Bible ReadingMatthew 15:1-28 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!” Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.” “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.” Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
[48:51] [49:02] [50:21] [54:35] [54:46] [54:58] [55:07] [55:30] [55:44]Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
[42:42] [59:02] [59:05] [59:16] [59:34]Mark 7:1-23 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.) So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?” He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.” Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
[48:51] [50:21]Observation questions- In Matthew 15, what specific issue do the Pharisees raise with Jesus, and how does Jesus shift the conversation from handwashing to the heart? [50:21]
- What words and actions of the Canaanite woman show her persistence and faith in Matthew 15:21-28? [55:30]
- What repeated signs show up when a group starts drifting into division, such as forming sides or insisting on what feels comfortable? [38:14]
- What change happened in the life of the guarded teenager who sat in the back wanting to be left alone, and what caused that change? [42:05]
Interpretation questions- Jesus says that what comes out of a person defiles them because it comes from the heart. What does that reveal about the limits of outward rule-keeping and religious appearance? [51:26]
- The Canaanite woman is not turned away by silence or pressure. How does her response help show what bold, humble faith looks like when asking Jesus for mercy? [57:04]
- Matthew places the story of the Canaanite woman near the warning about defilement and the wider welcome of Jesus. How do these scenes together challenge the idea that some people have a better place at the table than others? [53:42]
- Love for God and love for people sum up the whole calling of God’s people. How does that help a church sort out the difference between faithful conviction and mere personal preference? [59:26]
Application questions- Church hurt can make a person sit in the back emotionally, even when physically present. Where is there still some guardedness, suspicion, or “leave me alone” in the heart right now? [40:35]
- Jesus points to the heart, not just the outside. What tends to come out under pressure lately—sharp words, gossip, defensiveness, control, or something else—and what might that be revealing underneath? [52:02]
- Comfort can become a warning light. What is being insisted on these days mainly because it feels familiar, safe, or comfortable? How might that be getting in the way of loving God and loving people well? [01:00:55]
- The table is level ground under Jesus. Is there any kind of person who is still quietly treated as “less welcome,” “less mature,” or “not really one of us”? What would it look like to move toward that person instead of away from them? [53:15]
- The people of Jesus are called to something bigger than their own preferences. Where has opinion started to matter more than mission in everyday life, relationships, or church life? [58:30]
- Pressure does not always mean Jesus is pushing someone down; sometimes he is calling faith upward. Where might there be a need to keep asking, keep trusting, and keep coming to Jesus instead of backing away? [57:04]
- Love God and love people is simple to say and costly to live. Who is one person this week that could be noticed, welcomed, or pursued with patient care the way a wounded person might need? [41:24]
