76. WE NEED A CLEAN HEARTIs the careful observance of traditions enough to make us pass the inspection of God?
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How can we avoid being eternally condemned when we stand before the great judgment seat of God? Perhaps that is the most important question a human can ask himself. Are there things that can actually destroy our chance of getting into paradise? Are they things we do, or things we don’t do? No one wants to face the judgment and nd themselves rejected and labeled “unclean,” “unacceptable,” or “defiled.” We have been given certain traditions that help us deal with the shame of defilement and give us hope of being acceptable to God. Are the careful observance of these traditions enough to make us pass the inspection of God? Who will be ashamed and who will find favor on the Day of Judgment? We will search for answers to these questions in this lesson.
After 38 years of marriage, Zeki decided his wife was just too hard to live with. It was time to get a divorce. One day he was telling his neighbor, Ali, about how difficult the divorce proceedings were. While they chatted over the fence between their gardens, Ali replied,
“What divorce isn’t hard?”
Zeki was a retired banker who had been successful his whole life. On the side, he had made several real estate investments and even owned a successful upscale restaurant. After retiring from the bank, he started a transportation company. All of his efforts had been profitable, and Zeki had done quite well for himself. Quite well, that is, if financial success is the measure of a successful life.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t until Zeki was fighting depression at age 60 and paying for a professional counselor, that he realized money isn’t everything.
Ali had known Zeki for many years and contemplated his neighbor’s unfortunate circumstance. Zeki was certainly a hard worker; his villa style house was beautifully groomed like a five star hotel. But Ali thought that somewhere along the way Zeki had missed the point of life. Zeki had almost no friends because he was a very shrewd man and had made enemies of each neighbor. He often argued, never backed down, and certainly wouldn’t apologize. In fact, Ali was one of the few neighbors that would even talk to Zeki. When Zeki hired an electrician, plumber, or gardener, Ali would often hear them shouting over the fence when the job was done because Zeki shortchanged him by 10 or 20 lira. Zeki took pride in paying almost half of what most people paid their day laborers.
Ali stood there listening to Zeki as he shared his woes. In all likelihood, he would lose everything to his wife and only keep the summerhouse in which he currently lived. It also bothered Zeki that both his sons were getting divorced. He wanted grandchildren, but there were none. He shrugged his shoulders and simply said to Ali, “Fate.” But as Ali looked into Zeki’s eyes he knew that Zeki felt like he had let his boys down. He didn’t teach them how to have happy marriages. He didn’t prepare them for life.
About a month after the divorce papers had been filed, Ali noticed a woman going into Zeki’s house. The next day Zeki came to the fence where Ali was watering his fruit tree. Zeki smiled broadly and said,
“I have a new lady friend. Please don’t tell anybody because if my wife learns, or the court hears about it, my chances of getting anything are over.”
Ali smiled weakly and nodded. Zeki then added, “I have begun doing prayers each morning.”
Zeki’s last statement struck Ali as odd. It seemed like Zeki was attempting to make up for his infidelity by increasing his observance of religious rituals. Almost like he was hoping that his new religious interest would act as a smokescreen to baffle God. As if God doesn’t know what is going on!
In fact, Zeki liked to boast about his newfound “piety”. He had never been one to drink alcohol, so this life pattern didn’t change. But he did like to brag about his abstention from alcohol. Namaz had never been that important to him before, but now he was doing namaz everyday. He fasted and made every effort to purify himself by following regular rules of ablution. He even started showering after sex. Perhaps facing the judge in the divorce court made him think more about the final judgment. Who really knows?
Do you think Zeki improved his condition and increased his chances of avoiding damnation in the final judgment? Did performing more religious rituals really change his status in God’s eyes? Would he be ashamed when he stood before the God of the universe? You see, Zeki was missing one very important thing. To enter into paradise you need righteousness; and righteousness doesn't come by ritual.
Using this story as a backdrop, let’s look at what Jesus had to say about religious rituals, defilement, and the judgment.
When Jesus lived on the earth, he didn’t see eye to eye with the religious leaders of his day. At the time, the religious leaders were composed of two arguing parties: the Pharisees and Sadducees. These two Jewish groups had slightly different ideas about how the writings of Moses should be interpreted and practiced. However, they did share the characteristic of religious arrogance. Their pride set them at odds with Jesus’ humble style. They didn’t like that he spent time with poor and uneducated people. They also didn’t like
him teaching about religious subjects without their permission and approval. They were control freaks who had no idea how to control someone who was healing blind men and casting out demons! In short, Jesus didn’t revere them and this frustrated them. They should have sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to him. But their pride got in the way and they wouldn’t humble themselves to heed Christ’s teachings.
