10 When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.” 12 Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” (Matthew 15:10-12)
One insults Jesus by saying His word cannot be understood. Sometimes, when one is offended by the word of God, he tries to deflect the force of truth by saying, “that’s just your interpretation”. That leaves the impression that God’s word is open to multiple meanings on any given topic. Thus, we cannot “hear and understand” the word of God; the best we can do is have our own interpretation of His word. That is very wrong. (How would you feel if someone said your word is open to many different interpretations?) When the Pharisees heard Jesus teach they understood Him. They were offended by His teaching (see Matt. 15:1-9). We are commanded to “not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:17). Instead of being offended by God’s word, believe it, obey it and be set free from sin (Jno. 8:32).
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