But what comes out of the mouth

But what comes out of the mouth

Scripture:

Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”

Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.” “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.” Matthew 15:10-20

Observation:

After stinging the Pharisees with His sharp words, the Lord then turns to the crowd and proclaims to them yet another great teaching - it is not what comes out of a person’s mouth that defiles them, but what comes out of it. The disciples don’t get it, and the Lord has to tell them plainly that a person is defiled not by food coming into the mouth from without but by words coming out of the mouth from within, for it is words that betray the evil thoughts of a person’s heart. In James 3, we see again the same theme, where James warns us of the dangers of the tongue that no man can tame. Ultimately though, it is out of the overflow of the heart that a man speaks. Therefore, if a man’s heart has good thoughts, he will say good things, while if his heart is full of evil thoughts, he will say evil things, in private if not in public. The Lord also lists down the typical evil thoughts of a person – “murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony and slander”. Before they are even committed, all these sins first begin in the heart of a person.

Besides that, the Lord’s disciples were also alarmed their Master had offended the Pharisees, and brought up their concern. However, the Lord simply replied in parabolic form how every plant not planted by God the Father would be pulled up, and that the Pharisees were blind guides. Effectively, Jesus was likening the Pharisees to the weeds He mentioned in an earlier parable, which were planted alongside the sons of the kingdom, looking closely like wheat but only showing their true identity at a later stage. The comical analogy of the blind leading the blind has now become a popular saying in the English language and indeed Jesus was warning His disciples that those who followed the spiritually blind Pharisees would also fall into the pit.

Application:

Throughout His ministry, the Lord always prioritized the inner holiness of a person. On the outside, a person may look nice and beautiful, but on the inside, he may be wicked and evil. It is no use to change the outside but not the inside. It is in transforming our hearts first, that our actions and lifestyle will follow accordingly. Therefore, we need to pray earnestly like the Psalmist “Create in me a pure heart, O God” and seek the righteousness of God, while allowing Him to change us. The process may not be pleasant or easy, for we have an old man who resists the Lord, but if we persevere in seeking and following the Lord, we will increasingly find that the new has come, and the old has gone.  

Pay attention to the words that we speak, especially in what we say to those closest to us, for it is our words that expose the true state of our hearts. Commit our hearts and tongues to God. May the meditations of our hearts and the words of our lips be acceptable to the Lord, our God and our Redeemer!

Beware of the many blind guides in the world, many of whom lead masses to destruction. Dig deep and become strong in the Word of God by regular Scripture reading and earnest prayer. Remember not to be deceived by outward appearances, but ask God for wisdom to look to the true inner state of things.

Prayer:

Praise You, Heavenly Lord, for the beauty of Your creation. We praise thee, O Lord, that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. We bring our hearts to You O Lord. Change it, transform it, mould it to Your will we pray. As the Psalmist prayed, O Lord, create in us a pure heart! Let the meditations of our heart and the words of our lips be acceptable to You O God. Inspire us, quicken us, lead us in Your way everlasting! Protect us O Lord, from blind guides and deceitful men. Grant us wisdom and discernment to know what is right and true. May Your name be praised forever, O Lord. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.