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The Prophecy Revealed In Matthew
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Lesson Thirty-Eight: by turtle
After forty-two years of life, I can look back and say truthfully everything that has come from my lips have not always glorified God. That not bragging it
is a fact. There is old saying if you do not have something nice to say do not say it at all. However I do not know a person that even obeys that. Overtime
and over being seasoned, we learn not to always speak publicly, however behind closed doors of our homes we often say things maybe we should not
say. One has to ask how does this effect those behind those doors. True our expression in our homes should be a place to discuss, to vent, not to have to
cover up in front of what we say, yet is what we say Christ like. Most might say sometimes yes and sometimes no. However the complaint of from the
Pharisees in the next passage of scripture is simple that even disciples outward show was not the same as what they spoke. In other words the disciples
did not go through the process of always washing their hands in religious fashion.
Image for a moment you are in a boat and you are fishing and carry a picnic lunch. Even with all the dunking of your hands in the lake that not so clean
either, you just can’t get those worm guts or bait off your hands and now it time to eat that picnic lunch. Your belly is growling, what are you going to do,
worry about a little worm guts on your hands, or eat. People that work in jobs that are not so clean eat their lunches everyday without thinking about what
on their hands if they are out in the elements of the world. Jesus understood the working world beyond the traditions of the Pharisees. The Pharisees had
been in their clean temples way to long and not been where the people were in one since to understand that not everything was so perfect.
Matthew 15:1-11 KJV
(1) Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
(2) Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
(3) But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
(4) For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
(5) But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
(6) And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
(7) Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
(8) This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
(9) But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
(10) And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:
(11) Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
The cleanliness of the hands is not what defiles a person. A person on the street that has nothing and can not take a shower does not make him less a
believer in God. What comes out of the mouth defiles a man or woman. Even the Pharisees were guilty of not always honoring their father and mother.
What command of God have you broken. What does the Old Testament say to support what Christ is speaking about. Isaiah is reference in this passage.
Let us look first at Isaiah and then look at some of the priesthood that did not always do what was right in the sight of the Lord.
Isaiah 29:13 KJV
(13) Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart
far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
People honor God outwardly physically in actions and verbally in speech but the heart their is nothing, they have no respect for God. There where priest
even at the time of Samuel that fallen from the Lord. There outward signs were also disgraceful. Eli a righteous man had sons that were disrespectful to
God’s ways. Judgment would come to Eli’s household because of these sins.
1 Samuel 2:22-36 KJV
(22) Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle
of the congregation.
(23) And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people.
(24) Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD'S people to transgress.
(25) If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the LORD, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they
hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them.
(26) And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men.
(27) And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were
in Egypt in Pharaoh's house?
(28) And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I
give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel?
(29) Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make
yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?
(30) Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the
LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
(31) Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house.
(32) And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever.
(33) And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine
house shall die in the flower of their age.
(34) And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them.
(35) And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he
shall walk before mine anointed for ever.
(36) And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thine house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and shall
say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a piece of bread.
No minister is perfect, but God call on a minister life is to set an example. With imperfect ministers that ability to know God seems real, when they have a
heart towards God. However sin is sin, yet Christ point is that to pretend to be something you are not is just as hypocritical. Anyone can preach a
sermon. All Christians are called to preach and to teach, but teach and preach because you feel that it is a way to earn or gain wealth is a sin. There once
was a man that earned fifty thousand dollars a year as a minister, and he had all the outward signs of being a good minister, yet what happened at the
blackness of night of deplorable. Yet another minister hardly making ends meet served God with all his heart, soul and strength even in the darkest hours.
The difference between a good minister and a bad minister is where their heart is in their relationship with God. All ministers make mistakes, however Eli’s
son had no heart towards God yet they were in priestly leadership.
How is Christ able to speak in this next passage about things that defile a man and Peter ask why did you rebuke the priest?
Matthew 15:12-20 KJV
(12) Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?
(13) But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
(14) Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
(15) Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.
(16) And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?
(17) Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
(18) But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
(19) For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
(20) These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.
Peter questions about rebuking the Pharisees, yet the prophet that spoke to Eli did much the same thing. Sometimes you have to speak up to ministers.
No one wants to do that job. No one wants to speak against a church, against what ministers do because of their leadership, but Jesus did. Jesus ask do
you not understand what enters in the mouth comes out of the body. The simple enough. What goes in the heart comes out in sin and Christ list sins that
come right out of the heart. Minister do not have to sin to know the world or to know of the things that are going on in the world. One can throw a party
without drugs and alcohol and have just as much fun if not more.
I knew a minister that talked about fuller’s soap. Now my understanding their use to be a brand of soap. However let look at Malachi
Malachi 3:2-4 KJV
(2) But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:
(3) And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the
LORD an offering in righteousness.
(4) Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
Christ came to purge or to clean the priesthood. The coming of prophets are much that way. They are to purge the house of God through God’s word.
Jesus was the only one to be able to purge the house of God through purifying that comes through His sacrifice for sin. Yet His word of God speaks to
the heart of man to straighten up. The Holy Spirit does this in every believer. However if a heart is not towards God and their unbelief the heart and
actions will not be cleansed. Only Christ can cleanse. God is going to cut off any dead branches that are not His. He will purge the nation of Israel and the
Gentiles of all branches that are not His. Are you part of the vine of Christ and living for Him? Are you allowing Him to cut those parts that are not pure
out of your life?
The fact that Christ rebuke the Pharisees bother Peter, why because they were probably taught to look up to the leaders all their life and what Christ was
doing was speaking now against the leaders. It stills has the same effect today. People frown on people that speak against ministers. They claim the
anointing of God is in the life in the minister so no need to question their actions. However this is causing one to be to big for their britches. However this
should be a job for ministers and leaders to discuss these issues. However if they will not, then it time for someone to speak up that God appoints.
Hopefully God will choose someone not so perfect and with faults so ministers no the correction is God’s intervention not man’s.
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