Joyful Moments in Christ

A Sunday School Lesson: Luke 9:1-17

A Sunday School Lesson: Luke 9:1-17 - Jesus Sends Out His Disciples and Feeds the Crowd

Jesus Sends Out His Disciples and Feeds the Crowd

This Sunday School lesson is intended for upper elementary students. All lessons on this website are protected by copyright, but you can use them for free in small groups or Sunday School classes. You may share a link to this page, but please do not copy these pages and put them on other websites.

The Big Idea

Jesus provides for both the mission of his disciples and the needs of his people, showing that he is the Son of God who gives life and care in abundance.

Lesson Objectives

  1. Students will learn that Jesus sent out his disciples with authority to preach the kingdom and heal the sick.
  2. Students will see that Jesus fed over five thousand people with only five loaves and two fish.
  3. Students will understand that Jesus provides for his people in ways that reveal his power and compassion.
  4. Students will be encouraged to trust Jesus to care for their needs and to share his good news with others.

Class Setting Notes

  1. Recommended for upper elementary Sunday School.
  2. Lesson length: 50-60 minutes. Can be shortened or extended based on activities selected.

Opening Activity

  • Place a single small snack (like one cracker or pretzel) in front of the class. Ask: Do you think this could feed all of us? Why or why not?
  • Then ask: What is the biggest meal you have ever seen shared with many people?
  • Tell the children: Today we will hear how Jesus used a very small meal to feed thousands and how he gave his disciples power to do his work.

This activity helps introduce the idea that Jesus takes what seems small and makes it more than enough.

Bible Reading

Ask the class to read Luke 9:1-17 aloud together or have one person read it.

Additional Reading: Choosing the Right Bible Translation: A Comparison of 7 Versions

Suggested prompts:

As the class reads aloud, consider asking some of these prompts:

  1. Listen for what Jesus tells his disciples to do and what he tells them not to take.
  2. Notice how the disciples respond when Jesus tells them to feed the people.
  3. Think about what Jesus does with the loaves and fish before the food is shared.
  4. Watch for how the people’s needs are met in both parts of the story.

Teacher Background Notes

  1. Jesus gave his disciples real authority to represent him by preaching, healing, and casting out demons. Their dependence on God, rather than their own resources, was central to their mission.
  2. The command to take nothing for the journey reminded the disciples that God would provide through the hospitality of others. This dependence demonstrated faith and trust in God’s care.
  3. Herod’s confusion about Jesus shows the rising awareness of Jesus’ ministry but also the blindness of those who did not recognize him as the promised Messiah.
  4. The feeding of the five thousand points to Jesus as the great provider, like God giving manna in the wilderness.
  5. This miracle foreshadows the Lord’s Supper, where Jesus takes bread, gives thanks, breaks it, and gives it to his disciples.

Theological Insights

  1. Jesus is the Son of God who gives his authority to his disciples to continue his mission.
  2. God calls his people to rely on him, not on their own resources.
  3. Jesus has compassion for both physical and spiritual needs, caring for the whole person.
  4. The feeding of the five thousand reveals Jesus as the true bread of life who satisfies completely.
  5. The abundance of leftovers shows that Jesus’ provision is overflowing and sufficient for all.

Discussion Questions

Understanding the Text

  1. What power and authority did Jesus give his disciples?
  2. Why did Jesus tell the disciples not to take food, money, or extra clothes?
  3. How did Jesus respond to the large crowd that followed him?
  4. What did the disciples think should happen when it grew late?
  5. What did Jesus do with the loaves and fish before giving them to the people?
  6. How many people ate, and how much food was left over?

Personal Reflection and Application

  1. What do these stories teach us about trusting Jesus to provide for us?
  2. When have you seen God take something small and use it for something good?
  3. How can we rely on Jesus instead of ourselves when we tell others about him?
  4. What does this story teach you about Jesus’ compassion and care for people?

Suggested Activities

Travel Light

  1. Have students play a quick game where they imagine packing for a trip, but can only take one thing.
  2. Ask: What would you take? Why might Jesus have told his disciples not to take anything extra?

This activity helps students understand the disciples’ dependence on God for provision.

Feeding the Five Thousand Retelling

  1. Divide the class into small groups of “fifty.” (Kids need to use their imagination.)
  2. Give one group member a basket (or paper bag). Place slips of paper with pictures of loaves and fish inside.
  3. As you retell the story, have the “disciples” distribute the slips to the rest of the group.

This activity helps students picture how Jesus’ miracle provided for many people.

Abundance Basket

  1. Bring an empty basket and small slips of paper. Have students write down things they need or are worried about. Place the slips in the basket.
  2. Remind them that Jesus not only provides but provides abundantly.
  3. Pray together over the basket.

This activity helps students trust that Jesus cares for their needs with compassion and power.

Memory Verse

Bible verse from Luke 9:16 about Jesus blessing the loaves and fish.

And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.

Luke 9:16 (ESV)

Closing Prayer

Father,
Thank you for sending Jesus, who gives us everything we need and shows us your power and compassion. Help us to trust you to provide for us and to share your good news with others.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

A Sunday School Lesson: Luke 9:1-17 - Jesus Sends Out His Disciples and Feeds the Crowd
Bible verse from Luke 9:16 about Jesus blessing the loaves and fish.

The ESL Version

I also create materials for adult English Language Learners (ELLs) and ESL students. You can find my ELL Bible Studies based on Luke 9:1-17 here:

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English Standard Version (ESV): Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.

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