Matthew part 25
A Question for the Heart
Rituals & the Heart | Matthew 15:1-9
Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
“‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
Matthew 15:1-9
The Pharisees present Jesus with a ‘problem’ that has become a repeating motif throughout the gospel of Matthew. Though it appears redundant (and in one sense, it is), the reoccurring theme of legalism vs righteousness reinforces Matthew’s argument against the prevailing opinions of the religious leaders.
The ‘problem’ is the disciples do not wash their hands when they eat. Now, it is a good idea to wash your hands before you eat, but the Pharisees are not upset about hygiene. Their tradition holds to a ceremonious hand washing before eating, just in case there might be some ‘Gentile germ’ or some other such thing on the hands that would defile a person. In fact, when archeologists look back at the process of hand-washing the Pharisees would have used, it quickly becomes apparent hygiene is not the issue.
The issue is actually an extension of a mandate given to priests who were in charge of preparing the sacrifices for the altar. The Lord commanded the priests to wash their hands before preparing the sacrifices and offering them on the altar. Down the generations, the Pharisees and other leaders believed they could invite God into everyday meals, not just the ones prepared for the sacrifices. But the hand-washing is not how we would picture it. The process involved holding a fist and then pouring water over the closed fist three times. The washing symbolized God’s ability to clean the inside.
It is an odd ritual for our modern ears, but the symbolism is telling when we consider the dilemma of the Pharisees. They “washed” in this way in order to invite God to the meal and remind them of His ability to cleanse the inside of a person. It is actually a wonderful exercise, and yet, they become hypocrites in doing so. They invite God to their meal, but reject Him when He comes as Christ. They believe God can cleanse the inside, but fail to allow Him to cleanse them through the sacrifice of Christ.
Jesus points out this hypocrisy by condemning their practice known as ‘corban.’ Mark 7:11 uses the word itself, but it is the same event in history. Originally, ‘corban’ referred to a sacrifice that was brought to the Lord. It is the most generic form of sacrifice, so it literally could be anything that was given to the Lord at the temple. Through the generations, it became practice for land, property or some other such sacrifice to be “dedicated to the Lord,” but not actually given. By simply invoking the votive, a man could keep his property and not provide for his elders. Rather than “honoring [their] father and mother,” the Israelites withheld parental support in favor of financial gain.
This scenario reminds us of the central problem Matthew has described throughout his gospel:
Rituals cannot make us right with God if we never give our hearts to God.
In fact, as we consider the history of ‘corban,’ we can see how ritualism (rituals practiced without faith) can actually lead to ungodliness. The commandment is fairly simple: Honor your father and mother. And yet, the Pharisees devised a loophole for sons to dishonor their parents while still claiming they honored the Lord! The degradation of God’s commandments occurs because, as Isaiah prophesied and Jesus points out, their hearts were far from God. They maintained the rituals without actually turning their hearts to God.
Emphasizing the ritual over the importance of seeking God will eventually erode into ungodliness.
How can we discern whether our traditions honor God? Examine the fruit of the tradition.
Does it bring honor to God or honor to ourselves?
Does it compel us to follow Christ or our own plans?
Does it help us fulfill the mission of seeking the lost as Christ commands or help us remain comfortably numb to the lost?
Does it implore us to repent from sin or offer loopholes for sin?
These are not just questions to ask of us as individuals, but also as a whole church. It is often said the epitaph of every dead church reads: “We’ve always done it this way.” If “this way” does not draw us closer to the Lord and engage us in the Mission of the Lord, then it is time to find a new way.
As we read the next bit, consider how Jesus brings the central issue into clear focus.
The Mouth & the Heart | Matthew 15:10-20
And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” But Peter said to him, “Explain the parable to us.” And he said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”
Matthew 15:10-20
The Pharisees are offended by Jesus’ words—no doubt! He has just pronounced them hypocrites following ungodly traditions rather than the Lord. In response, Jesus gives a twofold explanation.
The first part alludes to the parable of the wheat and tares. These Pharisees are not ‘seed’ the Father has planted. They are working against the good seed and will be rooted up. In fact, the disciples should just not even concern themselves with them because they are blind guides.
The second part explains the parable in verse 10. Whatever we eat enters the mouth, into the stomach, and eventually makes its way back out—“Over the lips, past the gums, look out, stomach, here it comes.” But whatever comes out of the mouth begins in the heart, and that is what defiles a person. In other words, whether a heart is defiled can be determined by the actions and words that come out of that heart. In addition, the list of sins Jesus gives in verse 19 are actually symptoms of the problem. The actual problem is the heart.
