YEA Lesson Library
More Than Meets the Eye
About This Lesson
This lesson teaches God’s perspective on people judging other people. Only God can see what is in the heart.
Scriptures
1 Samuel 16:7
Psalm 26:1-2
Matthew 7:1-5
Luke 6:36-45
John 5:22
John 7:24
2 Corinthians 13:5
Philippians 2:3
James 2:12-13
Words to Know
GUST - a sudden rush of air
CLINIC - a medical facility
The Lesson
Josh was playing ball with his friends. It was his turn to bat. The first pitch was a strike. Next came two balls and another strike. Josh stood waiting for the next pitch. A sudden gust of wind whipped around home plate. It blew dirt into Josh’s eyes. He rubbed and rubbed. But he couldn’t see. The coach told Josh’s dad to take him to the clinic.
Josh sat on the table waiting for the doctor. What would happen if the doctor came in with a big board sticking in his eye? Would he be able to see Josh? Could he help him? Or, what if the doctor said, “Don’t play ball on a windy day.” How could a doctor with a board in his eye help Josh?
One day Jesus was teaching His disciples. He said, “If you have a board in your eye, you can’t see a speck in someone else’s eye.” He said that would be like a blind man trying to lead another blind man. Neither one could see where they were going.
Jesus said it is wrong to judge why people act the way they do. We only see what is being done. We cannot look into someone’s heart. Only God can see what is in our hearts. Sometimes it is More Than Meets the Eye.
Let’s go back to Josh. How would he feel if his friends made fun of him? Was it his fault he got dirt in his eye? What if they said Josh just didn’t want to strike out? They would be judging Josh. They couldn’t know how badly Josh’s eye hurt.
Do you ever judge your friends? What if you went to your friend’s house? Her room was a mess. Clothes were on the floor and bed. You couldn’t even find her Barbies. Would you want to play in that mess? Would you make fun of her? Would you go home?
Now, look at your room. Are there books on the floor? Are your clothes hung up? Did you put your toys away? Is it right to judge your friend when your room is a mess?
Jesus said we should look at ourselves first. “Take the board out of your own eye. Then you can see to help someone else.” He also said, “Don’t judge unless you want to be judged.” If your room is messy, clean it up. Have you told your mother a lie? Tell the truth! Did you take some- thing that doesn’t belong to you? Return it! Did you have a fight? Say you’re sorry! In other words, clean up your act!
Don’t judge someone else. Don’t say bad things about them. You don’t know all the facts. Only God knows everything. Remember, there may be More Than Meets the Eye.
Student Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, Help me not to be like the man with the board in his eye. Teach me to look at my own life and clean it up before I try to clean up someone else’s life. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday - Matthew 7:1-2
Monday - John 7:24
Tuesday - James 2:12-13
Wednesday - Philippians 2:3
Thursday - Psalm 26:1-2
Friday - Luke 6:36-37
Saturday - 2 Corinthians 13:5
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. State that God is the only one who can see what is in a person’s heart.
2. Tell why Jesus said that we should not judge someone else.
3. Explain what we should do instead of judging someone else.
4. Recite their memory verse.
Topics & Themes
Attitude
Forgiveness
God’s Omniscience
Jesus, His Ministry
Judging Others
Prayer
Reconciliation
Repentance
Materials Needed
Bible, YEA students and teacher’s books, construction paper, washable finger paint, old shirts to protect the children’s clothing, newspaper to protect the table, chalkboard (any size), chalk and a wet sponge or rag, songbook, CD/cassette tape and music player, attendance and memory verse charts, stars
Preparation
For successful class discussions, keep in mind that primary aged children are concrete thinkers. This parable that Jesus taught is dealing in the abstract, so keep your questions simple. Be prepared to ask a lot of questions that do not require evaluative or critical comments. Accept any reasonable contribution to the discussion by constantly steering it back on course.
Because children of primary age are self-conscious, their self-concepts are very fragile. It is important that they receive positive affirmation rather than criticism, both from significant adults in their lives and from their peers.
Before you come to class, cut enough heart shapes out of construction paper so that each child will have one. (Cut one large heart per sheet of paper) Cover your table with newspaper to protect it from the paint used in the activity. You will also need old shirts to protect the children’s clothing.
How to Teach This Lesson
Primary age children may not under- stand that their words can affect the feelings of others. Negative comments about the appearance of others may be made in innocence. Explain in a gentle way that everyone has feelings, and that Jesus wants us to be kind. He is not as concerned about how a person looks on the outside as He is about his heart attitude.
But, oftentimes our heart attitude shows up on the outside. Ask several of the children to think about someone who has been unkind to them. Have the rest of the class watch their facial expressions. Explain that when we feel angry, it shows up on our face. Now ask someone else to think about a happy time – like a birthday party. Notice how happy thoughts take the form of happy expressions.
Use the following object lesson to point out to the children that by changing their attitude, their behavior can be changed.
(Draw a heart on a chalkboard. As you talk about different attitudes, begin to make marks inside the heart.) If you feel angry you will act in a hostile way. Anger and hatred are wrong thoughts that can lead to sinful acts. If you feel jealous of someone, you might be tempted to say bad things about that person. If you are greedy, you might be tempted to take things that don’t belong to you. God’s cure for sin is to talk with Him about it and He will forgive you (1 John 1:9). When we tell God about our wrong attitudes, He forgives them. He also make us clean – just like washing the marks off the blackboard. (Using a wet rag, wash the blackboard.)
