Fighting the Pharisee in Us (Matthew 15:1-9)
“The church is full of hypocrites!” How many times have you heard that - or even said that yourself? Is there any bigger barrier to people coming to faith in Christ, than that of Christians - who say they love Jesus - but act nothing like Him at all?
Today, we see another interaction here in Matthew, between Jesus and the Pharisees. And it would frankly be so easy for me to rage - about the conduct of professing believers in America today. Know what I mean? So much hypocrisy! Waving His flag. Wagging their fingers. Waging war on their neighbors. Not walking in love. Making non-Christians want to run. Tempting true believers to walk away. But I told our elders. Make sure I do less of that kind of preaching. And I don’t think that’s what God wants from me today, anyhow.
Instead, I want us to listen in on this conversation here - between Jesus and these hypocrites - from many years ago. I want us to get to the essence of Christ’s rebuke of these teachers. And then I want to think about application. Not application directed toward them - to people outside these walls - but application for us. And I think there’s plenty of that to go around right here.
The Pharisees Come to Town
Now think with me about what we saw come before these words, what we saw last week. Jesus walks on the water. His disciples fall in worship. They get off the boat, and the crowds start coming. And Jesus heals them all. And what comes next? This grumpy group of men, hop off their donkeys. They strut up to Jesus, their cloaks flowing, their heads shaking. And they shout, “Let’s talk about your boys and their hygiene!” It’s a bit comical, but extremely sad. And it gives us a picture of just how ridiculous legalism can get. Jesus has something for us to hear today. Let’s dive in.
The Pharisees and Their Rebuke
First, the Pharisees arrive to rebuke Jesus. This is likely some kind of official delegation, coming down from the holy city. The Pharisees and scribes make this trek - maybe 75 miles or so - to deal with this growing “Jesus problem.” They show up and say, verse 2, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.”
Now we’ve seen their concern about Christ’s relationship with the law. How He they think He breaks the Sabbath. And gets far too close to sinners. But here they’re focused on how Christ’s disciples “wash their hands.” And whether or not this rabbi is leading them astray.
Now over hundreds of years, Jewish leaders had put together these rules. And had passed them down orally, from generation to generation. They wanted their nation to be pure. So God would send down His King. They were serious about keeping God’s commands. And they wanted to make it clear how to live them out. So they built this fence around the law. And convinced themselves that their rules, too, also had come down from Moses. What else would he have been doing all that time up on the mountain? That was this “tradition of the elders” they bring up here. And they had put that tradition on the same level as their Bibles.
Now washing of hands is mentioned in God’s law. But in Exodus and elsewhere, it’s a practice meant for the priests. That their hands would be clean as they ministered in God’s house. But just to be safe, that had been expanded over the years. Until it applied to washing before meals. And cleanliness was elevated over godliness.
Christ had spent all this time around people they called unclean. And that had made them frustrated enough. But now He and his boys are bringing unclean hands to the table. And they had had enough. And are compelled to drive down. The Pharisees and scribes come to rebuke Jesus.
Christ and His Rebuke
But second, Jesus proceeds to rebuke the Pharisees. He answers their question with a question. He won’t engage their foolishness. They come and try to “own” Jesus and find the tables quickly turned. Christ isn’t going to waste time talking about handwashing. He wants to engage them more deeply. He responds, in verses 3 through 6:
Matthew 15:3 He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 5 But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” 6 he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.
What does the Lord tell them here? “There’s a bigger problem,” Jesus says in verses 3 and 4, “You’re putting the traditions of your elders over the commandments of God. Your silly rules aren’t even enabling you to keep God’s law. They’re actually, conveniently helping you break it!”
Well, how is that? One of the Ten Commandments is to honor your parents. And many said that it, the fifth, was second in importance behind the first. And violating this was, according to God’s law, punishable by death. Jesus reminds them of this there in chapter 15, verse 4. And then He goes on to speak about one of their traditions. That provided a handy loophole to get out of that command.
