In this Chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus has His second showdown with the Sanhedrin. An accusation is made that Jesus and His disciples don’t observe the proper hand washing required in the ‘Tradition of the Elders’. Jesus rebukes both the Tradition of the Elders and the hypocrisy of the accusers!
THE QUESTION
Jesus is teaching and healing in the area of Gennesaret near the sea of Galilea when the scribes and pharisees arrived from Jerusalem, about a 90-mile trip. They were seeking Jesus in order to catch Him and His disciples in violation of the law. In fact, for them to seek Jesus out at such a distance, shows the urgency in their effort to take Him down. By foot, this trip would take three days, by horse it would be two days. They make the trip, find Jesus and His disciples, and they ask a loaded question.
Matthew 15:2-Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
Why would the scribes and Pharisee’s care about the personal hygiene of the disciples?! Well, obviously, they didn’t. This wasn’t a question about hygiene. It was a question about keeping the Tradition of the Elders. There are some things we need to understand before we can proceed to Jesus’ answer.
First, the Law of Moses did include some ceremonial hand washing. For example, in Exodus 30:17-20 Aaron and the other priests were ordered to wash their hands before performing the duties of the tabernacle. Also, there were other specific hand washings that were prescribed in Leviticus 15. However, typically, ceremonial hand washings were commanded only of priests and for very specific reasons.
The Tradition of the Elders was written by the scribes and other priests as a practical application of the Mosaic law. For hundreds of years, the traditions had been added to. It began with mostly good intentions. However, through the years more and more rules were added to the book. And unfortunately, it became as important or more important than God’s Law to Moses.
Jesus had no interest in obeying the Tradition of the Elders. He also would never transgress God’s Law. Thus, setting up a showdown with the Pharisees over their man-made religious traditions was inevitable.
JESUS’ ANSWER
Jesus answers the question about the hand washing by asking them a question. And His question is just as loaded as the one He was asked!
Matthew 15:3- And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?”
On it’s face, it almost appears as if Jesus is evading the question and trying to change the subject, but He isn’t. He is getting right to the heart of the problem. The Tradition of the Elders tended to do a couple of different things with the law. It would either go far beyond anything demanded in God’s law, or it would fall far short of doing justice to the real requirements of God’s law. Sometimes achieving both at the same time.
In this passage, the Pharisees challenge that the disciples should be ceremonially washing their hands before eating, they were pointing directly to the Tradition of the Elders. Because that requirement wasn’t found in God’s Law in the Old Testament. Jesus’ response pits their version of the Law against God’s.
The area that Jesus and the disciples were ministering in around the Sea of Galilea was an agricultural and trade area that was a bit of a melting pot. Jews lived there, but so did many Gentiles. Surely, the traveling party didn’t know from 90 miles away that they hadn’t washed their hands, but we also know from previous chapters that they were conspiring against Jesus. I believe they went to this largely gentile area to watch them in order to make this accusation! But no where in the Law of Moses is ceremonial hand washing required for everyone and certainly not for every meal.
The tradition of the Elders did require it for anyone who has been in contact with gentiles.
Jesus isn’t interested in just arguing with them about this specific issue. Instead, He elevates the argument to their own incorrect focus on the law and accuses the accusers!
JESUS’ ACCUSATION
In Matthew 15:4 Jesus brings up the commandment to “Honor your Father and Mother” and the penalty for transgressing that law which is death. Then He gives them an example of how they were transgressing that Law.
Matthew 15:5- But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
Honoring your father and your mother was a BIG deal to God. This is far more reaching than simple obedience as a child. In fact, the way this played out in society was that honoring father and mother included taking care of them as they aged. They didn’t have social security, long term care facilities, and other safety nets for aging people. So, God commanded His people to care for their parents. This is somewhat lost on us, because many in our society have safety nets and acquired wealth to pay for it all. But in these ancient societies many times the elderly was impoverished unless family cared for them.
But, somewhere along the way, the Tradition of the Elders allowed a loophole, or an end around. It was allowed that if your money was set apart “to be given to God” they would not have to give it to their parents in need. But the hypocrisy of that is easy to see through. After all, they still had enough to care for their own needs. So, the means being “given to God” was only the part of their wealth that could have been given to help their parents. Jesus draws a line and tells them that they were invalidating the Word of God in favor of their own tradition.
Jesus then quotes a well-known passage from Isaiah that they never would have claimed for themselves, but Jesus does.
Matthew 15: 8-9- This people honors me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.
Jesus calls them hypocrites. They were claiming piety and righteousness for obeying their own traditions but at the same time, were living in rebellion to God’s law. And Jesus calls them out directly on it and tells them that He isn’t impressed with their lip service as their hearts couldn’t be further from God.
CONCLUSION
“But their heart is far away from me”. What a sad comment. These people that had seemingly devoted their lives to God, had hearts that were no where near God. They were living what they considered to be righteous lives, but Jesus called them hypocrites. They worked every day to uphold their traditions, but Jesus pointed out that their traditions were far from God’s law.
Jesus warned about this very sad reality in the Sermon on the Mount. He went into detail about how law keeping had become about the outward deed and had not permeated their hearts. It had become about the works, not a love for God. Is it possible that we can do the same thing? Of course, it is. This is the way the human heart bends. Our pride moves us toward personal performance and away from God’s grace.
Ephesians 2:8-9- For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Jesus went on to completely fulfill the purpose of God’s Law in its entirety. He then went on to die as the once and final sacrifice as atonement for our sin! If you will believe in Him and accept his gracious gift in faith, you can have this gift of salvation. His desire for His people today, as it was then; Hearts near to Him.