1Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, 2"Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."
3He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4For God commanded, saying, "Honor your father and your mother'; and, "He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' 5But you say, "Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God"-- 6then he need not honor his father or mother.' Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. 7Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
| 8"These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 9And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men."' |
10When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand: 11Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."
12Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"
13But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."
15Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."
16So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding? 17Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? 18But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."
This text has a fairly easy to understand explanation. The scribes and Pharisees challenge Jesus for not following the traditions of the elders. Jesus comes back with how their traditions of the elders break the commandments of God. Footnotes in my Bible explain that their tradition says they can devote some of their possessions to God rather than giving these possessions to the needy. In so doing, if their parents are needy but they do not give to their parents because of the possessions dedicated to God, they are not honoring their father and mother as God commanded. Their traditions are not what God commanded, but what men commanded. Jesus said that in their devotion to these commandments of men, they think they are honoring God, but they are not.
Jesus goes on further to explain to His disciples, the multitude, why not following the tradition of washing of hands before eating does not defile you. But what you let leave your heart is what defiles you. Note, he is not talking about what is sanitary for your physical health, but what is healthy for your soul. We know that washing your hands before eating is necessary for your physical health. Just don't expect it to have anything to do with keeping your soul clean.
Jesus had presented many parables regarding seed that is planted, both good and evil, on every type of soil. Yes, evil seed may hit your heart. But it is what you allow to happen with that seed that defiles you.
It is interesting that with the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus just counters their question with another question of the rightness of their traditions. It isn't till he takes the multitudes aside that He explains why His disciples do not wash their hands before eating. Why doesn't He give this answer to the scribes and Pharisees?
In coming back to them with a challenge to their traditions, He is working at undermining their entire tradition, not just the one law regarding washing of hands. It's surprising that the disciples ask Jesus if He knew that the Pharisees were offended with His answer. It was surprising to me because it seemed it would be so obvious that they shouldn't have needed to ask. He just accused them of being the ones Isaiah was talking about when He said they draw near to God only with their mouth, that they honor Him only with their lips, that their hearts are far from God, that they worship in vain, and that the doctrine they teach is not of God. Of course they would be offended.
Jesus offended them rather than answering their question. Why? Jesus went on to say that every plant which God has not planted will be uprooted. He is uprooting the evil seed that grew into the plant which guided their devotion to their tradition. He doesn't want to just curb their beliefs, but uproot them.
Just last week was the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. High on my mind is what the United State's response should be. I hate the thought of war. God is the one who should make judgments, not men. Is it right for us to carry out a punishment on the ones who organized the attack? As I continue through my study of the Bible, this question will be at the front of my mind, and I will be searching for an answer.
Today's text almost seems to give me an answer I don't want to hear. Jesus said to let them alone, let the blind lead the blind. Let the blind lead the blind into the ditch. The attack on the World Trade Center was done by people who thought they were doing it in the name of religion. They thought they were doing what God would want them to do. My opinion is that they are the blind. They have the blind leading the blind.
But are we to let them alone? Let them lead themselves into their eventual destruction? But what about all the innocent lives lost and affected in many other ways in the meantime? This may simply be my own hopeful reasoning, but I believe that this isn't exactly what Jesus meant here. He made this statement when talking about commandments of men vs. commandments of God. We should leave alone those who are teaching the commandments of men. By "leave alone", I think He is saying "don't follow". They will have no one to lead if no one follows. Do not be as a blind one who follows a blind leader. What should be done in response to the recent attack on the World Trade Center is not addressed by this text because I think it is text defining what leadership to follow, not how to respond to the injustices of these blind leaders.
Gong to war over the attack on the World Trade Center would be carrying out a punishment. Isn't it God's job to dish out punishment? Who are we to judge. Who are we to stop their chances of becoming right with God. Is it ever OK to go to war? If we go to war, many more lives will be lost, on both sides. Who are we to take an action which will cause the sacrifice of many more lives. It seems like with this understanding as a basis, it should never be OK to go to war. But what is missing from this basis is the understanding that we are also the instruments of God. We are to do God's work for Him.
There are many times in the Old Testament that God rose up armies against people. So there must be wars that God makes happen. So there may be times that our going to war is the will of God. But the real question is if the war is what God wishes or not. Those who performed the attacks on the World Trade Center thought they were doing it as instruments of God. Before we go and do the same, attack because we think we are doing it as instruments of God, we must make sure that we are not just the blind being led by the blind. Only through prayer can we ask what God wants of us. And I pray that God gives is an answer we can feel was definitely from Him.
Yes, evil seeds are planted in our hearts too. Revenge and retaliation are things trying to force their way out of our hearts because of these attacks. But we must ask God to help us uproot these plants in our hearts, and ask Him to lead us with clear sight in what we must do. Are we to be the instruments to uproot the foundation of the terrorists?
It may have been easier to simply follow these rules of men, guiding what enters the body. But it is what leaves the heart that really defiles you. Pray for help in uprooting whatever enters your heart that God did not plant.