells his own story. A tax collector working for Rome was despised, yet Jesus called him and ate with sinners in his house. The Pharisees kept themselves separate from such people, but Jesus said, "Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do." He compared Himself to a bridegroom and His message to new wine that needs new wineskins.

The chapter is full of compassion. A ruler kneels for his dead daughter; a woman who had suffered for twelve years reaches for Jesus' garment; blind men cry for mercy. Jesus heals them all. Yet some Pharisees claimed He worked by the prince of demons. Jesus kept going through towns, teaching, preaching and healing, and seeing people "like sheep without a shepherd."

Show What You Know

  1. How did the healing prove Jesus could forgive sins?

  2. Why did the Pharisees object to Jesus eating with sinners?

  3. What did Jesus mean by the physician comparison?

  4. Name three people or groups Jesus healed or raised in this chapter.

  5. How did some Pharisees explain Jesus' miracles?

Crossword

43512

Across

  1. A tax collector who followed Jesus.
  2. How many years the woman had been sick.

Down

  1. Sick people need one, Jesus said (the Bible says physician).
  2. Jesus told the man his sins were ____.
  3. The crowds were like sheep without a ____.
  4. The man's friends carried him on this.

Think About It

  1. Jesus said He came for the sick, not the healthy. Why must we admit we need Him to receive His help?

  2. Jesus saw crowds with compassion. How could you look at people around you with His eyes?

Memory Verse

“But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them because they were harassed and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Matthew 9:36 (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?
  • How can you show kindness to people others look down on?
  • What is one specific way you could live out this chapter this week?

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.