Help Your Kids Truly Know Jesus with this Free Bible Lesson for Kids
Do your kids know about Jesus? Or, do they truly know Him?
This free printable Bible lesson, Getting to Know Jesus: The Good Shepherd, helps children understand two powerful truths:
- Jesus is the Good Shepherd who KNOWS His sheep.
- It’s not enough to simply know facts about Jesus. We need to truly KNOW Him as our Savior, Lord, and Friend!
This ready-to-teach free Bible lesson makes it easy to start meaningful conversations about what it means to truly know Jesus. It’s perfect for Sunday School, homeschool, children’s church, or family Bible time.
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This free lesson uses the NIV Bible version and is perfect for teachers and parents who want a solid, engaging Bible lesson that points kids to Jesus.
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You will get:
- The Printable read-aloud Bible lesson in 6 Bible versions (CSB, ESV, KJV, NASB, NIV, NKJV)
- Activity pages for multiple age levels
- A fun Memory verse game
- The “Good Shepherd” craft
- A “Getting-to-Know You!” lesson game
- Printable class notes, small-group discussion questions, and take-home Bible reading pages
Learn more about the Complete Bible Lesson by clicking the button below!
Let’s Get Started: The Free Bible Lesson for Kids
Below you’ll find the full Getting to Know Jesus: The Good Shepherd read-aloud Bible lesson, ready for you to teach right from this page.
Getting to Know Jesus Read-Aloud Bible Lesson:
The Good Shepherd
Main Ideas for This Lesson:
- It’s not enough to know facts about Jesus. We need to truly know Him as our personal Savior, Lord, and Friend.
- Jesus knows His sheep, and His sheep know Him.
- We can get to know Jesus by believing in Him, reading His Word, obeying Him, memorizing Bible verses, praying, and through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Introduction: Do you KNOW Jesus?
(Approx. 5 minutes) (Choose a famous person in your country, such as the President or Prime Minister. Fill in the lines with the correct title and pronouns. Allow your students to answer the questions.)
Do you know who the _________________________ is?
It’s great that you know who the ________________ is! But how well do you know _______?
Do you know _________ first name?
Do you know how old _______ is?
Do you know ______________ favorite color?
Do you actually KNOW ___________________?
If you saw _________________ on the street, could you run up and give _________ a hug? Would _______________ be happy to see you? Would ___________ know your name?
There is a big difference between knowing facts about a person and actually knowing the person.
How can you get to really know someone?
(Allow responses. Listen for ideas like talking with them, spending time together, listening to them, etc. Write these answers on the board.)
Boys and girls, I want you to listen closely now because I am going to ask you a really important question. This is the most important question anyone will ever ask you in your whole life:
Do you know Jesus? Really know Him?
A lot of you have been learning facts about Jesus, and that is wonderful! But the Bible tells us that it’s not enough to know facts about Jesus. We can know facts about Jesus – like that He died on the cross or walked on water – and not really KNOW Jesus.
We need to truly KNOW Jesus as our Savior, Lord, and Friend.
Did you know that Jesus knows you?
He doesn’t just know facts about you, like the color of your hair or your birthday. He really knows all about you! He knows where you are, what you are doing, and even what you are thinking and feeling. He knows each one of you!
And Jesus says that you and I can know Him!
Something to think about: (Use this section if you have older kids, to encourage them to think a little deeper.)
- What’s the difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Him personally?
- Can you think of someone you used to only know facts about (like a celebrity, YouTuber, or acquaintance at school), but later they did something unexpected and you realized you didn’t really know them at all?
Part 1: Jesus Knows His Sheep, and His Sheep Know Him
(5–8 minutes)
I am going to read the words of Jesus in John 10:11–15, and I need your help. As I read, every time I say the word “know,” I want you all to repeat it in a loud voice. Let’s practice. Are you ready?
Do you KNOW (pause and let kids shout KNOW!) Jesus? Do you KNOW (pause again) what to do now?
All right, here we go!
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.
13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd; I KNOW my sheep and my sheep KNOW me—
15 just as the Father KNOWS me and I KNOW the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:11-15 (NIV)
Who is the Good Shepherd? (Jesus!)
What does the Good Shepherd do for His sheep? (He gives His life for them.)
What does the hired worker do when danger comes? (He runs away!)
How does Jesus treat His sheep? (He knows them and cares for them.)
Jesus, the Good Shepherd, knows His own sheep and takes care of them. And in verse 14, we see that Jesus’ sheep—His people—know Him as their Shepherd.
Now I am going to read John 10:1–5, and I want you to shout the word “know” when you hear it.
“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.
2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they KNOW his voice.
5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
John 10:1-5 (NIV)
Excellent job! You don’t have to shout the word “know” anymore.
Jesus calls His sheep by name and leads them.
