What Makes One Clean

13. January 2009 by Bernice Davis.

Hello:

Today, we are returning to our study on the book of Matthew.  On December 23, our last subject was “Tradition of the Elder- Part II.”    We ended our discussion with talking about the oral tradition of the elders that existed during that day and how they had exalted it over the “word of God.” 

Jesus dealt with two traditions in our text; the washing of hands and the honoring of their mothers and fathers. 

Here is that text for your review:

Matthew 15:1 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2 ”Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!” 3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ 5 But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’ 6 he is not to ‘honor his father’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 8 ”‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’”

10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.’” 12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” 13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” 15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.” 16 ”Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17 ”Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what make a man ‘unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him ‘unclean.’”

Jesus rebukes the religious leaders for their “traditions of men” and he indicates that they were the ones that Isaiah prophesied about when he said; ‘these people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”   Jesus called them hypocrites.  The Greek word for hypocrite means actor or performer; people who pretend to be something that they are not; people who take on a role, create a production.   Jesus saw performance, a production as he traveled throughout the land.  No true worship from the spiritual leaders, the teachers of the law. 

Jesus responds to the issue of “washing of hands” by saying that it is not what goes into the body that defiles a person but rather what comes out of the body from the heart which Is what makes a person unclean. 

The disciples were amazed at the tone that Jesus took with the Pharisees and his correction or rebuke of them.  They came to Jesus and said; “Did you know that the Pharisees were offended.”   I find it fascinating that as Christians, we allow people because of their stature, status and influence in this world to say or declare all types of falsehoods and we stand idly by for fear of offending them.  When someone is bold enough to challenge their wrong, we often refused to comment or take a stand because of who that person may be in our community or our world.   Jesus’ disciples came to Jesus to tell him that he had offended “the powers that be” in that land but none of them rebuked the Pharisees for being offensive to Jesus, our Lord and Savior, God in flesh.  

I love the response of Jesus.   This is how he dealt with teachers of untruths or false doctrine.  He tells his disciples who were concerned about him being offensive to the “religious leaders” that “every plant that his Father did not plant will be pluck up.  Leave them alone.  They be the blind leading the blind and they both will fall into a pit.     Sometimes, we fight the wrong battles.  There is a whole world waiting to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and oftentimes we get distracted with trying to correct the false teachers.   Take your stand, but in the words of Jesus; “Let them alone.”  If God did not plant it then it will be exposed and pulled up from its roots.  

This text ends with his disciples coming to him asking him to explain the parable about the washing of the hands.  Jesus was amazed that they didn’t get it.   Jesus kindly instructs them as to this is what he means;  Jesus says: “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body?  But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.  These are what make a man ‘unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him ‘unclean.”

So Guard your heart.  Don’t get caught up in traditions and rituals.  Not all traditions and rituals are bad but when they began to overrule and replace the word of God then it becomes problematic.   God is concerned about our heart.   What comes out of our heart through our lips and actions determines whether we are clean before God and not the physical dirt that may be on our flesh.

Stay encouraged and I’ll see you tomorrow.

God Bless.

Don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily. 

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