Friday, March 28, 2025
New Testament Reading Plan: Matthew 15
Have you ever said something so blunt that your own words shocked you?
Oof … words have come out of my mouth that surely weren’t pleasant for the person on the other end of the conversation. I’m not an argumentative person, but I have an uncanny ability to bring harsh sarcasm into disagreements—especially when standing firmly on what I think is "right."
In Matthew 15, Jesus’ radical ideas and teachings shook up the way Jewish law had been taught and what Jews believed was right for nearly 1,500 years. After the Pharisees questioned Jesus about the ceremonial tradition of washing hands before eating (Matthew 15:2), “Jesus replied, ‘And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God?’” (Matthew 15:3).
As I sometimes do when reading a text or email where no inflection can be heard, it’s easy to spin the tone of the message into my own expression. Here, I read Jesus' reply to be a right-back-at-you, sarcastic kind of statement.
Take that, Pharisees!
However, by leaning into the next few verses, Jesus answered their question with a question not to call them out or deflect. He was trying to get a much deeper message across with his rebuttal.
While explaining the situation to his disciples, Jesus pressed harder on the traditional way of thinking by saying:
Matthew 15:18-20
18 “But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. 19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. 20 These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.”
Jesus’ teaching challenged not only Jewish law but also pointed out where those impurities are found. He points out a direct connection between their hearts and the words that are generated from them.
Reading these verses a few thousand years later—wow—this teaching challenges me, too. The battle between my heart and tongue is a continual struggle.
The beauty in this struggle is we aren’t left without a way to clean up the impurities in our hearts. As we read, listen, and allow Jesus’ teachings to permeate our minds, our hearts learn a new language. Language that flows with words of love and compassion. Words we’ve learned from following Jesus’ lead—not our own.
Questions:
What do the words you say reflect about the language of your heart? Thinking back to the last time you disagreed with someone, was there anything you said that you instantly regretted? Are there any times that the other person has responded more intensely than you anticipated?
Next Steps:
Commit to learning a new heart language. Research verses in the Bible about the heart and tongue connection. If you need a place to start, look up Psalms 141:3.
Prayer:
Jesus, you know my heart. Please guide my words away from the impurities in it, so I can reflect you and not myself. Thank you for your teachings and for offering me the opportunity to follow you better the next time. I love you, I trust you, and I worship you. Amen.
Series Theme Verse:
Hebrews 4:15
This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.
This post was written by Lori Tuckerman, Director of Content for the LivingItOut Devotional.