To best understand the dispute between Jesus and religious leaders who had come to Galilee from Jerusalem, we need to consider the role of ritual purity among Jews in the first century.
It is hard to overstate the importance of purity for the Pharisees. They firmly believed that to participate in the life and worship of God’s holy people, a person must avoid defilement that might arise from consuming unclean food or drink.
The Pharisees and scribes who came to Jesus from Jerusalem complained, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat” (Matthew 15.2).
The Pharisees expected their followers to observe food laws and they believed that Jesus should do the same. They reasoned that the behavior of the disciples was an index to Jesus’ own teaching and expectations.
Jesus turned their complaint back on them and pointed out a larger issue than eating without first washing hands.
He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
“For God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.’
“But you say that whoever tells father or mother, ‘Whatever support you might have had from me is given to God,’ then that person need not honor the father.
“So, for the sake of your tradition, you nullify the word of God” (Matthew 15.3-6).
Instead of breaking human traditions, Jesus accused them of breaking God’s commandments that are outlined in Exodus 20:12 and Exodus 21:17.
There was a scribal practice that dedicated certain food, money, or property to the temple treasury. Anything so dedicated was placed out of reach of other people – including parents – who might otherwise have a claim on it.
Instead of honoring their parents by providing for them, they used this tradition to keep their possessions for themselves.
Jesus was right to call them hypocrites. Their behavior was play-acting. They pretended to follow God’s laws, but in actuality served their greed rather than the Lord.
“You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied rightly about you when he said:
“‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
“In vain do they worship me,
teaching human precepts as doctrines.’” (Matthew 15.7-9).
Jesus quoted from Isaiah 29.13 to add a Bible reference to his point. Play-acting hypocrites say the right words, but their motives and attitudes are far from honoring God.
When anyone makes human traditions more important than God’s revealed will, they reveal the state of their heart.
A Wise Pastor
When I was a pastor in Louisiana during the 1970s, race was a continual issue for Baptist congregations. I served with a very wise pastor who was also my mentor.
I remember talking to him one day, and he was discussing another church that was having very difficult problems over whether to admit black people into their building.
He looked at me and he said, “You never vote on what is right. You just do it.”
He had the right idea. God’s will is far more important than human traditions, no matter how strong they might be.
A Look Inward
Jesus pointed out the play-acting hypocrisy of the religious crowd. We do well to take His words to heart and ask ourselves: what traditions are we preferring over doing God’s will?
One worldwide hot topic concerns migrants and immigration. The current tradition of nations is to build walls and discourage migration.
The Pope has a monthly prayer emphasis. This month’s theme concerns migrants. Below is a quote that reflects God’s will in contrast to the sentiment of many toward migrants.
“Migrants fleeing from war and hunger, often survivors of desperate journeys, are the object of political battles.
“It is important to remember that they are not numbers or statistics; they are people. Our personal and collective histories are marked by migration.
“Rather than treating migrants like a burden or a problem, we should find solutions based on compassion and respect for their human dignity.”
Let’s make sure to examine all of our current events opinions under Jesus’ admonition to fulfill God’s will over human traditions.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 