Help the children identify critical, negative comments, and replace them with praise for positive behavior. Setting the right example is the best way to teach positive behavior. Emphasize that each one of us should spend our time making sure our hearts are clean (removing the board from our own eye) rather than finding something wrong that another person is doing.
Review Questions
1. Your memory verse says that “man looks on the outward appearance,” but what does God look at?
2. Why is it wrong to judge someone else?
3. Instead of making fun of someone who answers a question wrongly, what would be a good thing to do?
4. How can other people tell if we have a wrong heart attitude?
5. When we tell God about our wrong thoughts, what will He do?
Teacher-Directed Activity
Give each child a heart shaped piece of construction paper and have them write their name on it. Have them fold the heart in half. With the heart opened, place a small amount (about the size of a quarter) of washable finger paint in the center of the heart and fold it, spreading the paint into a design. Unfold the heart and allow the paint to dry. As you hold up each heart, ask the children what they think the design looks like to them. The children may each have a different idea of what the design looks like. Use this example to demonstrate that we may see one thing, but only God can truly see what is in a man’s heart. The children may take their hearts home with them.
REACH Activity
Special Materials Needed:
Coin stickers, card stock, board, sawdust, piece of gravel
Activities:
1. Add this week’s hidden treasure to your treasure chest: Don’t judge others. Add coin stickers.
2. Do a sword drill with this week’s Daily Devotionals.
More Information: Use the Daily Devotional Scriptures to have a sword drill. Read the Scripture reference to the child. Then start the timer. When the child has found the verse, stop the timer. Read the verse and talk about how it relates to the lesson. Challenge the child to see how quickly he/she can find each of the verses in the Bible.
3. Write the memory verse in large letters on a piece of cardstock. Cut the words apart. Arrange the words in the correct order. Repeat until the memory verse is memorized.
4. Sing: A. “Farther Along” on page 169 in the CEM Hymnal. B. “Thy Word Have I Hid in My Heart” on page 75 of Kids Classics Collection. C. “Here I Am, Lord” on page 134 of the CEM Hymnal. Write in your Bible notebook how these songs relate to your YEA lesson.
5. Read Romans 14:4. Whose servant is this Scripture talking about?How does this Scripture relate to the YEA lesson?
6. Have you ever had a splinter? Where was it? How did you get it out? How big was it? Can you imagine that splinter being a board? Write about it in your Bible notebook. When you read Matthew 7:1-5, that’s what Jesus is talking about. Each of us has things in our own lives to worry about fixing. We have no business looking at someone else’s problems.
7. Ask: Have you ever gotten something in your eye? What was it? Was it hard to remove or get out? Share answers.
8. Show the students the following objects: a piece of board and sawdust or a piece of gravel (to represent the “speck”). Ask: How it would feel if either of these objects was in your eye? Share and discuss responses. Talk about how this relates to the YEA lesson and use the objects to make the point Jesus was teaching the disciples.
9. Give two students a blindfold. Have them take turns trying to lead each other. Let each student have a turn. Be sure they understand the point Jesus was making about “the blind leading the blind.” In their Bible notebooks, students should write how they felt doing and watching the activity.
10. Use your Bible and concordance to find the meaning of the word “judge.” Write it in your Bible notebook. Find two Scriptures for “judge” and write them in your Bible notebook.
11. Tell students about a time when you made a judgment then later found out the “real” story. Ask: Have you ever made a judgment about someone? Let students share their story so that you can determine whether they understand the concept or idea of “judging.”
12. Explain to students that sometimes others judge us unfairly. They do not know the whole story of what is really going on. For example, imagine walking slowly down the hall at school or church because your foot is sore, and someone says, “Hurry up, slowpoke, or get out of the way!” How would that make you feel? Would you tell the person right away that you have a sore on the bottom of your foot? Or would you keep quiet? Why or why not? Write the answers in your Bible notebook.
13. Ask students to come up with their own examples of judgment (either judging or being judged) to role play for everyone else. Be sure everyone has a turn. After each role play ask students what they learned from the example. Students should write about the role play examples in their Bible notebooks.
14. Give the board and sawdust, or piece of gravel, to the students to retell the YEA lesson.
15. Jesus wants you to take care of yourself by reading and studying the Bible, and praying. David was a man who lived a long time ago. His story is in I Samuel 16, where the memory verse can be found. Read about how David was chosen by the Lord. Write at least three questions in your Bible notebook that you would ask David. Share with family and friends. Then pray that you too will have a heart for Jesus.
16. Using your Bible and concordance find at least three Scriptures for “heart.” Draw or trace three heart shapes onto construction paper. Write the three verses on the hearts. Punch a hole at the top of each heart and thread a ribbon through all three hearts to connect them. Hang on a wall as a reminder of how important it is to have a heart for Jesus.
17. Draw a picture of what the memory verse means to you. Write the memory verse on the picture. Practice the verse until memorized.
18. Draw a picture of Matthew 7:3. Your picture will help you understand how ridiculous Jesus says it is for you to be looking at someone else’s problems.
19. Spend some time thinking about what is wrong in your life that you need to change. Then ask God to show you how to change those things.
Song
“Standin’ In The Need Of Prayer” is on page 53 of the Kids Classics Collection.
Closing Prayer
Ask the children to think of a wrong heart attitude that they may have today – anger, jealousy, condemning, etc. and have them silently tell God about it before you lead them in prayer.
Printable Pages
