My Cheeks Hurt
Matthew 5:38-44
INTRODUCTION
This morning I want to introduce you to some other kids that are having some issues in their life that perhaps you can learn from. I would like you to listen to their story. I want you to listen closely because their story can help teach us and help us to understand something Jesus taught in the Bible.
STORY: Dorothy and the Dolphin (http://www.jeremiahproject.com/culture/values/forgiveness2.html)
SEGMENT 1
“Oh yeah, well you are the stupidest sister in the world!” Angelo yelled at his sister Dorothy so loud his voice began to crack.
“I am not stupid, Angelo!” Dorothy shouted back her face red with anger. “I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.” And she stormed out of the game room and ran upstairs to her room and slammed the door so loud the neighbors heard it and then she threw herself on the bed and cried. She hated fighting with Angelo but she was so mad right now, she didn’t know what she might do. To forget the fight, she turned on her TV in her room and her favorite cartoon TV show, Donald the Dolphin was on. Soon she was distracted by the silly, mostly ridiculous things that cartoon characters get to do.
“It must be easy to be a cartoon character.” She heard herself mutter feeling that she might be drifting off to sleep.
“Its time for Shakey the Shark to blow up!” The shrill cartoon voice of Donald the Dolphin woke Dorothy up. She sat straight up and looked for the floor of her room. But there was no floor. Under her were crayon colored waves of water but not water because she was walking on them. She panicked and spun around and everywhere she looked, it was the cartoon world.
“Where am I?” she said frantically trying to grab a hold of something. But everything was cartoon reality so it just squished through her hands.
“Why you are here with me Dorothy." said Donald the Dolphin doing a huge leap from the Skalley Walley Ocean and coming down with a huge SPLASH. Dorothy actually saw the word SPLASH appear above the cartoon water and then it splattered everywhere. It got on her but she wasn’t wet, just covered in cartoon goo that quickly disappeared in the next frame.
“Donald, where is my dad and mom, where is my brother?” Dorothy asked trying to figure out right away how to get back to real life and out of the cartoon.
“But I thought you wanted to be in a cartoon, Dorothy. Ahoy, Chester the Chicken!” Dorothy turned around and she was scooped up on a huge orange and yellow cartoon jet ski. Chester the Chicken was driving and laughing wildly. The jet ski took off into the sky with just a swirl of exhaust and then landed on the road near Skalley Wumpkum Town where Chester the Chicken was mayor.
INTRODUCTION OF ISSUES
Now, so far in the story, what has happened between Angelo and Dorothy? [allow answers]
How do you think Angelo is feeling at this moment in the story? [allow answers]
How do you think Dorothy is feeling at this moment in the story? [allow answers]
I can imagine that both Angelo and Dorothy are indeed pretty upset. I can imagine that because they have hurt each others feelings, that they might be thinking of ways to get even or ways to get back at each other. Sometimes that happens… when we get hurt feelings or something bad happens… we want to hurt the person back.
I want you to put yourself, if you can, in a similar situation:
* Maybe someone has said something very mean to you.
* Maybe someone has stolen something from you that was yours and certainly not theirs!
* Maybe someone you do not like has asked a favor of you.
KEY QUESTION: What do we do? What does Jesus tell us to do?
SEGMENT 2
“We know you are mad at Angelo, Dorothy. Here in cartoon land, we can give you lots of funny ways to get back at him.” Chester said in a voice that was always too high and too low but never in the middle. ‘SHALZOOM!” Chester said and a cartoon version of Angelo appeared. Dorothy almost ran to him until he started popping his eyes out and turning his feet into springs. Then she knew he was just a cartoon.
“As mayor of Shalley Wumpkum Town, you are guilty of making Dorothy mad Angelo and so your sentence is SHALZOOM!” All of a sudden, a massive rock dropped form nowhere and squished the cartoon Angelo. Dorothy screamed but then he oozed out the side of the rock and popped right back into the shape of cartoon Angelo.
“Wowzie Zowzie, that stung!” Cartoon Angelo said laughing.
“Now you get to try one Dorothy. Make Angelo pay for making you mad.” Chester insisted.
“But I don’t want Angelo to get hurt!” She insisted.
“Well then I will do it!” Chester said and he opened a wood door in his chicken belly and said “SHALZOOM”.
An angry swarm of cartoon insects surged out of the door and went directly toward Angelo. Each one did two loop-de-loops and then stung him in the behind. Angelo started running down the road whooping and jumping. Dorothy didn’t know what to do. This is all so silly and meaningless. What she needed was some real wisdom from someone she trusted to help her with her anger at Angelo.
“Oh I wish I was with someone wise.” She said as she began to run at super fast speed on her cartoon legs that had turned into wheels and she passed Angelo but then shot off a huge cliff and was falling, falling falling…………
INTRODUCTION OF THE SCRIPURE
Believe it or not, Jesus has a lot to say about forgiveness in the Bible. I hope you know that Jesus’ life was all about explaining the forgiveness that comes from God… especially shown in His death on the cross! Jesus died on the cross so we could have forgiveness. Yet, we have people in our lives that we need to deal with. We have parents, friends, teachers, strangers, other kids in church, kids on the playground, and plenty of other people in our lives that may do something or say something to hurt our feelings.
