Insightful Musings on the Scriptures
by
Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67
Passage: Matthew 15:1-28
Focus: “Then the disciples came to him and asked, ‘Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?’” Matthew 15:12.
Have you noticed that the disciples were not always on the same page with Jesus? We have one such case in the verse quoted above. The disciples were actually filing a kind of complaint with Jesus. May I use my imagination and paraphrase their intent? “Jesus…we were really squirming when you spoke so harshly to the Pharisees. Are you aware that you actually called them ‘hypocrites?’ You know they had to be pretty offended.” Jesus’ implied reply is something like this: “So what!? I came to speak truth, not to make arrogant elitists feel good.”
Here’s another clash of ideas. Peter was representative of the other disciples when he asks Jesus for clarification as to what Jesus really meant when He spoke of what defiles a man. Apparently Peter, like the Pharisees, really thought that the tradition of ceremonial washing was equal with a law of God. To prod Peter into thinking more clearly, Jesus seriously rattled his cage and said, “Are you still so dull?” (15:16). Ouch!
One more mismatch appears in verse 23 of this reading where the disciples are irritated with the Canaanite woman who persisted in begging Jesus to deliver her daughter of demon possession. I don’t really know why Jesus persisted in not answering her for a time…unless it was a kind of test. At this point, however, this woman was more on the same page with Jesus than were His own disciples. After all she had connected some vital dots and addressed Him as “Lord, Son of David”…meaning Messiah. Jesus finally commended her with the words, “Woman, you have great faith. Your request is granted.”
While the disciples give us lots of other evidence that they were not entirely on the same page with Jesus, they were getting there. So are we. So should we.