Sunday School Lesson
January 16
Lesson 7 (KJV)
JUSTICE AND FAIRNESS
DEVOTIONAL READING: Exodus 23:1–12
BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE: Exodus 23
EXODUS 23:1–12
1 Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.
2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:
3 Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.
4 If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
5 If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.
6 Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.
7 Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.
8 And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.
9 Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
10 And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof:
11 But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.
12 Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed
KEY TEXT
Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment: neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.—Exodus 23:2–3
JUSTICE, LAW, HISTORY
Unit 2: God: The Source of Justice
LESSONS 5–9
LESSON AIMS
After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:
1. Identify the ratio of positive commands (“do”) to negative ones (“do not”).
2. Suggest a reason for that ratio.
3. Express one or more ways to avoid following sinful cultural trends.
HOW TO SAY IT
Français (French) Fraun-say.
parlez-vous (French) par-lay-voo.
Septuagint Sep-too-ih-jent.
Introduction
A. Law from a Loving God
“Meet your new family,” said the judge to Bill and Rosa. For the previous year or so, the couple had welcomed into their home three siblings under age 5. Finally the adoption process was complete. As the courtroom erupted in applause by members of their church family, Bill and Rosa took their three little children in their arms. The smiles on every face and tears in every eye signaled the power of justice and love. Law and family worked together for the improvement of lives.
All nations and cultures have vulnerable people, often those who are very young or very old. All cultures develop ways of caring for such people. The Bible has much to say in this regard as it directs our actions—individually and corporately—toward the benefit of everyone we encounter.
B. Lesson Context
To understand the laws under consideration in today’s text, we must pay attention to their contexts (plural). On a larger scale, Exodus 21–23 is often called the Covenant Code because it gives foundational rules for ancient Israel’s corporate life. In other words, the laws reflect how people were to conduct themselves in typical, everyday situations. This collection of laws is the basis of longer discussions in Leviticus 17–27 and Deuteronomy 12–26.
Within Exodus, the Covenant Code comes immediately after the Ten Commandments. While that shorter list includes 10 distinct laws, expressed for easy memorization, the longer list of the Covenant Code repeats itself and arranges topics more by association (“speaking of X, consider also Y”). That sort of organization appears in today’s lesson.
The sequence of the laws influences meaning. Readers should not think of them as sound bites but as a web of required behaviors that collectively reflected the character of those practicing them.
On a smaller scale, today’s text of Exodus 23:1–12 concentrates on issues of justice. Verses 1–9 fit closely with the end of chapter 22, while verses 10–12 open up a discussion of the proper use of time for worship and rest. The two major sections of the text at hand use the same sort of lock-and-key organizational technique common in Israelite legal texts and in the book of Proverbs. That is, several statements on obviously related themes follow each other. Then the topic seems to change, and then it returns to the original subject.
This pattern challenges the reader to see previously unconsidered dimensions of both the main idea on the ends of the list and a seemingly different idea wedged into the middle. In this case, Exodus 23:4–5 seems to change the subject covered in verses 1–3 and 6–8, all of which feature a courtroom setting. Verses 4–5 envision encounters out in the field or on the road. The apparent change of topics reminds the reader that lying in court does not occur in the abstract but at the expense of real people and relationships. Conversely, the text’s connection between judicial proceedings and ordinary helpfulness toward enemies reminds the reader that even the most mundane incidents of life have wider societal implications.
These laws apply concretely the more general command to “love thy neighbour as thyself” (Leviticus 19:18). Since people tend to extend greatest love to friends and family members while treating others less favorably, the Law of Moses identifies classes of people who deserved respect in the Israelites’ interactions with them. The law does not allow for rationalizing, self-indulgence, or sanctimonious self-justification. Rather, it demanded that the Israelites take seriously their status as peers with all other human beings and as fellow subjects of their Creator. This fact is reflected in the apostle Paul’s statement that “he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8).
These laws also assumed that the Israelites wanted to be people of integrity. The Israelites should have wanted to act justly, even when pushed to do otherwise or when conflict made them want to take personal revenge. They were to have recognized their own faults and temptations to misbehavior and take steps to correct them. I. Justice in Court and Home (EXODUS 23:1–8) A. Rules of Due Process, Part 1 (vv. 1–3)
I. Justice in Court and Home
(EXODUS 23:1–8)
A. Rules of Due Process, Part 1 (vv. 1–3)
1. Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.
