Lesson 3: What’s on the inside.
Passage: Matthew 15:1-20 - Once Jesus was approached by some Pharisees and religious teachers, who accused his followers of breaking the traditions of the elders by not washing their hands before they ate. Jesus turned the accusation around on them, saying that they were the ones who were breaking the commands of God in order to uphold their traditions and human rules. Jesus cites the example of those who dismiss God’s command to honor one’s parents in order to devote to God that which would have been used to help their parents. Jesus concludes by saying that a person is not defiled by eating with unwashed hands but by the wicked thoughts that come from inside their hearts.
Big Idea: Clean hands vs. clean hearts.
For Teachers:
Lesson plan.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class and introduce yourselves.
Warm Up Activity: Sensory Bins — Activity Leader
Bubble foam sensory bins will be provided for kids to play with and explore with their hands. A bucket of clean water will also be available for them to wash off their hands afterwards.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we’re going to be learning about a time when Jesus’ friends didn’t wash their hands before they ate, and some other people who saw them were kind of mad about it, because they said that it's against the rules.
What kind of rules do you have in your home? Do you think different people might have different rules in their homes?
Let’s watch our video to find out more...
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Why were the religious people so mad when they saw Jesus’ friends eating without washing their hands?
Do you think that not washing their hands makes them bad people? What did Jesus say about that?
What did Jesus say was the most important thing to God - to have clean hands or clean hearts?
What do you think it means to have a clean heart?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the story we learned today about how what’s on the inside that counts. We may all do things a little bit differently in our homes or in our families, but what God cares about most is that we have clean and good hearts that are full of love for you and for others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Watercolor Hearts — Activity Leader
Kids can either paint their hearts on regular paper, or they can cut out heart shapes and then paint them.
If a child is not interested in the activity, allow them to move to free play.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit near the TV. Welcome them to class. Introduce yourselves.
Warm Up Activity: Group Keepy Uppy — Activity Leader
Have all the kids stand in a circle. Inflate 2-4 balloons and begin a game of keepy uppy, starting with one balloon and slowly adding more so that the group has to keep up multiple balloons at once.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today in our video we’re going to be hearing about a time when some people got upset with Jesus and his friends because they didn’t wash their hands before they ate, which the people said was against the rules.
We all have rules in our homes right? What are some of the rules that you have in your home?
Do you think different people have different rules in their homes? Or maybe people with different cultures might do things differently?
Let’s watch our video to find out more about the story…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Why do you think the religious people were so upset when they saw Jesus’ friends eating without washing their hands?
Do you think that someone who washes their hands before they eat is a better person than someone who doesn’t? Why or why not?
What did Jesus say was the most important thing to God - to have clean hands or clean hearts?
What do you think it means to have a clean heart?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the lesson we learned today about how different people may have different rules or customs that they follow, but what really matters is what’s on the inside, and what our hearts are like. Please help us to have hearts that are accepting of others and their differences, and that are full of your love and goodness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Watercolor Hearts — Activity Leader
Kids can either paint their hearts on regular paper, or they can cut out heart shapes and then paint them.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Welcome the kids to class, introduce yourselves.
Warm Up Activity: Balloon Stack Minute To Win It — Activity Leader
Kids will take turns blowing air into a deflated balloon, and using it to stack as many cups as possible in one minute.
See video: https://youtube.com/shorts/dzxBl3rjpV4?feature=shared
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we’re going to be learning about a time when some religious leaders got upset with Jesus and his friends because they didn’t wash their hands before they ate, which the religious people said was against the rules and traditions of their people.
We all have rules that we have to follow right? What are some of the rules that you have in your home?
Do you think different people have different rules in their homes? Or maybe people with different cultures might do things differently?
Let’s watch our video to find out more about the story…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Why do you think that hand washing was so important to the religious leaders of Jesus' time? (ritual purity - being clean before God - was something that was of cultural and religious significance)
If different cultures and families have different customs and ways of doing things, do you think that makes one way better or worse than another?
What were Jesus’ thoughts on the Pharisees trying to enforce their rules and traditions on his disciples?
So Jesus took this moment as an opportunity to teach the people an lesson about what is truly important. How would you summarize Jesus’ message?
What do you think makes a person clean on the inside?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the lessons learned today about how different people may have different customs or ways of doing things, but that at the end of the day, following rules or traditions isn’t what makes us pure or holy. Instead, it’s what’s on the inside, in our hearts, that matters the most. Please help us to strive to have pure hearts that are accepting of the differences of others, and that are full of your love and goodness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Watercolor Hearts — Activity Leader
Kids can either paint their hearts on regular paper, or they can cut out heart shapes and then paint them.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
For Parents:
Follow-up questions.
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What was the Bible story that you learned about in class today?
Why do you think some people were so upset with Jesus and his friends of eating without washing their hands? (it was against their rules and ways of doing things)
Do you think that rules can be helpful sometimes? Do you have rules in your home that might be different from the rules that other people have?
What did Jesus say was more important - having clean washed hands or having clean and good hearts?
What do you think it means to have a clean heart? What are some ways that we can take care of our hearts?
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What was the Bible story that you learned about in class today?
Why do you think it was so important to some religious people that Jesus’ disciples wash their hands before they ate?
How did Jesus react when his friends were being accused of breaking the rules and traditions of the people?
In what ways do you think rules can be helpful for us? Do you think there are some situations where rules are not so helpful? Like what?
What did Jesus say was most important - having clean and washed hands or having clean hearts? What do you think that means?
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What was the Bible story that you learned about in class today?
Why do you think the tradition of handwashing was so important to some religious people in Jesus’ time? (ritual purity - being clean before God - was something that was of cultural / religious importance)
What are some rules and traditions that are important to you? Do you think different people might have different ways of doing things?
What are some situations when rules can be good and helpful? What are some situations when they are not as helpful or when they can be misused?
What was the lesson Jesus was trying to teach the people in this story?
