Do You [Still Lack] Understanding [Understand]?

Introduction

This question comes on the back of an interaction Jesus has with the Pharisees and scribes.

Jesus explains a teaching first to the Pharisees and scribes (vs. 3), secondly to the crowd (vs. 10) and thirdly to His disciples (vs. 15).

“Are you still lacking understanding also?”

What do they not understand?

What was Jesus teaching that needed further clarification?

There was an issue of ritual handwashing

#1 - You cannot substitute the word of God

Matt 15:3 “And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?”

Matt 15:6 “he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.”

The Pharisees and scribes made the word of God void to uphold a tradition

“The words of the scribes are lovely, above the words of the law”

“The words of the law are weighty and light, but the words of the scribes are all weighty” - Talmud (Jewish interpretations of the Law)

Not for:

TRADITION

FEELINGS

CULTURE

The word of God is the mind of God. The very expression of His Intention

The Word of God is Transformative, Powerful, Effective, Cuts the Heart, Shapes the Heart, Teaches the Heart

Sometimes we simply like to do our own thing, “God gets in the way”

#2 - You must be concerned first with the [state of the] heart, then ritual

Matt 15:11 ““It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.””

Matt 15:17-20 ““Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. “These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.””

I’ve never seen God reject, an upright heart.

I’ve seen God reject music, worship, sacrifice, good acts etc.

2 Chr 25:1-2 “Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. He did right in the sight of the Lord, yet not with a whole heart.”

1 Sam 15:22“Samuel said, “Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.

Sometimes we are more concerned about what we do more than we are about the heart that drives us to do

What they taught/believed was that purity came from my external activity.

“The more I do, the more holy I am”

In God’s eyes, devout actions with a distant heart is HYPOCRISY (vs. 7)

Isa. said “in vain they worship me” - that word worship means an act of devotion shown to a god.

Is 29:13 “Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,”

[God cannot be manipulated by our actions] - He’s not dependent on us

What you need to do, is give God your heart

Who’s ruling your heart tonight?

# 3 Leaving God’s word leaves you blind

Matt 15:13-14 “But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. “Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.””

Upon reading the book of Acts, I’m to encounter a time when someone figured out a way to save themselves.

2 Cor 4:1-4 “Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the [god of this worl has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

# 4 God values obedience above all else*

With all the things they thought God valued, they missed something God values obedience

John 3:36 ““He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.””

Heb 5:8-9 “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,”

Rom 6:17 “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart [“not from the hands] to that form of teaching to which you were committed,”

2 Thes 1:7-8 “and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”