The Pharisees took it upon themselves to insure that the people strictly adhered to the rituals and traditions of Judaism. They viewed themselves as enforcers of religion. Because of their own rigor in keeping “rules,” they felt superior to the “sinners” around them. They loved receiving honor at public gatherings and would often pray loudly so that others would hear their prayers. When they fasted, they liked to draw attention to themselves, trying to appear more pious than the average man on the street. Though they loved religion, they didn’t really love God. They could talk about God and debate about God’s writings, and they most certainly studied all the holy books. But their hearts had not been changed and lled with the holiness of God! They were religious legalists who loved their national history, religious laws, and traditions. They saw themselves as “defending God” rather than being defended by God! These men were so vigorous in their religiosity that they made other people’s lives miserable, similar to the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Jesus was opposed to their legalistic, formal religion. A person who hasn’t read the New Testament might assume that Jesus, being a prophet, would be vigorously strict about religious ritual. They might assume he demanded more prayer, ablution, and fasting from his disciples than John the Baptist did. But surprisingly, Jesus’ work and message was just the opposite! In Luke chapter 5 verse 33 we see that the religious leaders even accused his disciples:
33 And they said to him, ‘The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.’
Jesus responded with a simple question. Let’s read it in verse 34:
34 "Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?
Jesus defined his mission this way,
“I have come to bring life in abundance!”59
He also said,
“Come to me, my burden is light.” 60
Does this mean Jesus wasn’t strict about anything? No. He may not have been strict about the traditions of man, but he was strict about keeping God's commandments. God's commands bring freedom, whereas the added laws of human tradition bring drudgery. Let’s read Jesus' thoughts about the law in Matthew chapter 5 verses 17-20:
17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to ful ll them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
The Pharisees lives were full of fasting, washing, and sacri ces far beyond what God had laid out in the Old Testament. Their lives were hard, and they resented Jesus’ light and even joyous approach to religion. But don’t think that Jesus wasn’t serious about his faith. He prayed a lot! But there was a major difference. The Pharisees had a mechanical obedience to God's laws and a rigid adherence to traditional rituals. Jesus knew and loved God and obeyed because he wanted to, not because he had to. Obeying God’s commands was an act of pleasure. At the same time he had no tolerance for human religious ritual.
The greatest defect of the popular religion taught by the religious leaders of Jesus’ day was that they made sin and defilement purely external. Thus they reasoned that they could solve their sin problem by a series of actions or religious rituals. But Jesus taught that true religion started from the inside and worked its way out, ultimately transforming the whole person. He taught in Luke chapter 17 verse 21:
21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
This created a head-on clash between Jesus and the leaders of the Jews. We can see one of those instances in Matthew chapter 15 verses 1-9:
1 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat." 3 He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.' 5 But you say, 'If anyone tells his father or his mother, "What you would have gained from me is given to God," 6 he need not honor his father.' So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. 7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: 8 "'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"
Jesus called them hypocrites, and that is what they were. A hypocrite is someone who promotes one idea, or standard, but then does the opposite. Hypocrites pick and choose the laws of God that appeal to them. Or they may set up their own tradition to excuse in their minds the need to obey God's requirements. A hypocrite usually has high standards for others, but makes exceptions for their own de ciencies. For example a woman wants forgiveness from God, but refuses to forgive her neighbor. She is a hypocrite. Another example is a man who wants his son circumcised, in an effort to be faithful to God’s law, but at the same time is committing adultery. What if he tells people not to cheat and lie, but he himself lies? He is a hypocrite.
As for the Pharisees, they loved the laws of ablution. Why? Because they thought that they could wash away their hypocrisy. The washing rituals were external, and could be performed easily without really reforming their life.
Jesus labeled them as hypocrites and said they were breaking the much more important law of “honoring their mother and father” (the fth of God’s 10 commandments).61 They were worried about external de lement, and yet they were guilty of moral sin. They were choosing to follow the laws that suited their interests. They liked the hand washing law because it didn’t require a humble heart to wash; it only required a habit. Ablution was easier than cleansing their hearts from wickedness and their minds from jealousy, anger, and self-righteousness. Not to mention that it stroked their egos and swelled their pride because others could see them washing.
Their religion was only a show and in some ways an attempt to bribe God. But God doesn’t play games.
Jesus said this about them in Matthew chapter 15 verse 6:
6 ...So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.
