Mateus 15
J. Vernon McGee · Citado em PreceptAustin
Mateus 15
Vernon McGee - The scribes and the Pharisees had come all the way from Jerusalem. In the previous chapter we saw that Jesus and His disciples were way out in a desert place where the crowds couldn’t even get to a hamburger stand; so He had fed them. On the surface it may seem like a wonderful thing that the religious rulers had come all the way out to listen to Him. Well, frankly, they hadn’t come all the way out to applaud Him or to accept His teaching; they had come to criticize Him. Immediately we recognize that this was not a friendly visit. They did not accuse Him of breaking the Scriptures but of violating the traditions which they considered to be on a par with the Scriptures. They wanted to know why His disciples did not wash their hands. They were referring to a ceremonial cleansing rather than to what we would consider a physical or sanitary washing. There are a great many people who feel that if you go through some sort of an outward ceremony and clean up on the outside, this is all that is necessary. ILLUSTRATION OF THE DANGER OF TRADITION - You’ve seen many moms place a very thin blanket over their babies in their strollers (keep the sun off). But what would happen if they just kept placing blanket after blanket. It doesn’t matter how thin these blankets are…the baby would suffocate. Over the years the Pharisees had overlaid the biblical teaching with vast amounts of spoken teaching "blankets" and oral tradition "blankets." Though admirable, the original aim of protecting the baby, became its demise! (Brian Bell) ILLUSTRATION - I have here an old pocket watch. It looks like any other pocket watch. It has a case, hands and a face. It has a chain and all the requisite parts that are necessary for it to carry out its function as a timepiece. However, there is a problem with this watch. You see, it just won't run! Why not? It won't run because it has a problem with its heart. Inside this case, there is a spring that is the heart of this watch. That spring is essential to the proper operation of this watch as a timepiece. That spring, the heart of this watch, is defective! The heart of the problem with this watch is a problem of the heart of this watch. There are plenty of people in the church and in religious circles who are just like this watch. On the outside the look fine. They appear to be religious and they do good things, but they cannot function as they were designed to function. They cannot truly worship God and bring glory to Him because they have a problem that cannot be readily seen by a mere surface inspection of their life. They have a problem with their heart! (Alan Carr) Carr ends his sermon with these words - "Remember my broken watch? I can have it fixed. A good watchmaker can repair the problem in the heart of this watch and make right again. If there is a problem in your heart this morning, Jesus Christ can take it like it is and He can make it like it ought to be! According to the prophet Ezekiel, God can take away our faulty "hearts of stone" and replace them with new ones that will beat in turn with God's own heart, Ezekiel. 36:26+. He can save us from the deceptive work of our own heart!" Matthew 15:4 "For God said, 'HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,' and, 'HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.' NET Matthew 15:4 For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Whoever insults his father or mother must be put to death.' NLT Matthew 15:4 For instance, God says, 'Honor your father and mother,' and 'Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.' ESV Matthew 15:4 For God commanded, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.' NIV Matthew 15:4 For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' GNT Matthew 15:4 ὁ γὰρ θεὸς εἶπεν, Τίμα τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὴν μητέρα, καί, Ὁ κακολογῶν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα θανάτῳ τελευτάτω. KJV Matthew 15:4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. God: Mt 4:10 5:17-19 Isa 8:20 Ro 3:31 Honor: Mt 19:19 Ex 20:12 Lev 19:3 De 5:16 Pr 23:22 Eph 6:1 He: Ex 21:17 Lev 20:9 De 21:18-21 27:16 Pr 20:20 30:17 Matthew 15 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Mark 7:10+ (PARALLEL PASSAGE) “For Moses said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER’; and, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER, IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH’; Exodus 20:12+ “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you. Deuteronomy 5:16; Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, that your days may be prolonged and that it may go well with you on the land which the LORD your God gives you. Exodus 21:17+ “He who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. Leviticus 