The Grands Letter (GLJ)
Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D. on February 4, 2018 8:24 am (CST)Dear Grands,
Matthew 15:2, 10-11, 17-20, “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
10 And after He called the multitude to Him, He said to them, “Hear, and understand. 11 “Not what enters into the mouth defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”
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.”
The words of my dear mother still ring in my mind: “Go wash your hands and
get ready for supper! It’s almost ready.” What I did not fully understand then,
I know today: germs get on the hands, and left unwashed, they are transferred into the body and often cause great difficulty. But when Jesus spoke of defiling,
He was not talking about germs. He was talking about going against an ancient
custom that had been handed down for generations. His concern was greater
than customs. He emphasized what came out of the mouth more than what
went into it, because what comes out of the mouth originates in the heart. The
list of evil that Christ notes in verses 19 and 20, are often things in which people engage because they don’t want to appear different from their “friends.” Only recently, I heard someone say what I believe all people, young and old, need to
hear and adopt: “We’re not supposed to ‘fit in’; we’re supposed to ‘stand out.’” The big question is: Are we standing out as true believers or merely fitting in so
no one will notice? Be courageous! Be outstanding! God bless you!
We will always love you; and we pray for you daily,
Nana & Dado III
Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas
“We never know that God is all we need
until He becomes all that we have.”