Whoa! They had put tradition over God’s clear words. They were on dangerous ground because damnation awaits those who “make void the word of God.” To value tradition over God’s words is really making the tradition a god! So we learn we must be very careful with traditions. What traditions should we value?
We have many traditions. Some of them are from God, some from humans, some from our grandparents, some from our faith, and some from superstitions dating back to shamanism. Most traditions have been taught to us since childhood. We have traditions about what we eat, what we wear, how we sleep, how we pray, even about how we go to the bathroom. Jesus said we must be very careful about traditions. In other words, we are not to value traditions just because they are traditions. He said to do so would be a mistake. All traditions need to be in harmony with the word of God.
Jesus continued to explain where de lement comes from in Matthew chapter 15 verses 10 and 11:
10 And he called the people to him and said to them, "Hear and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that de les a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person."
We began by asking the question,
“What must a person do to avoid damnation?”
In the same passage of scripture Jesus now gets very close to answering that question. Let's continue reading in Matthew chapter 15 verses 12-20:
12 Then the disciples came and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?" 13 He answered, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit." 15 But Peter said to him, "Explain the parable to us." 16 And he said, "Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this de les a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone."
In light of Jesus’ comments, do we need to worry about external defilement keeping us out of heaven? No. In other words, no one will be excluded from paradise because of semen, urine, feces, menstrual flow, or petting a dog. But they will be excluded because of evil thoughts, lying, stealing, adultery, and covetousness.
God wants us clean, starting in the heart. Not like the university student whose parents visited him at the dorm because he was failing. He “cleaned up” for them by piling all his things in the closet. When his parents came he showed them an organized room with neatly made bed, books arranged on the shelf, and sharpened pencils on the desk. When his mother went to open the wardrobe door he let out a shout,
“Don’t open that!”
But it was too late. All his dirty clothes, CD’s, DVD’s, beer bottles, pornographic magazines, and sports equipment came tumbling out. The boy had the appearance of being a well organized, clean, and hard working student. But the pile on the floor told a different story.
Yes, God wants clean people with a clean body and clean house. But Jesus tells us it begins and ends with a clean heart!
Anything else is hypocrisy. Consider Jesus' strong words to the Pharisees in another conversation recorded in Matthew 23 verses 25-28:
25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse rst that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Jesus doesn’t diminish the fact that something can de le us and make us un t to enter paradise. He just differs with the Pharisees about what causes that de lement. Jesus made it clear that we shouldn’t be concerned about outer purity more than we are on inner purity because the evil that comes from the heart and thoughts of man has a much greater impact on our fate. Too many people are spending their spiritual energy cleaning up the “outside of the cup.” Jesus says that a clean heart is the real ticket to paradise. In fact he calls the process being "born again." Do you remember when he talked with Nicodemus about being born again in John chapter 3?62 Let’s read again Matthew chapter 15 verses 19 and 20:
19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone."
Let’s look back at Zeki’s situation in light of Jesus’ teaching. What should Zeki be concerned about? That is right, his heart. He needs to figure out how he can change the habits that have made him into an argumentative, shrewd man who has no friends and lost his wife. Will his new habit of washing help him? No. Sorry Zeki, that won’t do it. A complete reformation of Zeki’s life has very little to do with ritual prayer and washing. But it has everything to do with repentance and being born again. After a personal prayer of confession to God, he could apologize to his neighbors, quit having sex outside of marriage, and pay back those electricians and plumbers that he cheated. Zeki has spent his whole life stealing, cheating his employees, cheating on his wife, and thinking evil towards his neighbors. No amount of water can wash those sins away. No, what Zeki needs is to be cleaned on the inside.
One day after class, a high school student approached his teacher with a question.
“Teacher, will getting a tattoo make me a sinner.”
The teacher looked at him thoughtfully and said, “You were a sinner before you got the tattoo.”
The boy was surprised so he came up with another question. “Teacher, will drinking alcohol make me a sinner.”
Once again the teacher responded, "You were a sinner before you drank the alcohol."
The teacher was saying the same thing Jesus said. Our defilement isn't based solely on what we do or don't do. We are naturally
defiled and the only way to be clean is to have a new heart. God can give us a new heart, which will in turn produce righteous actions. Focusing on outward appearances and behaviors without a real heart change is like building a Ferrari around a Tofaş engine. It's not real righteousness, it is a fake.
