M A T T HE W 15 V 10-20

Jesus is speaking to a crowd of people which had gathered, and His words for a Jew, were the most startling.  He does not only condemn the ritual of the Scribes and Pharisees with their ceremonial, He rejects  large part of the book of Leviticus in the Bible. This was a contradiction of the elders and the  Scripture.

 The words of Jesus cancel out the food laws. The laws may still stand as a matter of health and hygiene and medical  wisdom, but could not ever stand again as matters of religion. Once and for all; Jesus lays down what matters is not the state of man’s observance, but a state of man’s heart.

 The Scribes and Pharisees were shocked; the very ground of their religion was cut.  The statement was alarming and revolutionary. If Jesus was right, all their  religion was wrong. They  identified  religion with pleasing God, and the observance of rules and regulations, which had to do with cleanliness, with what man ate and how he washed his before eating. Jesus identified religion with a man’s heart, and said frankly to do with their method.  He said the Scribes and Pharisees were blind guides, who had no idea of the way to God, and if people followed them they would stray off the road and fall into a ditch                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               If religion consists of external regulations,  and observances, it is two things. It is too far easy. Its is easier to abstain from certain foods, and to wash hands in a certain way, than to live and forgive the  unlovely and unbelievable, and to help the needy at the cost of one’s own time, comfort and pleasure.  We still have not learned the lesson.

 To go to Church regularly, to give liberally, to be a member of a Bible reading group are all external things. They are means to religion, but they are not religion; for  we can never too often remind ourselves that religion consists of personal relationships, and an attitude to God and our fellow people

 Further, if religion consists of external regulations, it is quite misleading. Many a man has a faultless life in externals, but has the wrong and evil thoughts in his heart, and the teaching of Jesus is, that all the outward observances in the world, cannot atone for a heart where pride and bitterness hold sway.

 It is the teaching of Jesus  that the part of a man that matters is the heart, for they shall see God.  What matters to God, is not so much how we eat, but why we eat, not so much what we do, but what we wish our hearts to do.

 It is in the teaching of Jesus, which condemns every one of us-  in that no man can call himself a good man, because he observes external regulations; he can only call himself a good man when his heart is pure.

There are two sayings of Jesus in this passage.  One regards false doctrine, and the other false teaching.

 Regarding, false doctrine, Jesus states it is a duty to oppose it and it is totally destructive, and should be forsaken. Jesus said every plant that my Father did not plant should be uprooted; let them alone. ( I wish  this could be followed in all our Churches)

 It is clear, that the disciples were surprised at the strong language of the Lord about the  Pharisees and their traditions.  They had probably been used to accept them from youth, and to regard them as the best of men. They were startled to hear Jesus denouncing them as hypocrites, and charging them with transgressing the Commandments f God. Knowest thou, they said, that the Pharisees were offended. To this question we are grateful for our Lord’s explanatory declaration, one which perhaps never received the  notice it deserves.

 The plain meaning of our Lord’s words is, that false doctrine was a plant to which no mercy should be shown.

 It was a plant that His Father had not planted, and a plant to be uprooted, and whatever offence it may cause. It is no charity to spare it, for it was  injurious to the souls of people. It mattered nothing if it was planted by those in high office or learned.  If it contradicted the Word of God, it ought to be opposed, rejected and refuted. The disciples  were therefore understanding it was right to resist all teaching  that was unscriptural, and to let alone and forsake all instructors who persisted in it.  Sooner or later, they will find that all false doctrine will completely be overthrown and put to shame, and nothing will stand, but that which is built on the Word of God.

 There are lessons of deep wisdom in this saying of Jesus, which throws light on the duty of many professing Christians.  Let us scan them well, and see what they are. It was practical obedience which produced the glorious Protestant Reformation, its lessons deserve close attention.

We see the duty of boldness in preaching; no fear of giving offence, no thought of censure, when the truth of  God is in peril.  If we are true followers of the Lord, we should be speaking out as unflinching witnessesof error.  Truth should not be suppressed, because men are wicked and blind.

 We see once again, the duty of forsaking false teachers if they will not give up their delusions.  No false delicacy, no false humility should make us turn from leaving any Minister of the Church, who contradicts the Word of God. It is our peril if we submit to unscriptural teaching. As the quote states, it can never be right to follow the blind into a ditch.

In the last place, we see the patience when false preaching abounds. We may take comfort from the fact it will not stand long, God will defend the cause of His own truth. Every heresy shall be round up. We are not to fight with external weapons, but wait, preach and pray.

 Respecting the heart, our Lord states it is the source of all sin and defilement. The Pharisees thought all holiness depended on meats and drinks, on bodily washings and purifications. They held that traditions were pure and clean in God’s sight,, and all who neglected were impure. The Lord dismissed this doctrine by showing His disciples that the foundation of all defilement, was within the man. 

Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, thefts and false witnesses, blasphemies, all which defile a man. He who would serve God, needs something  more important than body worship; they want a clean heart.

 What an awful picture of human nature, and drawn by one who knew what is in man. What can the proud and self-righteous say, when they read sch a passage as this. It is the true and faithful account of the hearts of mankind. May God grant that we may ponder it well.

Let its be a settled resolution, in all our religion our hearts shall be the main thing

We give thanks for the Word of God.  May God be glorified