Defiled

Scripture: Matthew 15:10-20 (Click link for scripture in Bible Gateway)

10 Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “Listen,” he said, “and try to understand. 11 It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.” 12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?” 13 Jesus replied, “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted, 14 so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch.” 15 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Explain to us the parable that says people aren’t defiled by what they eat.” 16 “Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus asked. 17 “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. 18 But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. 19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. 20 These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.” (Matthew 15:10–20 NLT)

Coming off his encounter with the Pharisees over ritual hand-washing versus spiritual heart-cleansing, Jesus told the crowd that what you eat doesn’t defile you, it’s what you think, say, and do. In other words, it’s not what goes in, but what comes out!

Then his disciples cautioned him about having offended the Pharisees. Jesus said, “Ignore them. Don’t try to convince them. Their minds are made up and they’re not listening or learning!” This is relevant to present-day disciples concerning getting involved in emotionally charged debates with people who have no interest in learning or growing! Make sure those you listen to and learn from aren’t deaf and blind to truth!

Then to Peter concerning his question about what we eat not defiling us: Food in, poop out. It’s a purely physical process. But the heart, that’s another matter! Here’s Jesus’ list of defilements: “The words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.”

Friends, mostly we’d still rather have a set of rules to follow and a low-cost procedure to get out of jail when we break a rule or two. Jesus doesn’t permit a rules-based approach to relationship with God. It’s a matter of my heart and your heart.

Prayer:

Create in me a clean heart, O Father! And renew a right spirit within me! Amen!