2024.02.18 Communion Service

Introduction

Open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 15

We continue Following Jesus’ ministry during very of season of opposition.

The people around Him, from people on the street to the governor, to the religious elites are questioning Him, Accusing Him, correcting Him, and it has been hard to watch. And today is another example of that.

But, as people bring up these questions and accusations, Jesus uses them as an opportunity to teach His followers something about who God is and what His kingdom is all about.

So let’s go ahead and get started in verse 1

Text

Matthew 15:1–2 ESV

Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.”

Let’s remember who the Pharisees are

Religious leaders that emphasized a strict adherence to the Jewish law

These guys had good intentions of honoring God’s law. But they took it to far by saying that we could be saved by following God’s law perfectly.

So they were always on everyones case to follow God’s rules, but then added their own rules on top so that people wouldn’t even come close to breaking God’s rules.

Imagine you wanted to teach your child never to touch a hot stove. So you make a rule: no touching the stove!

but then your spouse comes in and says, no going in the kitchen, in fact, don’t even be inside the house when we cook, or at all!

good intentions, but too far, way unnecessary, and it really makes life a grind.

So these guys come all the way from the south, from jerusalem, all the way to the north of the country in Galilee. Because they have a bone to pick with Jesus!

And boy, good thing they made that big trek because you’re not going to believe what Jesus did. These guys are blowing the lid off of something big!

They heard that Jesus disciples aren’t washing their hands before meals!!!!

I thought you’d all gasp for sure….

no, your initial reaction was appropriate!

But long story short, these guys believed that if you break the traditions they came up with, that it’s the same thing as breaking God’s laws!

And this notion is so ridiculous, so asinine, so foolish, that Jesus doesn’t even humor their question! He is so done with them. He doesn’t defend Himself, He just ignores them. And instead, He flips it on them in verse 3

Matthew 15:3 ESV

He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

Notice the parallel Here.

The pharisees call Jesus out for breaking the tradition of the elders. These made up laws.

Jesus tells them that their silly traditions are not God’s law. So Nobody has to follow them.

their traditions themselves are actually what’s breaking God’s laws!

And as much as the pharisees think they care about God’s law, Jesus cares even more.

The difference is that Jesus actually knows and understands God’s Law.

And Jesus now gives an example of how their traditions are what’s breaking God’s law.

Matthew 15:4–6 ESV

For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.

Here’s what’s happening.

People back then were making all of binding oaths because their regular words weren’t trustworthy

Jesus preached on this earlier in the gospel, saying essentially, “cut it out with all of the oaths. Let your yes mean yes and your no mean no. No lying, no overpromising, no fancy words, just do what you said!”

So this oath swearing was really popular and silly.

What people would do is swear by an oath to give a certain amount of money to the temple.

But if they made an oath for too much money, it meant that they couldn’t afford other things. you know, like taking care of your parents!

That’s what that saying means, “what you would have gained, or received from me, I already gave to God by giving it to the temple.”

To be clear, Jesus is not saying giving to the temple, or to church is bad. It’s great! We are all called to give generously. But because of these stupid traditions, people were made to swear by God’s name to give a certain amount, that left them with too little to take care of their families.

So the traditions were followed, but at the cost of honoring mother and father, which then breaks God’s actual commands!

So Jesus has no patience for this accusation, because none of this is real.

like when someone accuses you of not poking them back on facebook. None of this stuff is real.

But all these fake rules are causing people to actually sin!

Jesus becomes even harsher in condemning these leaders. Saying that these words from Isaiah applied to them:

Matthew 15:7–9 ESV

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.’ ”

Isaiah wrote this 700 years before Jesus and hits the nail right on the head!

But God’s people and their leaders are still living in the same foolishness as they did back then!

They don’t actually love God! They love themselves and their own rules and their own recognition!

and instead of lifting up God, they lift themselves up.

And this is all Jesus is going to say to these pharisees.

Thanks for coming all this way, you are horrible

your traditions are made up, I don’t follow them.

You are leading a whole nation of people away from God.

See ya.

Ad Now, Jesus explains why they don’t wash hands, but to the people present, not the pharisees. As if they cared to hear that anyway…

Matthew 15:10–11 ESV

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.”

Understanding the greek grammar is going to help us a little more:

It is not only what goes into the mouth that can defile you, but also what comes out your mouth can defile you too!

