Matthew 15. Are you following the contrast Matthew is painting for his audience? Chapter 14 gave us several pictures of crowds following Jesus, desperate for his teachings and his healing touch. “…they brought him all who were sick… and as many as touched his garment were made well” (14:36). As Jesus’ fame and following grows, so does his conflict with the religious leaders.

The religious elite come to Jesus and ask him why his disciples do not ceremonially wash their hands before they eat? (This was not about hygiene; it was a ritual religious washing that was part of the rules.) Jesus answers them – sharply, almost rudely – by calling them hypocrites and frauds.

Jesus says they are “people who honor God with their lips, but their heart is far from him” (15:8). Have you ever thought that about someone else – that they talked a lot about God and church, but it seemed like their heart was not really with God? Jesus could see through all the false pretenses. He said these religious leaders claimed to be a part of God’s family, but it was only about appearances. They were blind guides to those who follow them, leading others down a path to destruction.

Jesus upends traditions about hand washing and food restrictions in his commentary (15:10-20). This section is likely unremarkable to those of us who have grown up in a Christianity without food restrictions, but it would have rocked their worlds in the first century.

What defiles a person, according to Jesus?

First, let’s define defile – to make unclean or impure, to corrupt the purity of, to violate the holiness or sanctity of, to sully or dishonor, to treat a sacred thing shamefully or with great disrespect. Synonyms for defile are to pollute, poison, contaminate, taint, infect, stain, spoil, corrupt, desecrate, or destroy.

So, what defiles a person? (Hint: It is not dirty hands!)

“What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person.” (15:18-20). That’s quite a list of things that corrupt and contaminate our lives; things that arise from our sinful hearts!

How have you seen these things defile a person? How have you seen them defile you?

As he did in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5), Jesus indicates that he is much more concerned with the status of people’s hearts – wanting them to be humble, surrendered, obedient, and clean before God – then he is with the cleanliness of their hands and their outward appearances.