Matthew 15

Focused Faith

Once again the Pharisees close in on Jesus to once again find some sort of justification for their rejection of him. Jesus confronts them and points our that their hearts are empty and full of hypocrisy for what they had substituted for for the heart of God’s Law. For the sake of their traditions they setting aside the true intent of the Law for the sake of their legalistic and self-righteousness.

Again Jesus focuses in on the heart of the matter. In verses 1-2- he explains just how a man becomes defiled.

#1 what is it that defiles a man? Why?

The diseased heart is what defiles men. This is exactly what the King and the Kingdom deal with.

Only Jesus can heal the diseased heart. All the work with healing actually begins within. When we come to the kingdom we must abandon all that we rely on to perfect ourselves. By submitting to the hands of the King we open ourselves up to the ultimate healing. If we recognize Jesus as our King even our personalities must be given over to Him.

#2 In chapter 15 what can be used to guide your prayers?

#3 How can we help each other to avoid the Pharisee mentality?