Jesus denounced the Pharisees for being more interested in following the traditions of man than obeying the Law of God. The Pharisees were guilty of making their religious ritual an end in itself instead of a means to an end. They wanted the appearance of being clean before God without regard for the heart reality. Jesus makes it clear that the things that come out of our heart is what is most important for knowing whether we are clean or unclean.
We know from our own experience that the things that Jesus lists come out of all of our hearts. The implication is that we are all unclean in our heart.
- As we communicate with the outside world, what difference does it make whether we see ourselves as basically right with God because of what we do or basically right with God because of what he has done on our behalf?
- How do we alienate people if we think that we are acceptable to God because of what we do?
- In what ways are you guilty of thinking of yourself as acceptable to God because of what you do?