Hypocrites

Today, I taught a lesson in Sunday School on hypocrites.  Jesus was particularly hard on the hypocrites of the time, namely the Pharisees.  They appeared perfect, wearing their large phylacteries and enlarging the borders of their garments.  However, on the inside, they were full of extortion and excess.

I try to always relate a treat in my lesson--whether kids must answer questions in order to earn candy bars, or some baked good serves as a reminder of what the lesson covered.

Last week, when Mark came home from HOBY, he brought home a huge box of candy. There were Crunch bars and Snickers scattered throughout the box, but the majority of the candy consisted of Skor bars.  At least that's what I thought they were.

Here's a photo of the individual bar. 

 Underneath the chocolate, is a hard, toffee center.  Sprinkled on the top are sugar crystals, right?

I couldn't believe how lucky I was going to be over the next few weeks, eating chocolate to my heart's content, free!  I took my first bite of the candy bar, expecting pure deliciousness.  That first bite came straight back out of my mouth when I tasted salt.

Yes, salt.

I have lost all sense of taste except for salty and sweet, and sweet was what I was expecting, not salt!

So, for my Sunday School lesson today, I brought these silly hypocritical Skor bars.  On the outside, they appear all sweet and chocolately, but inside they are full of extortion!  Extortion of my taste buds!

Turns out, one of my student's parents had just returned from a trip to Seattle.  There, she had seen chocolate all around, covered in the sodium defilement.  Supposedly, it "enhances" the taste of chocolate.  I don't know who-was-smoking-what when they came up with that plan, but for me, they are nothing but wolves in sheep's clothing.  Pure, adulterated hypocrites!

I told the kids that they could take as many candy bars as I had brought to class today.  It came as no surprise to me, that after the kids had tasted them, I was still left with a basket of the silly things.  No doubt the kids will remember the lesson!