There was this practice handed down, Christ mentions in verses 5 and 6, where you’d take money or property, and you’d declare it as set aside - for the maintenance of the temple - upon your death. It was earmarked for that purpose. It was “given to God.” It was declared corban. That was the term. Devoted to Him. But as long as you were alive, you could dip into it if needed. But they treated it like a tax-sheltered investment or some kind of off-shore account. But it wasn’t the government they were protecting the funds from - but from their own parents.
If your parents had a need, you could easily say, “I’m sorry, Mom and Dad. I would help you. I really would. But unfortunately those funds - they’re not really freed up - they’re devoted to God. You know, for the temple. And I can’t get them out.” So Jesus says, “You think we can’t see what you’re doing. We can. You think it’s letting you off the hook. It’s not.” “For the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.”
Now I won’t get into this much, as it’s not really the main point. But this command to honor parents gets brought over into the New Testament. Yes, in Jesus’s words. But also in Paul’s. Listen to Ephesians 6:2-3.
Ephesians 6:2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”
For our good, and for God’s glory, we have to honor our parents. And this is something we can’t forget. We can’t leave our parents rotting in squalor in their old age. And spend all our income on ourselves. Or make the excuse that it’s tied up in investments. Jesus makes this clear.
I scanned an article this week that talked about a trend among children today - to cut ties even with fairly normal, non-toxic parents. And to leave them growing old, miserably alone. Paul in 1 Timothy 5 says this shows we’ve “denied the faith.” It makes us “worse than an unbeliever.” It just can’t happen, especially among the people of God. It won’t happen, if our hearts are near His. And Jesus says that’s the problem with these scribes and Pharisees.
Christ’s Diagnosis of the Teachers
Look at Christ’s diagnosis of these teachers. He calls them “hypocrites.” Now that term once referred to an actor. To someone playing a part on stage. Jesus tells them they’re acting all holy. On the outside, they look good. But their insides are dirty. And it’s really not that hard to see really what’s going on. And He quotes the book of Isaiah, from chapter 29, verse 13. Jesus says,
Matthew 15:8 “‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
Matthew 15:9 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
The Lord says that those words spoken by Isaiah so many years ago - apply just as much to them. They may talk a big game with their mouths. But their hearts are far from Him. And their worship is a complete waste of time. They take their silly human rules. And they put them over the word of God. “Hypocrites” - that’s what they are, says Jesus. As D.A. Carson puts it:
“…the Jews of Jesus’ day thought of themselves as preserving ancient traditions; but Jesus said that what they were actually preserving was the spirit of those whom Isaiah criticized long before.” (D.A. Carson)
I bet several of you have been taken by the product Liquid Death. Have you heard of it? A skull on the can. The slogan “murder your thirst.” What is it? Just water. Ostensibly purified. As an article in The Atlantic put it, the company has marketed metal. No plastic, but cans. But along with a “metal” lifestyle. But it’s still just water. And now Liquid Death is a 1.4 billion dollar company. What’s Christ’s diagnosis of these teachers? There’s nothing of substance there. It’s all one big scam. They’re empty. Tasteless. Wasting their time. Really full of death. Don’t be taken by them.
So these Pharisees and scribes had come to nitpick Jesus. And He was having nothing of it. Instead of hearing their critique, He rebukes them. And says, really, two things. First, they were putting their tradition over God’s word. And, second, they were focusing on external performance over inner transformation. With that, I want to turn to some application.
Christ’s Work in His Disciples
I want to present today four things that we can pursue, in His strength, so as to not act like these teachers but rather disciples of Christ. Here’s the first. First, let’s draw near to Him and have our hearts changed by His love. The Pharisees, the Lord says, are far, far away. Let’s get close. Near to His heart. How do we go about that? We have to listen to Him talk through His word. And then respond to Him in prayer. And be around other people who do. Who want to be near the Lord, too.
And as we do, we let His love transform us. We’re not just trying to get the Bible, but the gospel, its main message. A resource that’s been important, in the life of our church, is “The Centrality of the Gospel” by Tim Keller. He argues that the gospel of Jesus, the good news of what He’s done, stands between two thieves, that take away our joy.
