Scripture Focus: Matthew 23
Materials: apple {Before the lesson cut a small hole and soak it in food dye of several different colors mixed together so it turns all brown and yucky inside.}
{Hold up the apple. Say:}
Everybody loves apples.
Here in the United States we have an entire tall tale based around a man who spent his entire life planting apple trees all around the country. There are dozens of different kinds of apples you can buy at the grocery store.
Look at this apple here. Doesn’t it look awesome to eat? It’s amazing and pretty, it’s got that perfect shine to it.
{Cut apple.}
But, if we cut into the apple and look inside, we see it doesn’t look so pretty on the inside.
Do you want to eat it? I certainly don’t want to eat it.
This apple isn’t so appealing now is it?
That reminds me of what Jesus said to the Pharisees. They came to Him and tried to trick Him. They would ask questions, and would sneer at Jesus’ answers.
One day as He preached Jesus gave a warning to them, “Woe to you blind guides.” Can you lead someone when you are blind? No, you cannot.
He went on to say, “You clean the outside of the cup, but inside you are full of filth and greed… You are like white-washed tombs. On the outside you look beautiful, but inside you are full of the bones of the dead and rotting things.”
We can be like that sometimes. Inside we act like perfect people, we say the right words, we do the right actions, but inside our thoughts are not as pretty. We think horrid things about our siblings, or we say “Yes, ma’am,” to our Mom, but inside we are calling her names.
Our behavior is the exact same, but because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, we don’t have to be the same. We can ask God to forgive our sins, and with His help we can change.
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