Scripture reading – Matthew 15; Mark 7
Our study of the Synoptic Gospels continues with Matthew and Mark recording the same events in the life and ministry of Christ. Though it is doubtful either author could have read the writing of the other (this was 14 centuries before the printing press, and there were few handwritten copies of the Scriptures), we once again marvel at the proof of the inspiration of the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-21). As you will see, Matthew and Mark complement one another in their unique perspective.
In earlier devotions, we considered the Feeding of the Five Thousand (Matthew 14:13- 21; Mark 6:30- 43; John 6:1- 14). Today’s Scripture reading presents a similar miracle known as the Feeding of the Four Thousand or theMiracle of the Seven Loaves and Fish (Matthew 15:29-39; Mark 8:1-21). Because the miracles are similar, I will focus instead on the confrontation between Jesus and the religious leaders of His day (Matthew 15:1- 20 and Mark 7:1- 23).
The Accusers and Their Accusations (Matthew 15:1-2; Mark 7:1-5)
Matthew and Mark report the scribes [experts in the Law and traditions], and Pharisees came to Jesus and accused His disciples of transgressing “the tradition of the elders…for they wash not their hands when they eat bread” (Matthew 15:1-2). They were offended that the disciples did not practice the ritualistic washing that had become a tradition in Israel.
Jesus Condemned Hypocrisy (Matthew 15:3-4; Mark 7:6-8)
Those pious leaders focused on their traditions as though they were God’s commandments while ignoring what the commandments said. They were like the religious leaders of our day, who have replaced the principles and precepts of God’s Word with traditions.
Jesus ignored the premise of their question and asked, “Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?” (Matthew 15:3)
What a powerful response! Rather than waste precious time debating their ill-founded criticisms, Jesus admonished them. They had usurped the Scripture’s authority, and Jesus charged that they were guilty of breaking the fifth commandment, which addressed honoring father and mother (Exodus 20:12). The LORD warned, “He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death” (Matthew 15:4b; Exodus 21:17).
Lip Service vs. Heart Service (Matthew 15:7-9; Mark 7:9-13)
The scribes and Pharisees had not only failed to instruct the people but encouraged them to dismiss their obligation to care for the physical needs of their fathers and mothers. By their traditions, they disavowed an adult child’s responsibility for his parents’ welfare. They taught, declaring “Corban” (meaning, it’s a gift; Mark 7:11-12), and said that a son or daughter could dedicate their wealth and possessions to the LORD and be under no obligation to their parents (Mark 7:12).
Jesus condemned them as hypocrites (Matthew 15:7). Quoting the prophet Isaiah, He said, “Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, And with their lips do honour me, But have removed their heart far from me, And their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men” (Isaiah 29:1).
Because they masked their hypocritical hearts with external rituals, Jesus warned their worship was in vain (Matthew 15:8-9).
Christ’s Challenge to the Multitude (Matthew 15:10-11; Mark 7:14-16)
After He confronted the Pharisees’ hypocrisy (Matthew 15:7), Jesus turned to the people who witnessed the disagreement and said, “Hear, and understand: 11Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man” (Matthew 15:10-11).
The Pharisees had emphasized whether or not a man ate with clean or unclean hands. Jesus, however, warned it was not what a man put into his mouth but the words that proceeded out of his mouth that defiled him (i.e., deemed him sinful and unfit before God, Matthew 15:11).
The Disciples’ Request for an Explanation (Matthew 15:12-19; Mark 7:17-23)
The disciples then came to Jesus, but rather than express concern for the Pharisees’ false doctrine, they voiced alarm that He had offended them (Matthew 15:12).
Jesus then rebuked His disciples and warned that God would uproot that which He had not planted (meaning the false teachers and their doctrines and traditions of men, Matthew 15:13). He reproved them, saying, “Let them [the Pharisees] alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matthew 15:14).
Peter, often the spokesman for the Twelve, asked, “Declare unto us this parable” (Matthew 15:15). What parable? The one Christ taught when He said, “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man” (Matthew 15:11).
The disciples were slow learners and missed the point: Physical food goes in and out of a man as a natural process of life (Matthew 15:16-17). Nevertheless, the things that come out of a man’s mouth reflect the spiritual condition of his heart (Matthew 15:18).
What is the heart? In the Scriptures, the heart is the seat of a man’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions. What sins lie in man’s heart? “Evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Matthew 15:19). Mark added in his Gospel, “covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness” (Mark 7:22).
Closing thoughts –
The Pharisees focused on whether or not a man’s hands were ceremonially clean and ignored the condition of a man’s heart (Matthew 15:20). What is the condition of a man’s heart?
The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Jesus confirmed the same when He revealed that evil arises within man’s heart and defiles him.
Don’t be fooled by spiritual blindness or piety! The LORD knows your heart, and He alone can purge it from the sin that lies within.
1 John 1:7–9 – 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Copyright © 2024 – Travis D. Smith
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