The first law in the chain prohibits giving a false report (also known as perjury) in court. The two halves of the verse do not merely say the same thing, however. The first clause offers a general command against lying such as would harm another person (compare Exodus 20:16; Deuteronomy 5:20), while the second clause addresses a subset of the first clause in forbidding conspiracy to commit perjury. Cooperating with others to harm a third party undermines any justice system and leads to societal conflict and violence. When a legal system is corrupt, everyone eventually suffers (compare 1 Kings 21:8–14 and Matthew 26:59–60).
What Do You Think?
What are some ways to guard your mind and tongue against dishonesty?
Digging Deeper
What principles in Ephesians 4:25; Colossians 3:9; and Titus 1:2 help you most in this regard?
2. Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment.
The first clause states a general requirement: an ancient Israelite was not to determine correct behavior by what everyone else was doing. The specific reference may be to mob action (compare Acts 7:57–58; 17:5); at the least it refers to a crowd mentality that perpetuated common prejudices that denied the divinely determined rights of others.
The meaning of the second clause is more obscure. The Hebrew verb translated decline occurs a second time, translated wrest, to create a memorable play on words that is difficult for translators. The verb used by the ancient Greek translation called the Septuagint occurs in the New Testament three times: in Romans 3:12; 16:17; and 1 Peter 3:11—all implying a departure or turning of some sort. The verse at hand seems to say the same thing twice, though the second clause narrows possible interpretations of the first clause to fit in the ongoing discussion of these verses.
What Do You Think?
What can you do better to resist temptation to go along with the crowd?
Digging Deeper
What have you learned from your past failures in this regard?
3. Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.
The law forbids bending the legal system, even when it seems to level the playing field. Judges must decide cases solely on the evidence. Leviticus 19:15 repeats the verb translated countenance in affirming the flip side of the coin: that judges were not to “honour the person of the mighty” in legal proceedings. See Exodus 23:6, below.
B. Helping an Enemy (vv. 4–5)
4.If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
This verse and the next assume that people have enemies. In envisioning ideals, the law is also practical. Even when a person is hated, Israelites were not to hate and be vindictive in return. Jesus’ call to pray for enemies and resist repaying evil for evil (Matthew 5:43–48) makes a general statement about a principle that was already in the law.
In agricultural societies like that of ancient Israel, beasts of burden provided labor for plowing and threshing, dung for fuel, transportation for family members, etc. For a poor farming family, the loss of one such animal would create a major financial hardship. On the other hand, rustling allowed poor people to add to their assets at the expense of others. In a time when 98 percent of people farmed, the residents of farming villages had to help each other survive and flourish as they exhibited the love and holiness of God to one another.
LOVING THE FORMER FRIEND
Alex’s affair had carried on with one of Emma’s friends. And soon enough, Emma became the ex-wife while Alex wed the now-former friend, Zoe. The children of the families found the new role of step-siblings thrust upon them. Emma was devastated.
One day Emma found herself running late in picking up her children from school. When she arrived, there were her three kids … and Zoe’s two children. The on-duty teacher told her that her ex-friend’s car had broken down and the woman would be very late picking up the kids, who wilted in the soaring heat. Emma decided to take pity on the children and bring them home with her to wait for their mother.
God commands us to care for our enemies. How easy it would have been for Emma merely to take her own children and leave! But she knew what was right. How will you love an enemy this week?
—P. L. M.
5. If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.
The law depicted four phases of a decision-making process: (1) spotting an animal in difficulty, (2) realizing that it belonged to an enemy, (3) checking one’s own motives, and (4) deciding to help despite the underlying personal relationship. The law did not state how the animal’s owner might be identified as such. Was the owner present? Or did living in close quarters in the village make the identification possible? The law exhibited no concern for that detail; the law made an absolute demand on the Israelites. No matter how sorely tempted one was to avoid helping an enemy, concerns for the animal’s welfare, societal harmony, and honoring God dictated giving assistance.
