Inside and Out in a Faith-based Lifestyle
revisiting Matthew 15:1-20 with a deeper dive into Isaiah 29:13-14
Reader, today I want to revisit Matthew 15:1-20. When I wrote about that passage a month ago, reflecting on Pastor Jeremy’s sermon Heart Disease, I didn’t do a dive into the Isaiah passage. Let’s do that today, in this missive. Let’s revisit the Jesus teaching on defilement again, through the lens of Isaiah.
Isaiah 29:13-14 :: Woe to David’s City
13 And the Lord said:
“Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
14 therefore, behold, I will again
do wonderful things with this people,
with wonder upon wonder;
and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”
Matthew 15:1-20 :: That Which Defiles
15 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”
3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’[a] and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’[b] 5 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ 6 they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
8 “‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
9 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’[c]”
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 plantedwill be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides.[d] 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.”
I’ve include the post from June 9th about this passage from Matthew and the Pastor Jeremy sermon inspired by it, for readers’ reference.
“Heart Disease”, Sometimes Called Yetzer Hara—the Imagination of an Unhappy Heart
Matthew 15: 1-20 :: That Which Defiles
First of all, let’s note that, before this passage in Matthew 15:1-20, Jesus said something important to remember in Matthew 5:17.
Matthew 5:17-18 :: The Fulfillment of the Law
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
So, what’s the takeaway from 5:17? It’s that Jesus didn’t intend to abolish the law. As a Jew, He followed the law, and His teaching riff off of the Mishnah. He intended to point out the pitfall of following rules without any self examination or contemplation of intention and purpose of action. When we go through the motions because we want to show others that we do the things, when we don’t put our heart in the things we do, when our outside goody-good appearance doesn’t reflect or align with a genuine g-dcentric heart, that’s an example of self worship. Hypocrisy in faith and religious practice equals idolatry because we do it for ourselves, to puff up our ego, we do it for self glorification.
Let’s go a bit further and remember what Jesus said in Matthew 9:14-17. Pay particular attention to line 17. Fun fact: the teaching about the wineskin in line 17 riffs off of the Mishnah, in Pirkei Avot 4:20. The teachings do not parallel one another—they differ. Jesus puts a new twist on an old teaching, Remember that He always sought to shake things up when He taught.
Matthew 9:14-17 :: Jesus Questioned About Fasting
14 Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”
15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.
16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse.17 Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Here’s the Mishnah, so you can compare.
Pirkei Avot 4:20
Elisha ben Abuyah said: He who learns when a child, to what is he compared? To ink written upon a new writing sheet. And he who learns when an old man, to what is he compared? To ink written on a rubbed writing sheet. Rabbi Yose ben Judah a man of Kfar Ha-babli said: He who learns from the young, to what is he compared? To one who eats unripe grapes, and drinks wine from his vat; And he who learns from the old, to what is he compared? To one who eats ripe grapes, and drinks old wine. Rabbi said: don’t look at the container but at that which is in it: there is a new container full of old wine, and an old [container] in which there is not even new [wine].
So, that’s a lot of stuff I just threw down before you, reader. Let’s recap. As I recap, I’ll fill in some factual details I think important for our understanding of Jesus and His ministry.
Jesus didn’t come to abolish the law of the Torah, in fact He believed in and followed those laws.
Jesus believed that faith-based living required your heart to match your actions. He saw the corruption and hypocrisy of those who fixate on rules and regulations without any thought to purpose of these rules, without thought give to intention of action, and without consideration of consequences of actions. People before process. Process must centre people, it must have at it’s core foundation the heart.
The reference to Isaiah reflects the theme of anti- corruptionism and opposition to hypocrisy which defined the ministry and teaching of Jesus.
Many of the teachings of Jesus have their origins in the Mishnah. For example, the wineskin. Remember, Jesus was a Jewish man living in Roman occupied Judea after the Babylonian exile.
Jesus came from Nazareth, a humble little village that few would go out of their way to visit. It’s vital that we grasp the political and cultural context of the era in which Jesus lived in order not fully appreciate and understand Jesus. Galilee, the larger region, had a reputation has a Gentile place, due to the Gentile population living in that region, governed by Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great. Nazareth is located in the Southern part of Galilee.
