"If a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit."

Matthew 15:1-28 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ² “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” ³ And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴ For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.’ ⁵ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” ⁶ he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. ⁷ You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:

⁸ ‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
⁹ ‘But in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’”

¹⁰ After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand. ¹¹ It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”

¹² Then the disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?” ¹³ But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. ¹⁴ Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

¹⁵ Peter said to Him, “Explain the parable to us.” ¹⁶ Jesus said, “Are you still lacking in understanding also? ¹⁷ Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? ¹⁸ But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. ²⁰ These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

²¹ Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.” ²³ But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.” ²⁴ But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” ²⁵ But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” ²⁶ And He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” ²⁷ But she said, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” ²⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at once.

Unbelievers today love to point out that Jesus often disagreed with and criticized the religious people and leaders of His day. It is not that Jesus had anything against the Jewish faith or faithful, He himself was a Jew and practiced the Jewish faith. What Jesus opposed was the hypocrisy of many of the religious elite, those who had gained positions of wealth and power through their position in the church and those who held more to the traditions and regulations of men than to God. Jesus was more critical of the religious leaders because they of all people should have recognized who He was. They studied the scriptures, they knew the prophecies of the coming Messiah, yet they failed to recognized Him because they were focused on tradition and their own positions and power.

If Jesus were here today I am sure He would again be hard on religious people, particularly those whose emphasis on traditions and man-made rules and regulations hindered their relationship with God.  1 Peter 4:12-19 says: 

¹² Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; ¹³ but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. ¹⁴ If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.  On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. ¹⁵ But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. ¹⁶ Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.     ¹⁷ For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? ¹⁸ Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?” ¹⁹ Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

Judgment begins with those who are part of the house of God, not to exclude them, not to make them worse than the unbeliever, but rather to purify them, to build their faith.  James 1:2-4 says:   My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.       We go through these trials and difficulties now so that we will not be judged as unrighteous at the final judgment. Romans 8:28-29 says:  And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren     All the trials and difficulties we endure are not so that we suffer. They are so that we are made like Him, conformed to His image. Christ no longer suffers. He lives and reigns and rules with the Father.

If Jesus were here today His criticism of religious people would not be to condemn them but rather to call them to repentance. To call them back to Himself and the relationship with the Father He provided through the cross. To call the church back to its place of dominion and authority in spiritual rule of the world, to fulfill the commission He gave to the church saying:

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

He said we should do it and He would be with us, if He were here with us He would call us to do it.

The biggest difference between then, when Jesus was here and now when we are commissioned is that He, as the text says:  “was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  We are on the other hand to:  “make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”        We are though, to make them disciples of Christ, not of any man, not of any denomination, not subject to the rules and traditions of man’s religion, but rather followers of Christ, worshippers of God the Father, baptized in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Judgment begins with the house of God but it doesn’t end there. Jesus says: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.(John 14:6)

It is not the place of the church to judge the world nor the world to judge the church. Romans 14:10-11 says:    But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11For it is written, "AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD."     Philippians 2:10-11 says:  at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Thank You, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. To You be all glory forever. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.   Amen.