“Tradition, Defilement and Faith”

Series: The Gospel Truth

Text: Matt 15:1-31

Introduction: (What?)

In “Fiddler on the Roof” one of the most memorable songs is “Traditions”. Watch this video clip to get a feeling for the idea.

Many churches have traditions that have risen to the level of scripture, although most of them do not have scriptural basis. One “tradition” that I was told to continue when I came as your pastor was that I should always wear a coat and tie when I preach. Why? I have no idea. Often when we have guest speakers I’m asked if they should dress a certain way when they preach. Today we will discover Jesus’s view of traditions, defilement and faith.

Examination: (Why?)

1. Traditions (vv 1-9)

Why do traditions exist, and from where do they come? Good questions. According to Wikipedia, a tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past.

Mt 15:1-9 “Then Jesus was approached by Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem, who asked, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “Why do you break God’s commandment because of your tradition? For God said: Honor your father and your mother; and, Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death. But you say, ‘Whoever tells his father or mother, “Whatever benefit you might have received from me is a gift committed to the temple,” he does not have to honor his father.’ In this way, you have nullified the word of God because of your tradition. Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines human commands.”

The hand washing tradition of the Jews was quite involved. Ritual hand washing was to be performed before, during and after each meal. Each hand was to have water poured over it either two or three times; first with the fingers pointing up and the water reaching to the wrist. Then with the fingers pointing down and the water dripping from the fingers. Each hand was to be rubbed by the other, but only if the other hand was clean. (don’t ask how this was decided). This tradition was not prescribed by OT law, but was devised by the elders of the Jews and passed down through generations.

In chapter 12 the Jews found fault with the disciples for breaking the Sabbath law of harvesting wheat on the Sabbath. They could have just as well charged them with breaking the hand-washing ritual, because they were out in a wheat field instead of in a house. These rituals served no other purpose than to highlight the supposed piety of those who practiced them. God didn’t require them, but man devised them and elevated them to the level of scripture in practice.

As usual Jesus answered their question with a question of His own. He answered them, “Why do you break God’s commandment because of your tradition? For God said: Honor your father and your mother; and, Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death. But you say, ‘Whoever tells his father or mother, “Whatever benefit you might have received from me is a gift committed to the temple,” he does not have to honor his father.’ In this way, you have nullified the word of God because of your tradition.” Often “traditions” mask the failure of people to live up to God’s commands. In a way it is like saying to God, “How about if I do this instead of what You actually said in your Word?”

2. Defilement (vv 10-20)

Mt 15:10-20 “Summoning the crowd, he told them, “Listen and understand: It’s 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 up and told him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted. Leave them alone! They are blind guides. And if the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.” Then Peter said, “Explain this parable to us.” “Do you still lack understanding?” he asked. “Don’t you realize that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is eliminated? But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a person. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slander. These are the things that defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person.””

In this passage Jesus turned the tables on the Pharisees. He used the moment to teach truth to the on-lookers who had just observed the interaction between Jesus and the Pharisees. This became a “teachable moment”. We can learn to do the same when seeking to witness to the unsaved. Look for teachable moments when you can bring the gospel into a conversation that others have started.

Since the Pharisees had raised an issue regarding ceremonial defilement Jesus explained what true defilement really is. It is moral rather than ceremonial. A person’s purity or impurity is revealed by what they say. Their words reveal their hearts. This is especially true when they get squeezed. There is a question often used by preachers which goes like this; “What do you get when you squeeze and orange?” The logical answer is “Orange juice.” The REAL answer is that you get whatever is in the orange. By the same token, when a person is pressured, what is in their hearts comes out of their mouths. You may have said, “That makes me so mad!” but the reality is the pressure only revealed the anger that is in you. When a person reacts to hitting their thumb with a hammer with profanity, it is because profanity was in their heart already. Look at the list Jesus gave; “For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slander.” Understand that this is not an exhaustive list. The writer of Proverbs said in Prov 4:23 “Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.”

Authors Gary and Bob Rosberg wrote three helps to guarding your heart.

Commit to the task of guarding your heart. (G.I.G.O. “garbage in, garbage out”. Be careful what you allow into your heart via your ear-gate, eye-gate, touch-gate and experience-gate.)

Keep short (sin) accounts. (Confess sin as soon as you become aware of it.)

Be accountable to others. (give a friend, or group of friends permission to call you out when you are off-base in word or deed.)

3. Faith (vv 21-31)

Mt 15:21-31 “When Jesus left there, he withdrew to the area of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came and kept crying out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely tormented by a demon.” Jesus did not say a word to her. His disciples approached him and urged him, “Send her away because she’s crying out after us.” He replied, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came, knelt before him, and said, “Lord, help me!” He answered, “It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” “Yes, Lord,” she said, “yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus replied to her, “Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want.” And from that moment her daughter was healed. Moving on from there, Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee. He went up on a mountain and sat there, and large crowds came to him, including the lame, the blind, the crippled, those unable to speak, and many others. They put them at His feet, and He healed them. So the crowd was amazed when they saw those unable to speak talking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing, and they gave glory to God.”

Jesus’s overriding purpose was to test the faith of the woman. Whatever obstacle He put in her way, she brushed aside and her faith persisted. Had she slunk away in defeat when He first rebuked her, her daughter would not have been healed. If you lose heart when your prayer is not answered right away, you may miss your miracle. Jesus praised persistence, not only here, but also in Luke 18:1 “Now he told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not give up.” This same idea of persistent faith was played out as people with great needs crowded around Him seeking their miracle of healing.

Application: (How should I respond to this message?)

When you come to church are you more concerned with how people dress, whether or not the pastor ends the service on time, or are you earnestly seeking an audience with Almighty God?

When you get squeezed, what comes out of you, praise or profanity?

Do you treat prayer as a “one and done” act, or do you keep praying until God either gives you what you ask for or tells you it is time to stop?