The Pretenders
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· 8 viewsIn our relationship with God we must be sincere and true. Just "playing church" will not help us or anyone else make it to heaven.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning and welcome back!
If you will this morning, turn back in your Bibles to Matthew 15, which is where we started last week.
And if you recall last Sunday Morning’s sermon, we began talking about the subject of “Washing Your Hands.”
And we spent the vast majority of our time looking at the first six verses of chapter 15 and Jesus’ confrontation with the Pharisees and “teachers of the Law.”
And the entire point of contention between them was how Jesus’ disciples were not following the Jewish traditions and customs of “properly” washing their hands before they sat down to eat a meal.
And we made the important distinction that the issue was not related in them actually washing their hands from a sanitary standpoint but rather them washing their hands according to the rules and regulations that the Jews had implimented over the generations.
God had given them the command to wash their hands—nothing too specific—just get them clean before you sat down to eat.
Which is exactly what we should all do.
It was never meant to be something turned into a ritual or religious act, just something that they were supposed to do, just like how they were to eat certain foods and avoid other foods.
However, over time the Jewish leaders had turned something as simple as washing your hands into an act in religion to where now in order to be ceremonial clean and fit for God’s kingdom, they had to go through this big ritual of handwashing.
They had to wash them in a certain way.
They had to use a certain basin.
They had to do this or do that.
And Jesus’ disciples did not adhere to the tradition.
Instead they just got their hands clean and sat down and ate.
And the Jewish leadership used this to attack Jesus and his disciples, trying to de-legitimize him over it.
But, this is Jesus we are taking about here and instead of bowing to their pressure, he turns the tables on them and puts it all into perspective.
He points out how they were in fact placing their customs and traditions over God’s law and God’s commands.
How they were using their customs and traditions to actually violate God’s commands.
And he uses the example of the 4th commandment to honor our parents.
And shows them how their custom of “dedicating their wealth” to the temple after their death and using that as a loophole to not care for their aging parents was a violation of God’s law.
Which, of course, they did not expect Jesus to say and also I believe placed them under severe conviction for their actions.
I believe as soon as Jesus called them out on it, they knew without a doubt that they were wrong.
And instead of admitting their fault and repenting of it they continue down this line of condemnation over “cleanliness” which sparks a sharp rebuke by Jesus, which is what we will get into this morning.
However, just to refresh us, first I want to read verses 16-20, which is what I would call the main point of the whole passage, then we will back up and look ad how we get there.
But, starting in verse 16, Jesus says . . .
Scripture Focus
Scripture Focus
“Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean’. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man ‘unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him ‘unclean’.”
You Hypocrites!
You Hypocrites!
Now, like I mentioned last week Jesus is very upfront about how he addresses them, and in fact, what I just read is Jesus addressing his own disciples.
He had a point to make and they were not getting it.
They were so hung up on tradition and protocol that they were being completely blinded by the truth of what really matters.
They had forgotten to keep the main thing the main thing.
So, Jesus in essence calls them “dull.”
But before he gets to his disciples he first addresses the Pharisees and teachers of the law.
Starting in verse 7, he says this . . .
You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: “ ‘These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’”
And that infuriated them.
We touched on it last week but the word “hypocrite” here means “actor” or “pretender.”
So, he is telling them that they are only acting like they love God.
They are only pretending to be dedicated to God.
That there is no sincerity to them or their relationship with God whatsoever.
It’s all an act and a show.
And what upset them the most was not that Jesus said this to them, it was the fact that they knew it was the truth.
And their biggest fear was that all the other people around them would also realize that it was the truth.
And once the truth was out there, their reign of power and control over the people was done with .
And they had to protect that at all cost.
They had to maintain power and control.
So, that is why they became so upset.
Which is exactly why people become so upset when their own hypocrisy is exposed.
It has nothing to do with what you actually say to them, it has everything to do with the fact that it is true and it exposes them.
And it also nullifies the power and control that they have had.
And when they start to feel that power slipping away, they react with anger and spite, which reveals their true nature and their true motives as well.
Which is why Jesus points out to them the words of Isaiah when he says . . .
“ ‘These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’”
It is all again going back to the heart and the condition of the heart.
Their lips know what to say and they know all of the rules and traditions—because they created them and they control them.
However, they do not understand what it means to have a true and lasting relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
They Holy Spirit has never transformed their heart.