Discussion Questions
1. What religious traditions have been handed down to you?
2. Can you think of any traditions that people keep without knowing why they do it?
3. Why did Jesus call the Pharisees hypocrites?
4. According to Jesus, what really defiles a person?
5. If God told you he could give you a “new heart” would you want it? Consider this text in Ezekiel chapter 36 verse 26:
36 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.
59 John 10:10
60 Matthew 11:28-30
61 Exodus 20
62 Fate Changer Book 4 lesson 7
After 38 years of marriage, Zeki decided his wife was just too hard to live with. It was time to get a divorce. One day he was telling his neighbor, Ali, about how difficult the divorce proceedings were. While they chatted over the fence between their gardens, Ali replied,
“What divorce isn’t hard?”
Zeki was a retired banker who had been successful his whole life. On the side, he had made several real estate investments and even owned a successful upscale restaurant. After retiring from the bank, he started a transportation company. All of his efforts had been profitable, and Zeki had done quite well for himself. Quite well, that is, if financial success is the measure of a successful life.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t until Zeki was fighting depression at age 60 and paying for a professional counselor, that he realized money isn’t everything.
Ali had known Zeki for many years and contemplated his neighbor’s unfortunate circumstance. Zeki was certainly a hard worker; his villa style house was beautifully groomed like a five star hotel. But Ali thought that somewhere along the way Zeki had missed the point of life. Zeki had almost no friends because he was a very shrewd man and had made enemies of each neighbor. He often argued, never backed down, and certainly wouldn’t apologize. In fact, Ali was one of the few neighbors that would even talk to Zeki. When Zeki hired an electrician, plumber, or gardener, Ali would often hear them shouting over the fence when the job was done because Zeki shortchanged him by 10 or 20 lira. Zeki took pride in paying almost half of what most people paid their day laborers.
Ali stood there listening to Zeki as he shared his woes. In all likelihood, he would lose everything to his wife and only keep the summerhouse in which he currently lived. It also bothered Zeki that both his sons were getting divorced. He wanted grandchildren, but there were none. He shrugged his shoulders and simply said to Ali, “Fate.” But as Ali looked into Zeki’s eyes he knew that Zeki felt like he had let his boys down. He didn’t teach them how to have happy marriages. He didn’t prepare them for life.
About a month after the divorce papers had been filed, Ali noticed a woman going into Zeki’s house. The next day Zeki came to the fence where Ali was watering his fruit tree. Zeki smiled broadly and said,
“I have a new lady friend. Please don’t tell anybody because if my wife learns, or the court hears about it, my chances of getting anything are over.”
Ali smiled weakly and nodded. Zeki then added, “I have begun doing prayers each morning.”
Zeki’s last statement struck Ali as odd. It seemed like Zeki was attempting to make up for his infidelity by increasing his observance of religious rituals. Almost like he was hoping that his new religious interest would act as a smokescreen to baffle God. As if God doesn’t know what is going on!
In fact, Zeki liked to boast about his newfound “piety”. He had never been one to drink alcohol, so this life pattern didn’t change. But he did like to brag about his abstention from alcohol. Namaz had never been that important to him before, but now he was doing namaz everyday. He fasted and made every effort to purify himself by following regular rules of ablution. He even started showering after sex. Perhaps facing the judge in the divorce court made him think more about the final judgment. Who really knows?
Do you think Zeki improved his condition and increased his chances of avoiding damnation in the final judgment? Did performing more religious rituals really change his status in God’s eyes? Would he be ashamed when he stood before the God of the universe? You see, Zeki was missing one very important thing. To enter into paradise you need righteousness; and righteousness doesn't come by ritual.
Using this story as a backdrop, let’s look at what Jesus had to say about religious rituals, defilement, and the judgment.
When Jesus lived on the earth, he didn’t see eye to eye with the religious leaders of his day. At the time, the religious leaders were composed of two arguing parties: the Pharisees and Sadducees. These two Jewish groups had slightly different ideas about how the writings of Moses should be interpreted and practiced. However, they did share the characteristic of religious arrogance. Their pride set them at odds with Jesus’ humble style. They didn’t like that he spent time with poor and uneducated people. They also didn’t like
him teaching about religious subjects without their permission and approval. They were control freaks who had no idea how to control someone who was healing blind men and casting out demons! In short, Jesus didn’t revere them and this frustrated them. They should have sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to him. But their pride got in the way and they wouldn’t humble themselves to heed Christ’s teachings.