20:9+ ‘If there is anyone who curses his father or his mother, he shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother, his bloodguiltiness is upon him. Deuteronomy 27:16 ‘Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ Proverbs 20:20 He who curses his father or his mother, His lamp will go out in time of darkness. Proverbs 30:17 The eye that mocks a father And scorns a mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it. JESUS DIRECTS THEIR ATTENTION TO THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT For - Term of explanation. Always ask the Spirit to help you discern what the writer (speaker) is explaining. In this case Jesus is elaborating on the empty, traditional worship of the religious leaders. How sad to be accused of worthless worship by the Lord of lords, but now He gives these hard of hearing leaders a clear explanation of their hypocrisy. God said - Notice that Mark 7:11+ has Moses said and Matthew 15:4 has "God said" indicating that what Moses said was what he had been inspired by the Spirit to say (cf 2 Peter 1:21+). THOUGHT - It is notable that Jesus repeatedly uses the Scriptures when addressing false teaching, etc. This is a good practice for all us His followers to imitate. And it just another reason we should all be actively memorizing the Word of Truth! HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER - Honor is timao in the present imperative which calls for continual, unhesitating tangible demonstration of reverence and respect to one's parents (see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey). Paul adds that this fifth commandment "is the first commandment with a promise" (Ephesians 6:2+) which should motivate one to obediently put it into practice. Thus you would expect that these religious leaders would surely seek to obey this fifth of ten Commandments since it came pre-packaged with a promise of long life in the land! But sadly they had allowed their imperfect traditional teachings from sinful men to take precedence over the perfect Law of the Holy God! Honor (5091)(timao from time = honor, prize) means to show high regard respect for and so to count as valuable, to esteem, to value, to revere. To show respect to someone is to recognize their worth as a person (and if they are a parent to recognize the validity of their role and their authority). To honor is to manifest an attitude of love, respect, and disposition of one's heart which in the context of God or the child/parent relationship yields the fruit of obedience.
Mateus 15
Vernon McGee - I still believe the best way to test a Christian is by his pocketbook. The barometer of the Christian today is how he handles his own money and how he handles God’s money. The religious rulers of Jesus’ day were helping men escape their responsibility. Question - What does Corban mean in Mark 7:11? Answer: The word Corban is only found in Mark 7:11. The interpretation is given in the same verse: “devoted to God as a gift.” The word described something to be offered to God or given to the sacred treasury in the temple. If something was “Corban,” it was dedicated and set apart for God’s use. In the context of Mark 7:1-13, Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees about ritual without reality. The Pharisees had asked why the disciples did not wash their hands according to the ritualistic tradition of the elders (Mark 7:5). This hand-washing was not what we think of today with soap and water. It was not for cleanliness; rather, it was a prescribed ritual done as a show of piety. In answer to the Pharisees’ question, Jesus told them that they had rejected the commandment of God in order to keep their own tradition (Mark 7:6-9). Jesus gives the proof of their corruption of the Law by citing their use of “Corban.” Moses had instructed God’s people to “honor their father and mother” (Exodus 20:12), but the Pharisees negated that command by teaching that they could give money to the temple in lieu of helping their parents in need. Whatever money might have been used to provide for aging parents could be dedicated to the temple treasury instead. Saying, “It is Corban” would exempt a person from his responsibility to his parents. In other words, the Pharisees took a legitimate Corban offering and used it in an illegitimate and devious way to defraud their parents (and enrich themselves). Thus, the Law of God was nullified. Jesus tells the Pharisees that their misuse of Corban was an evil rationale to avoid doing what they should. God never intended that the good principle of devoting something to the temple should be twisted to dishonor fathers and mothers. Ritual without reality is what the Pharisaic religion was all about. It was also ritual without righteousness and without relationship. Jesus taught that, without a personal relationship with God, ritual profits nothing, and the traditions of man should never usurp the authority of God’s Word. GotQuestions.org Matthew 15:6 he is not to honor his father or his mother.' And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. NET Matthew 15:6 he does not need to honor his father.' You have nullified the word of God on account of your tradition. NLT Matthew 15:5 But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, 'Sorry, I can't help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.' 