Sylvania Wesleyan Church 1
Sunday Morning 8/16

      • 1 Corinthians 16:13NIV2011

  • Washing your hands before you eat
    Kids coming in from outside, what is the first thing we have them do?
    The Pharisees ask the question, “why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”
    Are the Pharisees just practicing good Hygiene or something more?

    Ritual Purity Laws

    Purity laws in the OT involved things like
    Ritual washings
    atoning sacrifices
    priestly rituals
    Unclean objects need to be purified by water
    For humans the central lesson of this system is that
    God is Holy but human beings are contaminated
    Unclean didn’t necessarily mean sin since there are some things that would make someone unclean that are outside of their control
    One of the major lessons we know that arose from the purity laws was the fact it separates people into differing categories.
    This is the very thing that Jesus is challenging in this passage
    Matthew 15:10–20 NIV
    10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” 12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” 13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.” 16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

    Hey Listen

    Jesus is calling the crowd over and says “Hey Listen up”
    I am about to drop some truth on you
    Notice he doesn’t call the Pharisees he called over everyone else
    He out right reverses the very idea that the pharisees are trying to push
    The disciples are hearing this and try to pull Jesus aside
    Hey umm Jesus you know you offended the Pharisees

    The Hard Truth

    Can you imagine the face Jesus gave the disciples in the moment
    That look of “What did you say”
    Jesus points to the reality that God will have nothing to do with anything he did not plant. That his hand isn’t upon.
    Jesus outright says leave them alone
    their teachings will be exposed for what they are
    the blind leading the blind
    Peter is a little dull

    Every body...

    everybody...you know
    its a well known children’s story
    Jesus is kinda reminding of this in verse 17
    Matthew 15:17 NIV
    17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body?

    Every body...

    I was always told to not mention bodily functions from the pulpit but I think if Jesus was okay with talking about it I am probably good to do it
    Let me ask this question what shows your character more.
    What comes out of your backside or the words that come out of your mouth?
    What reveals who you are and what you think and where your heart is?

    Cautionary Warning

    Now the modern day church has can and has at times slipped into a similar “Hand washing” teaching
    Often we can use passages like this to say see you should keep your mouth clean and not say bad things.
    Do you see how that just shifts from hand washing to mouth washing
    this is about more than just having a set of rules to follow

    What Reveals our Heart

    Christ is after the deep realization its not just about following a set of rules that we as humans we often corrupt.
    Christ is drawing us to realize that we need to be focused on the call to holiness but the difference in Jesus approach is that there is a move from separation to being in the world but not of the world
    How is your heart being shown?
    Does your heart reflect the will of God?
    God is wanting us to be a people devoted to living a life for him, but we are to reveal to the world that our hearts belong to him
    he is the Same God through all the generations and he wants our heart not just our simple rule following.

      • Matthew 15:10–20NIV2011

      • Matthew 15:17NIV2011

Sylvania Wesleyan Church 1
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