Sports Network, Week 3: Feb. 25, 2024
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
Follow Up Questions:
Preschool-Kindergarten
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?
Grades 1-3
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?
Grades 4-6
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?