Remember, I want you to put yourself, if you can, in a similar situation:
* Maybe someone has said something very mean to you.
* Maybe someone has stolen something from you that was yours and certainly not theirs!
* Maybe someone you do not like has asked a favor of you.
KEY QUESTION: What do we do? What does Jesus tell us to do?
I would like you to get out the Bibles and find Matthew 5:38-44. Matthew is an easy book to find because it is the first book in the New Testament. Let’s read from chapter 5. In fact, let’s read the passage together. We’ll read it together and if you don’t know a word, that is ok. Read along as best you can!
READ Matthew 5:38-44
“You have heard that it was said, ’Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. 43 "You have heard that it was said, ’Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (NIV)
SEGMENT 3
“Oh!” she awoke with a start. Dorothy was awake from her dream!
“Are you ok sweetie?” she heard a very real human voice. It was Grandpa. She was dozing on his lap. “I think you had a nightmare.”
“I did Grandpa. I was a cartoon in the Donald the Dolphin show and I was mad at Angelo and they were making me do awful things to him and and and…” she started to pour out what she saw there.
“Shush little girl” Grandpa said as only he could do. “You are safe here now. You are angry at Angelo and you don’t know what to do?” He asked.
“Yes and I said some terrible things to him before I went to my room and pouted and went into the cartoon world and I felt just terrible and I don’t know how to forgive him and I know I need to ask his forgiveness and, and and….” She continued demonstrating that she had not yet learned to talk in more than one sentence.
“Dorothy,” said Grandpa. “You don’t need the magic of cartoons to make everything right. You have a secret super power. It’s called forgiveness. If you will forgive Angelo, your heart will fill with love for him again and all those awful feelings will go away.” He told her giving her that wisdom she had been begging Chester the Chicken for.
“But how Grandpa?” Dorothy said confused.
“You know how Jesus forgave you of all your sins and came into your heart?” Grandpa said.
“Oh yes Grandpa. He forgave me of everything and made me clean inside.”
“Well just go to that place in your heart where Jesus is and ask him to help you give the forgiveness to Angelo that he gave to you when he died for you and rose again. The Holy Spirit will throw that resentment and anger right out of your heart and you will forgive him in a deep place and then it will be easy to go ask him to forgive you.”
“I can feel it already Grandpa. I think Jesus has already given me the secret super power of forgiveness. I am going to go make up with Angelo right now. Thank you Grandpa.” She said happily hugging his neck and she hopped down and ran to the door.
“Isn’t there one more thing you need to do today after you make up with Angelo?” Grandpa called to her. Dorothy stopped and thought about it and then laughed her happy little girl giggle.
“There sure is Grandpa.” She said. “I am going to quit watching the Donald the Dolphin cartoon show right away!’”
APPLICATION
Now I want to take a look at what Jesus said. Let’s take a closer look at the Bible passage that we read out loud together from Matthew chapter 5.
“You have heard that it was said, ’Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.”
What does that sound like? [allow answers]
What kind of world do you think we would live in if everyone lived like that? [allow answers]
Jesus does not want us to live our lives like some people have heard. Most of the time our first reaction is to do the bad thing done to us right back at the person who did it. Most of the time we say nasty words right back to the person who said them to us. Most of the time whatever bad things happen to us… we do right back. Jesus says He wants us to choose better. Jesus says He wants us to live better. We are not to scream back if someone screams at us. We are not to steal from someone if they steal from us. We are not to cheat off of someone’s test if they cheat off of ours. We are to be different.
KEY QUESTION: What do we do? What does Jesus tell us to do?
“But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. 43 "You have heard that it was said, ’Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (NIV)
What does “turn the other cheek mean”? [allow answers]
Why would Jesus want you to give to someone who is being mean to you? [allow answers]
Why would Jesus want you to be kind to someone who is being unloving to you? [allow answers]
You see the answer is that Jesus wants us to be people who choose to love. Jesus wants us to do our best not to act like “eye for eye or tooth for tooth.” That only makes things worse! The way that Jesus would want us to respond when someone hurts our feelings, when someone steals from us, when someone is being an all around bully to us… is to choose love.
Choose forgiveness.
Choose to be nicer.
Choose to be kind.
Choose to love the person.
I want to re-read Matthew 5:38-44, but I want to read it a little differently to help you understand.
“Here’s another old saying that deserves a second look: ’Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’ Is that going to get us anywhere? Here’s what I propose: ’Don’t hit back at all.’ If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously. "You’re familiar with the old written law, ’Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ’Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst.” (MSG)
CONCLUSION
Now I want you to think back on the story of Angelo and Dorothy.
What could Angelo have done differently? [allow answers]
What could Dorothy have done differently? [allow answers]
