Those who Worship God in Vain.
[Matthew 15:1-20]
God willing to respond to your prayers and bless you and your beloved family members, would you not worship God with gratitude? Especially when you or your loved ones are suffering from illness, facing a critical moment of life and death, if God answers your earnest prayers, heals the disease, and grants life, wouldn't you worship God in thanksgiving? However, if God does not answer your prayers as expected and your loved ones die from the illness, would you still be able to worship God? Do you think it is possible?
Looking at Job 1:20, we can see that it is possible: "Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped." Job, described as "blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil" (Job 1:1), lost all his ten children and possessions, yet he rose, worshiped, tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell to the ground in worship. Not only Job but also David, after fasting and praying for the recovery of his son born from Bathsheba (2 Sam. 12:15), worshiped God when the child died (v. 19). David got up from the ground, washed, anointed himself, changed his clothes, went into the house of the Lord, and worshiped (v. 20). This is true faith. This is what we, as Christians saved by the amazing grace of God through Jesus, should do: worship God. Jesus said in John 4:23-24, "The hour is coming, and is now here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
In today's passage, Matthew 15:9, the second half of the verse, the Bible says: "... in vain do they worship me." I would like to consider today, under the title "Those who Worship God in Vain," who are the ones worshiping God in vain in three aspects.
First, those who worship God in vain are legalists and hypocrites.
Look at Matthew 15:1 - "Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said." The Pharisees and scribes mentioned in today's passage were religious leaders of that time who received strong rebukes from Jesus, such as calling them "brood of vipers, offspring of snakes" (23:33). Even the tax collectors and sinners, considered as such at that time, were not rebuked by Jesus, but why did Jesus strongly rebuke the Pharisees and scribes? The reason is that they were legalists. Who were the legalists? They were those who believed in salvation not through faith in Jesus but through their deeds. Therefore, they emphasized three things: keeping the law of Moses, circumcision, and the tradition of the elders. Although the Bible clearly states that we are not saved by our works (Tit. 3:5) but through faith in Jesus (Eph. 2:8), the Pharisees and scribes, who were legalists, diligently adhered to the law of Moses, circumcision, and the tradition of the elders. However, their zeal was not based on correct knowledge (Rom. 10:2). Jesus strongly rebuked them, calling them "brood of vipers, offspring of snakes." Why did Jesus rebuke them so severely? The reason lies in their hypocrisy. Look at Matthew 15:7 - "Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said." This statement quotes Isaiah 29:13, and Jesus refers to the Pharisees and scribes as "hypocrites." Why did Jesus call them hypocrites? The reason is clearly stated in Matthew 15:8-9, "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." The hypocrites, the Pharisees, and scribes honored God with their lips but their hearts were far from God. In other words, they worshiped God in vain.
Jesus addressed the hypocrites who worship God in vain, emphasizing their empty actions and love for praise from others. In Matthew 23, He repeated this message seven times. Two key points illustrate this:
- Hypocrites talk but don't act (Mt. 23:3).
Jesus warned not to imitate their actions because even though their words were wrong, their deeds were not entirely evil. Today, there are individuals in the church who, though speaking correctly, live contrary to their words. They come to worship on Sundays, offering lip service to God, yet their lives don't reflect true worship. Jesus condemns such hypocrisy, saying, "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me" (15:8).
- Hypocrites seek praise and exaltation from others (23:5-7).
The Pharisees and scribes loved the uppermost seats at feasts, the chief places in the synagogues (v. 6), and being greeted in the marketplaces (v. 7a). They enjoyed being called "Rabbi" (Teacher) by people (v. 7b). Their actions were done to be seen by others (v. 5). Consequently, the Pharisees and scribes sought glory from people even when giving alms (6:2). They also liked to pray standing in the synagogues and at the street corners to be seen by others (v. 5). Even today, those who practice hypocrisy like the Pharisees and scribes pray and serve to be seen by people. Those who seek praise and admiration from others, like the Pharisees and scribes, are stealing glory instead of giving it to God. This is a form of empty worship before God.
We must abandon hypocrisy, appearing righteous outwardly while lacking true worship inwardly (1 Pet. 2:1). If there is hypocrisy within us, we must discard it (Mt. 23:28). We should no longer come before the Lord and worship God with only our lips. We must worship God with all our hearts and sincerity.
Second, those who worship God in vain are people who consider human traditions
more important than God's commandments.
