Watch the video above and talk about it with your family. Learn more

Your words are like a window to your heart.

In today’s lesson, we’re going to learn about a time Jesus challenged some religious leaders and he made them really mad! Back in Jesus’ day, the religious leaders were seen as the smart, godly people because they knew God’s law really well. But, they also created a lot of other silly laws that the people had to follow. They only cared about what you looked like on the outside. It didn’t matter if you were mean or rude as long as you followed their rules. Well, Jesus didn’t like this attitude at all. He taught the exact opposite thing. Jesus said that God doesn’t care more about rules than people. God wants our hearts to be full of his love and truth so that we’ll act in ways that honor him. In other words, God cares about what’s on the inside. Jesus made a point to say that the words we speak are a reflection of who we are on the inside. If we’re mean and rude with our words, that means our hearts are hard. If we speak kind and gentle words, that means our hearts are soft. So kids, don’t be fooled. God cares about what’s in your heart because your heart determines how you talk and how you act.

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Key Points:

  • The religious leaders complained that the disciples didn’t wash their hands. Matthew 15:1-2
  • The religious leaders cared about what you looked like on the outside.
  • Jesus cares about what you look like on the inside.
  • Your words are like the window to your heart.

Memory Verse:

Matthew 15:18 (CEV) The words that come out of your mouth come from your heart.

Talk About It
  1. What’s your favorite part of the video? What’s one thing you learned from it?
  2. Share a kind thing someone said to you. Share a mean thing someone has said to you. How did both of those make you feel?
  3. Why were the religious leaders mad at the disciples? What were some other silly rules the religious types had?
  4. What does Jesus care more about? What do the words we speak say about us?
  5. Read James 3:9-10. What two things can we do with our words? Why is it important to choose our words wisely?
  6. How will you apply this lesson to your life this week?

This is part of the Life of Jesus series.

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