REAL DEVOTION
Matthew 15:1–11; 16–20
As we move further into Matthew’s Gospel, we see increasing hostility growing between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders.
They were constantly questioning Jesus and His teachings because His teaching often clashed with their man-made traditions. As you read the passage, you can feel Jesus’ righteous indignation as He rebukes these “hypocrites.”
Broken Rules (1–6)
The “tradition of the elders” is addressed in verse 2. It concerned the ceremonial washing of hands before eating. This wasn’t really for the purpose of cleanliness but was rather a tradition. That tradition specified the amount of water to be used and the manner of handwashing. The leaders were looking for reasons to discredit Jesus and His disciples. Jesus’ response to this attack was to answer the question with a question. He asked them, “Why do you break God’s commandment because of your tradition?”
He went on to address the Jewish tradition of corban. This tradition allowed men to use financial resources that should be dedicated to caring for elderly parents to instead be “dedicated” to the temple. Jesus reminded them that their traditions ran counter to God’s law delivered to Moses in the Ten Commandments.
Specifically, Exodus 20:12 says, “Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” He got to the heart of the matter using the fifth commandment to draw a contrast between the traditions of man and the law of God.
What are some of our human-made traditions that we have elevated, such as not going to the movies, not playing cards or not having dice?
Lip Service (7–11)
Using a term from the Greek theater, Jesus called these leaders “hypocrites.” Hypocrites were actors who would wear different masks to help them interpret a specific role.
Jesus was accusing the leaders of not being authentic. He then quoted the prophet Isaiah who wrote, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” At that point, Jesus turned away from the Pharisees and to the crowd.
He taught them, “It’s not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person but what comes out of the mouth.” The food that people take in internally doesn’t defile them.
However, the words and thoughts that come out of their hearts and mouths make them unclean. When we call someone a hypocrite, we’re calling them two-faced. They are saying one thing but doing another.
Real Problem (16–20)
If you’ve read the Gospels, you are not surprised that as a spokesman for the group, Peter is the disciple who asks for an interpretation of the parable. After delivering a mild rebuke, Jesus explains that food entering the mouth travels through the digestive system and is ultimately eliminated from the body. A man is not made unclean by the food he eats. However, the thoughts that become words and then lead to actions originate in the heart. This is what defiles people or makes them unclean. Why do we tend toward legalism when Galatians 5:1 says, “For freedom, Christ set us free”?
By Don Fugate
Senior pastor of Foxworthy Baptist Church in San Jose, California
