“Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”
Deuteronomy 5:16
It seemed to people that Jesus was reinterpreting the law God gave Moses. But God’s will for the Sabbath, for instance, had always been that we should find our rest in Him. Because He is a loving Father, rest would be refreshing, not burdensome. We should delight in God and bless our neighbors when we can. Jesus wasn’t changing anything; He was clarifying it.
This clarification is up to Jesus, not us. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day tried to manipulate the law for their own benefit, and Jesus was not pleased. They made things even worse when their reinterpretation denied care for their own parents, and they claimed instead to be giving to God.
God doesn’t need anything from us, especially not something we would take from another to give Him. We cannot get out of obedience to His will in one area of life by doubling down on another. The Lord wants all of us because Christ died to save all of us, not just the bits and pieces of our lives where we feel the need. A lack of obedience and love shows a lack of gratitude.
This clarification is up to Jesus, not us. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day tried to manipulate the law for their own benefit, and Jesus was not pleased. They made things even worse when their reinterpretation denied care for their own parents, and they claimed instead to be giving to God.
God doesn’t need anything from us, especially not something we would take from another to give Him. We cannot get out of obedience to His will in one area of life by doubling down on another. The Lord wants all of us because Christ died to save all of us, not just the bits and pieces of our lives where we feel the need. A lack of obedience and love shows a lack of gratitude.
Scripture Focus
Matthew 15:4-9
Insight
"Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us." (Hebrews 10:22)
Bible In A Year
- Isaiah 65-66
- Psalm 103
- Acts 27