Look at Matthew 15:3 - "He answered them, 'And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?'" What was the tradition of the elders that the Pharisees and scribes emphasized? In Matthew 15:2, we see that the tradition they valued was washing hands before eating bread. Mark provides a more detailed explanation in Mark 7:3-4: "For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels." The tradition that the hypocritical Pharisees and scribes valued included washing hands before eating, washing when coming from the marketplace, and various other practices, none of which are teachings from the Scriptures. According to Josephus, a historian of Jewish descent, the Pharisees inherited many rules not recorded in Moses' law (Park). However, Jesus' disciples did not follow these traditions, as observed by the Pharisees and scribes when they saw the disciples eating without washing their hands (Mt. 15:2; Mk. 7:2). So, they approached Jesus and asked, "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat" (Mt. 15:2). For them, unwashed hands meant unclean hands (Mk. 7:2). Therefore, in Mark 7:5, the Pharisees and scribes questioned Jesus, saying, "Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders but eat with defiled hands?" At that moment, Jesus responded to them, saying, "Why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?" (Mt. 15:3). Mark 7:8-9 states: "You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men. And he said to them, 'You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!'" The Pharisees and scribes not only broke God's commandments but completely abandoned them. What commandment did they abandon and break? Look at Matthew 15:4: "For God commanded, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.'" This quote refers to Exodus 20:12 and Exodus 21:17. However, the Pharisees and scribes broke this commandment. How did they break it? By declaring that whatever should be given to their parents is a gift devoted to God (Corban) and, therefore, exempt from supporting their parents (Mk. 7:11-12). Rabbis taught that if anyone vowed to give their possessions to the temple and used this vow to avoid fulfilling their responsibility to financially support their parents, it was a clear tactic to evade the duty of parental support (Park). This was an outright attempt to shirk parental obligations, a sin of appalling magnitude, and a great evil that exploited the sacred name of serving God (Park).
Now, are we Christians committing such sins against God? Certainly, 1 Timothy 5:4 says, "But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God." Could it be that, under the pretext of serving the Lord, we are not showing godliness in our own homes, failing to make a return to our parents? Furthermore, 1 Timothy 5:8 states, "But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." Are we neglecting our families, using the excuse of dedicating ourselves to the Lord? If we do not care for our families and fail to show godliness towards our parents, while presenting ourselves before the Lord to worship on Sundays, we are currently worshiping God in vain. If we live by human traditions or rules made by people, rather than God's commandments, and yet claim to worship God, we are currently worshiping God in vain. If we lead a religious life based on human traditions or rules during the week, violating God's commandments, and then come to worship God on Sundays, we are currently worshiping God in vain. If we profess to honor an unseen God with our lips but do not honor our visible flesh-and-blood parents, we are currently worshiping God in vain. We must not worship God in vain. We must worship God rightly. To worship God rightly, we must obey His commandments. We must obey the command to honor our parents while worshiping God.
Third and last, those who worship God in vain are people with defiled hearts.
Today, look at Matthew 15:11 and 18: "It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person. … But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person." Does what goes into the mouth defile a person, or is it what comes out of the mouth? In Matthew 15:11, Jesus says that it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person. What does this mean? It means that external things, such as not washing hands before eating, cannot morally or religiously defile a person (Park). Why did Jesus say this? It's because the Pharisees thought that if Jesus' disciples ate without washing their hands, the food would morally defile them (Park). So Jesus said that whatever goes into the mouth cannot defile a person (Mk. 7:18), and in Mark 7:19, He explained the reason: "since it enters not his heart but his stomach and is expelled." Jesus emphasized that all foods are clean. Instead, Jesus says that what comes out of the mouth defiles a person. Why is that? It's because what comes out of the mouth originates from the heart, and if the heart is unclean, the words spoken will be unclean. What kind of heart is unclean? If we summarize Matthew 15:19 and a similar passage, Mark 7:21-22, it includes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, arrogance, and folly. "All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person" (Mk. 7:23), Jesus said. Then, in Matthew 15:20, Jesus said, "These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone." What does this mean? From the Pharisees and scribes' legalistic and hypocritical perspective, Jesus' disciples eating with unwashed hands (unclean hands) seemed to defile them morally. However, Jesus emphasized that eating with unwashed hands does not defile anyone; rather, what comes out of the mouth, all the evil things from the heart, defiles a person. Here, we see a difference in perspective between Jesus and the Pharisees and scribes. Jesus focuses on the heart of a person, while the Pharisees and scribes focus on the outward appearance of a person. Therefore, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and scribes, saying:
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup
and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence" (Matthew 23:25),
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs,
which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and
everything unclean" (v. 27),
"In the same way, on the outside, you appear to people as righteous but, on the inside,
you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness" (v. 28).
We should dedicate ourselves to cleansing our hearts, which God sees, rather than focusing on maintaining a clean appearance visible to people. The reason is that God does not judge solely based on outward appearances, but He looks at the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). Therefore, to dedicate our hearts, meaning our inner selves, to God, we need to listen to His word and gain wisdom to guide our hearts in the right direction (Prov. 23:19). Obtaining the wisdom that reveres God is essential to lead our hearts on the right path (v. 17). Without this, we may end up like the hypocritical Pharisees, appearing devoted in religious practices outwardly but committing sins in the love of money and greed within our hearts (Lk. 16:14). Thus, our first and foremost task should be diligently listening to the words of our Heavenly Father (Prov. 4:10-11). We must treasure His words in our hearts and diligently keep and obey them (v. 4). By doing so, we can guide our hearts on the right path. Additionally, we need to obey the truth of God's word. Consider 1 Peter 1:22 - "Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart." We must purify our souls by obeying the truth. Therefore, I wish for you and me to be worshippers of God with clean hearts, dedicated to His truth.
Those who worship God in vain are legalists, hypocrites, and those who prioritize human traditions over God's commandments. Moreover, they are individuals with impure hearts. We must not be among those who worship God in vain; instead, we should be true worshippers of God. We should abandon all hypocrisy and worship God with all our hearts and sincerity. Additionally, we must obey God's commandments while worshiping Him. We should be worshippers with clean hearts, offering glory to God.