Matthew 15:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;

NIV: 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

NASB: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.

CSB: This people honors me with their lips,but their heart is far from me.

NLT: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

KJV: This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

NKJV: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.

Jesus has called these Pharisees hypocrites right to their faces. After pointing out that they are using tradition to give people an exemption from God's command to honor their parents, Jesus has declared that they are making the Word of God nothing (Matthew 15:4–6).

Now Jesus is applying a prophecy from Isaiah 29:13 to the Pharisees. These are words the Lord gave to Isaiah to say to the people. Jesus makes clear that these words apply to the men standing in front of Him, as well.

The Lord said to Isaiah that the Israelites were honoring Him only with their words, but not with sincerity or truth. They were going through the motions of religion. They put on a show by saying all the right things at the right times. They were not committed to God in their hearts, however. They were devoted to a religious system, not to the God it was meant to honor.

Matthew 15:1–9 describes Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem challenging Jesus. Their complaint: Christ's disciples have apparently ignored the Pharisees' practice of ritualized washing before eating. In response, Jesus asks them why they allow people to break the actual command of God about honoring one's parents. He says they have made God's Word void for the sake of their tradition. In truth, they criticize those who ignore their commands, but ignore those of God. He applies to them words from the Lord to Isaiah about the Israelites of his day, saying that these Pharisees honor the Lord with their words while their hearts are far away. They worship God in vain, teaching man-made commands as doctrines.

Pharisees and scribes come from Jerusalem to challenge Jesus. They are offended that His disciples break the religious leaders' tradition about ritual handwashing before meals. Jesus turns that attack upside down, pointing out that His critics honor tradition above God's actual commands! He insists that nobody is defiled by what goes in the mouth—by the literal matter itself—but by the overflow of the spirit, such as the words that come out of the mouth. He and the disciples travel out of the country. Jesus casts a demon out of the daughter of a persistent Canaanite woman. They travel to the southeast side of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus feeds thousands of people from a few loaves and fishes. These last two events set up the eventual spread of the gospel beyond the people of Israel.

Matthew 15 begins with a confrontation between some Pharisees and Jesus. They ask why His disciples break the traditional practice of ritual handwashing. Pointedly, Jesus asks why they allow the obvious intent of God's commandments to be broken through their traditions. Jesus and the disciples travel out of Israel, encountering a Canaanite woman. He praises her faith and casts a demon from her daughter. They travel to the southeast side of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus heals more people and feeds thousands more from another few loaves and fishes. This sets up another confrontation with religious leaders, warnings about their teachings, and predictions of Jesus' death in the next chapter.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.

Accessed 5/3/2024 9:05:25 AM