6 In this way, you say they don't need to honor their parents. And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition. ESV Matthew 15:6 he need not honor his father.' So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. NIV Matthew 15:6 he is not to 'honor his father ' with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. GNT Matthew 15:6 οὐ μὴ τιμήσει τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἠκυρώσατε τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ τὴν παράδοσιν ὑμῶν. KJV Matthew 15:6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. honor : 1Ti 5:3,4,8,16 by this you invalidated the word of God: Ps 119:126,139 Jer 8:8 Ho 4:6 Mal 2:7-9 Mk 7:13 Ro 3:31 Matthew 15 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passage: Mark 7:12-13+ you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.” JESUS' WORDS CUT TO THEIR EVIL HEARTS He is not to honor his father or his mother - The person who says this money is for God (and in so doing justifies his not have to give it to his parents) is directly countering the clear commandment of God calling for one to honor parents. Honor (5091) see above on timao And by this you invalidated the Word of God for the sake of your tradition - By this, that is, by invoking this tradition (corban) their vow would essentially "cancel out" God's commandment. And here Jesus says the reason they do this is so they can hold to their man made tradition. In short, Jesus is saying that in their practices, the tradition of men trumps the clear, unambiguous Word of God! This has to be the height of hubris, which is not surprising for the scribes and Pharisees were proud of their pride and looked down on their fellow Jews! (e.g. read Lk 18:10-14+) Invalidated (208)(akuroo from a = without + kuroo = to confirm) was a legal technical term meaning to make invalid or void, to annul (Gal 3:17+) It means to cancel, deprive of power. Used in Mt 15:6 and Mk 7:13+ describing depriving divine law of authority (and power) by placing priority on human traditions! In the OT only in the apocryphal writings - 1 Es. 6:31; 4 Ma. 2:1; 4 Ma. 2:3; 4 Ma. 2:18; 4 Ma. 5:18; 4 Ma. 7:14; 4 Ma. 17:2 THOUGHT - One of the meanings of the Greek verb invalidated is to deprive of power! What Jesus is saying in effect as their traditions and legalism negate the power of the Word! Ponder that thought regarding the effect of traditions (and legalism in general) on the power of the Word of God! Traditions of men are legalistic burdens and Jesus says they counteract the Word of Truth. In John 8:31-32 "Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” But here Jesus is saying in essence that the traditions of men will blunt the liberating effect of the truth of the Word of God and will cut off the flow of grace because of legalistic rules! (see note below) Are you trying to live the Christian life by keeping rules? If so you are blunting the power of the Word of God and the flow of grace and enabling power of the Spirit (Read Gal 3:2-3+) Tradition (3862) see note above on paradosis William MacDonald makes a great point - One of the great lessons in this passage is that we must constantly test all teaching and all tradition by the Word of God, obeying what is of God and rejecting what is of men. At first a man may teach and preach a clear, scriptural message, gaining acceptance among Bible-believing people. Having gained this acceptance, he begins to add some human teaching. His devoted followers who have come to feel that he can do no wrong follow him blindly, even if his message blunts the sharp edge of the Word or waters down its clear meaning. It was thus that the scribes and Pharisees had gained authority as teachers of the Word. But they were now nullifying the intent of the Word. The Lord Jesus had to warn the people that it is the Word that accredits men, not men who accredit the Word. The great touchstone must always be, “What does the Word say?” (BBC) Brian Bill draws some conclusions from Jesus' confrontation of the deadly effect of the traditions of men - A legalist is one who believes that performance is the way to gain favor with God. Legalism is the human attempt to gain salvation or prove our spirituality by outward conformity to a list of religious “do’s” and “don’ts.” It’s often disguised in spiritual beliefs and behavior. Here are some observations about legalism. You may want tighten your seatbelt because we’re about to go through some turbulence. 