Matthew 15:1-20

Matthew 15:1-20 (New International Version)

 1Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2"Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands before they eat!"

 3Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' 5But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,' 6he is not to 'honor his father' with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
 8" 'These people honor me with their lips,
      but their hearts are far from me.
 9They worship me in vain;
      their teachings are but rules taught by men.'"

 10Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand. 11What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.' "

 12Then the disciples came to him and asked, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?"

 13He replied, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit."

 15Peter said, "Explain the parable to us."

 16"Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them. 17"Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' 19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.' "

Devotional (by Isaac Pellerin)

Ahh the Pharisees. We see them over and over again come to point out the smallest details to criticize Jesus and his followers. Have you ever known someone like that? Someone who just picks at one little thing you do wrong instead of seeing the bigger picture? Or maybe you find that it's easy to be critical of others?

In any case look at Jesus' response. He cuts right to the heart of the matter and lets them know that God is so much more concerned with the heart than they are. The heart of God is to bring glory to Himself and to love us into a relationship with Him. It's important to guard ourselves against the distractions of the details.

When I think about my own heart, I see that it is unclean and that my focus must be on surrendering more of myself to God. The least of my worries is what I have for breakfast.

Prayer: God, help me to value what you value. Help me to see my heart as something of value that You desire. Thank you for guiding me and seeing the freedom from overbearing rules that Your love provides. In Jesus' Name. Amen.