One is that of religion. Legalism. It’s this idea that if we do well, if we please Him enough, He’ll love us. He’ll let us draw near. It’s this false idea: “I obey. Therefore, I’m accepted.” No, Keller says, the gospel is something else entirely. Jesus lives a perfect life in our place. He’s punished on the cross on our behalf. And if we trust Him, all that is counted as ours. And the Father welcomes us to His throne. The good news, the gospel, is actually this: “I’m accepted. Therefore, I obey.”
You see, the more and more that we realize just how far we fall short - and the more and more we realize what He’s done for us - our hearts will be transformed. And we’ll be free. We’ll be filled with hope. We’ll be moved by love. We’ll draw near to Him. And we’ll be changed. That’s the first way not to be Pharisees. To get close to Him.
Second, let’s not live for ourselves, but rather to please Him in everything. It’s clear these teachers were thinking of themselves first. Not about their parents. And certainly not God. They were using their religion to build themselves a platform. To line their pockets. They weren’t being shaped by God’s word. They were molding it into something for their purposes.
As Keller also says in that article, religion isn’t the answer. But neither is irreligion. Relativism. Ignoring God’s commands. Doing what we want. That also moves us from the joy of the gospel. Whether we’re talking about caring for our parents, or following what He says on sex, His ways are the best ways. And they’ll lead to our joy. Today, it’s freedom - it’s expression - that’s valued above all. But that’s the way of vanity, the path toward emptiness, my friends.
Let’s strive to obey His commands. To not twist them or dumb them down. Let’s “make it our aim,” as Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians, to “please Him.”
Let’s not craft our own list of rules. So we feel better about ourselves. And make doing His will seem more achievable. “A good Christian schools her kids this way.” “A good Christian only drinks or eats that.” “You wanna follow Jesus, you’ve got to vote like this.” Man-made regulations that we hold over one another. No. All of those stances just dumb down God’s word. And end up being an excuse to be mean.
Let’s also not use God’s word to try to get out of His commands. Here’s one thing you may have noticed. Back a few chapters back, Jesus said some strong words about the family. In Matthew 10:37, Jesus says, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Over in chapter 12, someone tells Jesus is family is outside. And He responds, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?… Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” So there’s a sense in which we’re to honor our parents, but our allegiance is first to Jesus - and also to His gospel family.
Ironically, we can use our earthly family responsibilities as a way to do what the Pharisees try to do here. To follow some unwritten rules. And get out of the real commands. And miss the heart of His word. “I can’t give to the poor or contribute to the church. I’ve got to send my kids to college.” “I’m sorry. I can’t help you move. I can’t be a part of a small group. My kids have all these games. I’ve gotta be a good parent.” We can end up focusing on handwashing over love. And miss the forest for the trees.
Let’s not fall for man-made rules ourselves. Or try to hold them over those around us. Let’s find out what His desires are. What we see in His word. And seek to live them out. That’s another way to not live as a Pharisee. By seeking to please God.
First, let’s draw near to Him and have our hearts changed by His love. Second, let’s not live for ourselves, but rather to please Him in everything. But here’s the obvious problem. None of us can live up to that, right?
You’ve probably heard this before. But just imagine. We have this big screen up here. And here, in a few minutes, we roll a video of all the lowlights of your thoughts over the last month. None of us would want that, right? No! And what does that say? It means, we’re all hypocrites to an extent. We’re putting on an act. And hoping we don’t get exposed.
Shouldn’t the difference be that here - in Christ’s church - that we know that’s the case? We know our tendency to perform. To say one thing and do another. We see our tendency toward evil. Things we’d never want others to know. And isn’t that all of us? Whether we’d say we’re religious or not? Do any of us live up to our standards?
Rich Mullins once said, “Full of hypocrites? No, we’re not. There’s room for more.” Elsewhere he put it this way:
“I never understood why going to church made you a hypocrite either, because nobody goes to church because they're perfect. If you've got it all together, you don't need to go. You can go jogging with all the other perfect people on Sunday morning.