1. We tend to think others are legalistic, but that we’re not. The fact is that we’re all legalistic by nature. We tend to judge others by our own standards of what is acceptable and what isn’t. In essence, we think our sins smell better than other people’s because we have very little tolerance for people who sin differently than we do. 2. Legalism is highly contagious. While it’s usually less conscious and systematized in our minds than it was among the Pharisees and the scribes, legalism can spread like a bad virus through an entire congregation. That’s why Jesus reserved some of his harshest criticism for legalistic list-makers. 3. Legalism can take a vibrant faith and make it dull and lifeless. It can evaporate enthusiasm, jettison joy, and stifle spirituality. Instead of finding freedom through Christ, many believers become burdened by a bunch of rules and regulations. 4. Legalism produces large quantities of self-righteousness, judgment and condemnation. It majors in guilt and misguided sacrifice, urging its followers to evaluate their relationship with God on the basis of standards and scores – and expects others to do the same. Superficial spirituality short-circuits the work of grace. 5. Legalism makes us narrow and divisive. The legalist insists that everyone live up to the standard they have adopted. In other words, everyone needs to be like me. When we think this way, we miss the delight of diversity in the church. 6. Legalism makes it impossible for people to see Jesus. There is nothing that pushes someone away faster than a list of rules and regulations when we inadvertently portray Jesus as a drill sergeant instead of the Savior. Most of us fall into legalism without trying to do so. Let me illustrate. Several years ago I asked a woman from China and a man from Puerto Rico to lead us in prayer for the persecuted church (By the way, we’ll hear from the Puerto Rico Go Team next weekend). It was beautiful to hear Hector pray for the persecuted in Spanish. When Stella prayed in Mandarin, she told us she was going to kneel and very graciously invited us to do the same, if we wanted to. I followed her lead and knelt. My motives were good initially as we interceded for the needs of beleaguered believers around the world. But then I took a peek and noticed only a small number were on their knees. A seed of judgmentalism began to germinate, as I secretly wondered why others weren’t as spiritual as I was. Now, work with me on this. Imagine that because I found kneeling to be so helpful, I began kneeling during my quiet times. When I led in prayer in services I knelt as well. And then I started telling everyone else they had to kneel when they prayed. I might even quote some Scripture. And when I didn’t see people kneeling I started to feel angry but also spiritually smug because at least I was doing what everyone else should be doing. Do you see how subtle and sneaky legalism is? Its weeds are under the surface in each of our lives. Kneeling to pray is a good thing but it can easily become the standard by which we judge other people’s spirituality. In short, if we’re not careful we’ll default to a performance-based, hypocritical kind of faith. By the way, there are other acceptable prayer postures in the Bible – sitting, standing, lying down, bowing, hands in the air or praying to stay awake during sermons. One of the best ways to not slide into spiritual superficiality and ritualistic religion is by serving those in need. James 1:27+ says: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” Matthew 15:7 "You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: NET Matthew 15:7 Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said, NLT Matthew 15:7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ESV Matthew 15:7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: NIV Matthew 15:7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: GNT Matthew 15:7 ὑποκριταί, καλῶς ἐπροφήτευσεν περὶ ὑμῶν Ἠσαΐας λέγων, KJV Matthew 15:7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, hypocrites: Mt 7:5 23:23-29 rightly: Mk 7:6 Ac 28:25-27 Matthew 15 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries STINGING SARCASM FROM THE SAVIOR Webster defines hypocrisy as "a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not; especially the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion"
Mateus 15
