OAKRIDGE BIBLE CHAPEL

Lost Hearts, Dirty Hearts, and the King of Hearts (Matthew 15:1–20)

Whether we realize it or not, whether we understand it or not, and whether we believe it or not, we are all at war (Eph 6:10–11). This particular war is not over territory, money, or national peace. This is a war for the human heart and it has been raging for millennia with countless casualties. The Creator God wants our hearts—our reciprocated love, our unwavering loyalty, our undiluted adoration—things he’s clearly owed. The Enemy, on the other hand, wants to prevent that from happening, to steal or distract our attention so we will experience the terrible consequences that always accompany idolatry.

Whether or not we realize it, understand it, or believe it, we are in a war for our hearts every moment of every day. Is there hope of winning? How do we advance? Can we avoid missteps and setbacks? What’s the key to victory?

SERMON MANUSCRIPT

Whether we realize it or not, whether we understand it or not, whether we believe it or not, we are all at war. Paul makes this explicitly clear: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Eph 6:10–11). We are all at war, one that isn’t for land or territory, money or weapons, physical prosperity or national peace. No, the war we’re in is a war for the human heart—for our affections, attention, and commitment (see 1 Pet 3:14–15).

And it’s been raging for a long time with many casualties (see, for example, Gen 6:5; Ex 7:13; 1 Kgs 11:3, and remember what followed each of those pronouncements—flood, plagues, and exile!).

The Creator God wants our hearts—our reciprocated love, our unwavering loyalty, our undiluted devotion—things he’s clearly owed. The Enemy wants to keep that from happening so that we’ll experience the terrible consequences that always accompany idolatry.

Whether you realize it or not, understand it or not, believe it or not, you’re in a war for your heart every moment of every day. And so am I. The question is, how do we win?

Today, in Matthew 15, we’re going to trudge to the frontlines and see some of the victims and some of the violence of this war. We’re also going note the key to victory; that single issue that demonstrates and dictates in which direction our hearts end up going.

Opposition Intensified

As we come to Matthew 15, the first thing we notice is opposition intensified. This first century battle is escalating.

Then some Pharisees and scribes *came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread” (Matthew 15:1–2).

At this point in Matthew we’re used to seeing Jesus opposed by Israel’s religious leaders (see 9:11; 12:2). However, this time they’re coming from Jerusalem, Jewish headquarters. 

Obviously, news about Jesus’s teaching and miracles had not only made its way to the capital but caused such a stir that a contingent of Pharisees and scribes were sent to confront him and try to publicly discredit him. It’s like a Roman Catholic getting a home visit from the Pope. You know it’s serious because of who’s come and from where.

And, what’s their strategy? They try and point out the loosey-goosey relationship the disciples seem to have with the tradition of the elders, that is, the oral law placed around God’s law to protect the people from accidental disobedience. 

For example, while the Mosaic Law tells people to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (Ex 20:8), the oral traditions listed specific rules to fulfill this commandment, some so extreme that only the super-committed kept them. This created the hierarchy of spirituality of which we find many of the Pharisees enjoying. As one author writes, “Although noble and good intentions were often behind [the oral traditions], the Pharisees erred by honouring it almost on par with the Mosaic Law” (Glasscock, Matthew, 318).

In Matthew 15 we’re dealing with washing (v. 2b). The washing here to which Jesus’s opponents are referring is more ceremonial than hygienic, but it’s in the oral law and the disciples aren’t adhering properly.

Hypocrisy Identified

Though resistance is growing, as we read on we find Jesus calmly and masterfully put his finger on the crux of the issue. In other words, we move from opposition intensified to hypocrisy identified.

And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition” (v. 3)?

Depending on your translation, the exactness of this retort can be dampened. Jesus actually uses the same word the Pharisees did in his return-fire question. They asked, Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? Jesus responds, Why do you yourselves [break] the commandment of God?

Without waiting for a response, Jesus moves quickly from his question to an example: “For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death’” (v. 4). Jesus quotes truths from Exodus his opponents would agree with: God is serious about his people valuing their parents. But here comes the twist.

“But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” he is not to honor his father or his mother’” (vv. 5–6a).

Though they agreed with Moses, the oral law had developed a loophole to get around God’s law. Another scholar writes, “If either father or mother, noticing [their] son had something which was needed by the parent, asked for it, all that was necessary was for the son to say, “it’s [given to God]” … and by making this assertion or exclamation he, according to Pharisaic teaching based on tradition, had released himself from the obligation of honouring his parents” (Hendriksen, Matthew, 613).

Mom needs some expensive medical care. She asks for help knowing I have the money. I respond, “Oh, sorry, Mom, that cash is set aside for God.” In those parent-versus-God dilemmas, the oral law demanded the faithful Jew chose God even though, as Jesus is pointing out in this example, by doing so that same person was actually disobeying God.

“And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition (v. 6b)”

Not only had the Pharisees built up an oral law around the Scriptures, they had started to supersede the Scriptures with that law to the point that tradition trumped what God had clearly said.

Jesus quickly moves to a harsh pronouncement on those who perform such theological slight-of-hand.

“You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men’” (vv. 7–9).

