Episode 10) Jesus’s Parables: Things that Defile

Let Us Pray

Our dear heavenly Father, thank you for giving us ears to hear your Holy Word.  We pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit to make these ancient words of Scripture relevant and near to each of us this day.  Shine your light in our hearts so we may share it with others.

In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.

From the Gospel of Matthew 15: 10-20 Things That Defile

¹⁰ Then Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: ¹¹ it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” ¹² Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” ^13 Jesus answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. ¹⁴ Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind.^[e] And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” ¹⁵ But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” ¹⁶ Then Jesus said, “Are you also still without understanding? ¹⁷ Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach and then goes out of the body? ¹⁸ But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. ²⁰ These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”

This week's passage is different from the parables we have explored in previous weeks. It is much shorter and does not tell a story, yet it is just as important because of the powerful message and the behavior Jesus is cautioning against.

Today's passage from Matthew's Gospel specifically exposes acts of religious self-righteousness versus the true inward condition of a person's heart. It asks an important question: How is God honored—or not honored—by our actions?

On another level, I think this passage speaks to all of us. It challenges us to consider how we present ourselves to others and whether we have the courage to be vulnerable enough to admit that we don't always feel or act the way we appear on the outside. We don't always have it all together—and that's okay. Jesus knows who we truly are inside. We can never hide our hearts from Him.

During Jesus's time, the religious leaders fasted openly, prayed long prayers in public, and made a grand display of giving alms to the poor.

In many ways, that resembles the image-conscious world we live in today, where outward appearances and visible acts of devotion can easily become more important than genuine faith.

Outward rituals and religious practices can certainly help prepare our hearts to worship God, but they are not enough by themselves. We still need inward devotion to God and love for others. Rituals alone do not make us holy.

There were many traditions during Jesus's day concerning ritual washing, including washing one's hands before eating or performing certain religious acts.

The religious leaders questioned Jesus because His disciples did not follow the tradition of the elders by participating in ritual cleansing before they ate. To them, this was considered sinful. They had elevated ceremonial handwashing to the level of God's commandments.

In this passage, Jesus addresses the very heart of the problem.

The crowds had just witnessed His stern rebuke of the religious leaders, exposing not only their lack of inward devotion to God but also their failure to truly obey God's commandments.

No amount of handwashing can change our character.

God looks at our hearts.

Jesus explains that the human heart is the ultimate source of defilement.

His message to both the crowd and His disciples is that they should be far more concerned about their inward condition than about the supposed defilement that came from eating with unclean hands or eating foods considered unclean.

God knows what is in our hearts, and that is what He sees when He looks at us.

Not our appearance.

Not our leadership skills.

Not our power.

Not our wealth.

Not our authority.

Not our cleanliness.

Not even our rituals of worship.

None of these things are inherently bad. But above all else, God wants our hearts.

By the power of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, our hearts can be transformed into the kind of hearts God desires—hearts that love Him and love others.

As the Apostle Paul writes in his Second Letter to the Corinthians:

"So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!"

That is the Good News we cling to as disciples of Jesus.

God accomplishes His purposes by changing us from the inside out.

So yes, wash your hands before you eat—that's simply good hygiene. But when Jesus cleanses our hearts, then our hands are truly clean, and we become people whom God can use for His great purpose in the Kingdom of Heaven.