Matt 13:54-16:12, Spirituality issues from the heart

Matthew 13:53–58 (ESV) — 53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” 58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.


• How does Jesus' hometown respond?
• They took offense at him
• Why?  He did miracles.  He showed incredible wisdom
• Familiarity breeds contempt
• APPL:  What about our Christian walk?  Are there things that we mock or lack the excitement of our early birth?
• We see one more of the results of the rejection of Jesus as Messiah, what is it?
• Requirement of faith


Matthew 14:1–14 (ESV) — 1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus, 2 and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 3 For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, 4 because John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet. 6 But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod, 7 so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” 9 And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given. 10 He sent and had John beheaded in the prison, 11 and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12 And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.


13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.


• I don't want to focus on the whole passage but only the last paragraph.  The preceding paragraphs are intended to provide context?
• What is Jesus' response to a very sad and sick situation?
• Jesus wanted to get away and grieve
• Jesus is fully God and perfectly man.  He understands pain.  He experienced human emotion.  He is hurt by the news (although that brings up an interesting fact that he was not exercising every aspect of his Godhead in that he apparently was not aware)
• Also, some of his disciples were John's disciples, and so we also have some sensitivity to that
• APPL:  It is a good thing to get away and grieve.  It is okay to be sorrowful and even wallow in it for  a time
• What happened though as Jesus tried to get away?
• The people wanted to be ministered
• APPL:  It is okay to grieve, but at some time you must return and live life again, which includes ministering to others again
• We are not going to look at the following passage, but Jesus goes into overtime.  It wasn't required but he had some things to teach his disciples
• Incidentally, the passage that follows, the feeding of the 5000 fits well in a Jewish understanding of the Messiah, since the Jews had a tradition that the Messiah would feet the people bread, just as Moses had fed them bread in the wilderness (Deut 18:15)


Matthew 15:1–9 (ESV) — 1 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” 3 He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 5 But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” 6 he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. 7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
8 “ ‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
9 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”


• The tradition of the elders, or the oral law, later  recorded in the Mishnah, had very specific rules for the ceremonial washing of hands
• Why was "the washing of hands" important?  What was the underlying purpose?
• Purity, or coming in contact with unclean things
• What is going on in the example that Jesus gives?
• They give their wealth to God as a gift (korban) which frees them from any obligation to use it to help their parents.  But, since they are serving God, they can use it for "religious" purpose and thereby maintain its' gift to God status
• What is the point?
• Purity is a matter of the heart
• It is knowing the right thing to do and doing it
• It is not hiding under some rule and saying, "well, I guess I'm covered"
• Read James 4:17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.
• APPL:  NT principle -- its' not always what we do, but the intent of our heart (which is not to say that doing some things, even when your heart is not in it, is not right as well)


Matthew 15:10–20 (ESV) — 10 And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” 12 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” 13 He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15 But Peter said to him, “Explain the parable to us.” 16 And he said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”


• In Mark 7:19, Mark applies the parable to say that Jesus declared all food clean.  Since Peter was probably Mark's tutor, and Peter specifically learned that lesson in the "sheets" incident in Acts, that would make sense
• How did the Pharisees measure their spirituality or purity?
• By what they ate
• By how well they kept the letter of the law
• How are we to measure our spirituality or purity of life?
• By our character
• By our thoughts (evil thoughts)
• By our words (slander, false testimony)
• By the inward and not the outward
• Compare how one might build the outward with how one might build the inward?
• Outward: show, details, pride in actions, comparisons w/others
• Inward: prayer (to know heart), word of God
• Read Ps 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
• Read Heb 4:12
12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.


APPLICATION: