Bible Character Studies: Peter. Pt. 3 Peter's ignorance raises the issue of our wayward hearts.
Good Morning Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
What will today bring into our lives? It may be happy moments, stressful times or even heartache. But whatever it is, the believer can rejoice in knowing that our Father knows exactly what we need on this day.
Religious leaders had bad hearts!
In Matthew 15:1-9 Jesus brings out in the light the problem with the religious leaders (scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees). They had bad hearts. Not in the physical sense like someone needing heart surgery. No, their hearts were spiritually rotten.
They came to Jesus criticizing Him because His disciples are eating bread without washing their hands. There is nothing in God's Holy law about the people needing to do this. It was a ritual washing imposed on the people by the religious leaders. God did not command this.
Matthew 15:7 -9 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Jesus condemned their "traditions" which were added onto the law of Moses. It was an endless litany of rules and regulations that the religious leaders said were on equal footing with inspired scripture. In doing this the scribes and Pharisees violated the law of Moses which clearly states "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you." (Deuteronomy 4:2).
Jesus called them hypocrites which means they put on a mask and pretended to be someone that they were not. He condemned them for giving mere lip service to the things of God by saying the right things publicly. Instead, Christ said their hearts were far away from Him because they taught man's commands instead of God's pure doctrine.
Jesus turns to the multitude to teach them truth.
Matthew 15:10-20 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: 11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. 12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? 13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. 14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. 15 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. 16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? 17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.
Jesus shows what really makes man unclean before God.
Matthew 15:10-11 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: 11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
Our Lord told the people and is telling us today: "Hear this and understand this truth." Christ taught them the reality that if they eat bread without washing their hands they are not spiritually defiled from that act. Jesus cuts right to the heart of the issue by teaching that what words come out of the mouth makes a man or woman unclean before God.
Sobering to think about isn't it? We live in a culture where everyone has an opinion and everyone demands to be heard as an authority. I am reminded of a wise Dad who told his son that his teeth are a picket fence to keep the tongue from getting out. It is the idea of having controlled speech when we do talk.
Matthew 15:12-14 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? 13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. 14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
The disciples still needed some work done in their hearts so that they could understand the teachings of Jesus Christ. They were worried that this teaching made the Pharisees and scribes upset instead of being upset at the religious leaders for teaching error.
Jesus reminded them that wheat and tares grow together in the same fields. (Matt. 13) The tares were planted by the devil and they will be rooted out and burned. He described the Pharisees as being blind leaders guiding a blinded people who will all end up falling into a ditch.
Peter shows a lingering ignorance about the teaching of Christ.
Matthew 15:15-16 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. 16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?
Peter asked Jesus to explain His parable more clearly. He needed to have Jesus make the teaching plain enough for him to grasp. Again, remember the fishermen as a whole had practical and experiential stores of knowledge related to fishing. However, in most other ways they were ignorant and uneducated.
Peter's request seems reasonable enough on the surface. Who would not want to have something clarified to arrive at a better understanding? But Peter saw many powerful miracles of Jesus. He heard much teaching and preaching from Christ.
This points to the fact that these men struggle many times to grasp the truth of what Christ taught them. A significant part of this is related to their need of conversion and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus asked them if they were still without understanding. That word means unintelligent or stupid. It is the entrance of the scripture into the heart of man that gives light and understanding and this is what they lacked.
Peter focused on the physical aspect of eating food and failed to see the spiritual realities.
Matthew 15:17-20 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.
Jesus made His teaching as clear as possible. Whatever we eat goes in through our mouth and is subject to the process of digestion and elimination. It is fuel for the body and how we eat the food does not impact how clean we are in the sight of God.
Christ is talking about what comes out of our heart as that which pollutes us. He mentions 7 different things beginning with evil thoughts and ending with blasphemy. In fact, each sin listed could be done in the heart and mind. We might never commit the physical act of adultery but we might entertain adulterous thoughts.
The clear teaching of scripture attacks the sin issues in each one of our hearts. Jesus had to help Peter and the others see this reality. The battle is for what goes on in our minds.
Points to Ponder....
What will today bring into our lives? It may be happy moments, stressful times or even heartache. But whatever it is, the believer can rejoice in knowing that our Father knows exactly what we need on this day.
Religious leaders had bad hearts!
In Matthew 15:1-9 Jesus brings out in the light the problem with the religious leaders (scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees). They had bad hearts. Not in the physical sense like someone needing heart surgery. No, their hearts were spiritually rotten.
They came to Jesus criticizing Him because His disciples are eating bread without washing their hands. There is nothing in God's Holy law about the people needing to do this. It was a ritual washing imposed on the people by the religious leaders. God did not command this.
Matthew 15:7 -9 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Jesus condemned their "traditions" which were added onto the law of Moses. It was an endless litany of rules and regulations that the religious leaders said were on equal footing with inspired scripture. In doing this the scribes and Pharisees violated the law of Moses which clearly states "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you." (Deuteronomy 4:2).
Jesus called them hypocrites which means they put on a mask and pretended to be someone that they were not. He condemned them for giving mere lip service to the things of God by saying the right things publicly. Instead, Christ said their hearts were far away from Him because they taught man's commands instead of God's pure doctrine.
Jesus turns to the multitude to teach them truth.
Matthew 15:10-20 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: 11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. 12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? 13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. 14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. 15 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. 16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? 17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.
Jesus shows what really makes man unclean before God.
Matthew 15:10-11 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: 11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
Our Lord told the people and is telling us today: "Hear this and understand this truth." Christ taught them the reality that if they eat bread without washing their hands they are not spiritually defiled from that act. Jesus cuts right to the heart of the issue by teaching that what words come out of the mouth makes a man or woman unclean before God.
Sobering to think about isn't it? We live in a culture where everyone has an opinion and everyone demands to be heard as an authority. I am reminded of a wise Dad who told his son that his teeth are a picket fence to keep the tongue from getting out. It is the idea of having controlled speech when we do talk.
Matthew 15:12-14 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? 13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. 14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
The disciples still needed some work done in their hearts so that they could understand the teachings of Jesus Christ. They were worried that this teaching made the Pharisees and scribes upset instead of being upset at the religious leaders for teaching error.
Jesus reminded them that wheat and tares grow together in the same fields. (Matt. 13) The tares were planted by the devil and they will be rooted out and burned. He described the Pharisees as being blind leaders guiding a blinded people who will all end up falling into a ditch.
Peter shows a lingering ignorance about the teaching of Christ.
Matthew 15:15-16 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. 16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?
Peter asked Jesus to explain His parable more clearly. He needed to have Jesus make the teaching plain enough for him to grasp. Again, remember the fishermen as a whole had practical and experiential stores of knowledge related to fishing. However, in most other ways they were ignorant and uneducated.
Peter's request seems reasonable enough on the surface. Who would not want to have something clarified to arrive at a better understanding? But Peter saw many powerful miracles of Jesus. He heard much teaching and preaching from Christ.
This points to the fact that these men struggle many times to grasp the truth of what Christ taught them. A significant part of this is related to their need of conversion and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus asked them if they were still without understanding. That word means unintelligent or stupid. It is the entrance of the scripture into the heart of man that gives light and understanding and this is what they lacked.
Peter focused on the physical aspect of eating food and failed to see the spiritual realities.
Matthew 15:17-20 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.
Jesus made His teaching as clear as possible. Whatever we eat goes in through our mouth and is subject to the process of digestion and elimination. It is fuel for the body and how we eat the food does not impact how clean we are in the sight of God.
Christ is talking about what comes out of our heart as that which pollutes us. He mentions 7 different things beginning with evil thoughts and ending with blasphemy. In fact, each sin listed could be done in the heart and mind. We might never commit the physical act of adultery but we might entertain adulterous thoughts.
The clear teaching of scripture attacks the sin issues in each one of our hearts. Jesus had to help Peter and the others see this reality. The battle is for what goes on in our minds.
Points to Ponder....
- False religion is always concerned about cleaning up the "seen" things.
- Peter had some ignorance about the "traditions of men" even though he was constantly exposed to Divine teaching from Christ.
- Peter should have been absorbing truth from Christ but instead asked questions that betrayed his lack of understanding.
- Jesus showed Peter that how we eat does not make us unclean. What defiles us are those things that go on in our heart.
- Jesus showed Peter that we must seek the spiritual realities as they are given to us in the Word of God.
- We must avoid following the traditions of men because they lead us astray from God.
Today we learned that Peter suffered from being influenced by the traditions of men propagated by the scribes and Pharisees. We also learned that he was ignorant regarding the truths of God. Peter failed to see that God is always aiming at the heart and not the externals.
Peter is a lot like us. He is going to need more and more instruction from our Lord Jesus Christ before he is ready to be used to preach the first sermon at the birth of the church. He needs heart surgery done by the word of God (Hebrews 4:12) before he can be prepared to write to letters to the churches.
Like Peter, you and I will need constant teaching from the Word of God and then we will need to act on what we know to be true. We do not know what or how God is preparing us for future service to Him. We do know that as we learn God's Word, as we hear and heed its truth His Word will not return void. It will do a work in our heart!
Bob
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