Vernon McGee - The Lord called the scribes and Pharisees hypocrites. This is the most frightful word in Scripture. Nothing quite corresponds to it, but it did not have quite the meaning in that day that it does today. To us it is a scorching word, but in Jesus’ day it simply meant to answer back and was used of an actor in a play. It means that an actor would receive a cue and then answer back. Jesus accused the scribes and Pharisees of playing at religion. The religious leaders were eager to have people go through the ceremony of washing their hands, but they ignored the condition of the heart, which was the important thing to God. In a very pious way they were breaking the Mosaic Law. My friend, we also are pretty good at rationalizing. Parents say to their children, “You wash your hands before you come to the table,” but they pay no attention to what their children see on television, which is the thing that is damaging the heart. Oh, of course, children should wash their hands, but what is on the inside is far more important. John
Mateus 15
Vernon McGee - We are certainly seeing this working out in our contemporary culture (ED: IMAGINE WHAT HE WOULD THINK IN 2020!). We are in the period of the “new morality” and have reached the day that Isaiah talked about when he said that they would “… call evil good, and good evil …” (Isa. 5:20). Those of us who believe the Bible are considered squares and entirely wrong. What do we have in this day of freedom, now that the lid has been taken off and man expresses what is in his heart? Do we have a new morality? No, we have the same old things—evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, false witness, blasphemy, and thefts. We have really opened a Pandora’s box, and we are in trouble. Man has to be controlled. He is the most vicious animal on earth. We put other animals in cages, but man must be free to do his thing, and our Lord has told us what mankind will do, and He says that these things defile. All about us today is an emphasis on sex—in our schools, even in our churches, on television, on radio; it stares at you from billboards, from the covers of magazines, from newspaper headlines. My friend, these things defile. Don’t tell me that you are immune to it; no one is immune to this type of thing. Our children and young people are being defiled—all in the lofty–sounding terminology of freedom of speech! The things that are in the heart are now coming out. Our Lord has made a tremendous statement here. (Thru the Bible) D L Moody - IF a man should advertise that he could take a correct photograph of people’s hearts, do you believe he would find any customers? There is not a man among us whom you could hire to have his photograph taken, if you could photograph the real man. We go to have our faces taken, and carefully arrange our toilet, and if the artist flatters us, we say, “Oh, yes, that’s a first-rate likeness,” and we pass it around among our friends. But let the real man be brought out, the photograph of the heart, and see if we will pass that around among our neighbors! Why, we would not want our own wives to see it! We would be frightened even to look at it ourselves. Brian Bell - Sin is Potential (heart) before it is Actual (Mt 15:19,20) Jesus gives us a catalogue of 13 ugly sins. It is an X-ray of the human heart. All of these sins lurk as a potential inside of all of us. So Jesus calls for purity/holiness on the inside from a changed heart from God. Some, like the Pharisees of old, have a very defective theology of man & sin and think that man is intrinsically/inherently good??? 1. And because of this they treated symptoms w/their legalism, rather than dealing w/the root problem! 2.Yes the bible deals with the fruit of sin; but better…it deals w/the root of sin. It doesn’t only deal w/the flow of sin; but the very fountain of sin. 3. The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately/incurably wicked; Who can know it? - For the wages of sin (not sins) is death. a) We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners! H. Spurgeon, If sin had not been in you, it could not have come out. All the trouble in the world does not put sin in the Christian. It brings it out. 1. You might think, My wife makes me so angry! – But no, anger was already there in your heart & this just gave it opportunity to come out. So, what’s the remedy? It’s not education, culture change, social reform, nor revolution, but regeneration. The heart can be purified only by faith. Your choice: Keep polishing your broken watch; or receive a new mainspring, from The Watch-Maker, for your heart today. Ezek.36:26 I will give you a new heart & put a new spirit within you. 2. Any gospel which says only what you must do & never announce what Christ has done...is no gospel at all! a) We believe with the heart, love from the heart, sing from the heart, obey from the heart, give from the heart, and pray from the heart. www 3. We must constantly remind ourselves that true religion comes from this new heart. In the forests of northern Europe and Asia lives little animal called the ermine, known for his snow-white fur in winter. He instinctively protects his white coat against anything that would soil it. Fur hunters