Comment on a Lectionary Reading: Matthew 15.10-28

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.” Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” But Peter said to him, “Explain the parable to us.” And he said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.” And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly. Matthew 15:10–28

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Once again, I’m going limit myself to looking at one sentence from the reading, something Jesus said to His disciples.

Are you also still without understanding? 

Let’s spend a little time poking at this. I think that it will prove most helpful.

So, the first thing to consider is the tone that Jesus used when He said this. What did it sound like? That can make a very big difference. So, was it sharp, something like, ‘What is wrong with you people? Why is it that you **still** don’t you get what I’m talking about?!?’ Or maybe it wasn’t like that at all. Maybe it wasn’t anything like that. Maybe instead of exasperation there was an appeal, a very gentle, ‘I know that you guys can get this. Just try a little harder.’ What was Jesus saying by the tone of His words? And what did that say to the disciples? I think that I’ll let you work on that. But whatever you conclude, you need to have some good reasons for it.  Consider other situations in the Gospels. Was Jesus always mild with His words? Did He ever get frustrated? Could He be sharp in what He said? When was He gentle? What do you think?

Whatever the tone of His words, it’s clear that Jesus is saying that things are not the way that He was hoping for. His question reflects His assumption that these men were further along in understanding His teaching. I don’t know if the right word to describe Jesus’ attitude here would be disappointed, annoyed, saddened, chagrined or something else. Whatever it was, He’s not pleased with where His band of followers were.

And yet, He doesn’t give up on them. And that’s one point that I think you need to hear. Let’s face it. Jesus could legitimately pose His question to you. ‘Are you still without understanding?’ There are those times when we feel completely at sea when it comes to understanding Jesus and what He is up to in our lives.  That’s when we need to remember that, even though we really should be further along than we are, He doesn’t give up on people. That’s just one example of His kind grace toward us.

But having said that, it is also important to remember that He does have expectations of those who follow Him. It’s not that He expects you to be perfect in your understanding. But He does expect you to be working at it. So, let me encourage you to work at understanding what Jesus is up to in your life and in your world. That will make it easier for you when He calls you to something new. You’ll be able to obey quickly and eagerly because you will have a sense of what He’s up to. It won’t be some imponderable mystery. And one way to work at understanding Him is to ask questions of what you’re reading in the Bible, questions like, ‘What was Jesus’ tone when He said this?’