Why do the sheep follow the Good Shepherd and not the stranger?
The sheep recognize the shepherd’s voice. How about you? Do you recognize Jesus’ words? Do you follow Him and obey His Word, the Bible?
Something to Think About:
- Have you ever had the experience where someone said, “This person said this…” and it didn’t sound like something that person would say at all? How can you recognize what someone would or wouldn’t be likely to say?
- Jesus says His sheep know His voice. What are some ways you’ve learned to recognize when something you hear or see doesn’t match what Jesus teaches?
Part 2: How Can We Get to Know Jesus Today?
(5–8 minutes)
How do you get to know people? (Refer to answers on the board from the introduction.)
How can we get to know Jesus? (Allow discussion. Listen for responses like read the Bible, pray, memorize Bible verses, believe in Jesus, obey the Bible. Write these responses and any other good responses on the right side of the board.)
There are several ways we can get to know Jesus. One of the ways that we can get to know Jesus is by believing in Him. In fact, we can’t truly know Jesus until we believe in Him as our Savior.
John 3:16 says:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NIV)
To believe in Jesus, we say, “Yes, I believe that He is the Son of God. I believe that He died for my sins. I believe that He rose again from the dead. I want to obey Him with my whole life.”
Another way we can know Jesus is by reading His Word.
John 20:31 says:
“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:31 (NIV)
God gave us the Bible so that we can believe in Jesus and know Him as our Savior and friend.
But it’s not enough to just read the Bible. If we truly want to know Jesus, we need to obey His Words in the Bible.
1 John 2:3–4 says:
“We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.
Whoever says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.” 1 John 2:3-4 (NIV)
We can get to know Jesus (and obey Him!) by memorizing His Words. That’s why it’s so important to spend time memorizing Bible verses during this class.
Another way we can get to know Jesus is through prayer. Praying is talking to God. You can talk to God at any time. He always hears our prayers.
Finally, we can get to know Jesus through the Holy Spirit. When we believe in Jesus as our Savior, God gives us the Holy Spirit. We can’t see the Holy Spirit, but He is always with us and helps us to understand the Bible, remember Jesus’ words, and know how to pray. He also lets us know when we are sinning and fills our hearts with peace and joy when we are obeying God.
In John 14:26, Jesus says:
“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:26 (NIV)
Something to Think About:
- What’s the difference between reading the Bible to know Jesus versus reading it out of obligation, just to check it off your list?
- Why do you think obeying Jesus is connected to knowing Him?
- Read Matthew 7:21–23. What does this verse teach us about knowing Jesus?
Wrap Up: Do You KNOW Jesus?
(3–5 minutes)
Earlier, I asked you the most important question that anyone will ever ask you in your whole life. Do you remember what it was?
Do you KNOW Jesus?
It’s not enough to know facts about Jesus. You need to truly know Jesus as your Savior, Lord, and Friend.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd! He knows His sheep (that’s us!) and we need to know and follow Him. We can get to know Him by believing in Him, reading His Word, memorizing Bible verses, obeying Him, praying, and through the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
What is one way that you will get to know Jesus better this week?
One way you can get to know Jesus better is by reading the Bible. I am going to be giving each of you a Bible reading page. This will help you read the Bible each day this week and continue working on memorizing the Bible verses.
In the next weeks, we are going to be focusing on getting to know Jesus better. One of the ways that we will be doing this is through reading some of the stories about Jesus in the New Testament. These stories were written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by eyewitnesses and men who spoke directly to eyewitnesses.
Does anyone know what an eyewitness is?
An eyewitness is someone who saw something with their own eyes. As we read these stories about Jesus, we will get to experience what it was like to actually walk with Jesus, talk with Him, listen to His words, and see His miracles.
We will learn how Jesus changed the hearts and lives of people just like us.
This is going to be an exciting time. I hope that you are looking forward to getting to know Jesus better.
Something to Think About:
What’s one thing you’re willing to try this week to start getting to know Jesus better?
If someone asked you how they could start getting to know Jesus, what would you say?
Getting to Know Jesus Bible Lesson Wrap-Up
Isn’t it amazing that Jesus knows each of us by name? This lesson helps kids move beyond simply learning facts about Jesus to truly knowing Him as their Savior, Lord, and Friend.
If you enjoyed this free printable Bible lesson, there’s even more waiting for you!
Get the Complete “Getting to Know Jesus” Bible Lesson Pack
Ready to take this lesson deeper? The Complete Getting to Know Jesus Bible Lesson includes everything you need to make Bible time exciting and easy:
- The full read-aloud lesson in six Bible versions
- Engaging activity pages at multiple levels
- A fun “Good Shepherd” craft
- Memory verse game and “Getting-to-Know You” activity
- Printable class notes, small group discussion prompts, and a take-home Bible reading page
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