Hello Advent Family,

How do you feel about rules?  For the Pharisees, the religious laws and rules were their bread and butter.  They loved to hold the rules over others heads and felt superior because they “knew” the law better than anyone else.  Jesus came onto the scene and they felt threatened and wanted to trap Him.  Jesus didn’t want to get rid of the law He simply wanted to get the the heart of the matter.  He also wanted everyone to understand their need for God.  For the Pharisees the law was their God.  Let’s look at a parable in Matthew 15 He teaches to the disciples and also for the benefit of the Pharisees to teach them this lesson.  

10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” 12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” 13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”