Matthew 15 - The heart is what matters

Jesus Christ was always trying to teach His disciples the core principles from God’s words. The Pharisees and scribes although commendable for their disciplines in performing rituals & traditions of the elders that was passed down, they took pride in it & were blinded by the delusion of outward appearance only. It is not that all those were wrong or incorrect, but it was always about the heart. Doing all that without a pure heart or performing the correct rituals & following the traditions of the elders but going against the word of God leads to hypocrisy.

Here Jesus Christ was very specific about support towards the father & mother, this is the deception of prosperity gospel, many are still deceived from corrupted preachers & it cost a lot to many families which complicates the relationship in between God & people because preachers were supposed to be the mascot or representative of God’s words. So when someone points out the truth especially in a church or community settings, they would possibly be exiled, again in this context of hypocrisy, not referring to the ex-communication of wolves. Even so, Jesus Christ said let them alone as they will fall into a pit. Jesus Christ demonstrated to us how He handled the conflicts of hypocrisy, He did not ignore them when He was confronted, but He told them the truth then He left them. I like to believe that some of them was convicted & maybe even follow Jesus afterwards or maybe in secret because it costs everything for a Pharisee or scribe to follow Jesus Christ. In a Jewish synagogue, community & social is their strength & livelihood, without that, they will be disowned & there will be no inheritance, no relationship & no more social status. However it was exactly all these that they valued so much that led them to a pit; all gone in the end… I wonder if they knew which cost more, what would they choose…?

I agree that people are not perfect but these are the ones that know the word of God & as representative of the word of God, they were self-serving & self-righteous to begin with, manipulating people & God for their own sake. These are also still happening in some of the prosperity gospel preaching churches, some are so subtle & only to be revealed after much time when it’s too late. Jesus Christ displayed urgency when Peter asked Him to explain the parable. We can almost hear the tone from the rhetorical question “Are you also still without understanding?” He knew that He did not have much time with them but He taught them patiently anyway. The message is clear : It’s not what goes in the mouth that defiles a person but what comes out of a person’s heart. Evil intentions, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness & slander are what defile a person, not the food that was consume with unwashed hands. Jesus Christ was saying that it’s the heart, not the rituals that matters, He was teaching the disciples to be pure hearted, righteous, loving, kind, holy, just, honest & build up people, slander equals to character assassination & that leads to many problems in a social circle.

Jesus Christ’s main mission was to preach & minister the lost sheep of the house of Israel, meaning the Jewish community. However a Canaanite woman from Tyre & Sidon heard about the healing & miracles of our Lord Jesus Christ & insist on wanting to get her daughter a cure from the tormenting by a demon. She was desperate & did not take offense at what Jesus Christ had said towards her, her faith in Him was so great that her daughter was healed from that moment. Her heart was fixated on one thing, that is to get her daughter healed & she believed wholehearted that our Lord Jesus Christ can heal her, so she wasn’t even wavered by logic of fairness in this case. Our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated mercy over rules in this case. Our Lord Jesus Christ showed compassion towards the people around Him by ministering to them by healing the sick, casting out demons & feeding the hungry. Our Father shown His love thru our Lord Jesus Christ thru all these events by helping to deliver the people & providing for the needy.

It is a comfort for us believers & disciples of Christ that we can trust in God wholeheartedly that He will help us as He is full of mercy & compassion. Let us pray, Father in Heaven, I ask for Your mercy to heal the sick, deliver the tormented by demons & to feed the hungry until all are filled, please provide for us & help us in our needs, strengthen us in our inner spirit & help us to love You with our whole heart, in Jesus Christ’s name, I asked.