The last part of the verse can be interpreted in several ways. One interpretation might be “you shall surely leave [it] with him.” More broadly, the line implies that the person obedient to the law was not to take advantage of the animal’s (and the enemy’s) distress. Jesus later built on this and similar laws in His disputes about doing good on the Sabbath. If Jesus’ opponents would rescue a trapped animal on the Sabbath, how much more should they help a fellow human being (Matthew 12:9–14; see also Luke 14:1–6; John 5:1–18)!
C. Rules of Due Process, Part 2 (vv. 6–8)
6. Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.
While Exodus 23:3 banned the Israelites’ favoring a poor person in legal proceedings merely because of his or her poverty, the verse before us forbids the opposite. Considered alongside Leviticus 19:15, God’s rule is clear: that anyone involved in a dispute, especially a witness or a judge, must decide fairly without regard to external factors such as the socioeconomic status of the persons involved.
7a. Keep thee far from a false matter.
People are often inclined to get as close as possible to the line separating truth telling from lying without actually crossing that line. Think of how often we have heard (and voiced) half-truths, or quotes of others out of context. And what about a lack of being forthcoming when questioned! But the command here broadly required an Israelite to stay far away from deception.
What Do You Think?
As you keep your distance from dishonesty, in what kinds of cases should you confront it according to Ephesians 5:11?
Digging Deeper
What dangers should you anticipate in doing so?
7b. And the innocent and righteous slay thou not.
This part of the verse moves from deceptive speaking to murder of those undeserving of death. By setting the two forbidden actions side by side, the verse reminds readers of the potential for abusive situations to escalate.
7c. For I will not justify the wicked.
This declaration offers a reason to keep God’s laws. He had extended mercy to Israel by delivering them from heartless Egyptian slavery. Thus the Israelites dare not become a heartless society themselves (compare Matthew 18:23–35). God will not cheapen His gift of redemption by turning a blind eye on wickedness.
8. And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.
Like intimidating witnesses or lying in open court, bribery can negatively affect the outcome of any dispute. The word translated gift appears 26 times across 24 verses in the Old Testament usually referring to a bribe that results in injustice against an innocent party (example: 1 Samuel 8:3). Centuries later, prophets would complain often and loudly about judicial corruption traceable to bribery (Isaiah 1:23; Amos 5:12; Micah 3:11; etc.). Bribery can be thought of as purchasing a certain outcome in court. Such a “purchase” may go as far as ensuring the slaying of an innocent person. (Deuteronomy 27:25 explicitly connects the two.) Thus these bribery texts imply the threat that this corrupt practice posed to the entire social structure of ancient Israel (compare Proverbs 15:27). And sometimes the bribery texts emphasize God’s dismay at such behavior, since God has called on Israel to imitate the divine justice extended to all of them (see Ezekiel 22:12).
The verse before us is unusual, however, in its reason for avoiding bribery: such an action corrupts the very character of the ones involved. A judge receiving a bribe abandons the very qualification for being a judge: wisdom. A temporary advantage, gained to the detriment of others, can corrode the very soul of the person gaining that advantage, as well as harming many others. And a system that tolerates such behavior sooner or later decays into conflict as distrust builds.
II. Justice in Economic Matters
(EXODUS 23:9–12)
A. Care for Migrants (v. 9)
9a. Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger.
The word stranger refers to someone who lives away from his or her homeland. Such a person is often without the support system of family and friends. In ancient Israel, as in most nations before modern times, the extended family or clan was the basic unit of social organization. Family units provided financial, physical, and emotional support for their members. The migrant might have no support system. Therefore laws were needed to protect that person.
9b. For ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
For this analogy to make sense, the hypothetical stranger in the first clause must be a non-Israelite. Many migrants must have been refugees, given the many wars in the history of the Middle East. Because Israel’s collective memory centered around its experiences in Egyptian bondage, the core story of the Israelites—individually and collectively—had to show empathy toward similarly vulnerable people, honoring their divinely given rights (compare Exodus 23:8, above).
