Year 2, Week 33, Day 4 Bible Reading Observations

Year 2, Week 33, Day 4

I have a brief observation for today’s reading of Matthew 15; Mark 7.

Today’s reading involves readings from two Gospel accounts that are nearly parallel to each other. Both accounts highlight the conflict between Jesus and the Jewish religious establishment. Mark 7 records one of many hostile questions that gets leveled at Jesus: “And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” (Mark 7:5). Matthew 15 records Jesus’ answer: “He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?…So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.” (Matthew 15:3-6). While both Gospel accounts record the dispute with the Pharisees and Scribes, both accounts also end with the healing of a Gentile woman’s daughter: “Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter” (Mark 7:26). As the woman was convinced that Jesus was able to heal her daughter from the demon, she pleaded and persisted until Jesus healed her. Matthew explicitly makes the point in his Gospel account that this Gentile woman displayed much faith: “Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly” (Matthew 15:28). While the Jewish religious establishment has hearts filled with unbelief, this Gentile was filled with great faith in Jesus.

One of the things that struck me from today’s reading was Jesus’ emphasis upon the hearts of the Jewish religious leaders: “You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:7-9). Mark adds more to the context of this dispute between Jesus and the Pharisees and Scribes: “Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders” (Mark 7:1-3). Going beyond the Law itself, the Jewish religious establishment concocted a series of traditions concerning matters of ceremonial purity, which actually functioned in a way that missed the greater point of the Law. It was perhaps a sad irony that while they appealed to the Law, they rejected the Law. Their wrong use of the Law was rooted in an unbelieving and thus, unclean heart. They did not consider deeper issues of impurity such as impure hearts before God. Therefore, Jesus concludes: “And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!” (Mark 7:9).

Jesus turns and provides positive instruction concerning real impurity: “And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him” (Mark 7:14-15). Matthew records another aspect of Jesus’ instructions: “And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person” (Matthew 15:10-11). Jesus explains the point He is trying to make: “Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone” (Matthew 15:17-20). The words and actions that stem from the posture of the heart make for a greater defilement than eating the wrong foods with unclean hands. The central problem of impurity is that it resides in and proceeds from the heart of a person. In fact, a person is not defiled in his heart by what enters his stomach: “All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person” (Mark 7:23).

The disciples report back to Jesus how what He said affected the Jewish religious establishment: “Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” (Matthew 15:12). Undeterred by their offense, Jesus speaks of them in two more “offensive” ways. First, Jesus warns of their judgment upon the Jewish leaders: “He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up” (Matthew 15:13). The imagery of uprooting depicts God’s judgment: “Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, bringing upon it all the curses written in this book, and the LORD uprooted them from their land in anger and fury and great wrath, and cast them into another land, as they are this day” (Deuteronomy 29:27-28). Second, Jesus warns others to not have anything to do with the religious leaders: “Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit” (Matthew 15:14). The religious leaders, by their false teaching, were leading people astray. The result of following their instruction would only lead to trouble. Jesus’ hard words were needed because the mask of hypocrisy was needing to be decisively torn off before they do further harm.

What struck you in today’s reading? What questions were prompted from today’s reading?

Pastor Joe