While I admired the faith of the Canaanite woman, and I thought the feeding of the four thousand was awesome, what really hit me today was the debate between Jesus and the Pharisees.
As usual, the Pharisees are trying to trap Jesus so they can have some proof that Jesus "disobeys" the law. So they come to Jesus with this question:
""Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands before they eat!"" ~Matthew 15:2
Now notice what one would be breaking if one didn't wash one's hands. Scripture? A command from God? No. Tradition. Some traditions can be good and fun. For example, our family always raises our Christmas tree the Sunday after Thanksgiving. But other traditions can be bad if they take the place of Scripture. And this is exactly what the Pharisees had done: elevated tradition above Scripture. Elevated man above God.
I can just imagine the Pharisees' facial expressions as they waited for Jesus' reply. Proud, smug, and waiting for Jesus to fall into their trap. Except for one thing. The Pharisees were challenging the wrong man! If in their challenge the Pharisees would give Jesus options A and B, Jesus would opt for option C! And usually in the end, it was the Pharisees who were humiliated. So it was this time. Let's see what Jesus said in verse 3:
"Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?"
Jesus keeps going on, illustrating to the Pharisees how they make their traditions higher than the commands of God. Jesus wasn't happy. The Pharisees still fuming, Jesus calls the crowd to him and says,
"What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean', but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.'" ~Matthew 15:11
The Jews had a long list of "no-no foods" that if they ate them, they would be "ceremonially unclean". And according to the laws of Moses, it was very wise to stay "ceremonially clean". I don't think Jesus is saying right here to eat whatever you want (or to not wash your hands), but more is emphasizing another, perhaps more important way, that you may become 'unclean'. Later Jesus explained this (above) parable to his disciples, and that explanation is the passage I've chosen for my daily SOAP.
Scripture:
"But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.'" ~Matthew 15:18-20
Observation:
More than if I wash my hands, what comes out of my mouth makes me 'unclean'. My words and actions reveal the condition of my heart.
Application:
I can pray to God to take these bad thoughts and actions away, and fill me instead with good thoughts, ideas, and actions. So I can be eager to do good. This won't be easy--in fact, I've found it a huge challenge personally--but God will help us to have pure thoughts. This is what he wants.
"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." ~Psalm 19:14
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this Bible chapter today. Thank you for reminding me that it is important to you what I think and do. Please take over my thoughts and my actions, so they will be pleasing to you. Amen.
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