Wednesday Bible Study: What Jesus asked, part 15

 

Two weeks ago, I typed this:

Mat 13:51  "Have you understood all these things?" They said to him, "Yes." 

Now, the 'all these things' He's talking about cover 7 different parables- and I'm not going to look at the parables themselves.  Instead, I want to look at what they were pointing out to the disciples, who may have said, "Yes", but may have been kidding themselves.

 

Today we learn the answer- they WERE kidding themselves.  In all His teaching, Jesus was trying to take them BEYOND this world, to what really matters, to God's perspective.  But they remained stuck in the so-called 'here and now'.  This week, one question triggers the discussion, another exposes them.

First question comes when nit-picky Pharisees catch the less-than-fastidious Disciples being, well, fishermen, etc.

Mat 15:1  Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,
Mat 15:2  "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat."
Mat 15:3  He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
Mat 15:4  For God commanded, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.'
Mat 15:5  But you say, 'If anyone tells his father or his mother, "What you would have gained from me is given to God,"
Mat 15:6  he need not honor his father.' So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. 

I need not go down the same path a million times; how the religious elite of the day had substituted tradition for worship, and how those traditions had denied truth and justice to the poor for their own ends.  Nor do I need to compare it yet again to tradition-based churches of today.  I will however, stop to point out, what Jesus quotes next...

Mat 15:7  You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
Mat 15:8  "'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;
Mat 15:9  in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" 

...and point out the full saying from Isaiah 29...

Isa 29:11  And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, "Read this," he says, "I cannot, for it is sealed."
Isa 29:12  And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, "Read this," he says, "I cannot read."
Isa 29:13  And the Lord said: "Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
Isa 29:14  therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden." 

 

...and ask you, why do you think it is that, when you bring up Biblical teachings to "Good Catholics" on social media, they will attack you for 'worshiping the Bible' ? "Read this," he says, "I cannot, for it is sealed."

At any rate, the lesson is a simple one, and easy to grasp:  God's Word gives you God's perspective.  Anything added to it are 'traditions of man', which miss the point completely.  And speaking of missing the point completely...

Mat 15:10  And he called the people to him and said to them, "Hear and understand:
Mat 15:11  it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person."
Mat 15:12  Then the disciples came and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"
Mat 15:13  He answered, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up.
Mat 15:14  Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit."
Mat 15:15  But Peter said to him, "Explain the parable to us."
Mat 15:16  And he said, "Are you also still without understanding? 

So the first reaction from Peter and the boys was, "Hey, you might have hacked off the Pharisees, there." WHY was this even a concern?  Why had it been okay all this time to criticize the elite, and now, it was something he should take care with?  Was it that they were drawing closer to Jerusalem, and the 'wrong ear' might hear- which it assuredly already had? Had they heard the rumors about the Pharisees plotting against Him, and it was all fun and games till someone got Crucified?  Jesus's reaction should have been theirs: "Who cares?" Right is right and wrong is wrong, and God's perspective doesn't change because the woke find a means of offense.

Second reaction was more damning: "Explain this parable." But was it a parable?  Was there anything hidden in what He told the crowd? Jesus essentially gives them the same answer He had already given...

Mat 15:17  Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled?
Mat 15:18  But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.
Mat 15:19  For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.
Mat 15:20  These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone."

The problem was, the Disciples first were too earthly minded.  When rebuked on that, they then overthought- seeking an esoteric meaning to a simple statement.  They tried to impress Jesus by looking for 'hidden meaning' when what He was SAYING was right in front of them.

Simple lesson, indeed.  God loves when we dig into His word.  But we have to do it to LEARN from Him- not do it to 'be impressive.'