And they have never really accepted Jesus Christ as Savior.
They have only accepted the idea of Jesus demonstrated by their ability to follow the rules and regulations.
Why do we have so many church rules?
Because many people out there have a hard time being a Christian based on a transformed heart.
And until we see rules and traditions for what they are—not necessarily a bad thing—but only meant to supplement our relationship with God—not define it, we will continue to struggle.
We have to be a people who’s hearts are near to God.
Who worship Him with love and with truth.
And who demonstrate that love by how we treat other people.
Otherwise we are nothing more than hypocrites, giving Jesus, Christianity, and God a bad name.
And Jesus was tired of it—and we should be as well.
This is why he confronts them and tells them . . .
Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean’, but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean’.”
In other words, stop worrying so much about giving the “right impression” or “playing the part.”
Worry about the condition of your heart.
Because what is really in your heart, that is what is going to manifest itself to everyone else.
That is what is going to be your witness.
That is what others are going to be looking it.
So, focus your energy on your heart, and not so much the rules and traditions.
Because if your heart is right with God, the rules and traditions will work themselves out.
You Offended the Offenders!
You Offended the Offenders!
And Jesus saying this troubled his disciples.
They were worried about what the Pharisees thought about what He had said.
They were more concerned about the trouble it was going to cause them than anything else.
They tell Jesus . . .
Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”
Oh no, the horror of it!
Jesus offended someone by calling them out for their sin and hypocrisy.
Do you think Jesus was really concerned that he offended them?
Probably not.
They needed to hear the truth, because that would be their only chance at salvation and redemption.
And the fact is sometimes, even when our intention is not to offend, the truth offends people.
The truth will cut like a knife at times.
Especially when we have developed this prideful attitude that nothing can touch us and we begin to build walls of rules and traditions to hide behind.
When the wall is knocked down and the truth exposes us, we become offended because our shallow relationship with God is exposed.
Our true nature is exposed.
People see us for who we really are.
And when that happens and we are offended, we have a couple of options.
Option 1 is to admit our sin and repent.
And option 2 is to rebel and lash out in anger and hatred.
And of course Jesus’ preference is that we choose option 1 because that is the intent.
But sadly many will choose option 2, which damages them and the Church as a whole.
And we wind up with people completely put out and turned off by the Church.
But the disciples were concerned because they knew the Jews were choosing option 2 and it was going to cause them trouble.
So they tell Jesus, and his response to them . . .
He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”
In other words, it’s time to weed the garden.
It’s time to lay it all out there.
Time for games is over.
Either we are with God or against God.
We are either going to be rooted in Jesus and flourish under His nourishment or we are going be pulled up and like dead weeds and cast into the fire.
And if we want to continue to group and ally ourselves with these types of people and leaders, who’s true nature has been exposed, then so be it.
Free will is free will and we will all fall into the pits of hell for it.
It’s our choice and offended or not, truth is truth.
Are We That Dull?
Are We That Dull?
And Peter, halfway looking for a way out of the situation and conflict.
Looking for some sort of loophole that the Jews could slip in under to appease them and get them off their backs, approaches Jesus . . .
Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”
In other words, “break this down to us Jesus.”
Let’s pick this apart a little and look at it from all these angles.
Let’s try to interpret this a little different so we can make it fit what we want to it so say.
Sound familiar?
We do it all the time when our sin is called out and we don’t want to change our life to fit God’s way.
We try to look for those loopholes, ways out, ways around things.
Which is all Peter is trying to do here.
So, Jesus, most likely done with it all at this point turns to the disciples . . .
“Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them.
Why don’t you get it?
Why can’t you just listen and understand what I am saying?
Why do you have to argue every single point?
Why can’t you just accept My Word for what it is?
“Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean’. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man ‘unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him ‘unclean’.”
Altar/Challenge
Altar/Challenge
Which is where we end this morning as well.
Are we like the disciples, so dull that we try to argue and change every aspect about God’s word to fit our narrative?
Are we like the Pharisees and teachers of the law, so hung up and caught up in rules and traditions that we cannot see the truth?
Maybe offended because someone has exposed our sin?
How does this message fit us this morning?
And most importantly, what are we willing to do about it?
Are we willing to submit to God?
Are we willing to allow the Holy Spirit to transform our hearts this morning?
What are we willing to do?
Only we can answer that and right now we have that opportunity, what will we do with it?