Matthew 15:1-20

Matthew 15:1-20
In this section we see Jesus come into conflict with the Pharisees and teachers of the law regarding Jewish traditions. These were "rules"--hundreds of them--that had been gradually over the years added to the Jewish law, and in the eyes of the Pharisees, they were equal with God's law as given to Moses.

And so the Pharisees challenge Jesus because his disciples were not practicing a ceremonial cleansing of their hands which was a part of the "tradition of the elders." Jesus does not defend the disciples who in reality were doing nothing wrong, but He points out that the Pharisees themselves were in fact breaking God's law by practicing their tradition! They had made up a rule that if you give to God the money that you would have spent on your needy parents, you are free of the responsibility to honor your parents. This is in direct violation of the Word of God! Some traditions may not be bad, but this one clearly was. Any tradition that makes us disobedient to God's Word is clearly wrong.

Traditions can be fine and can enrich our Christian experience. But we must be careful that they don't take on a life of their own. We must be firmly grounded in the Word of God in order to discern exactly what is essential in our faith and worship and what is merely tradition and preference. One thing to keep in mind is that traditions are external, and God's truth is internal. Our goal is to please God, and He is pleased when we're right with Him on the inside. He is not impressed when we honor Him with our lips but our hearts are far from Him. vv. 8-9

Next, Jesus deals with food. Good Jews have strict dietary laws where some foods are "clean" and some are "unclean." Jesus debunked this idea. As He did, his disciples became alarmed about offending the Pharisees. v. 12  In essence, Jesus said, "Don't worry about them; they are like dying plants or blind guides."

Astounded by Jesus radical teaching about food, Peter asked for an explanation. It seems obvious to us, but we haven't been steeped in Jewish tradition about food. Obviously, we don't become clean or unclean because of what we eat. Food has its purpose, but it does not affect our heart and soul. It's what's in our hearts that makes us unclean. And though we may not like to admit it, what comes out of our mouths shows what's in our hearts!

In our modern Christian church, we don't find literal Pharisees, but unfortunately the "spirit of the Pharisees" is alive and well. We must make sure that we are not practicing hypocrisy, dependence on tradition, legalism, or emphasis on externals. 

For our meditation:  "Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever." Psalm 111:2-3