Matthew 15:10-28

 ¹⁰ Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. ¹¹ What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” ¹² Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” ¹³ He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. ¹⁴ Leave them; they are blind guides.^[a] If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”  ¹⁵ Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”  ¹⁶ “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. ¹⁷ “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? ¹⁸ But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. ²⁰ These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”  ²¹ Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” ²³ Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” ²⁴ He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”  ²⁵ The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. ²⁶ He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”  ²⁷ “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”  ²⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment. 

Materials:  Apple, Rock, Carrot, Stick--all in a paper bag

Good Morning!  How are you today?  Today, I brought some things and I wanted to ask you if people can eat these.  [Pull each item out of the bag and let the kids name each one and then tell you if it can be eaten.]  You're right!  We can eat apples & carrots, but not rocks & sticks.  What do we do with apples before we eat them?  That's right, we wash them first.  You know it is important for us to learn what is good to eat, and even how we should wash some things before we  eat them.  When Jesus was with his disciples, there were some people who were very concerned about what they ate, how they got the food ready, and even who they ate with.  Jesus taught us even though we think about what is good to eat, what we should put in our tummies, that it is more important to think about what kinds of things are in our hearts.  Do you know that the words that we say and the things we do come from what's in our hearts?    Can you think of some things Jesus would want us to say & do?  [Let them say some and add if needed.]  Yes, Jesus wants us to say kind things, to share, and to be loving toward each other.  And he will help us do those things because he is in our heart too.

Let's say a prayer about that:  Dear God, we thank you for the good food that we have to eat.  Help us to remember that what is in our heart is even more important than what is in our tummy.   Help us to say words and to do things that show you live in our hearts.  Amen.