The "Why" versus the "What" -
Matthew 15:1-20, CEB - Then Pharisees and legal
experts came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why are your disciples breaking the elders’
rules handed down to us? They don’t ritually purify their hands by washing
before they eat.”
Jesus replied, “Why do you break the command of God by
keeping the rules handed down to you? For God said, Honor your father and your
mother, and The person who speaks against father or mother will certainly be
put to death. But you say, ‘If you tell your father or mother, “Everything I’m
expected to contribute to you I’m giving to God as a gift,”then you don’t have
to honor your father.’ So you do away
with God’s Law for the sake of the rules that have been handed down to you. Hypocrites! Isaiah really knew what he was
talking about when he prophesied about you, This people honors me with their lips, but
their hearts are far away from me. Their
worship of me is empty since they teach instructions that are human rules.”
Jesus called the crowd near and said to them, “Listen and
understand. It’s not what goes into the
mouth that contaminates a person in God’s sight. It’s what comes out of the
mouth that contaminates the person.”
Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know
that the Pharisees were offended by what you just said?”
Jesus replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father
didn’t plant will be pulled up. Leave
the Pharisees alone. They are blind people who are guides to blind people. But
if a blind person leads another blind person, they will both fall into a
ditch.”
Then Peter spoke up, “Explain this riddle to us.”
Jesus said, “Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you know that everything that goes into
the mouth enters the stomach and goes out into the sewer? But what goes out of the mouth comes from the
heart. And that’s what contaminates a person in God’s sight. Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders,
adultery, sexual sins, thefts, false testimonies, and insults. These contaminate a person in God’s sight. But
eating without washing hands doesn’t contaminate in God’s sight.”
Did you know, that in Little Rock,
Arkansas, it’s against the law to honk your horn near a sandwich shop after
9pm? Did you know that in Rehobeth, Delaware,
it’s illegal to whisper in church? In
Gainesville, Georgia, it’s illegal to eat fried chicken with a knife and a
folk. In Rockville, Maryland, you can be
fined $100 for swearing in public? I
could on and on, but you already read a long scripture, so I’ll get to the
point. Humans are notoriously silly sometimes
when it comes to making rules. . . probably a bit more than sometimes if I’m
honest.
The
Pharisees were trying to call out Jesus and his disciples for not washing their
hands properly (Pharisee-created rules) before a meal, but I’m guessing they
regretted doing that because of what happened next. Jesus calls them out not for breaking Pharisaical
law, but God’s command to honor your Father and Mother. They had created their own exceptions to this
commandment (one of the big Ten Commandments I might add) that actually used
God as the workaround. They stipulated
that you could forgo giving the expected contributions to parents if you gave it
to God instead. By “God,” the Pharisees meant
the Temple, an institution they controlled. Jesus rightly expresses outrage for using God
to disrespect parents.
Most rules,
laws, and traditions were implemented for a good purpose. Even the humorous laws above were made to try
and solve a problem. But so many times, the
original purpose is lost and the rule/law/tradition is co-opted by authorities
to exert their own control and/or serve their own purposes. The people of God are not immune to this
tendency. In fact, it is a huge problem
even today among church institutions and congregations. Churches split over the color of the
carpet. Our Bishop tells the story of
how, as a kid, he and his mom were shunned by their congreation because his mom
got a divorce. Decisions by
denominational boards and agencies are all too often made, not with the benefit
of local congregations in mind, but to preserve the institution at all cost. I sincerely believe that Jesus’s criticism of
what is happening now would be even harsher than the words he leveled at the
Pharisees above.
None of
us are immune to this. We follow rules
and/or traditions simply because they are rules and/or traditions. My encouragement here is not to be a rebel
and start breaking all the rules/tradtions, but to start thinking about why the
rules/traditions exist. The “why” we do
things matter to God more than following the letter of the law keeping a
purposeless tradition. Loving God and people
should guide all that we do, whether the laws/rules/traditions require it or
not. If we all loved God and people
properly, no other rules would be necessary.
Questions: Have you
ever used a rule to gain an advantage over someone? Have you ever used a tradition as an excuse
to not do what you know God wanted you to do?
Prayer: God, in the
life and teachings of Jesus, You have shown us your heart. Help us to follow Your Heart above all
else. Point out any hypocrisies in our
behavior towards You and others. Help us to do better. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Talk to
God today about the condition of your heart.
Song: Let’s Work Together – Canned Heat
