In his commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, R.T. France notes how much emphasis Jewish people in the days of Jesus placed on food laws. In fact, he wrote that it is hard to overestimate their importance.
These food laws set the Jewish people apart from others, drawing a clear line between them and non-Jewish individuals or those considered sinful. However, these laws didn’t actually mention washing hands before eating. While priests and those serving in the temple had strict rules for remaining ritually clean, this didn’t apply to the general public. We see this tension arise when the Pharisees criticize Jesus.
“Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ‘Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat.’” (Matthew 15:1-2)
Hypocrites!
Jesus and the religious leaders from Jerusalem knew their claims weren’t entirely true. So, Jesus pivoted to an actual commandment from the Law: honoring your parents.
“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)
The religious elite of His time had found a convenient loophole to avoid following this commandment.
In the first century, there was no social security system. Children showed respect to their parents by taking care of them in their old age. However, some religious people found a way around fulfilling this command. They would declare that the money meant for their family was “given to God.” This way, they kept control of the money for themselves while depriving their family of support—all while trying to appear deeply religious.
It is no wonder Jesus called them hypocrites.
“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 pointed out exactly what made these people hypocrites: they would speak well of God, but their hearts were not truly devoted to Him. Their worship was meaningless because they taught human rules as if they were God’s teachings, just like the Pharisees and scribes did with handwashing.
Reflections
Billy Sunday was a fiery preacher from the past. Once, during a sermon, he warned his audience not to put up a “spiritual umbrella” to deflect his message onto others. Let’s take the same approach with Jesus’s teaching. How can we apply what Jesus said here to our own lives?
- Do we have beliefs we’ve adopted from our culture that aren’t actually in the Bible?
- Are there beliefs we hold that misinterpret scripture?
- Do we try to seem religious but fail to actually follow God’s will?
These questions demand answers, and honestly, we should probably be asking many more.
A hypocrite is someone who pretends to be something they are not. The word itself comes from the ancient Greek world of drama, where actors wore masks to play different roles. These masks helped amplify their voices and allowed them to switch characters seamlessly.
When we read this scripture, we must reflect on ourselves and ask: Are we wearing masks or pretending to be something we’re not? I hope that isn’t true for you or me, but let’s continually ask God to examine our hearts.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 