The Pharisees took it upon themselves to insure that the people strictly adhered to the rituals and traditions of Judaism. They viewed themselves as enforcers of religion. Because of their own rigor in keeping “rules,” they felt superior to the “sinners” around them. They loved receiving honor at public gatherings and would often pray loudly so that others would hear their prayers. When they fasted, they liked to draw attention to themselves, trying to appear more pious than the average man on the street. Though they loved religion, they didn’t really love God. They could talk about God and debate about God’s writings, and they most certainly studied all the holy books. But their hearts had not been changed and lled with the holiness of God! They were religious legalists who loved their national history, religious laws, and traditions. They saw themselves as “defending God” rather than being defended by God! These men were so vigorous in their religiosity that they made other people’s lives miserable, similar to the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Jesus was opposed to their legalistic, formal religion. A person who hasn’t read the New Testament might assume that Jesus, being a prophet, would be vigorously strict about religious ritual. They might assume he demanded more prayer, ablution, and fasting from his disciples than John the Baptist did. But surprisingly, Jesus’ work and message was just the opposite! In Luke chapter 5 verse 33 we see that the religious leaders even accused his disciples:
33 And they said to him, ‘The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.’
Jesus responded with a simple question. Let’s read it in verse 34:
34 "Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?
Jesus defined his mission this way,
“I have come to bring life in abundance!”59
He also said,
“Come to me, my burden is light.” 60
Does this mean Jesus wasn’t strict about anything? No. He may not have been strict about the traditions of man, but he was strict about keeping God's commandments. God's commands bring freedom, whereas the added laws of human tradition bring drudgery. Let’s read Jesus' thoughts about the law in Matthew chapter 5 verses 17-20:
17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to ful ll them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
The Pharisees lives were full of fasting, washing, and sacri ces far beyond what God had laid out in the Old Testament. Their lives were hard, and they resented Jesus’ light and even joyous approach to religion. But don’t think that Jesus wasn’t serious about his faith. He prayed a lot! But there was a major difference. The Pharisees had a mechanical obedience to God's laws and a rigid adherence to traditional rituals. Jesus knew and loved God and obeyed because he wanted to, not because he had to. Obeying God’s commands was an act of pleasure. At the same time he had no tolerance for human religious ritual.
The greatest defect of the popular religion taught by the religious leaders of Jesus’ day was that they made sin and defilement purely external. Thus they reasoned that they could solve their sin problem by a series of actions or religious rituals. But Jesus taught that true religion started from the inside and worked its way out, ultimately transforming the whole person. He taught in Luke chapter 17 verse 21:
21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
This created a head-on clash between Jesus and the leaders of the Jews. We can see one of those instances in Matthew chapter 15 verses 1-9:
1 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat." 3 He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.' 5 But you say, 'If anyone tells his father or his mother, "What you would have gained from me is given to God," 6 he need not honor his father.' So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. 7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: 8 "'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"
Jesus called them hypocrites, and that is what they were. A hypocrite is someone who promotes one idea, or standard, but then does the opposite. Hypocrites pick and choose the laws of God that appeal to them. Or they may set up their own tradition to excuse in their minds the need to obey God's requirements. A hypocrite usually has high standards for others, but makes exceptions for their own de ciencies. For example a woman wants forgiveness from God, but refuses to forgive her neighbor. She is a hypocrite. Another example is a man who wants his son circumcised, in an effort to be faithful to God’s law, but at the same time is committing adultery. What if he tells people not to cheat and lie, but he himself lies? He is a hypocrite.
As for the Pharisees, they loved the laws of ablution. Why? Because they thought that they could wash away their hypocrisy. The washing rituals were external, and could be performed easily without really reforming their life.
Jesus labeled them as hypocrites and said they were breaking the much more important law of “honoring their mother and father” (the fth of God’s 10 commandments).61 They were worried about external de lement, and yet they were guilty of moral sin. They were choosing to follow the laws that suited their interests. They liked the hand washing law because it didn’t require a humble heart to wash; it only required a habit. Ablution was easier than cleansing their hearts from wickedness and their minds from jealousy, anger, and self-righteousness. Not to mention that it stroked their egos and swelled their pride because others could see them washing.
Their religion was only a show and in some ways an attempt to bribe God. But God doesn’t play games.
Jesus said this about them in Matthew chapter 15 verse 6:
6 ...So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.
Whoa! They had put tradition over God’s clear words. They were on dangerous ground because damnation awaits those who “make void the word of God.” To value tradition over God’s words is really making the tradition a god! So we learn we must be very careful with traditions. What traditions should we value?
