Matthew 15:1-11, 15-20 Lesson Notes
V1 Jesus is in
Galilee in the north and scribes and Pharisees travel up there from Jerusalem
to see what all of the commotion was about. News was spreading like wildfire
about Jesus’ ministry. The Pharisees were a major religious party among the
Jews. While the Sadducees basically controlled Jerusalem and the Temple, which
was significant, the Pharisees were all over Palestine, in the north and south,
among the people and the synagogues. Their influence was extensive. The scribes
were basically lawyers. They were trained in the interpretation and application
of the Jewish law. These two groups consistently “teamed up” against Jesus to
“bring Him down.”
V2 Of course,
the Pharisees had many of their own traditions that were loosely based on the
Mosaic Law but were not actually law. Yet, these oral traditions had become a
law unto the Pharisees and scribes who taught the people. They put the yoke of
their traditions on the masses. This is part one of those traditions. They had
taught for decades that a person should wash his/her hands before eating a
meal, not for physical cleanliness but for ritual purposes.
(*See Mark
7:2-4 about this tradition). There were also many other regulations concerning
just the washing of hands. For example, if you poured water over one hand with
a single rinsing, it was clean. However, if you poured water over both hands
with a single rinsing, they were unclean. . . .
V3 It is bad
enough to hold so strongly to man-made traditions, but it is that much worse
when your traditions force you to break the actual Scriptures. Notice that the
Pharisees question Jesus about breaking the laws of the elders while Jesus
questions the Pharisees about breaking the laws of God.
VV4-6 As you know, the Pharisees were constantly trying to side-step
the OT laws. They would keep the laws but only according to their perverted
interpretations. The Sermon on the Mount is a clear refutation of these
practices. Jesus gives us an example of how they do this. Instead of helping
their aging parents (which was part of honoring your father and mother), they
would dedicate a portion of their finances to God. In reality, all they were
doing was using those finances for themselves, breaking the law by not honoring
their parents, and in essence cursing their parents.
VV7-9 Jesus calls them “hypocrites.” They were wearing the mask of
religion and righteousness, but underneath they were dishonorable lawbreakers.
The Lord then quotes the prophet Isaiah who spoke sharply against this kind of
people. Speaking for God, the prophet criticizes the “good show” that they put
on acting as religious (draw near to God with their mouth, honor him with their
lips, act as teachers), but God knows our hearts and could see that it was fake
(heart is far from God, worship is empty, teaching is man-made commands).
VV10-11 While the exchange had been between the Lord and the religious
leaders, Jesus now calls the multitude to come close to listen. He says, “Hear
and understand.” You see, the Jews thought that if they ceremonially washed
their hands before they ate, then they would not defile the food and thus
defile themselves. Jesus pulls the crowd close and gives a short metaphor, a
parable. What Jesus says is revolutionary. Yes, the Jewish tradition had gotten
out of hand concerning these things, but the true source, the Mosaic Law,
actually did forbid certain foods as defiled. Yet, Jesus says here that no food
that goes into a person’s mouth actually defiles. Thus, He is saying, “All
foods are clean.” This is setting Christianity on a different path than what
God’s people had walked before. Ultimately, it is pointing to the inclusion of
the Gentiles.
VV15-20 Peter, as the spokesman, asks for Jesus to explain the parable.
Even the disciples do not understand. Jesus is blowing their minds. Jesus
rebukes their failure to understand by questioning them about it. Is it not
simple enough to understand that what you eat is processed and then eliminated
by the body? Now, listen to the Lord’s logic, what comes out of the mouth
actually comes from the heart. So, when evil comes out of the mouth, it means
that the heart is evil. That is what defiles a person. There is a major
difference between ceremonial/legalistic/traditional/physical cleanliness and
moral cleanliness. Notice that when Jesus gives a list of
sins/evils/defilements they closely resemble the Ten Commandments.
Conclusion
As many
pastors/commentators would point out, we should say that all Christians need to
take a step back, a deep breath, and really consider what verses 17-20 are
saying. So many Christians continue to come to the church building and
participate in worship and church activities while continuing a life of sin on
the side without repentance. Many Christians draw close to God in worship, but
are far from Him in their hearts.