Read Matthew 23:1-12 with your family.
Have you ever met someone who loves being the boss? Maybe they always want to go first, tell everyone what to do, or make sure everybody notices how important they are. Sometimes grown-ups do that too! In today’s Bible story, Jesus talks about religious leaders who know all the right things to say about God, but don’t always do those things themselves. They like being admired, but they’ve forgotten something important.
Jesus tells the people to pay attention to what these leaders teach, but not to copy their behaviour. Imagine someone telling you to share your toys while grabbing all the best ones for themselves! Jesus knows that knowing the right thing and doing the right thing aren’t always the same. What matters isn’t how important we look. It’s how we treat other people.
Then Jesus turns everything upside down. He says the greatest person isn’t the one with the fanciest title, the biggest chair, or the most people following them around. The greatest person is the one who serves others. That might mean helping someone who’s struggling, inviting a lonely classmate to join your game, or doing a kind thing when nobody is watching.
Here’s your challenge this week: Be a secret helper! Find three ways to make someone else’s day better without announcing what you’ve done or expecting a reward. At the end of the week, think about how it felt. You might discover that making someone else feel important is much more satisfying than trying to look important yourself!
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