Pure Hearts

Today’s reading is Matthew 15.

After explaining to the apostles that He wasn’t all that concerned about how offended the Pharisees were, they still didn’t understand what He taught. They call it a parable. However, it doesn’t seem like much of a parable to me. That is, Jesus isn’t telling a story about mouths that actually refers to some other thing. He’s really talking about mouths. He really is talking about the kind of things we put in our mouths and the kind of things that come out of our mouths. He is talking about food and speech.

What goes into our mouths does not affect our hearts. It doesn’t matter what we eat, our heart is not defiled. Food goes to the stomach, not the heart. Even if there were cleanliness laws that Jesus was maintaining in His covenant, it wouldn’t work like the Pharisees claimed it did. As far as our heart is concerned spiritually, what we eat doesn’t impact our heart.

But what we say does impact our heart. Or rather, what we say and what we do shows our heart has been impacted. Evil thoughts defile us. Evil words defile us. Murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander all defile us. These things start in the heart and then come out in the speech and behavior.

The key is to keep our hearts pure. This is not new with Jesus. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (ESV). As we piece this together, we realize it is not what goes into our mouths that defiles us, rather it is what goes in our ears and eyes. It is what we see and what we listen to. It is what our minds meditate upon. As Jesus had said in Matthew 6:22, the eye is the lamp of the body. We have to keep our eye clear and clean and pure. Otherwise our whole body will be dark and defiled.

In a day and age when entertainment runs everything, when we are constantly listening to music, watching tv, seeing movies, we need to take Jesus’s warning seriously. The heart sends forth the springs of life. Keep it pure. Protect it. Don’t think you can defile it with what you watch and listen to while somehow keeping your life pure. You can try. But you will fail.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier sparked by this post.

Discuss the Following Questions with Your Family

1. What are your initial reactions to the chapter and the written devo above?
2. Why does what goes into our mouths not defile us?
3. Why does what comes out of our mouths defile us?
4. How can we protect our heart and our mouths?
5. What do you think we should pray for and about in light of this chapter and today’s post?

Offending Pharisees

Today’s reading is Matthew 15.

After rebuking the Pharisees about their law-violating traditions, Jesus called out to the people. He gathered a crowd and said, “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.” This worried the disciples. They questioned Jesus, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”

What offended them? Were they offended because the teaching seemed different than theirs? Were they offended because it followed His rebuke of them? Were they offended because Jesus taught as if He were on par with them in understanding? I don’t know. What I do know is Jesus didn’t care.

The point in this story is not that we should disregard the feelings of those we teach. Rather, we have to remember that those who are not on God’s side don’t get to establish the rules. If Jesus were to kowtow to the whims of the Pharisees and play the game by their rules, He would become just as blind as they were. Anyone who followed them or Him in that scenario would end up in the ditch.

Our purpose is not to be offensive. We do not behave in a way to purposefully upset, offend, or anger others. However, our standard for behavior and teaching is not the feelings of those who reject Jesus. As much as depends on us, we strive to live peaceably with everyone. The problem is it often doesn’t depend on us. Many times it depends on others. When we play by God’s rules, if others get offended, that is on them. Further, we need to be prepared. Even when we are playing by God’s rules, plenty of people will get upset. They will push back. They will cry foul. They will persecute. And they for sure will not play by God’s rules in their reaction. We must stand firm.

That being said, let us always make sure we are playing by God’s rules. Only then can we behave as Jesus does in this account.

Tomorrow’s reading is Matthew 15.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier sparked by this post.

Discuss the Following Questions with Your Family

1. What are your initial reactions to the chapter and the written devo above?
2. It’s a tough balancing act. When should we be concerned about offending others and when should we be unconcerned about it?
3. What will happen to us if we start to follow “blind” teachers?
4. How can we be sure we aren’t following “blind” teachers?
5. What do you think we should pray for and about in light of this chapter and today’s post?