Matthew 15:3-6..Working

Matthew 15:3-6..Working

15:3 Jesus replied, (Instead of answering the question directly, Jesus followed the flow of a typical Jewish debate by answering their question with a question-(New) “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition  4 For God said, ‘Honour (support, care for) your father and mother’-{Ex. 20:12. 5^th Commandment.) and ‘Anyone who curses (neglects, abandons) his father or mother must be put to death.’-{Ex. 21:17} 5 But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever help (support, assistance) you might otherwise have received from me (In that antient culture, with no social security, retirement, or pensions, children were expected to care for parents in their old age.) is a gift devoted (vowed) to God,’ (The vow was called Corban.-{Mark 7:11b}) 6 he is not to ‘honour (Respect, value-(New) his father’ with it. Thus, you nullify (circumvent, undercut, contradict. sidestep, skirt-around, override-(New) the word of God for the sake of your tradition. (They used the vow of “Corban” as a loophole around obeying God’ command to care for parents.)

Extended Sermon Notes

“Teaches how it’s easier to follow rules than have to do the harder thing in loving God and loving others.” ⇒ A law based religion is easier, it’s black and white, everyone knows what needs to be done.  Just check off the boxes and your good to go. And as a result it becomes a self derived sense of peace, and a self derived sense of satisfaction, separate from God. It avoids any need for a personal relationship with God. They want the peace and blessings while bypassing God.

“Even today, people will use loopholes to get around God’s Word. Some get around divorce by saying “I know God doesn’t want me to be unhappy.” Others get around homosexuality by saying “I was born this way, and God doesn’t make mistakes” ⇒ Some get around living together before marriage because it will give them a chance to see if their compatible and a good fit.” Some get around the sin of phonography because their spouse isn’t fulfilling their needs, and it will prevent them from dishonoring God by having an affair. Some get around gossiping and slandering others by saying they were only pointing out God’s commands. Some get out of having to show love and compassion to strangers behind the “Many other things” that God needs me to do? Others withhold forgiving people, in order to help God work repentance in that person’s heart? Some even use church’s flaws as a loophole for excusing their own sin. Others use loopholes when they run into something they don’t want to do, they’ll say; “I don’t believe Jesus actually said that or I don’t believe Paul actually wrote that”. Or they’ll say “I don’t think that applies today, God only meant that for people in the Old Testament, whereas were under a New Covenant. Or that was a cultural thing we don’t live that way anymore.”

More Notes & Applications

Teaches instead of looking for loopholes and workarounds to get away with what we want, have a heart that is staying true to God.

Teaches how it’s easier to embrace external rules and rituals than to do the harder things in having to love the unlovely, help the needy, and care for the poor at the cost of their own time, money, and pleasures.

Warns against using our service to God to supersede our responsibility of helping those around us. (Two wrongs do not make a right!)

Warns against disposing our moral obligations by pretending to meet a greater religious obligations

Warns against allowing worthy causes to void the word of God, or used as an excuse to evade the clear teachings of scripture.

Warns if not careful religious devotions and traditions can start to undermine scripture and biblical principles!