Hand Washing: Does it really help?

Megan Bryant • April 28, 2021

Summary of sermon on Matthew 15:10-20 from Pastor Ky Martin.

"And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”

- Matthew 15:10-11


In this passage, Jesus is answering the question, “Why do your disciples not wash their hands before they eat?” He is answering this question in response to the Pharisees, who see this as a ceremonial defilement. 


Initially, when the Pharisees question Jesus about this, he throws the question back at them asking why they break God’s commandment for the sake of their tradition in regards to honoring their father and mother. 


Here, we see Jesus circle back to their question, and his answer is that it is about your heart. 


Jesus is rebuking the pride of the Pharisees. 


The Pharisees that he is communicating with would have been those that held a lot of political power, and the disciples are discouraging Jesus from rebuking them because of their power. 


But Jesus is preparing the disciples for a big shift by showing them with his answer that even the Pharisees will be rooted up. God’s kingdom is not about lineage. It is about the heart. 


Jews were considered guides to the blind at this time, which Paul addresses in Romans 2:19. Jesus just dismisses the Pharisees with the clout and power. 


Jesus claims that He has the authority to interpret the law. 


Jesus is taking all the dietary laws and moving on from them, and this would have been shocking at the time. Jesus was inaugurating a new era. 


When this new kingdom comes, what it meant to be God’s people was changing. Ethnicity no longer mattered, and the kingdom will be opened up to Gentiles. 


Jesus focuses on the heart. 


The righteousness God requires is not reached by reconstructing the law to something we can keep. 



Applications for today: 


Let’s hold traditions loosely. 


Things we can think about with this are conversations around dressing up for church, traditional hymns versus modern worship music and clinging to those traditions as though they are gospel truth. 


Something to think about is what are examples of clinging to those traditions now? 


Let’s not nitpick each other. 


When we nitpick we are holding bitterness in our hearts. 


Focus on our hearts. 


Are the things coming out of my mouth upbuilding and edifying? Am I taking in things that help me love Jesus more? 



Our need is to come to the place where we realize we can’t keep God’s law and we need the gospel. 



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Watch this sermon.

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