Hypocrites are the pretenders, the virtue signallers parading the culturally expected signs of benevolence when, in fact, they couldn’t care less. They want to look good without being good. They want commendation without character. Hypocrites!

Just as Isaiah predicted, these may leaders may talk the talk but they have long ago lost the war for their hearts, joining those before the flood, Pharaoh, and Solomon. Casualties of war.

Like children playing house, these Pharisees are playing worship, pretending that the blah-blah-blah of human chatter is actually God’s binding word. Hypocrites! 

Jesus reveals their fate.

Then the disciples came and *said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?” But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit” (vv. 12–14).

I think this is a reference to the parable of the wheat and the tares. You’ll remember, the Enemy sowed bad plants among the good ones and when asked what should be done about it, the landowner said “Leave them alone, lest some good be uprooted with the bad.” Here Jesus says, let them alone. They’re tares whose blindness is going to lead them, and their followers, into the pit.

There are many casualties in this war. Let’s be honest, they aren’t all in the rearview mirror. There are casualties today. Are there not times we risk trumping God’s word with our preferences, practices, and liturgies, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men?

Hymnals were created, in part, to protect the church from error propagated through song. That’s a great thing! But what happens when that issue stops some people “teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs”?

Church dress codes were established to guard modesty in worship. That’s important. But what happens when an issue of attire prevents people from assembling, breaking bread, and practicing unity?

When the teachings of people—as well-intentioned as they may be—overshadow the word of God, or when human ideologies are used to understand or interpret the word of God—when anything is raised to the level of the word of God, as Jesus said, it invalidates the word of God. It’s hypocrisy! We might as well be playing dress-up with the children in the nursery because we’ve lost the war for our hearts—they’re far from God—and our worship is in vain.

This issues, brothers and sisters, is the issue upon which the war for our hearts is won or lost. This is it: Do we prioritize God’s word above all other voices? Do we hold it as the only source of infallible revelation? Do we critically analyze all other truth claims, all other agendas, all other political platforms, all other ideologies, all other movements, all other opinions, through the lens of God’s word? Or, do we put it on trial and view it through the lens of something else.

Results Clarified

This is the issue that determines whether you and I—and all of us together as a church family—will progressively align our hearts with God, worshipping him rightly, and enjoying all the blessings that come with it, or turn cold, calloused, useless, joyless, and hypocritical. In fact, as we read on in our passage, we find some results clarified. What happens when we turn from God’s word and, instead, elevate the doctrines and precepts of men? 

After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand. It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man” (vv. 10–11).

Jesus is reaching back to the hand-washing issue.

Peter said to Him, “Explain the parable to us.” Jesus said, “Are you still lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man” (vv. 15–20).

Because they had elevated the oral law over God’s law, they were confused about sin, about defilement, about what makes people unacceptable before a holy God. They thought it was what went in that made them unworthy but Jesus corrects them: it’s what comes out.

The Scriptures are clear about the state of the human heart (see, for example, Gen 8:21; Jer 17:9; Ezek 36:25–27). But, when God’s word is reinterpreted and subjected to man’s word, even the issue of the origin and nature of sin becomes confused.

Again, this is happening today. Because we have replaced God’s word with the words of people, our culture doesn’t understand the state of the human heart. 

This week I found an article on WikiHow entitled How to be a good person.

“Being a good person means more than just doing things for others. You have to accept and love yourself before you can put positive energy into the universe. Philosophers have been debating what is good and what is not for centuries, and many people find that it’s more complicated than just being kind. While every person’s journey is different, being good has a lot to do with discovering yourself and your role in the world. In order to truly be good, you will have to consider what ‘goodness’ means to you. Perhaps this means doing good for others, or simply being an honest and kind person. Use some of the following tips to help yourself be a better person. … Improving yourself … stop comparing yourself to others … love yourself … be yourself.”

Notice what the standard is? The self. The self has become the final arbiter of truth—the word of Josiah not the word of God. And, because of that, we have a culture, and it’s even in the church and in our homes, that doesn’t understand the state of the human heart. What a great tactic of the enemy in the war for the heart: convince people there isn’t even a war necessary.

This passage is a warning, calling for each of us, and all of us, to check our authority. To whom do we ultimately answer? To what source to we go for truth and action? If it’s anything other than God’s word, and God’s word consistently applied, we’re in danger.

This is a war for the heart and it comes down to a simple choice: God’s heart or my heart? God’s heart as revealed in his word or my heart which, as we’ve been reminded here, is the source of all defilement.

I’m going to challenge you this week to write in the margin of your Bible next to the passage we were looking at this morning—Matthew 15—the following reference: Psalm 51:10. At some point this week, pray that verse. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” 

Notice there’s two parts. First, a request to cleanse the defilement that’s already in my heart. Second, a request to align my heart with God’s.

Pray that verse this week and, before then, let’s pray it together now.



Latest Posts

Josiah has served the Oakridge Bible Chapel family as one of its elders and one of its pastoral staff members since September 2018, before which he ministered as an associate pastor to a local congregation in the Canadian prairies. Josiah's desire is to be used by God to help equip the church for ministry, both while gathered (edification) and while scattered (evangelization). He is married to Patricia, and together they have five children—Jonah, Henry, Nathaniel, Josephine, and Benjamin.

Josiah Boyd

Share it:

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on email
Email