Jesus Teaches about Justice

June 17, 2018 Background Scripture: Matthew 15:1 – 9; Mark 7:1 – 13 Lesson Passage: Matthew 15:1 – 9 Today’s lesson presents one of the many confrontations between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders recorded in the gospel accounts. As was often the case, the Pharisees and scribes attacked Jesus verbally for violating the traditions of Israel while they displayed little concern for the principles God had given their forefathers. The Jewish religious leaders’ rituals were steeped in the historical traditions of Israel. They took great pride in carrying on the traditions that were passed down through many generations in Israel. Of course, this was being done at the expense of ignoring what the word of God said concerning those traditions. Israel’s religious leaders used two sets of writings: the Torah and the Talmud. The Torah was the written word of God that was preserved by the elders—oftentimes referred to simply as the Law or the Law of Moses. The Talmud contained Jewish commentaries on the Law of Moses and other “learnings” that were likely once part of the oral traditions of the elders. It was their dependence on the Talmud more than the Torah that led the religious leaders astray from the word of God. Meanwhile, the word of God contained all of the principles required for holy living. They would have done well to focus all of their attention and effort on studying and praying about the Torah. This would have led them to seek God for directions. This is why the Apostle Paul called the Law a schoolmaster that was given to lead the people to God (Christ). Instead, they depended more on the traditions of their fathers and this led them away from the principles of God rather than to Him. Jesus pointed out this error to them and told them that they were fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy. In that prophecy, God declared that worship by His people would become lip service because their hearts would be far removed from Him. No doubt, it is probably much easier to follow the teachings and ideas of another person—especially if that person is considered wise—than to admit that we do not understand what God is saying and we need to consult Him for clarity. This is not to be critical of the former religious leaders of Israel because we can easily stray today in the same manner; we can stray by depending on the commentary of people we believe to be smart rather than sincerely seeking God for understanding. Jesus did not just rebuke them in a general way because of their adherence to the traditions. He gave them specific traditions that were in violation of specific principles of God. God’s word told them to honor their parents, but through traditions they had developed ways to keep their wealth by dedicating it while at the same time maintaining control over and use of it. Perhaps, somebody thought they had come up with a smart way to avoid the financial burden of taking care of aging parents. However, this was a clear violation of the word of God and, as a result, Jesus said their tradition had made God’s word null and void. To despise one’s parents is the height of injustice. The religious leaders attempted to rebuke Jesus and his disciples but instead they received a lesson on justice. Robert C. Hudson May 14, 2018