Every time you go to church, you're confessing again to yourself, to your family, to the people you pass on the way there, to the people who will greet you there, that you don't have it all together. And that you need their support. You need their direction. You need some accountability, you need some help.” (Rich Mullins)
We’re hypocrites - all of us. But that shouldn’t make us try even harder. It should just make us run to Jesus even more. And also to His people that can point us in that direction. And it’s our community, this family here, that I want to focus on with my last two points.
Third, let’s become a place where there’s no need to pretend. Unfortunately, in a lot of churches, you have to put on a show. But we can fight against that with everything we’ve got. We can be a hospital for sinners. And not a playhouse for performers. And the answer isn’t in running around, outing all the hypocrites. It’s just living the opposite way, being real, seeking help.
It’s been a rough few weeks. And last time I preached, I blubbered up here like a baby. People asked me beforehand, how I was, and I said, “Honestly, terrible.” I feel pretty much the same today. But I feel no pressure to perform. I have no reason to pretend. And I want us to continue to be that type of a place. Whether you’re struggling with sin, or you’re struggling through suffering, you can be real. And you can ask others for help. We can be a family like that. I think God has created that in us. As Ray Ortlund has put it, “You can be impressive, or you can be known, but you can’t be both.”
We now give away to guests Ray’s book called The Gospel. The subtitle is “how the church portrays the beauty of Christ.” And his argument throughout is that churches can preach gospel doctrine, they may teach all the right things, but they might not display gospel culture. So many are characterized by legalism. By performance. But, if we’re in Christ, we have nothing to prove. We have no one to impress. Why not throw away trying to look awesome? And live in honesty? We know we’re sinners in need of grace - every minute. So there’s no reason to be defensive.
Now hear me: this doesn’t mean that we’re just affirming each other’s sin. Nor do we encourage each other to wallow in our pain and not fight for our joy. We just open ourselves up to help. We ask for assistance in turning back to Jesus. We’re really known. And therefore, we’re really loved. We experience true community, true family. As people get to know the real us, not these projections of ourselves.
Steve Brown writes, “The masks we wear bind us to a role that kills the very freedom Jesus died to give us.” There’s nothing more lonely than a place where everyone fakes who they are. But if we let others see our true selves, and let others encourage our hearts, now there’s a glimpse of glory, of Christ’s love for us. There’s a third way to fight the Pharisee in us. Let’s put away the pretending. And make this a performance-free zone.
Fourth, let’s become a place where patience comes naturally. There’s another thing that can also be absent in churches. And it’s kindness. It’s love. It’s patience with one another. When there’s gospel doctrine and not gospel culture, judgmentalism runs rampant. And condemnation with it. There may be much talk of grace. But not much of it really goes around.
If we grasp God’s love for us in Christ, not only will we have no motivation to pretend. We’ll also be moved toward patience. We won’t have this instinct to nitpick our siblings here. We won’t act like the Pharisees, trying to keep Jesus in line. Because we’ve been lifted up in Christ, we won’t push others down. We’ll want to lift them up, too. We won’t need to compare ourselves to others. We’ll be so secure in His love, we’ll want to point others that direction, too.
Now this doesn’t mean we don’t help each other obey. It doesn’t mean we don’t hold each other to a standard. It just means we all know our weakness and our need for Jesus each and every day. We don’t “help” like a Pharisee, but more like a “tax collector.” We’re a beggar showing another beggar where there’s food, a place to rest. It doesn’t flow from pride, but humility, from His love.
We don’t want to be like these teachers we read about here. Who dotted their Is and crossed their Ts but who missed the very point - that His commands were all for love. But why do you think that’s the case? In his book, The Overstory, author Richard Powers states, “This is what people do—solve their own problems in others’ lives.” Why would the Pharisees be so hung up on Jesus’s handwashing? Maybe because they felt unclean themselves. Karis, if we really grasp this gospel, it makes us really humble, but also really secure. We know God’s patient with us. So we’re more patient with ourselves. And we can treat others with His gracious love.
