We say it all the time… “You are what you eat.” Is that right? What does that mean?
How does what you eat affect your behavior?
Is this true of us spiritually? How so?
Jesus had an interesting perspective on this… One that really upturned long-standing traditions of holy people trying to remain holy:
Matthew 15:10–20 (NLT)
Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “Listen,” he said, “and try to understand. It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”
Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?”
Jesus replied, “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted, so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch.”
Then Peter said to Jesus, “Explain to us the parable that says people aren’t defiled by what they eat.”
“Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus asked. “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.”
Jesus here is responding to a question from a Pharisee who was trying to prove Jesus was an enemy to the Jews. The Pharisee confronted Jesus with this question:
“Why do your disciples disobey our age-old tradition? For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat.” (Matt. 15:2)
Go back and read Matthew 15:10-11 again, which is Jesus’ response to the Pharisee’s question. What was the problem with the Pharisees focusing so much on dietary rules and restrictions?
What were the Pharisees missing as a result?
Jesus was pretty clear that the Pharisees were focusing on behavior– obeying dietary laws. Their trouble was that they missed the critical issues of the heart– dishonesty and hypocrisy.
Was the law important? Absolutely! The Levitical dietary laws were how the Jewish people were to keep “clean” before God… It was how they were able to worship him. But Jesus supersedes them all. His New Covenant makes them “obsolete.” (Hebrews 8:13)
Jesus is really clear that it isn’t the external that makes you impure… It is what is inside. So, Jesus isn’t nearly as concerned with what you do, but with who you are. He is less concerned about behavior, and more concerned with the heart.
Could this explain why Jesus was so patient and graceful with sinners (like the woman at the well, for example) YET he was super critical of the scribes and Pharisees?
So, what do you think about the following statement: “Jesus isn’t out to change your behavior. He is out to change your heart.”
Do you agree with that? Disagree?
How does your heart and your behavior affect each other?
Read the last five verses of that passage again…
Matthew 15:15–20 (NLT)
Then Peter said to Jesus, “Explain to us the parable that says people aren’t defiled by what they eat.”
“Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus asked. “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.”
Peter asked for Jesus to clarify His teaching, which He did in verses 16-20. Jesus gave a very simple biological illustration. Food goes in, is processed, and exits. How could that possibly render anyone morally impure? The implication is that the extensive dietary laws which were staples of Pharisaic teaching were useless in leading a person to God.
What does that which comes out of one’s mouth reveal about a person?
How can a person be defiled by that which comes out of the mouth? Describe how this has proven true in your own life.
Jeremiah 17:9 (NLT)
“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?
What does this verse reveal about our hearts? How does it relate to Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 15?
Jesus clarified His meaning by illustrating the defilement that comes from the heart. He used the plural verb form in each example, indicating that all kinds of sin under each category are included. He began with evil thoughts, for they give birth to evil actions. Jesus taught clearly that character is rooted in the heart. That presents a problem to us because we all have heart trouble, as Jeremiah 17:9 reveals. This fact has a number of implications, including that we have no hope of developing godly character on our own.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
Why is this verse such good news when you think about the things that come out of your mouth and the nature of your heart?
Our hearts are sinful by nature, which means that, when left unchecked, they will defile everything we do and who we are. But in Christ, we have been made new, which means our hearts are clean. This process is both immediate and ongoing. God has made our hearts new, but we will continue to struggle with sin as long as we are on this earth. That is why it is so important for us to invest in being fed and grown into who God has called us to be. Consider Solomon’s teaching in Proverbs 4.
Proverbs 4:23–27 (NLT)
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech.
Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path.
Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.
Based on Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 15, why is it urgent that you guard your heart?