Jesus
said: Listen and understand. 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." St. Matthew 15:10b-11
The Pharisees, Jesus' self-righteous enemies, considered a person unclean or unacceptable to God by failing to keep their regulations and traditions. The Pharisees’ rule book far exceeded the commands of God. For example, the Pharisees had very specific regulations about when and how a person should wash their hands. The people were expected to know and to keep every little rule.
The Pharisees, Jesus' self-righteous enemies, considered a person unclean or unacceptable to God by failing to keep their regulations and traditions. The Pharisees’ rule book far exceeded the commands of God. For example, the Pharisees had very specific regulations about when and how a person should wash their hands. The people were expected to know and to keep every little rule.
Jesus responds by
exposing these Pharisees for who they are.
Drawing on words from Isaiah 29, Jesus says: These people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from
me. They worship me in vain; their
teachings are but rules taught by men. Isaiah
29:11
Later, the disciples approached Jesus. The disciples didn't quite get what Jesus meant and asked him to explain His little parable. Here are verses 16-20: Are you still so dull? Jesus asked them. 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 a 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."
Jesus does something very revealing here. He described the defilement of a person in much different terms than the Pharisees. The Lord teaches that defilement comes from an impure heart. What separates a person from God is not what they eat but by sinful and unrepentant ways.
So, if you really want to know what a person is made of just listen to what they say and do. Do their words defend or accuse? Do their words lift up or tear down? Do their words frame a person's actions in the best and kindest way or is their goal to hurt and ruin a reputation? Oh, we all need to repent for things we've thought, said and done that broke God's commands. Have mercy on us, O Lord!
Later, the disciples approached Jesus. The disciples didn't quite get what Jesus meant and asked him to explain His little parable. Here are verses 16-20: Are you still so dull? Jesus asked them. 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 a 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."
Jesus does something very revealing here. He described the defilement of a person in much different terms than the Pharisees. The Lord teaches that defilement comes from an impure heart. What separates a person from God is not what they eat but by sinful and unrepentant ways.
So, if you really want to know what a person is made of just listen to what they say and do. Do their words defend or accuse? Do their words lift up or tear down? Do their words frame a person's actions in the best and kindest way or is their goal to hurt and ruin a reputation? Oh, we all need to repent for things we've thought, said and done that broke God's commands. Have mercy on us, O Lord!
An EKG is often used by
doctors to determine if a person is suffering from heart disease. Today, find a moment and administer a Spiritual EKG. Where do you find uncleanness in your heart? Don’t
bury or ignore it. Confess it and trust
that the blood of Jesus, shed on the cross for the forgiveness of sins, can
cleanse your heart and make you right and acceptable before God the
Father. That little “heart procedure”
can do wonders as you live out your new life in Christ!
