The Cure for Spiritual Blindness Matthew 15:1-20

Intro: Rules don’t make you right

My wife was talking to one of her friends

She had just come from a 60th birthday party

The lady had 5 daughters

All of them were raised in the church, went to a strict religious school, and subsequently rebelled and walked away from the Lord

As the lady reflected over her life and where her daughters were she admitted that rules don’t make you a good person

Following rules don’t make you right before God

That’s what we encounter this morning

The rules committee came to visit Jesus

There were some written rules called the Oral Law

Tradition of the elders

Body of rabbinic literature

Later codified in the Mishnah and Talmud

Talmud: 63 books in 8 volumes

As binding to devout Jews as Scripture itself

According to Rabbi Akiba (contemporary of Matthew), the traditions of the Law act as a fence around the law

Tradition to keep people from breaking the Law

Problems with rules and regulations

You can perform them mechanically

Your heart doesn't have to be in it

Rules don’t make you right

Read Matthew 15:1-5

Transition:

What Jesus is like?

People have a false view

Sunday school Jesus

"Gentle Jesus, meek and mild,

Look upon this little child"

Gentle and compassionate

He was Confrontational, depending on who He is dealing with

He was a Radical, non-conformist

Did not conform to societal standards

Did not conform to religious practices

Held tenaciously to God's Word

Against religious rules & traditions

That Covered the truth

That Made it difficult to access the truth

Those rules and traditions often cause spiritual blindness because it gives appearance you are right, but your heart is far from God

I. Clean Hands vs. 1-9

How do you cure spiritual blindness?

Clean Hands

vs. 1-2 Break the Rules

The scribes and pharisees accused Jesus of breaking the rules

He didn’t wash his hands before he ate

Jesus had been miraculously healing people in Galilee

Blind see, Deaf hear, Lame walk, Wither hands work, Dead raised

News spread quickly

Incurred interest of religious in Jerusalem

Probably a delegation of the Sanhedrin makes up the Scribes and Pharisees who confront Jesus

They Issue a Public rebuke

Issue at hand: Ceremonial Wash Hands

Not hygiene: ritual

Elaborate hand-washing ceremony of the oral law

Hands place up before you, water poured at fingertips, rand down hands and fell off at the bend of the wrist

Hands pointed down, water poured at wrists, ran down hands and fell off at fingertips

Hands dried by rubbing in open palms

Practiced before every meal and between every course

Religious superstition: Shibtah (a demon) who attached to hands as one slept; touch food and ingest a demon)

Jesus’ disciples didn’t wash their hands when they ate

vs. 3-6 Break the Commandments

Jesus not looking for trouble—trouble found Him

Jesus unafraid of confrontation

Jesus was strong in His reply because these leaders were far too concerned with these ceremonial rules.

Jesus' answer

He turns it back to Scripture

Their argument was NOT about Scripture, but rules & traditions

Oral law twisted the Scripture

They were arguing about Jesus breaking their rules

He turned and charged them with breaking His father’s law

When they declared people unclean because of their rules, they denied the people access to God.

Honor your father and mother:

The clear command of God said that everyone should give honor to their father and mother – even stating a penalty for extreme disobedience to this command.

When we are adults and no longer in our parents’ household or under their authority, we no longer have to obey our father and mother.

Yet we are still commanded to honor them; that command endures.

Some Jewish people of Jesus’ day had a way to get around the command to honor your father and mother.

If they declared that all their possessions or savings were a gift to God that were especially dedicated to Him, they could then say that their resources were unavailable to help their parents.

Corban: dedicated to God's exclusive purpose

Kept and used

A way out of the fifth commandment

Jesus tells them that they think they are getting out of the commandment, but God sees

vs. 7-9 Be careful of the rules

I know what some of you are thinking

If there are no rules there will be anarchy

Our society is crumbling because people aren’t following rules

Governmental rules are important, although I am a believer of less is more

In the church rules can replace a relationship with Jesus

If I follow all of these rules I am right, which turns to I am better than others

Some questions to ask:

Is it established according to Scripture?

Just a convenient way to apply Scripture?

Rules can remind us of important spiritual truths

Rules in spiritual community can be obstructive and destructive even prohibit spiritual life

vs 7 Hypocrites

Jesus has some harsh words for his accusers

Hypocrite comes from Greek term for an actor on stage

One who lived behind a mask

Every area of life has hypocrites

Spiritual hypocrites are the worst

Jesus did not hold back against hypocrisy

Scathing, indicting words

Jesus uses term 23 times in the New Testament

21 times used in regard to religious hypocrites

Jesus then quotes Isaiah 29

Isaiah 29:13 ESV

And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

Rules don’t always make us right

The heart has to be right first

How do you know if your heart is right?

II. Clean Heart vs. 10-20

The second way to cure spiritual blindness is to have a clean heart

vs. 10-11 What Comes Out Defiles

Hear and understand: pay close attention

Under Levitical code: some foods were prohibited by God

Animals that didn't chew the cud

Animals that didn't have cloven hooves

Fish without fins and scales

To protect physical health

A picture of defilement or sin

Religious rules focus on the outward; God focuses on the inward

When God chose David he passed over several physically superior brothers

He chided Samuel for looking at the outward

God looks at the heart

What a person puts in their mouth doesn’t make them unclean

What comes out of the mouth defiles a person

Defile = to make common, unclean, or pollute

Notice its when it comes out that a person is defiled

As a disciple you are not common

You are set apart from the world, holy

vs. 12-14 Blind Leading the Blind

Disciples question whether Jesus knew he offended the Pharisees

He meant to offend Pharisees

Undermining their false trust in their religious system

Pharisees weren't God's plants, they were tares

Marks of Hypocrites

Offended by truth

Destined for judgment

Jesus condemned both the sin and the sinner

Let them alone: stay away from them

vs. 15-20 Out of Mouth the Heart Speaks

Jesus' explanation

Peter walking with Jesus 2 years, didn't understand

Heart: seat of human motives, will, desires, thinking

"Why do you think evil in your hearts?" (Matthew 9:4)

Not defiled by your diet; filth comes form the heart, through the mouth

Worse than what goes into the sewer

Jeremiah 17:9 ESV

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Whether vegan, carnivore, junk food junkie not the issue: heart is the issue