Laws protecting strangers appear several times in Exodus. The Ten Commandments protected them during the observance of the Sabbath, when they also may rest (Exodus 20:10; compare Deuteronomy 5:14). Exodus 22:21–24 links them with widows and orphans as vulnerable people lacking family ties and, therefore, social protection. A legal case between a stranger and an Israelite was to be judged just as if the case was between two Israelites (Deuteronomy 1:16). The law forbade mistreating them, threatening divine punishment of those who did so.
What Do You Think?
How do 1 Peter 1:1 and 2:11 help you apply this text in a spiritual sense?
Digging Deeper
What are examples of cases in which doing nothing was actually a form of oppression?
PARLEZ-VOUS FRANÇAIS?
The facility where I worked employed many Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) from West Africa. Some were not fluent in English, which could make the hiring process difficult. One CNA was offered a position but missed deadlines to enroll in onboarding classes because of the language barrier. Hearing this, her face fell, anxiety and uncertainty etched on it.
But she made it the next time around. During my presentation, I let it be known that I speak French. When I spoke directly to our new West African team member, her eyes lit up, and the smile on her face was such a beautiful contrast to her previous downcast countenance. My heart leaped for joy to be able to give a little comfort to someone in a foreign land.
The Israelites knew what it was like to be strangers in a strange land. Even more than Israel, Christians are strangers even in our home countries (see Philippians 3:20; 1 Peter 2:11). So what will you do when you have the opportunity to comfort a stranger? —P. L. M.
B. The Sabbatical Year (vv. 10–11)
10–11. And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof: but the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.
It is unclear whether this law required all land to lie fallow in the seventh year, or if a rotation of crops should occur. Nor is it clear whether allowing the land to rest means not harvesting the field or, more likely, not even planting it. Ambiguities here receive greater clarity in Leviticus 25:1–7, which is a sort of commentary on this earlier text. Leviticus expressly forbade sowing any seed during the seventh year.
The owners of the land should have stored a year’s worth of food for their families, allowing any surpluses to go to poor, landless people. The last part of verse 11 closes a possible loophole, so that not only fields but also vineyards and olive groves must not be harvested. These three major food sources (for bread, wine, and olive oil), constituted the core of the Israelite diet, and so the law aimed at comprehensiveness. Relying on God’s generosity for large parts of the food supply would allow those keeping the law to live in solidarity with each other regardless of income. They all must trust in God’s care for them.
C. The Sabbath Day (v. 12)
12. Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.
Six days here echoes the six years of verse 10. The law of the Sabbath Day (the seventh day) here returns to the theme of helping domesticated animals, as seen in verses 4–5. In this instance, the help is rest rather than some other active intervention.
This text differs from the Sabbath laws in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8–11; Deuteronomy 5:12–15) in two ways. First, the verse before us does not give a warrant for the law (elsewhere justified by referring to the creation of the world or to God’s deliverance of Israel in the exodus). And second, it does not command the recipient’s family to rest. That latter point went without saying, while the former points to the fact that the Ten Commandments, despite their brevity, richly develop important details.
This version of the Sabbath law does name those members of the household most vulnerable to self-centered action on the part of the family head. So, the son of a secondary wife as well as the stranger living with the family had the right to rest just as much as did the citizens of Israel.
What Do You Think?
What steps can you take to achieve a better balance between work and rest?
Digging Deeper
What relationship do you see between such a balance and spiritual health (or lack thereof)?
Conclusion
A. Seeking Justice
One of the most powerful treatments of the nature of God appears in Exodus. It contains a richly layered set of stories exploring the question “What sort of God do we have in our midst?” This story lies behind all of Israel’s laws. Rather than creating a long philosophical discussion on God, the scroll of Exodus weaves together stories about divine actions and conversations around them. As it reveals a God who practices a radical commitment to mercy, Exodus does not avoid the challenges that belief in a redeemer God poses.
The 600-plus laws in the Old Testament do not address every imaginable circumstance. Even so, they lay out enough specific examples to allow thinking people to figure out how to act in situations not explicitly named. The Law of Moses invites reflection. Those following it ask questions that will shape commitments and attitudes for a lifetime.
A remarkable feature of today’s church in much of the Western world is its distance from the poorest among us. American Christians, in particular, often seem to live in a bubble. Wealth is taken as proof of God’s blessing, which can lead us to blame others for their alleged failures if they do not obtain it. We are slow to acknowledge how decisions of past generations still affect people’s lives. And those most vulnerable pay the price for that self-deception.
