They were Offended #2026

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?” 13 But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.” (Matthew 15:10–14, NKJV)

The truth of the gospel offends certain people. Not because it is a harmful message, but because they do not approve of it. Gospel truth exposes sin, and we don’t like to look at ourselves the way God sees us. The Pharisees were spiritual hypocrites, and Jesus called them out, exposing their sin against the commandments of God (Matt. 15:1-10). The disciples reacted to the confrontational nature of truth by trying to moderate Jesus and His message. But, Jesus would have none of that. He explained there are “plants” (like the Pharisees and their teachings) that are 1) Not from the Father, 2) Blind guides of the blind, and 3) Headed for the ditch. When the truth offends us, we are the ones who need correction (not the truth). Like the multitude Jesus taught, we must “hear and understand” that sin’s defilement starts in the heart. That is what we must change first (Matt. 15:15-20).

Hear and Understand #466

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).