We have many traditions. Some of them are from God, some from humans, some from our grandparents, some from our faith, and some from superstitions dating back to shamanism. Most traditions have been taught to us since childhood. We have traditions about what we eat, what we wear, how we sleep, how we pray, even about how we go to the bathroom. Jesus said we must be very careful about traditions. In other words, we are not to value traditions just because they are traditions. He said to do so would be a mistake. All traditions need to be in harmony with the word of God.
Jesus continued to explain where de lement comes from in Matthew chapter 15 verses 10 and 11:
10 And he called the people to him and said to them, "Hear and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that de les a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person."
We began by asking the question,
“What must a person do to avoid damnation?”
In the same passage of scripture Jesus now gets very close to answering that question. Let's continue reading in Matthew chapter 15 verses 12-20:
12 Then the disciples came and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?" 13 He answered, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit." 15 But Peter said to him, "Explain the parable to us." 16 And he said, "Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this de les a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone."
In light of Jesus’ comments, do we need to worry about external defilement keeping us out of heaven? No. In other words, no one will be excluded from paradise because of semen, urine, feces, menstrual flow, or petting a dog. But they will be excluded because of evil thoughts, lying, stealing, adultery, and covetousness.
God wants us clean, starting in the heart. Not like the university student whose parents visited him at the dorm because he was failing. He “cleaned up” for them by piling all his things in the closet. When his parents came he showed them an organized room with neatly made bed, books arranged on the shelf, and sharpened pencils on the desk. When his mother went to open the wardrobe door he let out a shout,
“Don’t open that!”
But it was too late. All his dirty clothes, CD’s, DVD’s, beer bottles, pornographic magazines, and sports equipment came tumbling out. The boy had the appearance of being a well organized, clean, and hard working student. But the pile on the floor told a different story.
Yes, God wants clean people with a clean body and clean house. But Jesus tells us it begins and ends with a clean heart!
Anything else is hypocrisy. Consider Jesus' strong words to the Pharisees in another conversation recorded in Matthew 23 verses 25-28:
25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse rst that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Jesus doesn’t diminish the fact that something can de le us and make us un t to enter paradise. He just differs with the Pharisees about what causes that de lement. Jesus made it clear that we shouldn’t be concerned about outer purity more than we are on inner purity because the evil that comes from the heart and thoughts of man has a much greater impact on our fate. Too many people are spending their spiritual energy cleaning up the “outside of the cup.” Jesus says that a clean heart is the real ticket to paradise. In fact he calls the process being "born again." Do you remember when he talked with Nicodemus about being born again in John chapter 3?62 Let’s read again Matthew chapter 15 verses 19 and 20:
19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone."
Let’s look back at Zeki’s situation in light of Jesus’ teaching. What should Zeki be concerned about? That is right, his heart. He needs to figure out how he can change the habits that have made him into an argumentative, shrewd man who has no friends and lost his wife. Will his new habit of washing help him? No. Sorry Zeki, that won’t do it. A complete reformation of Zeki’s life has very little to do with ritual prayer and washing. But it has everything to do with repentance and being born again. After a personal prayer of confession to God, he could apologize to his neighbors, quit having sex outside of marriage, and pay back those electricians and plumbers that he cheated. Zeki has spent his whole life stealing, cheating his employees, cheating on his wife, and thinking evil towards his neighbors. No amount of water can wash those sins away. No, what Zeki needs is to be cleaned on the inside.
One day after class, a high school student approached his teacher with a question.
“Teacher, will getting a tattoo make me a sinner.”
The teacher looked at him thoughtfully and said, “You were a sinner before you got the tattoo.”
The boy was surprised so he came up with another question. “Teacher, will drinking alcohol make me a sinner.”
Once again the teacher responded, "You were a sinner before you drank the alcohol."
The teacher was saying the same thing Jesus said. Our defilement isn't based solely on what we do or don't do. We are naturally
defiled and the only way to be clean is to have a new heart. God can give us a new heart, which will in turn produce righteous actions. Focusing on outward appearances and behaviors without a real heart change is like building a Ferrari around a Tofaş engine. It's not real righteousness, it is a fake.
Discussion Questions
1. What religious traditions have been handed down to you?
2. Can you think of any traditions that people keep without knowing why they do it?
3. Why did Jesus call the Pharisees hypocrites?
4. According to Jesus, what really defiles a person?
5. If God told you he could give you a “new heart” would you want it? Consider this text in Ezekiel chapter 36 verse 26:
36 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.
59 John 10:10
60 Matthew 11:28-30
61 Exodus 20
62 Fate Changer Book 4 lesson 7