The Law of Moses, while aimed at the people of Israel, offers guiding principles for the church as well. Life together requires practical actions that show love for difficult people. In this way, we can fulfill the law: to love our God, and to love both neighbors and enemies, wherever they are found.
B. Prayer
Father, continue to teach us to be generous to our enemies, loyal to our friends, honest in all our dealings, and compassionate toward all in need. Make us people who always treat the poor with respect and care. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
C. Thought to Remember
Drawing near to God requires caring for others. brainstorm ways that people justify their actions by saying, “Everybody
KID’S CORNER
Truth or Traditions
January 16, 2022
Matthew 15:1-9
Matthew 15:1-9
(Matthew 15:1) Then some Pharisees and scribes *came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,
Reports about Jesus’ teaching and healing in Galilee began to concern the most influential political and religious leaders in Jerusalem; including King Herod (who imprisoned and beheaded John the Baptist) and the Pharisees and scribes (who considered themselves enforcers of and experts in the laws and traditions of Israel). A representative group of these religious leaders left Jerusalem to examine Jesus (and they would later condemn Jesus to death).
(Matthew 15:2) “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
Rather than direct their attention to the Law of God (the Law of God in the first five books of the Bible) or the Old Testament prophets, these leaders focused on the fact that some of their human traditions (their selfish interpretations of the Law of God by former religious leaders) were not being followed by Jesus’ disciples and by implication Jesus was responsible for their misbehavior. They saw themselves as the recognized and duly appointed religious leaders and teachers, not Jesus.
(Matthew 15:3) And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
In response, Jesus asked them why they set their traditions (their accepted practices and rules), above the Law the God and used their interpretations of God’s Law and their traditions to violate the Law of God. Through their traditions, they changed the intention, the correct interpretation, and the right application of God’s Law to achieve their own selfish purposes. As the Son of God and Messiah, Jesus interpreted the Law correctly and told His accusers the truth about God and God’s Law. He pointed out to them their immoral thoughts that led to their immoral behaviors (which naturally offended them).
(Matthew 15:4) “For God said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,’ and, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.’
Jesus specifically accused them of using their selfish traditions to break the Ten Commandments and avoid the Bible’s explanations or applications of God’s Law. Thus, Jesus affirmed the authority of the Scriptures and the Bible’s interpretations of the Law of God. The LORD revealed the Ten Commandments in the Law of God through Moses; which included the commandment to honor your parents: “Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12). In the next chapter of Exodus, God inspired Moses to give some examples of ways some people dishonor their parents and the penalty for doing so: “Whoever strikes father or mother shall be put to death” (Exodus 21:15). “Whoever curses father or mother shall be put to death” (Exodus 21:17).
(Matthew 15:5) “But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,”
Jesus revealed that honoring your parents involves more than refusing to do evil things to them (see Exodus 21:15, 17). Honoring your parents involves doing positive good to them, which includes helping them in their old age. The Pharisees and scribes interpreted the Law of God in a way to avoid helping their parents and in a way that would generate additional income for the priests and themselves from those who wanted to selfishly keep as much of their money as they could by not taking positive actions to help their parents. Their gifts to the temple would have been less than the cost of helping their parents. By not cursing or striking their parents and by giving gifts to God, they thought they were obeying God’s law; Jesus said that true obedience involved true loving actions toward God and parents.
(Matthew 15:6) he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
Leaders and government officials can make a law void by refusing to enforce a law or by removing a penalty for disobeying the law that the lawgiver intended when the law was made. To honor a law requires the enforcement of the law. God honors His Law by enforcing His Law. To make a law void can also include changing the interpretation or meaning of a law by adding to it or subtracting from it.
The Pharisees and scribes made the Law of God void by adding to it and subtracting from it, and by making their interpretations of the Word of God equal to or the only recognized authoritative interpretations of the Word of God. They interpreted the Word of God in ways that God never intended and refused to do the loving actions that the Word of God commanded.
