Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “Listen,” he said, “and try to understand. It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”
~Matthew 15:10-11
Ever know anyone who thought they were better than everyone else? Nah, me neither. Arrogant people don't exist except in nightmares, right?
During Jesus' time, the Pharisees (church leaders) had become very arrogant because they claimed that they followed every single law. There were laws on giving 10% to the church, so the Pharisees gave 10% of EVERYTHING to the church (from things they grew in their gardens, to the herbs they were given, to the clothing they were given, to the food they were given as well as their wages).
There were laws regarding keeping the Sabbath holy and doing no work. So the Pharisees made sure they walked no more than the permitted number of steps, carried no more than the permitted weight, and did nothing beyond the permitted activities on the Sabbath. They would even go so far as to not help an injured person because to do so would break the rules of the Sabbath.
There were rules for keeping clean, so they washed themselves frequently and washed everything they owned frequently.
They were very careful to eat only what was allowed by the rules and just as careful to avoid eating anything not on the approved list.
They did all of these things so people would notice them and be impressed by how dedicated and "holy" they were. Then here comes this Jesus guy telling the people that it's not what goes INTO your body that makes you evil, rather it's what comes out of your heart (and consequently out of your mouth) that makes you evil. What Jesus was saying was scandalous to the Proud Pharisees!
Jesus never said that we should go overboard with what we put into our bodies. He just reminded us that following a bunch on inconsequential rules did not make you worthy of God's Love and Mercy!
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