In Sunday School we completed a worksheet on hypocrisy by matching outward behaviors with hidden heart motives. It seemed like a straightforward exercise… until I realized I wasn’t matching the answers the way the author probably intended.

Instead of asking, “What’s the right answer?” I found myself asking, “What’s the heart behind the behavior?”

For example, I paired posting Christian messages online with spreading rumors, because it made me think about how easy it is to proclaim God’s Word publicly while misusing our words in everyday life. I connected judging others with hoping for recognition, because sometimes criticism isn’t about righteousness—it’s about elevating ourselves.

It made me wonder: Is Bible study only about finding the author’s intended answer, or is there also value in wrestling with the text and examining our own hearts?

I don’t think every interpretation is equally correct, but I do think God often uses the questions we ask to expose what’s in us. Today’s lesson reminded me that sometimes the greatest takeaway isn’t getting every answer “right”—it’s allowing the Holy Spirit to search my heart.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart… See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” — Book of Psalms

This kind of study is one of the reasons I enjoy Sunday School. Sometimes the discussion teaches me as much as the lesson itself.