Week 976 · about 45 minutes
Matthew 15
Matthew 15 · Memory verse Matthew 15:22
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Queues the lesson plan, this story’s coloring page (Matthew 15), the matching word search and answer key (Matthew 15 word search), the memory-verse tracer, and a parent slip.
Five-minute object lesson
Prop: a cup of water
Hold a cup of water. Read Matthew 15 in about four minutes, stopping at Matthew 15:22: “Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David! My daughter is severely possessed by a demon!”” Ask, “What does this prop have to do with Matthew 15?” Let two children answer, then say the memory verse together.
Story script
Matthew 15 is a real chapter from the New Testament. It starts, “Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying,” That is not a motto invented for a poster. It is the first sentence a family hears when this page is opened at night.
Keep going a little further. The chapter also says, “These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands doesn’t defile the man.”” Matthew 15 opens with these words: “Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying,” The line to keep is Matthew 15:22: “Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David! My daughter is severely possessed by a…” Carry the word “behold” from that verse into the rest of the day.
The line worth learning out loud is Matthew 15:22: “Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David! My daughter is severely possessed by a demon!”” If the rest of the chapter feels crowded, hold that one sentence until the room is quiet.
What happens first in Matthew 15? Then try this: Read “Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, you son…” once more. What does it show you about God? You do not have to finish every verse. You can close the book after the memory verse and still have read the Bible together.
Group game
Walk the room as if you are moving through Matthew 15. Every time you freeze, a child says one word from Matthew 15:22. The last child says the whole verse.
Craft
On a US Letter sheet, draw one picture from Matthew 15 and write Matthew 15:22 under it. Send it home as tonight’s reminder, not as a decoration contest.
Memory verse
Matthew 15:22
“Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David! My daughter is severely possessed by a demon!””
Take-home prayer
Father, thank you for Matthew 15. Help us remember Matthew 15:22 when we wake up, and teach us to notice you in an ordinary night. Amen.