So watch what you say, especially about Jesus!

These pharisees were so obsessed with not just the food people ate, but if they washed their hands, that they overlooked what came out of their mouths.

they accused God Himself of being sinful and unclean.

Anyone who says that is truly defiled!

Matthew 15:12–14 ESV

Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

And man, did Jesus school those guys! and for good reason

but the disciples are worried.

These were the most honored religious leaders in the country. This is not going to look good for Jesus. They were really offended.

But Jesus is direct. not everyone who has something to teach is worth hearing. Not everyone who claims to be from God is. These men are blind. they are so stuck in their own cult of traditions that they have no time for the real God. If they want to stumble around, let them. those who follow them are also blind and they will eventually all walk into their own death.

So let them be offended. We care about the Kingdom of God and what He says.

Matthew 15:15–17 ESV

But Peter said to him, “Explain the parable to us.” And he said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled?

But the disciples still don’t get it.

So Jesus is clear on it. Whether you wash your hands or not before a meal, it all goes out the same place in the end.

But there is a much better indicator of your love for God than washing your hands. and it’s what comes out of the mouth!

Matthew 15:18–20 ESV

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.”

Watch what you say!

these guys thought they were good with God because they washed their hands and ate the right food!

But at the same time they accused God falling short of THEIR standards and condemned Him!

If you love God, you will praise the Son of God!

If you love God in your very Heart, you will confess Jesus as Lord.

But if your heart is not in the right place, and you speak out against Jesus, you are defiled. because it comes from the same place as murder, adultery, and all other evil!

But not washing your hands? That has nothing to do with anything!

Stop focusing on all of these made-up outward measured when it’s your heart that matters!

Application

These pharisees came in hot today, didn’t they?

you can imagine the whole time they are traveling up from Jerusalem, they might be thinking: “I can’t wait to see the look on His face when we call Him out for the handwashing thing! Oh man, that’s gonna be the nail in the coffin!”

They had it all backwards. They have no business to question Jesus. He is the judge. He is the righteous one. He is the one who obeys the law perfectly. He is God!

Their hearts were in the wrong place. they were set against Jesus, and so what came out of their mouths defiled them because it came from the hatred and unfaithfulness in their hearts.

They got so sucked up in the cult of their traditions that they forgot to listen to God. and they became spiritually blind, lost, and headed for death.

And they are a cautionary tale for us.

remember, these were the most honored and respected leaders in the country.

But they led everyone astray, because of How insistent and confident they were.

Today, there are a lot of blind teachers who teach many things with a lot of confidence.

But Just because someone says something, doesn’t mean we need to listen.

Between news, television, podcasts, social media, and friends and family, we have dozens of people telling us every day that this is like this and that is like that.

What to eat,

all food is good for eating!

how to be masculine man or a feminine woman,

not in the clothes you wear or how strong you are or your sexuality, but in loving God, caring for your family, and living in sacrifice for those around you.

How patriotic to be,

But Jesus teaches us that we are first ad foremost citizens of God’s kingdom.

How to life a happy life.

but God has actually promised that as a christian, life is going to be difficult. We are not called to be happy anywhere in scripture, but we are called to be faithful no matter what!

how to raise our kids,

from this technique to that school, Raising kids needs the foundation of faith.

how to do our jobs,

rather than working the bare minimum and trying t collect a paycheck or gaming the system, we work as if working for God directly!

what to to do when people hurt you,

not shutting them out or publicly shaming them, but forgiving them 70 times 70 times.

like with the pharisees, It can be easy to get swept up in the cult of your favorite news channel, or podcaster, or influencer, or political party, author, or even friend group.

But what does God say?

But whatever aspect of your life it is. So many people will tell you with 100% confidence that their way is the way. But what does the bible say? What does Jesus say?

If we let our worldview be shaped by just about anything, we are following the blind, and we remain blind, and we all stumble to our death eventually.

So how do we know what do to? By following God’s word alone.

God’s word is always true. It is never outdated. it does not change. It is powerful and has authority over us. And it is all we need to live a healthy, joyful, God-pleasing life.

Great commission: obey everything I have commanded!

Reading

Matthew 15:1–20 ESV

Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. 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.’ ” 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.” Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” But Peter said to him, “Explain the parable to us.” And he said, “Are you also still without understanding? 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.”

Transition Slowly for the camera

Confession