October 19: Matthew 15, Mark 7

October 19, Matthew 15, Mark 7

Matthew & Mark continued…

Matthew 15

• Traditions & Commandments. Jesus is not playing around here! Again, he was being questioned by the Pharisees & the scribes. They wanted to know why His disciples didn't follow the rules of the elders and ‘wash’ their hands before they ate. Jesus’ response: “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” They are nitpicking man-made rules and breaking God’s rules and Jesus just called them out in it and let them know who the real hypocrites were. Jesus then tells them they are the ones also fulfilling prophecy, from Isaiah. Isaiah basically said a time was coming when “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” Lip service. Their hearts were not in it. Playing a game. Ugh. See below for my comments. Then Jesus goes onto explain what actually defiles a person! He just called out the pharisees in their hypocrisy and now is going to drive it home. “Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” It is not certain foods that are bad - but what are we saying is reflective of what is in our heart & what is not in our heart. Jesus told His disciples to not even bother with the Pharisees as they are blind guides. Here is the summary of it “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” Let this not be anywhere near your heart. Fight it and fight for Christ. 
• Faith of a Gentile & healings. Jesus tested her faith and she passed. So much so, Jesus healed her daughter of a demon. Praise God! Jesus healed wherever He went. “so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.”
• Jesus feeds 4,000. This is a different time from when Jesus fed the 5,000 - but the premise is the same. Jesus had compassion on the people (mostly gentiles where He was at) and took care of them. When the crowds were fed they were happy and Glorified God.

Mark 7 (a lot of similarities and some differences in the accounts…)

• Traditions & Commandments. A lot of similarities from Matthew, but Mark puts a greater emphasis on the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Can you tell that we are not to be hypocrites? Do not hold to the traditions of man and disregard what God has called us to. In essence, you will be rejecting the commandments and honoring man. 
• Faith of a Gentile & healings. Same as above but adds this: “Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled? Thus he declared all foods clean.” All foods are clean. Don’t bother trying to explain to me that certain foods are evil or whatever. If I hear one more pastor say that brownies are evil I am going to lose it. That is idolatry and worship of self and we are to having nothing to do with it. 
• Jesus heals a deaf man. As was customary, Jesus healed wherever He went. That same power that healed this deaf man is in us to accomplish God’s will. 

To sum it all up: 

• The Pharisees & scribes were playing games and Jesus called them out in it. Some of this still occurs today and Jesus will not be mocked when we cling to tradition and not to Him. This should not be as this is not what God wants from us. Jesus wants our hearts to be wholly for Him and not just our outward actions or words. It is easy to say and not as easy to do. 
• Do not be attracted to Jesus for what He can do but for what He has done. He took on our sinfulness so that we could be with Him & His Father.