take advantage of this unusual trait of the ermine. They don’t set a snare to catch him, but instead they find his home, which is usually a cleft in a rock or a hollow in an old tree. They smear the entrance and interior with grime. Then the hunters set their dogs loose to find and chase the ermine. The frightened animal flees toward home but doesn’t enter because of the filth. Rather than soil his white coat, he is trapped by the dogs and captured while preserving his purity. For the ermine, purity is more precious than life. Matthew 15:20 "These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man." NET Matthew 15:20 These are the things that defile a person; it is not eating with unwashed hands that defiles a person." NLT Matthew 15:20 These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you." ESV Matthew 15:20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone." NIV Matthew 15:20 These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.' " GNT Matthew 15:20 ταῦτά ἐστιν τὰ κοινοῦντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον, τὸ δὲ ἀνίπτοις χερσὶν φαγεῖν οὐ κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον. KJV Matthew 15:20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man. which defile the man: 1Co 3:16,17 6:9-11,18-20 Eph 5:3-6 Rev 21:8,27 which defile the man: Mt 15:2 23:25,26 Mk 7:3,4 Lu 11:38-40 Matthew 15 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passage: Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? Romans 1:28+ And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, Ps 24:3+ Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully. SUMMARY OF DEFILEMENT These are the things which defile (koinoo) the man - Our problem is not our environmental influences but our internal, infernal evil that is present in our hearts (Ro 5:12+). Ceremonially clean hands combined with a defiled heart will take a man to Hell because this heart still pours forth evil things and needs a "heart transplant" which is another way of describing entering the New Covenant by grace through faith in Christ (Eph 2:8-9+) and was described by the prophet Ezekiel... Ezekiel 36:26-27+ “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. Spurgeon on defile (koinoo) the man - sin always causes defilement to the man himself. He goes from bad to worse, from worse to worst. Sin is like a ladder. Few reach the height of iniquity at once, the most of men climb from one evil to another, and then to a third and a fourth. Sin hardens men to further sin. He who is a moral monster was not always such. By sinning much he learned to sin more. The door of his heart was at first a little ajar, but outgoing sin opened it to its full width. A man is not capable at first of the sins which afterwards are habitual to him. Step by step men descend into the abyss of infamy if their feet are not hindered by restraint, or stopped by almighty grace. Every sin produces a fresh degree of callousness in the heart. Even if sin is speedily repented of, its damage is not readily repaired, if its writing is erased you can see where it used to be. Even the passage of a momentary thought over the mind will leave a stain. See, then, the defiling power of sin. But - Term of contrast. What is Jesus contrasting? To eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man - The things that defile the man come from an unwashed heart, not from unwashed hands. The need is for God to cleanse our hearts, not for us to wash our hands. When a person is defiled on the inside, what he does on the outside is also defiled. But when a person is pure in heart-undefiled on the inside-he will see God (Mt 5:8). John Walvoord - The occupation with the outward religious ceremony, instead of inner transformation of the heart, has all too often attended all forms of religion and has plagued the church as well as it has Judaism. How many Christians in church history have been executed for difference of opinion on the meaning of the Lord’s Supper elements or the mode of baptism or for failure to bow to church authority? The heart of man, which is so incurably religious, is also incurably evil, apart from the grace of God. Brian Bill - Every one is capable of every sin on the list the Lord just laid out. There is no heart where sin does not lurk. Romans 3:10-12+, Ro 3:23+: “None is righteous, no not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”...When confronted with his sinfulness and the horrors of his unholy heart, David prayed this in Psalm 51:9-10+: “Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Fellow sinner, your heart needs the help of heaven. Cry out to Jesus right now and ask Him for a new heart. Tell him that you want to be born again. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus; What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh! precious is the flow That makes me white as snow; No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. COMPARISON OF EXTERNAL VERSUS INTERNAL RELIGION VERSUS RELATIONSHIP NATURAL VERSUS SUPERNATURAL MAN MADE VERSUS GOD MADE FLESH PLEASING VERSUS GOD PLEASING External Religion Internal Redemption be clean physically and morally Be born again and made into a new creature! A clean exterior makes a clean interior when the inside gets clean, it will clean up the outside You must develop some rules to govern your behavior I love God, therefore I will live right! Be faithful to your church, its practices and its teaching and you will be clean. Be cleansed by Jesus and you will be faithful to your church, its practices and its teachings a man made system of ritual, ceremony, law and work a work of God in the heart that produces a new creature Adapted from Alan Carr Matthew 15:21 Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. NET Matthew 15:21 After going out from there, Jesus went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. NLT Matthew 15:21 Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ESV Matthew 15:21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. NIV Matthew 15:21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. GNT Matthew 15:21 Καὶ ἐξελθὼν ἐκεῖθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς τὰ μέρη Τύρου καὶ Σιδῶνος. KJV Matthew 15:21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. Tyre: Mt 10:5,6 11:21-23 Ge 49:13 Jos 11:8 13:6 19:28,29 Jdg 1:31 Matthew 15 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Tyre and Sidon (Click to Enlarge) JESUS JOURNEYS TO GENTILE TERRITORY Jesus went away from (same word Mt 2:12, 22; 4:12; 12:15; 14:13) there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon (note) - Jesus' Ministry Beyond Galilee (see map). From there (Broadus thinks probably Capernaum) and headed northwest toward the district of Tyre and Sidon thus getting beyond the jurisdiction of Herod. Near Tyre, Jesus cast out a demon from the daughter of a Syro-Phoenician woman (Mark 7:24-30). Peter made his great confession at Caesarea Philippi (Mt 16:13-19). Jesus returned to Galilee via the Decapolis region, crossing the Jordan River south of the Sea of Galilee. Broadus points out that "The jealousy of Herod (Mt 14:1 f.), the hostility of the Pharisees (Mt 12:14; 15:1, 12; also Mt 4:12; John 4:1–3), and the fanatical notions of the masses (John 6:15), still required that Jesus should withdraw from Galilee, as heretofore in Mt 14:13. Tyre is a seaport city about 34 miles northwest of Capernaum (Sidon is 24 miles north on the coast) and is located in modern day Lebanon. One can only imagine the thoughts of the disciples as Jesus tells them they are heading for Gentile territory! Jesus has just declared all foods clean and now he in essence declares (by going to Tyre) all Gentiles "clean." Jesus is demonstrating a "Great Commission mentality,” demonstrating that God‟s kingdom knows no ethnic, racial, national or gender barriers.. Mark tells us an additional fact about why Jesus went - "Jesus got up and went away from there to the region of Tyre. And when He had entered a house, He wanted no one to know of it; yet He could not escape notice." (Mark 7:24+) James Edwards says “Tyre probably represented the most extreme expression of paganism, both actually and symbolically, that a Jew could expect to encounter” (Pillar NTC-Mark) Mark Akin says "Unfortunately, too many Jews of that day continued to suffer from “the Jonah complex.” They could not imagine that God would extend His salvation beyond the borders of Israel. Jesus is about to turn all of that on its head. “From a socioreligious perspective, Jesus‟ visit to Tyre universalizes the concept of Messiah in terms of geography, ethnicity, gender and religion in a way entirely unprecedented in Judaism.” (Edwards, Ibid). This Savior is not for just one nation, He is for all nations, and so should we be as well." Believer's Study Bible - (Mt 15:21-28) This story serves as a significant "hinge paragraph" in Matthew's Gospel. Two feeding miracles bracket a shift in the audience from rejection to reception, and more importantly, from Jew to Gentile. This story serves as the apex of the entire section, and is a crucial turning point in Matthew's Gospel (cf. Mark 7:27, note). Constable makes an excellent point - Jesus increased His ministry to Gentiles as He experienced increasing rejection from the Jews. This third withdrawal from Galilee took Jesus outside Palestine for the first time. Mark also recorded Jesus doing more things outside Galilee and fewer things within Galilee than the other evangelists. By pointing this out Mark helped his readers realize that ministry to Gentiles was God"s will in view of Israel"s final rejection of Jesus. There is a logical connection between this section and the one that