The root problem for every person is found in the heart.
Whenever we find ourselves returning to our sinful attitudes and habits, we must examine our hearts. One particular proverb that is essential to memorize is Proverbs 4:31.
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Proverbs 4:31
This point is so important, Solomon even provides a bit of poetry to reinforce it in Proverbs 6.
There are six things that the Lord hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that make haste to run to evil,a false witness who breathes out lies,
and one who sows discord among brothers.Proverbs 6:16-19
This passage is one I always use as an example when teaching about Hebrew poetry because it is a perfect example of what is called a chiasm, and it makes the point Jesus is making clear.
A chiasm is a series of poetic lines that are structured in such a way that opposite lines are parallel to each other. In this one, the actual poem is 17-19, so the first line in 17 parallels the last line in 19. If you follow this pattern, the middle line stands out, and this is the line that emphasizes the message of the poem. There are six things the Lord hates, and the 7th is an abomination.
(A) haughty eyes, —— jealousy
(B) a lying tongue,—— lies
(C) hands that shed innocent blood,—— evil actions
(D) a heart that devises wicked plans,—— defiled heart
(C1) feet that make haste to run to evil,—— evil actions
(B1) a false witness who breathes out lies, —— lies
(A1) one who sows discord among brothers.—— jealousy
And as we are reading Matthew’s gospel, and as the disciples continue on their way, it just so happens a Canaanite woman will provide an object lesson on this very topic.
The Gentile & the Heart | Matthew 15:21-28
And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
Matthew 15:21-28
Consider the circumstance of this Canaanite woman. She is a citizen of the district with Tyre and Sidon, two cities founded by the Phoenicians who are also known as Canaanites. These are the enemies of Israel. Ezekiel has an entire chapter (28) that is a curse against the king of Tyre, and the curse has also been interpreted as a description of Satan himself. This situation is not like the Samaritans who were at least half Jewish. She is Gentile through and through.
But this Gentile has heard of Jesus. She has heard how Jesus can save and restore even those who are oppressed by demons. She cries out for help, but Jesus seems to ignore her. She continues to cry, and the disciples tell Jesus, “Send this lady away!”
And Jesus responds with what appears to be a lack of compassion. He has come for Israel. It is not time for Him to seek out the lost Gentiles. Now, we don’t know anything about this woman’s story other than where she is from and that her daughter was oppressed. But for whatever reason, Jesus essentially compares her (or at least her people) to dogs begging for scraps. And the woman’s reply makes the difference, and I would speculate an eternal difference, for herself and her daughter.
“Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
This response understands she is not worthy for Jesus’ mercy. She knows exactly what she is asking. She is asking a Jewish teacher, and not just any teacher, but the Son of David, the promised Messiah, to show her mercy. She is asking for the Jewish Messiah to stretch beyond the cultural, ethnic, and spiritual boundaries that separate her from Israel and provide just a crumb of mercy.
And Jesus is glad to respond with grace.
As we survey how far we have come in the gospel of Matthew, we see something of a climatic object lesson to what Matthew has shown us. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus brings us to an understanding that our hearts must be right with God if we are to be righteous. In the parables, Jesus teaches us the insurmountable value the kingdom of heaven has for us. In the miracles and healings, we see how only Jesus can provide the true needs we have in this world. And now, as the Pharisees grumble because the disciples will not follow the right rituals, Jesus says, “Those Pharisees are far from God, but this Canaanite woman has demonstrated true faith!”
Who is truly close to God? Who is truly worthy of the kingdom?
Those who understand the hopelessness of their sin and cry out, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!” can enter the kingdom of heaven.
As we close today, let us consider the two opposing hearts in this passage. On one side are the Pharisees. They have kept the rituals of their fathers, grandfathers, and even further. They follow the Law letter by letter. They acknowledge the Lord with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him. Jesus has no respect for their brand of religion. They are blind trying to lead the blind. They are perfectly content in their pride and status.
On the other side, we have a Canaanite woman. She is not descended from priests of God, but rather invaders and pagan worshipers. She knows little to nothing about the Law of God, only the pagan worship of her people. But, she knows Jesus. She knows Jesus can save her daughter. She knows she has no right to ask for mercy and healing, but she does so anyway in hopes to get just a crumb of God’s power.
Who walks away restored? Who receives mercy from the Lord?
If we hope to receive mercy from God, we must ask ourselves which side would our hearts be found. Are we content in our traditions, rituals, and lip service to God, or are we willing to acknowledge the hopelessness of our sin crying out, “Have mercy on me, O Lord!"