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Bible Stories for Children About Thanksgiving

by Cheyenne Cartwright

Overview

The writers of the Bible recorded many stories, from historical accounts, to prophecies, to the parables that Jesus told in his ministries. Some of the most appropriate stories to teach children about Thanksgiving are those that end in rejoicing, underscoring, as they do, the recurring biblical admonition that we should always give thanks for the good things we have received.
Personal Thanksgiving: The Resurrection

The 20th chapter of the Gospel of John recounts how, on the Sunday after Jesus was crucified and buried in a borrowed tomb, Mary Magdalene went to visit the grave. She found that the stone that covered the entrance to the tomb had been rolled away, so she ran to tell Jesus' disciples about it. Peter and John (called "that other disciple" in the Gospel that bears his name) ran to the tomb and discovered that the linen clothes Jesus had been wrapped in were lying abandoned inside. Mary then looked into the tomb and saw two angels there, who asked her why she was crying. She told them that the body of her lord had been taken and she didn't know where he was. She turned away from the tomb, and saw Jesus standing there, but she didn't recognize him. He asked her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Mary thought he was the gardener, so she asked him to tell her where the body of Jesus was. Then Jesus said to her, "Mary!" At that point she knew who he was, and she said to him, "Rabboni!" the Hebrew word for "teacher." Then Jesus said to her, "Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'" This passage indicates that Mary had thrown her arms around Jesus, in gratitude and thankfulness that He was alive again.

Familial Thanksgiving: The Prodigal Son

Jesus told a parable about the younger of two sons, who asked for and received his inheritance from his father. The son left home, traveled to a far country and spent all his money on "riotous living." When he was destitute and forced to work as a swineherd, he decided to go home because even his father's servants were better taken care of than he was. When the son was still a long way off, his father saw him coming and ran to greet him. The son said, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight, and am no more worthy to be called your son." But the father called his servants, had them dress his son in fine clothing and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet. He ordered his servants to prepare a feast, "for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found." When the older son learned of the feast, he was angry because he had stayed faithfully with his father, and he resented that his younger brother was being rewarded for his bad behavior when he himself had not received any recognition for behaving well. But his father said to him, "Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found."
National Thanksgiving: Solomon Builds the Temple

The son of King David, King Solomon, was revered for his wisdom. The high point of his reign was his construction of the temple in Jerusalem. Although David had wanted to build the temple, the Lord told him that he wouldn't permit David to do so, "for you are a man of battles and have shed blood." God instructed David that his son Solomon would build the temple as a permanent home for the Ark of the Covenant, which held the tablets engraved with the Ten Commandments that God had given Moses on Mount Sinai. Solomon hired the finest craftsmen and builders he could find to build the temple. He used the best materials, and 3,300 men supervised the work on the building. When the Temple was completed, Solomon consecrated it with sacrifices and prayers, installed the golden and silver vessels that his father David had had made for use in temple ceremonies and had the Ark of the Covenant carried into the inner sanctuary. Then Solomon hosted a celebratory feast for all the people of Israel. The feast lasted for seven days.