25. Matthew 15:1-39: Conflict, a Parable, a Healing, and another Feeding Conflict (Mt.15:1-9)
Some scribes and Pharisees from the center of officialdom, Jerusalem, come to Jesus with a complaint: “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat.” Jesus counters back: “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? The tradition of the elders was authoritative interpretation of scripture for the people. It was how they were to live as God’s people. Jesus came along claiming to do nothing that would undermine the law, instead he would fulfill every little piece of it (5:17-20). Yet he allows his followers to disregard this washing before eating authoritative teaching. How can he be Messiah? Jesus turns the tables on these teachers and expert in the law by showing that it is they who use their tradition to evade the obligations of the law. How can they be reliable guides for the people? They are, as Jesus puts it: “hypocrites” (v.7; lit. play-actors), citing Isaiah 29:13 in...