Jesus took existing teachings from the Mishnah and he gave them a new Jesus twist. He sought to shake things up. He sought to shake people out of their revery and slumber. He says in the Gospel that He came for the Jewish people. People would recognise the wineskin Mishnah from the teaching, for example. They would appreciate his new twist on an old teaching. It’s said that Nazarenes knew Jesus long before He began His ministry because of His penchant for teaching others about the Torah, the law, the prophets.
Okay? You with me? Let’s keep going.
Prophet Isaiah — Yeshaya son of Amoz
Let’s talk about the Isaiah reference. First let’s learn about the Book of Isaiah and the men who wrote the prophecies collected in this book of the Biblical canon.
What’s the Book of Isaiah all about? One description in Sefaria says the following. Criticism of religious corruption, calls for change, and descriptions of a utopian future. Another description tells us a bit more. Composed [in] Judea/Israel (c.750 - c.450 BCE), Isaiah (“Yeshayahu”) is the fifth book of the Prophets and is known for its visions of universal peace and renewal. Beginning in the period of the First Temple against the backdrop of a rising Assyrian empire and Israel on the decline, Isaiah rebukes Israel for abandoning God and pursuing corruption, calls for change, and warns the nations of their ultimate downfalls. The last third of the book contains comforting prophecies about returning to Jerusalem and redemption. So we can see from the description alone that Jesus has made it an important part of His ministry to teach the stuff that the prophet Isaiah highlighted in his writings.
What do we know above Isaiah the man? It’s probably helpful for our study here to learn about the man Isaiah.
Isaiah lived during the time of the first Jewish commonwealth. He descended from the Davidic dynasty. He had a spiritual stature rivaling Moshe, according to Chabad. Isaiah’s works make up the largest prophetic collection in the Biblical canon. The Sages teach that Isaiah was privy to a most sublime level of prophecy. His visions were communicated at a level and frequency that resulted in his gaining a sense of serenity such that he was less excitable about the experience. Isaiah loved Israel, he loved the Jewish people. He sought to convey his message in an accessible manner, to reach the people. Knowing his people to have an unfriendly and even hostile disposition toward prophets, Isaiah humbly accepted g-d’s call.
In Hebrew Isaiah means g-d is salvation, ישעיה Yeshaya. Note the close proximity to Yeshua, ישוע. King Menasseh ordered the brutal execution of Isaiah, as described in tractate Yevamot 49b:6-8 of the Talmud. Therefore, in order to escape, he uttered a divine name and was swallowed within a cedar tree. Manasseh’s servants brought the cedar tree and sawed through it in order to kill him. Menasseh executed Isaiah for having said (see Isaiah 6:5), and I live among a people of impure lips. Readers might notice the similarities between the executions of Yeshaya and Yeshua — both involved a tree. In Yeshaya’s case, the executioners sawed in half tree that hid him, thereby sawing Yeshaya in half. In Yeshua’s case, the executioners nailed him to a tree.
Okay, now I think we’re ready to consult the Jewish commentary on Isaiah 29:13-14 to flesh our understanding of this passage. Note to readers—I have taken these commentaries from Sefaria, my go-to for Jewish texts and commentary.
The Commentary on Isaiah 29:13-14
What does the Rabbinical commentary say about Isaiah 29:13-14? Normally we would begin with Rashi. But I will begin with Ibn Ezra, who singles out the word נגש nigash, and invites us to compare with נגשים nigashim as used in Exodus 5:13.1 In Hebrew Bible study, the meaning of words comes in part from a comparison with the use of the same word in other passages — we use the Hebrew Bible to understand the Hebrew Bible. So, in Exodus 5:13, the nigashim refers to the taskmasters, the word here conveys a meaning of pressing, driving, as a ruler might do. Does that add to our understanding of the Isaiah verse? Yes, it does. It helps us understand the state of mind and heart of one who worships g-d by rote, to perform a social obligation and not out of fear of and love for the Divine. Note that I mean fear as in g-d fearing and not in terror. Keep Ibn Ezra in mind because later we will revisit this concept of word meaning when we get to Maimonides.
Let’s move on to Rashi next. Rashi references Jonathan, from the Targum, an Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Bible. Because this people has come near Jonathan renders: Because this people has aggrandized itself. I.e., they have come near to raise themselves up to the heavens. They show themselves as though honoring Me with mouth and lip, but their heart they have drawn far away from Me. He then describes in more detail what Ibn Ezra alluded to with his comparison to Exodus 5:13. And their fear of Me has become not wholehearted, but by the command of the people who teach them, they show themselves as humbled before Him in order to entice Him with your mouth. So we have insincere people using worship of g-d to self aggrandise. And we have people worshipping g-d because their teachers told them to do so, not because of any heartfelt sentiment or yearning for g-d.
Moving on.
Tanna DeBei Eliyahu Rabbah says, this is what God said to Israel: My children what do I seek from you? I seek no more than that you love one another, and honor one another, and that you have awe for one another. Jesus taught this in His ministry. Today we call it the golden rule. Targum Jonathan, mentioned by Rashi and explained above, says, wherefore the Lord hath said: Because I am magnified by the mouth of this people, and with their lips they do honour me, but their heart is far from my fear, and their fear towards me is as the commandment of men teaching them. Steinsaltz says, the Lord said: Since this people approached Me in apparent prayer, and yet only with its mouth and with its lips it honored Me, but it distanced its heart from Me, their reverence of Me has become a commandment of men learned by rote. The people come to the Temple and recite prayers, but only as a superficial ritual, as a social norm, or as part of a duty imposed by the government, acting as though the commandments of God were merely given by men. Again, we see the theme of people coming to worship g-do as a social performance, to be seen by others.
In Duties of the Heart Rabbi Bachya ibn Paquda mentions our Isaiah passage in the Seventh Treatise of Repentance, Third Treatise on Service to G-d, the Fifth Treatise Devotion, and in the Eighth Treatise of Examination of the Soul. Bachya ibn Paquda writes about fearing reprisals from other humans or hoping to derive benefits as opposed to g-d fearing worship. He also writes about such individuals that their disposition inclines them to love of the world and its lusts; and they use the practices of the service of G-d as snares with which to obtain worldly advantages. He further writes they accept the Torah outwardly but not inwardly, with their tongues and not with their hearts. Of such people it is said, “One speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart he waits in ambush for him”, referencing Jeremiah 9:7. Ibn Paquda describes praying with mouth disconnected from heart as akin to disembodiment, like an empty husk of corn. Finally, he writes about such a worshipper, he pleas to G-d with his limbs, but turns from Him in his heart and thoughts.
In his Guide to the Perplexed Part I, Maimonides (often called the Rambam) writes about the verb nigash נגש. The word has two levels of meaning— literal and figurative. The Rambam writes about the concrete meaning: nagash, “to approach”, sometimes signify “contact” or “nearness in space” sometimes the approach of man's knowledge to an object … nagash in the first sense, viz., to approach or move towards another person. Then he writes about the poetic meaning, used in our Isaiah verse: the second meaning of these three words is “approach by means of knowledge”, or “contact by comprehension”, not in reference to space … The verb nagash is used figuratively in the phrase … “Forasmuch as this people draw near (niggash) me with their mouths and with their lips” (Isa. 29:13).
What can we surmise about our Isaiah passage from this commentary by the Rambam? Well, again, it seems to underscore the distortion that happens when we approach prayer and worship and g-d with our mind disconnected from our heart. Imagine a runaway train car, uncoupled from the locomotive part of the train. Imagine, for our purposes, there’s no fail safe or emergency breaking system in our imaginary train. Separated from the entity that provides pulling power to the train, inertia would keep the runaway train car moving until something stops it. The mind runs roughshod without the heart to anchor it to intention and focus it on purpose. Remember the seat of intentionality resides in heart. The breath of g-d, Nefesh, the soul, powers us. The soul doesn’t reside in the mind, that’s for sure. So, a mind uncoupled from the heart cannot fully meet g-d as He created humans to do — such a person no longer cleaves to the Divine.
In Derashot Haran, fourteenth century Talmudist and Halachist R' Nissim ben Ruvein (Ran) wrote that, one who, in his mind, does not cleave to the Blessed One, even when he thinks that he is serving Him, he is rebelling against Him. This is the intent of the prophet (Isaiah 29:13). So, the Ran commentary warns us that, when we enter into rebellion against the Divine when we become uncoupled Him. This seems reminiscent of other commentaries we’ve mentioned that describe using g-d for our self-glorification.
In Shemonah Kevatzim Rav Kook wrote, when actions remain “commandment of men learned by rote” (Isaiah 29:13), not only are they unhelpful, but they will diminish the idea even more. Rav Kook makes a valid point, that when we go through the motions of worship we debase the idea of G-d himself. Again, this harkens back to what the Rambam and the Ran wrote about not cleaving to G-d and in our abandonment of Him, entering into rebellion against Him, subtle though it may appear.
The Bal Shem Tov wrote about the distinction between thinking we love G-d and actually loving Him with our heart, with a g-d fearing approach to living life, especially to worship. Rebbe Nachman wrote about the soul growing weary when distant from its mother. He also wrote about the commandment to love and serve G-d with all of your heart: prayer in the heart is the aspect of revealing His Kingship within the Vacated Space, within the attributes, within the worlds, wrote Rebbe Nachman in Likutei Moharan. The Rebbe reminds us that repentance helps us draw closer to G-d. In the Tanya, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi wrote, one cannot truly act for His Name … just to carry out His will, without recalling and arousing any love or fear for Him in his mind and thought and the latency of his heart, at least.
Returning to Our Matthew Passage
Reader, let’s return to the Matthew passage that started this journey. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you … 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.”
So, first of all, recall from Matthew 5:17-18 that Jesus expressly said He did not intend to negate or abolish the law. So He wasn’t delegitimising kosher and related laws. What Jesus did intend was to remind people of the purpose of these laws — to love g-d with all our heart — and to remind people to serve g-d with lips that have a connection to the heart. The question asked of Jesus referred to His disciples breaking the elders’ tradition. His response referred to breaking g-d’s law for the sake of elders’ tradition. So, that’s what Isaiah wrote about in 29:13-14. Recall from the commentary, love one another, and honor one another, and … have awe for one another.
This seems like a good time to bring in the Matthew 9:17 passage about the wineskin. In this passage Jesus riffs off of the Mishnah (see Pirkei Avot 4:20) about wineskin, only with a Jesus twist. Taking in a new way of thinking and praxis requires reframing. In order to look at a new concept, we must open ourselves up to receiving new information. So, the old mindset of Pharisaical thinking cannot hold the new wine of Yeshua’s teachings and His ministry. Think of it as you would the process of building a house. A house needs a foundation, we cannot erect the house without a solid foundation. However the foundation is not the residence, it’s the beginning of constructing a residence.
So let’s tie this all together. When we worship, ideally our lips move in response to a heart that’s cleaving to g-d. We defile ourselves when we move our lips in response to the Yetzer Hara, the imagination of the human heart that wants to defy g-d, replace Him, and do its own will. When we think we are doing good, when we have sold ourselves the lie that we can serve g-d whilst we self-aggrandise, whilst we dishonour and mistreat our fellow humans—that’s when we defile ourselves. More than failing to wash our hands, more than failing to fast, more than failing to follow the will of self glorifying religious leaders and teachers, uncoupling our heart from g-d, uncoupling our mind from the seat of intention and the Vacated Space of godliness represents the most egregious act of rebellion against and defiance of g-d.
G-d made us from the clay of the earth and brought us to life with His breath. He gave us Free Will. He gave us this life to choose Him or not choose Him. Given the plethora of worldly bling that surrounds us and tempts us, given all the attractive and alluring options we have before us, choosing G-d represents a shining light.
To follow g-d requires an inward intention reflected by outward action. A faith-based life has an inside and it has an outside and these two must align in order to love g-d with all of our heart, and worship him with all of our bones.
Every sin begins with a thought that should have been rejected.
The mind is the battlefield, and the heart is the pivot.
Note: for ease here I’ve omitted the nikkud in the Hebrew.