“And He called the people to Him and said to them, ‘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.’ Then the disciples came and said to Him, ‘Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?’ He answered, ‘Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.'” Matthew 15:10-14
Devotional Thought For The Day
The disciples were not always strong and wise in their faith – asking Jesus if He knows something reveals a slippage in their thinking. The glorious Son of God, Creator and Sustainer of the entire cosmos obviously knows everything. And if we think that Jesus would never offend someone, that it is unchristian and uncharitable to offend someone, we also are terribly naive and lack understanding. It is not that we desire to be offensive – some Christians consider this to be a badge of courage, being as obnoxious as they can toward unbelievers; rather, it is the reality of sin and erroneous and destructive thinking that at times requires us to be combative and offensive to others. Christians should not go out of their way to cause offense. However, if the Pharisees were offended it was not Jesus’ fault but their own.
On this occasion Jesus was reprimanding the Pharisees for being hypocritical and picky about customs not contained in God’s Word – adding their own laws and customs to God’s Word, as if religion was a human invention. This is not as bad if the “blind” are not using God’s Name and His Word to cover over their perverse religious inventions, but when they are portraying themselves as servants of God and leaders of His people such perversion is intolerable, and ultimately God will bring judgment for such blasphemy. So Jesus was actually trying to do good to the Pharisees even though it involved “offending” them. It is no different today, when many Christians still believe and assert that “what goes into the mouth of a person . . . defiles a person.” Any and all of this nonsense belies what Jesus actually taught and is the same kind of hypocritical and nit-picky blasphemy as that of the Pharisees. And the result of all such theology and teaching is the same – “both will fall into a pit.”
Jesus’ statement about what the Father has “planted” is intriguing. A bit earlier Matthew had recorded the sermon Jesus delivered about the enemy sowing weeds in the world that grow up to maturity under the safety of God’s children [Matt. 13:24-30]. There are only two kinds of “planting” in the world, the good seed which Jesus sows through the Gospel and which is planted by our heavenly Father, and the bad seed which the devil sows. Only that which our heavenly Father plants will survive and prosper forever – all else will be rooted up and cast into the fire. It is an interesting thought, contemplating the time when only God’s children will remain. What a wondrous and glorious day that will be. So let us take care that we are among those whom God plants, by heeding and believing His gracious invitation to confess our sins to Him and receive His mercy, clemency, forgiveness, cleansing, eternal love, and free gift of salvation through faith in Jesus.
The only alternative is to follow blind guides, and this will lead us into the pit, ultimately into the fiery pit of hell. Our man-made outward piety may appear quite impressive but it is hypocrisy and rebellion against God, and remains a form of living death [spiritual death]. This is not God’s will for us, for “God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.” [1 Thess. 5:9] May we always come to His Word with open hearts and minds, that His Word may capture and captivate our whole being, so that our heavenly Father may plant us solidly on the secure Rock of His grace and mercy. In this way we will bear much fruit in our life in this world.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, keep us from the superficial outward piety which looks good but creates terrible hypocrisy and self-pride within us, and destroys our faith. Rather, keep us in constant humble repentance, and faith and joy in Your gracious redemption and salvation. Protect us from ever following blind guides and falling into the pit. Grant that we not be offended by Your teachings, and to bear whatever grief comes our way when we offend others by holding and asserting Your teachings. Preserve us to the end as healthy and fruitful plants in Your vineyard. Amen.