Matthew 15:12-21 - External Cleanliness is NOT the Key!

At that time, the disciples came and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?" He answered, "Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if a blind man leads a blind man, 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 so passes on? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man." And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.

These Kids understand -external cleanliness not important
photo by Jonny LeRoy, used under the creative commons license
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What passes for unclean is not what you eat. Rather it is what comes out of your heart!  So to live "unclean" externally. i.e., by what you eat  does not necessarily mean that your heart is impure. Truly, it is out of the heart that all manner of evil proceeds. Hatred, bigotry, murder, sexual sins, lying and rage are not effected  by what you eat nor if your hands are clean when you are eating (all very important to the pharisees) - Indeed, any religious activity that I might deem important, is actually useless if my heart is unclean.

I must take stock of my heart and see what lies therein. I must make sure that I do not rely on religious activity but, rather, make sure my heart is not unclean. This can only come about by constant prayer, vigil and repentance, My life and attitude must be one of humble submission to God and His ways. Then, what comes from my heart will not be unclean.

O Lord, grant me a clean heart. May I not worry about external cleanliness as much as my heart's purity. Then only Love and Praise will show forth from my life and none of these sins.  Help, O Holy Spirit! Create in me, a clean heart, O God and renew a right spirit within me. Amen.