He called the people to him and said, ‘Listen, and understand. What goes into the mouth does not make a man unclean; it is what comes out of the mouth that makes him unclean.’
Mt.15:10,11
Jesus has just met the Pharisees' complaint with a rebuke, accusing them of hypocrisy and describing them as “People who honor me with their lips, but whose hearts are far from me". Mt.15:8. Jesus then makes a teaching point out of the incident, highlighting that it is the state of a man's heart, as shown by his speech, that determines his righteousness.
This passage uncomfortably reminds me of an incident just yesterday. I was attending a staff meeting at work and I made a crude comment about something. The conversation moved on but that outburst of mine stayed with me, making me unsettled for the rest of the meeting. I've wondered where that crudity came from and why did I say it. I think part of it is my attempt to be "one of the boys", to be accepted. But it says something about my heart, that I am not as rooted in the acceptance of Christ as I thought I was, that I still crave the acceptance of men.
I need to listen to what comes out of my mouth more carefully as it says much about the health of my heart.
Lord Jesus, I recommit my heart to you. Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.
Little Flower, please pray for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment