Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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I. A Question of Tradition
The first thing I notice is that Jesus encounters these pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem.
Except Jesus is not in Jerusalem instead He and His disciples were on the coast of the Sea of Galiee.
So this seems more than just a meeting of chance.
It seems as if a delegation of Men was sent in order to deal with this Jesus.
No doubt word had spread to Jerusalem of Jesus feeding of the 5,000.
The fact that scripture mentions they were from Jerusalem is supposed to these were not your run-of-the-mill pharisees.
These were the important men.
Immediately this delegation finds fault with Jesus and his men.
They ask him, why don’t your men follow the traditions.
In this time, disciples were seen as a reflection of the teacher.
So in essence they are accusing Jesus of not following the traditions of the elders.
These traditions were not law but yet they were often enforced as such.
Sometimes there is a misunderstanding that Jesus broke the law.
He did not but rather he would often disregard traditions of men in that the law of God be highlighted.
Here the tradition being taught as doctrine was a requirement to ceremonially wash your hands before eating.
While this is a good hygiene this was not a requirement of the O.T. Law.
II.
A Response to Hypocrisy
Instead of answering their question Jesus immediately points out their hypocrisy.
The tradition of the elders established that if a man was to claim that all of his wealth was dedicated to God than it absolved him of his responsibility to care for his elderly parents.
So in essence their tradition trumped the law of God to honor their parents.
Their tradition kept them from actually showing and loving their parents well.
we call that legalism....
A Lesson from Whales
Recently in a television newscast I saw a picture of small whales stranded in shallow water on a beach.
To remain there meant death.
People stood about them splashing water on their exposed bodies to prevent their being burned by the sun.
Gradually they turned them seaward and helped them into deeper water where they could swim.
However, the commentator said that some of them turned and rushed back to the beach.
Why they do this is a mystery.
But it is no greater mystery than the conduct of some Christians who have been redeemed from legalism and sin.
Before long, they become entangled once again in them.
Whales were made to live in the vastness and freedom of the ocean.
Christians are made to live in the freedom that is in Christ and should accept the responsibilities of their new relationship to God.
Perhaps whales act as they sometimes do because of some unknown element in their nature.
But Christians should live according to the nature and will of God.
How often in churches today does the law of tradition(man’s law) keep us from obeying the command to love each other well?
How many disputes and fights over traditions has torn the family of God apart?
How often does the priority of loving each other fall second place to some form or practice we’ve deemed as essential to our worship?
So how did Jesus respond to those who made priority their laws, traditions, and expectations over God’s law?
Jesus was quoting from
Isn’t interesting that Jesus calls worship that ignores his commands or adds to them hypocrisy.
Actions that are labeled as worship outside of obedience to his commands is not worship…it’s hypocrisy.
Actions that insist on the traditions of man as a means of worship....is hypocrisy.
Trans: But what was the real problem wasn’t what they were doing....they needed to be educated about their own hearts.
III.
An Education of the heart
Jesus highlights the real problem.
It is not man’s practices that corrupt the man.
Our evil practices(sin) are a result of our wicked hearts.
How often are we quick to blame our sin on outside forces.
“If this person wouldn’t have done this than I wouldn’t have done that”
Yet scripture tells us we do wicked things because it’s what our hearts desire.
Even when we make the right choice and choose to do what is right the fact that we had to first fight against the desire to do what was wrong shows us that our flesh is wicked to core.
Our hearts desire evil otherwise their would be no temptation.
We do wrong not because someone physically forces us but because we desire it.
This is why we need Jesus to redeem us and free us from the bondage of our sin.
When a person is wiling to die to themselves and accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for their sin he is transformed.
He has been reborn, made into something new.
Application:
To the believer: Have you been following ideas of culture or tradition at the expense of following the laws of God.
If you have Jesus calls your worship hypocrisy.
To the unbeliever: It isn’t what you do that defiles you.
Your heart itself is wicked and needs to be redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ.
The goal of the gospel is not to make a wicked heart good, its to kill it off and replace it with something new, the heart of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ redeems us and transforms us into His image.
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