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Matthew 15:1-20
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1Then some Pharisees and
teachers of the law came to Jesus from
2“Why do your disciples break
the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”
3Jesus replied, “And why do
you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?
4For God said, ‘Honor your
father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put
to death.’
5But you say that if anyone
declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is
‘devoted to God,’
6they are not to ‘honor their
father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of
your tradition.
7You hypocrites! Isaiah was
right when he prophesied about you:
8“‘These people honor me with
their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
9They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’”
10Jesus called the crowd to
him and said, “Listen and understand.
11What goes into someone’s
mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what
defiles them.”
12Then the disciples came to
him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard
this?”
13He replied, “Every plant
that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.
14Leave them; they are blind
guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
15Peter said, “Explain the
parable to us.”
16“Are you still so dull?”
Jesus asked them.
17“Don’t you see that
whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body?
18But the things that come
out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.
19For out of the heart come
evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony,
slander.
20These are what defile a
person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”
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1)
What is done for
ceremonial washing of hands?
o
It consists of
pouring water
§
Twice on the
right hand.
§
And twice on the
left hand.
2)
Was ceremonial
washing of hands intended for physically cleaning hands and why?
o
No, because it
was just a ritualistic practice.
3)
According to
verse 2 what role did the Pharisees and teachers of the law take on when it
came to the tradition of the elders?
o
They took on the
role of the enforcer of traditions.
4)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 3 how did he respond to the accusation of the Pharisees and
teachers of the law?
o
Jesus questioned
them.
o
Why
o
They broke the
command of God for the sake of their tradition.
5)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 4 what did God say?
o
God said,
§
Honor your father
and mother.
§
Anyone who curses
their father or mother is to be put to death.
6)
According to what
Jesus said in verses 5 and 6 what did the Pharisees
and teachers of the law say?
o
They said that they
were not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with what might have been used to
help them.
o
If
o
They declared
that it was ‘devoted to God’.
7)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 6 what was the
problem with the Pharisees and teachers
of the law?
o
They nullified
the word of God for the sake of their tradition.
8)
According to what
Jesus said in verses 7 and 8 what did Isaiah prophesy that was the symptom of
hypocrisy of the Pharisees and teachers of the law?
o
They honored God
with their lips.
o
But their hearts
were far from God.
9)
In accordance
with Isaiah’s prophecy in verse 9 how does God regard the worship and teachings
of religious hypocrites?
o
They worshiped
God in vain.
o
Their teachings were
merely human rules.
10)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 11 what does and does
not defile people?
o
What goes into
someone’s mouth does not defile them.
o
But what comes
out of their mouth.
o
That is what
defiles them.
11)
In accordance
with what Jesus said in verse 11 did he think that eating food with unwashed
hands would defile people and why?
o
No, because what goes
into someone’s mouth does not defile them regardless of the unwashed hands.
12)
In accordance
with what Jesus said in verse 11 what is the sole source of uncleanness and therefore
the indisputable defiling agent?
o
People are
§
The sole source
of uncleanness.
§
And the
indisputable defiling agent.
o
Because
o
It is what comes
out of people’s mouth that defiles them.
13)
According to what
the disciples said in verse 12 what was the reaction of the Pharisees and
teachers of the law to what Jesus said?
o
They were
offended.
14)
According to Jesus’
reply to the disciples in verse 13 what will happen to every plant that his heavenly
Father has not planted?
o
It will be pulled
up by the roots.
15)
According to Jesus’
reply to the disciples in verse 14 what will happen to the Pharisees and
teachers of the law being blind guides
leading the blind?
o
Both will fall
into a pit.
16)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 16 what did he make of Peter’s
asking him to explain the parable to them?
o
Jesus questioned
them.
o
Why
o
They were still
so dull.
17)
According to what
Jesus said in verses 17 and 18 in which part of people does defilement take
place and does not take place?
o
It takes place in
their heart.
o
It does not take
place in their stomach.
18)
Given that
defilement of people takes place in their heart, can eating with unwashed hands
defile people and why?
o
No, because the
food doesn’t go into their heart.
19)
What are all
these things that Jesus cited in verse 19 and that make people unclean?
o
They are examples
of sin.
20)
From Jesus’
perspective what does it mean for people to be unclean?
o
People being
unclean means that they are sinful.
21)
From Jesus’
perspective how do people make themselves unclean?
o
People make themselves
unclean by sinning.
22)
Is everyone
sinful given Jesus’ cited list of things that make people unclean and why?
o
Yes, because
everyone is committing at least some of the sins Jesus cited.
23)
From Jesus’
perspective how should people handle their uncleanness meaning their sins, if
we use the paralyzed man in chapter 9 as an example?
o
The sins of the paralyzed
man were forgiven by Jesus for the man’s faith.
o
He was thus made
clean.
24)
From the
perspective of the Pharisees and teachers of the law how did they handle their
uncleanness?
o
They avoided
uncleanness through personal efforts such as eating food with washed hands.
25)
In promoting self
help for avoiding uncleanness whom did the Pharisees and teachers of the law exclude
from their lives, given that God alone could forgive their sins and make them
clean?
o
They excluded God
from their lives.
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Matthew 15:1-20
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