Matthew 15:15-20: a reflection

When Peter asks Jesus to explain his teaching about what defiles a person, Jesus makes clear that defilement comes not from external things but from within, from the heart. The things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, Jesus says, and they defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies. Jesus locates the source of defilement not in external things, like eating with unwashed hands, but in the heart, from which evil thoughts and deeds proceed. It is what comes out of the heart that truly defiles us, for the heart is the source. This shows that defilement comes from within, from the heart, which is the source of sin. Defilement comes from within, from the heart. The heart is the source of sin; what comes out of it defiles. It is not external things but the heart that truly defiles. Guard and cleanse the heart, the source of what defiles.

Notice where Jesus locates the source of defilement: in the heart. The people of his day were much concerned with external defilement, with ritual washing, with what went into the body; but Jesus points them to the real source of moral defilement, which is not external but internal, the heart. What truly defiles a person is not eating with unwashed hands, but what comes out of the heart: evil thoughts, and the sins that flow from them. The heart is the source, the wellspring, from which our words and deeds, good or evil, proceed. This is an important truth for us. We can focus on external things, on outward behavior, on avoiding certain external defilements, while neglecting the heart, which is the real source of sin. But if the heart is corrupt, corrupt things will flow from it, however clean the outside; and cleaning the outside while leaving the heart uncleansed does not deal with the source. The remedy for sin, then, is not merely to manage external behavior, but to seek the cleansing of the heart, the source. We cannot cleanse our own hearts; but we can bring them to God, asking him to create in us a clean heart, to cleanse the source from which our words and deeds flow. We do well to attend to the heart, the source, seeking its cleansing, rather than only the outward behavior. Attend to the heart, the source of sin, seeking its cleansing. What flows from a corrupt heart defiles; the heart must be cleansed. Do not clean only the outside while leaving the heart uncleansed. Bring your heart to God, asking him to cleanse its source.

That is worth taking to heart, for defilement comes from the heart, the source of sin, so that we do well to seek the cleansing of the heart rather than only managing outward behavior. We can focus on external things and outward behavior while neglecting the heart; but Jesus said that what defiles comes from within, from the heart, the source of evil thoughts and deeds. The heart is the source. Do not attend only to outward behavior while leaving the heart uncleansed; seek the cleansing of your heart, the source, bringing it to God. Attend to your heart, the source of sin, seeking its cleansing rather than only managing outward behavior, as Jesus, when Peter asked him to explain his teaching about what defiles, made clear that defilement comes not from external things but from within, from the heart, saying that the things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart and defile the man, for out of the heart come evil thoughts and the sins that flow from them; for Jesus locates the source of moral defilement not in external things like eating with unwashed hands but in the heart, from which our words and deeds, good or evil, proceed, which is an important truth for us, since we can focus on external things and outward behavior, on avoiding certain external defilements, while neglecting the heart, which is the real source of sin, but if the heart is corrupt, corrupt things will flow from it however clean the outside, and cleaning the outside while leaving the heart uncleansed does not deal with the source, so that the remedy for sin is not merely to manage external behavior but to seek the cleansing of the heart, and though we cannot cleanse our own hearts, we can bring them to God, asking him to create in us a clean heart and cleanse the source from which our words and deeds flow, so that we do well to attend to the heart rather than only the outward behavior.