precedes it (Mark 7:1-23). Jesus had explained why He did not observe the traditional separation from defiling associations. Now He illustrated that by going into Gentile territory. This contact would have rendered Him ceremonial unclean according to the Jews" traditions. Related Resources: Fausset Bible Dictionary Syrophoenician Holman Bible Dictionary Syrophoenician Syrophoenician Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Syrophoenician Vines' Expository Dictionary Syrophoenician International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Syrophoenician Vance Havner - "As Thou Wilt" Matthew 15:21-28 Mark 7:24-30 JESUS' ministry in the coasts of Tyre and Sidon is marked by the wonderful story of the Syrophenician woman (Matt. 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30). He had not planned a public ministry in these parts, but Mark tells us "He could not be hid." Neither can a true Christian be hidden; men will find him out. This woman, outside the pale of His ministry to Israel, besought Him for her demonized daughter, but we read, "He answered her not a word." Prayer often meets such a Divine silence, but few of us press on to an answer as did this needy soul. Too often we take silence to mean refusal. The disciples, bothered by her begging, asked our Lord to respond and send her away. These poor men were continually trying to handle the cases that came to Jesus, but not in His way. He answers, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel," which indicates that they had meant for Him to grant her request to get rid of her. It is another clear declaration of His ministry to the Jew first. "He came unto His own and His own received Him not." Not rebuffed at this, the woman beseeches Him, "Lord, help me," identifying herself with her daughter's need. Still stronger is the Lord's reply: "It is not good to take the children's bread and to cast it to dogs." It is a severe answer. We pass over the sternness of our Lord in these soft, sentimental days. Had the woman come with less than genuine, importunate faith, this would have sent her away insulted—this calling the Jews "children" and the Gentiles "dogs." But our Lord uses the term for little household dogs, and the woman catches the clue. "True, we may not have the bread, but surely we may share the crumbs." Here is humility and perseverance that will not be denied! It is he who is willing to take crumbs who receives bread. Such faith draws from our Lord the gracious answer: "O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt." Notice, it is as thou wilt. There is a faith that desires and asks, but here faith goes further and wills. Jesus tells us (Mark 11:23) that whoever shall command a mountain to be moved and shall not doubt but believe, he shall have whatever he says. Mind you, He does not say, "Whosoever shall ask God to move the mountain," but "Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed." Here is faith that dares to command. "Concerning the work of My hands, command ye Me" (Isa. 45:11). Mark tells us that He said, "For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter." Such faith always sends us on our way; and as we go we are cleansed, as it was with the lepers (Luke 17:14). The woman went, Mark tells us, and found it even as He had said. So did the nobleman (John 4:51). Oh, how rare is the faith that takes Him at His word and goes on believing! Matthew 15:22 And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed." NET Matthew 15:22 A Canaanite woman from that area came and cried out, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is horribly demon-possessed!" NLT Matthew 15:22 A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely." ESV Matthew 15:22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon." NIV Matthew 15:22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession." GNT Matthew 15:22 καὶ ἰδοὺ γυνὴ Χαναναία ἀπὸ τῶν ὁρίων ἐκείνων ἐξελθοῦσα ἔκραζεν λέγουσα, Ἐλέησόν με, κύριε υἱὸς Δαυίδ· ἡ θυγάτηρ μου κακῶς δαιμονίζεται. KJV Matthew 15:22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. woman: Mt 3:8,9 Ps 45:12 Eze 3:6 Mk 7:26 Have: Mt 9:27 17:15 Ps 4:1 6:2 Lu 17:13 18:13 Son of David: Mt 1:1 20:30,31 22:42-45 Lu 18:38,39 Joh 7:41,42 my: Mt 17:15 Mk 7:25 9:17-22 Matthew 15 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Mt 1:1+ The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Mark 7:25+ But after hearing of Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately came and fell at His feet. Syrophoenician Woman Appeals to Jesus CANAANITE WOMAN CRIES OUT TO JESUS The literal Greek is better than the NAS translations that leaves out the "kai idou" - ESV is more literal and has "And behold (see idou)." This was a scene that called for close attention, which is inherent in the command to "behold." Listen up! Pay attention! As