These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man

 

 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?  For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."  He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?  For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" -- then he need not honor his father or mother.'  Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.  Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: 

    'These people draw near to Me with their mouth,

    And honor Me with their lips,

    But their heart is far from Me.

    And in vain they worship Me,

    Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"

 

When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand:  Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."  Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"  But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.  Let them alone.  They are blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."  So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding?  Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

 

- Matthew 15:1–20 

 

On Saturday we read that, immediately after the feeding in the wilderness, Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."  When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.

 

Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?  For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."  The tradition of the elders is a reference to the interpretations of the Law by Jewish teachers.  Jesus will refute this charge by emphasizing the Law itself, and its intentions.

 

He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?  For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" -- then he need not honor his father or mother.'  Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition."  My study Bible emphasizes that Christ shows that the commandment of God cannot be superseded by human religious traditions.  Devotion to God includes both obedience to His commandments and also service to others; and these two cannot be separated (see also James 2:14-18; 1 John 4:7-21).  Jesus cites the commandments in the Law found at Deuteronomy 5:16; Exodus 21:17.  In Mark 7:1-23, this tradition is identified as the practice of offerings (called "Corban") which, according to my study Bible, could be promised to God in such a way that property could be promised to God in such a way that earnings could still be used for oneself, but not for anybody else, including one's parents.

 

Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:  'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me,

Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"  Jesus quotes from Isaiah 29:13, which, as He says, describes the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees and their practices.  Here Jesus places emphasis on the state of the heart as that which determines a person's purity, which He will further elaborate in His teachings to the disciples that follow.

When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand:  Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."  Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"  But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.  Let them alone.  They are blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."  So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding?  Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."   Here Christ elaborates on the state of the heart, and how that affects what people do.  This is similar to His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, in which He emphasized those habits that begin in the heart, and build to outward actions such as murder, adultery, and other abuses (see Matthew 5:21-30).

 

So, if we follow Jesus carefully, He's asking us to take care that we understand our faith, and that in what we do we're not just following forms, but fulfilling the will of God.  He's telling the scribes and Pharisees that, despite the fact that they are the experts in the law, they are more concerned with the minutiae  of the traditions that have been built up around the Law rather than the aims of the Law itself.  Indeed, when Jesus is criticizing the Pharisees for their practice, He puts two elements of the Law together to make God's aims clear.  It is most definitely not acceptable to use tradition to create harmful outcomes for parents and for one's relationship and obligation to elderly parents.  This displays, on Jesus' part, a familiarity and knowledge of Scripture that those sticking to the letter of tradition are either dismissing or don't know for themselves.  Indeed, Jesus gives us a second quotation from Scripture, that of the Prophet Isaiah, that again teaches us what insightful reading of Scripture is about, as opposed to the rigid authoritarian enforcement of tradition expressed by the scribes and Pharisees in order to criticize Christ's disciples.  So Jesus gives us three quotations, two from the Law, and one from the Prophets, to illustrate what precisely is wrong with the way that the scribes and Pharisees are using their authority in expressing a perspective on what it means to be faithful to the God of Israel.  While the scribes and Pharisees cling to a very limited picture of what it means to be devout, Christ has a more telescopic understanding of the faith.  Of course, we would expect that if we understand who Christ truly is, and accept His identity as Son and Lord.  But in the context of the scribes and Pharisees, He is someone who has come to the notice of the public, attracted multitudes to His ministry, is now known for miraculous works and healings, and has followers they don't really approve of.  In terms of authority, He has none that is apparent to them:  He's not prominent in this sense and does not come from the high priestly classes, and He's not one of them -- and neither are His supporters for the most part.  Their criticism implies the disciples' not-so-prominent social class status, but Jesus takes up the challenge in defending them vigorously and thoroughly.  So what are we supposed to learn from this, and to take from this?  Certainly in our own lives we can see such dramas play out, when we can see "outsiders" put down for their lack of familiarity with certain traditions, or perhaps we may be faced with various other types of snobbery in our churches.  There will hopefully always be new people coming into a Church, and often they may have to deal with entering into a particular culture of the group that's already formed among the membership or a particular group of parishioners.  Such a problem will always seemingly be with us and among us and in our churches.  But let us consider that Jesus is teaching, in a broader context, the compassion and aims of the Law, and that we also know Him to be the Giver of the Law.  The Law -- as is exemplified in this problem of caring for elderly parents -- is meant to enshrine and build ways of right-relatedness within a society, among the people of God.  In this ultimate aim of the Law, and of Christ's Church, particular forms of observance like performing ablutions may have meaning, but they are no substitute for the depth of the heart in reaching toward God and God's goals for us, and what kind of people we are in the living out of our faith.  Let us consider the humble, whom Jesus loved and exalted, and let us consider the outsiders we may be tempted to exclude, for when we are at Church we are not in our own home or under our own rules.   We're in God's house, we're in Christ's home, and are expected to act as part of His Body, which includes caring for the other members.   If we're truly zealous for God, then we must be zealous for the things which Christ defends and preaches, and know His word as still informing us what we are to be about.  Let us endeavor to live it, with each new challenge that will come.