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Matthew 15:12-14
Jesus has made the statement in Matthew 15:11 (NKJV), “Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.” This statement was disturbing to most of the hearers, and especially to the Pharisees/religious leaders of the day, as the Law given to Moses clearly states what foods may or may not be eaten (Leviticus 11). So why would Jesus make such a statement? The coming of the Messiah is the fulfillment of the Law as Jesus proclaims in Matthew 5:17 (HCSB), “Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” By this statement we can see that there is a difference between “destroy” and “fulfill.” To fulfill the Law does not do away with it, but is the completion of it; God has brought the completion of a time when man’s pursuit (in God’s eyes) was to prove himself, to a new time when God sent His One and only Son, the Messiah, to do for man what man could not do for himself – a new time when faith has overcome works in that, works no longer bring righteousness, but now prove the faith of the believer in receiving the gift of righteousness through accepting the gift in Christ Jesus. The Apostle Paul teaches us in Romans 10:4 (ESV), “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
Jesus then compares the Pharisees to plants that will be uprooted, and refers to them as “bling leaders of the blind” (Matthew 15:14). Jesus instructs His disciples to “Let them alone” (Matthew 15:14) as He teaches His disciples that the blind leading the blind will both be led astray.
This is an example that the ways of man have strayed from the ways of God.
This is a promise that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law for all who will believe.
This is a tough truth for many people as it is still yet believed by many that some foods may or may not be eaten as per the Law given to Moses. But for all who believe in Christ Jesus as their Savior, there is no need to worry about what foods to eat, as we are learning in Matthew 15. It is the heart that must be true to God in Christ Jesus; in this is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:37-40).
Dear LORD,
Please help us to see – please help us to hear and to understand that what we eat does not make us righteous, but that our righteousness is found only through believing in our Savior Jesus – the Savior of the world for all who will believe. In Jesus name I pray, amen.