Maybe you’ve heard this debate before. If we were naked in the garden, and only got clothes after the fall, will we… be naked in heaven? Well, I don’t have an answer for you there. But to be honest, I hope we’re not. But that image, before the fall, of being naked and unashamed, gives us not only a vision for marriage, but a vision for us as a church. Where we’re honest. We’re comfortable in our skin. We open up our lives. We let people see the worst of us. And that’s because we know they’re sinners, too. They’re just as much in need of grace. And they’ll be patient and gentle with us.
What so often happens in churches is this. Everybody puts on a good front. But that only works for so long. You really start living life together. And the worst in each other comes out. We hurt and are hurt by one another. And instead of receiving that vulnerability as a privilege, instead of loving people through that sin, or in their suffering.
Instead of forgiving and seeing that relationship deepen, here’s what people do. They cry. They condemn. They run. And they go start the cycle over at some other church. It’s no wonder churches are known for their hypocrisy. Karis, let’s let His patience work its way in us. That’s a fourth way to not live as a Pharisee.
We often put the cross-chart up here on the screen. It has a top axis that refers to our growing understanding of holiness. The bottom axis is our growing understanding of our sinfulness. Those two lines start out together, and they widen - looking like a “less than” symbol. The idea is that the more we grow, we don’t get confident in how holy and great we are. It’s the opposite. We see that gap widen - between His holiness and our sin. And the awesome news is that the cross gets bigger and bigger and fills up that gap.
But think of it this way. We get to apply that to each other. We can look at each other and think, “Hey, the more we get to know each other, the MORE I’m going to realize how much of a sinner you are. The more you’re going to see things - that aren’t good - in me. And the gospel can get us through. Jesus can get even bigger in our eyes.” We can apply this cross-chart to one another. When we do it’s glorious!
Karis, let’s soak in His good news. And then stop all the performing. And be patient with one another. Let’s expect each other to sin. And be ready with grace. When the gospel is in the air, hypocrisy can’t breathe. Let’s choke out that Pharisaic spirit. And let the love of Christ reign.
The Source of Sinful Words
Well, next week, Darren will take on these Pharisees more. And he’ll take us even deeper. What’s the source of their sinful words? They flow from their sinful hearts. And what’s the pathway to change? Jesus has to do a deep work in us. Come back next week. You won’t want to miss it.
Two Ways to Live
Author Christopher Watkins explains that our default way of thinking is that performance leads to a reward. It’s what he calls the “n-shaped dynamic.” We go up. We meet God’s standard. And then He comes down to us.
But there’s a better way, what he calls the “u-shaped dynamic,” the way of grace. It’s not “performance leads to reward.” It’s “blessing leads to response.” The Lord comes down to us. And he lifts us up.
Karis, that’s the beauty of God’s gospel. Living by the “n” leaves us insecure, defensive, and very judgmental. Living by the “u” leaves us confident, yet honest and gracious. And you know which one leads to a church that showcases the glory of Christ. One filled with His love.
Martin Luther once said:
“May a merciful God preserve me from a Christian church in which everyone is ‘good.’ I want to be in a church of the fainthearted, the failed, the feeble, and the ailing… who believe in the forgiveness of sins.” (Martin Luther)
Brothers, sisters, the church should a be place where we can freely admit that we’re broken, we’re needy, and that we too often put up a good front. Let’s hang up our costumes. Let’s throw away our masks. Let’s put down our pointer fingers. Let’s stretch out our arms in love.
We have nothing to prove. We have no one to impress. If we’re in Christ, we’re deeply loved by God. And how could we not also extend that to others? Let’s be contagiously confident in the gospel, church. Let’s let our light shine. May it bring glory to God. And make people wonder what it is we’re up to.
Karis, let’s stop pretending. Let’s practice patience. Let’s resist the way of the Pharisee in us, having hearts transformed by Christ’s love that long to please our Father in everything. Let’s pray, Karis.