(Matthew 15:7) “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:
Jesus called them hypocrites because they pretended to be what they were not. They pretended to honor God and obey God’s Law, when actually they did not honor God by the ways they made the Word of God void and by the ways they mistreated their parents by avoiding their duty (among other ways of using their traditions to set aside the laws they did not want to obey). Because many of the Israelites (and especially these religious leaders) loved money, they created traditions that fit their selfish desires and taught them as God-honoring interpretations that everyone must follow. Some of their traditions were motivated by their selfishness and revealed how people cannot love God and also love money: Jesus taught, “No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matthew 6:24). These religious leaders loved money rather than God. Their traditions appealed to selfish, self-centered people, which made them and some of their traditions popular with selfish people.
(Matthew 15:8) ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
God foretold through Isaiah that many who perform religious rituals do not do so because they love God and want to honor God, praise God, worship God, and draw others into a right and loving relationship with God according to the Scriptures. Their lips profess that they love and obey God, but their actions show the true state of their hearts or desires: their hearts are far from God, and they have no real desire to obey God as God intended because they do not love God or the Word of God.
(Matthew 15:9) ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’”
Vain worship is empty worship. Vain worship has no value in the eyes of God and has no benefit to the worshiper. Vain worship does not flow from love for God or obey the Word of God from love for God and others. Vain worship has no desire to honor God, but worships God or “attends worship services” for possible personal benefits from God and others. Teaching manmade laws or rules or mere human conceptions of God that are not true and according to the Scriptures are vain or empty and have no value for drawing someone into a relationship that honors God or helps others love, honor, and obey God. Some teach manmade ideas as though they were revelations from God and these are vain or have no value (they may often be the creations of human pride and vanity).
Truth or Traditions
January 16, 2022
Matthew 15:1-9
“They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules” (Matthew 15:9). While plotting to kill Jesus, some Pharisees and teachers of the law followed Jesus to find a way to entrap Him. In some of their efforts, they accused Jesus of allowing His disciples to break their traditions, traditions their elders had created. In reply, Jesus told them that they were using their old traditions to disobey the Law of God while appearing to obey God. After giving them an example of how they used a crafty tradition to break the Law of God; enabling them to appear holy while they avoided honoring their mother and father, Jesus called them hypocrites. A hypocrite can appear to be a good religious person when in actuality they practice the opposite of what they represent themselves to believe. The Pharisees and teachers of the law represented themselves as sincere worshipers of God who obeyed God completely, but they were self-centered instead of God-centered. They created traditions that would allow them to selfishly break the law of God while appearing before others to be keeping the law of God. For example, they created a tradition that would allow them to keep the most money for themselves by giving a smaller offering in temple worship than what it would cost them to help their mother or father in their old age. Because they plotted ways to disobey God while appearing to obey God, Jesus quoted the prophet Isaiah and said their worship was vain or empty; their worship experience was of no value to God, to themselves, or to others. Throughout history, individuals and groups have been tempted to create traditions and practices that set aside the Law of God while appearing to obey God
Thinking Further
Truth or Traditions
January 16, 2022
Matthew 15:1-9
Name _______________________________________
1.What teachings from the Bible did the Pharisees accuse Jesus’ disciples of breaking? Explain your answer.
2. What did Jesus accuse the Pharisees of doing?
3. What commandment of God did Jesus accuse them of breaking? Why do you think He chose that commandment?
4. In what ways do people make void the law of God? In what ways do
5. In what ways do people make void the word of God?
Discussion and Thinking Further
1. What teachings from the Bible did the Pharisees accuse Jesus’ disciples of breaking?
Explain your answer. None. They did not accuse them of breaking any of the Bible’s teachings. Jesus and His disciples obeyed the Law of God. They accused them of breaking the traditions of the elders, and strongly implied that Jesus was permitting them to break the traditions of the elders; therefore, Jesus and His disciples were sinners according to their traditions and interpretations.
2. What did Jesus accuse the Pharisees of doing?
Jesus said they broke the commandments of God to live by their traditions. They actually put their traditions above the Law of God or made more important than the Law of God for themselves and those they led and taught. By following and teaching their traditions, they misled others and taught others how to avoid obeying the Law of God.
3. What commandment of God did Jesus accuse them of breaking? Why do you think He chose that commandment? Jesus accused them of breaking one of the Ten Commandments; the commandment to honor one’s parents. The commandment showed the importance of loving and helping others, especially those hungry or in need (such as His disciples that day). The Ten Commandments are the moral law of God; summed up in the commands to love God and your neighbor. The Ten Commandments are not ceremonial laws or ritualistic religious laws, but universal, objective, moral laws that apply to all people everywhere. Jesus used one of the Ten Commandments to show how the Pharisees violated God’s moral law and used traditions and religious rituals to break God’s moral law. As a kingdom of priests to the nations, the Israelites were supposed to teach these universal laws to everyone everywhere.
4. In what ways do people make void the law of God?
People make void the law of God when they set aside the penalty of the law or teach that the law no longer applies today; or they create a law that they say is more important to obey than the lesser law that is now optional or obsolete. Whatever they may say, God’s law is not void and there are both natural consequences and God’s punishment to face when people break God’s law. Because God’s law is not void and cannot be voided, Jesus came and died on the cross to demonstrate God’s love, forgiveness, justice, and mercy and to make salvation possible for those who repent and place their faith in Him as Lord and Savior.
5. In what ways do people make void the Word of God?
People make void the word of God when they set aside the word of God, the Bible, for the teaching of someone else or the teaching and leadership of some group that may or may not claim to be Christian. They choose what they want to believe and do, and they disbelieve and disregard what they do not want to believe and do. They do not try to understand the intention or 3 purpose of God when He has revealed what He has revealed in the Bible. They ignore the parts of the Bible that they do not want to study and live by. They say some parts of the Bible are obsolete, even some parts of the Bible that Jesus taught were important. They choose to follow some of the Bible’s writers, while choosing to ignore or say other writers of the Bible were wrong. However, God’s word cannot be voided. God declared through Isaiah: “The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8). Truth cannot be made void, and Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). Paul commanded, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
Word Search
Truth or Traditions
January 16, 2022
Matthew 15:1-9
Name _____________________________
M K S P O P M L X A W H N C H
X Y E R C J C A N T J S J L W
Q T E O E P Q W Z H E F Z T O
G U S N J Y M E L A S U R E J
X C I O N R C A S J U Q D O G
W N R H Z O E R F G S C W N I
G Y A B L S I H N Z R I S E C
S N H Z J U E T T S H C U O Q
X R P M Y E W L I A I S M V D
A S E B O A L R P D F M P Z P
B J Q H R T V D L I A Q T W L
L S Y D C E H F E N C R Z A T
D M O Q T A A E D R O S T S X
T J E S U S E K R J S P I H U
L R Q W V N J T S B K T Z D M
Pharisees
Teachers
Law
Jesus
Jerusalem
Disciples
Break
Tradition
Elders
Wash
Command
God
Honor
Father
Mother
True and False Test
Truth or Traditions
January 16, 2022
Matthew 15:1-9
Name __________________________
Circle the true or false answers. Correct the false statements by restating them.
1. The Pharisees who spoke to Jesus showed more concerned for the traditions of their elders than they did for the law of God. True or False
2. After the Pharisees talked to Jesus, He immediately turned to His disciples and told them to always wash their hands before they ate. True or False
3. Jesus told the Pharisees that they broke the command of God for the sake of their tradition. True or False
4. The Pharisees told Jesus that He needed to honor His father and mother. True or False
5. God said, “Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.” True or False
6. Some of the Pharisees devoted some of their money to God so they would not have money to help their parents. True or False
7. Jesus accused the Pharisees of nullifying the word of God for the sake of their tradition. True or False
8. The Pharisees quoted Isaiah and called Jesus a hypocrite. True or False
9. Jesus told the Pharisees that they honored God with their lips, but their hearts were far from God. True or False
10. Because their teachings were merely human rules, the worship of the Pharisees was meaningless. True or False
True and False Test Answers
- True
- False
- True
- False
- True
- True
- True
- False
- True
- True
Prayer
Father, continue to teach us to be generous to our enemies, loyal to our friends, honest in all our dealings, and compassionate toward all in need. Make us people who always treat the poor with respect and care. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.