Jesus Teaches on Defilement

Jesus now answers the Pharisees' original question by stating that it is not what goes into a person that defiles him but what proceeds out of a person's mouth, since this reveals what is in a person's heart. He further states that the Pharisees are not able to properly interpret the scriptures; they are blind guides.

Arc

editing

Matthew 15:10-20

nasb

After Jesus called the crowd to Him,

He said to them,

“Hear and understand.

a It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man,

but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”

negativepositive

ideaexplanation

series

Then the disciples * came and * said to Him,

“Do You know that the Pharisees were 1 offended when they heard this statement?”

But He answered and said,

“ a Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted.

Let them alone;

a they are blind guides 1 of the blind.

And b if a blind man guides a blind man,

both will fall into a pit.”

conditional

ground

inference

questionanswer

Peter 1 said to Him,

“ a Explain the parable to us.”

1 Jesus said,

“Are you still lacking in understanding also?

Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is 1 eliminated?

But a the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart,

and those defile the man.

a For out of the heart come evil thoughts,

murders,

adulteries,

1 fornications,

thefts,

false witness,

concessive

These are the things which defile the man;

but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

Third class conditional implying potential action.

Rhetorical question: You are also still lacking understanding.

Rhetorical question: Understand that everything that goes into the mouth...

discourse

Phrase

Matthew 15:10-20

A. Defilement Comes Not from Without but from Within

After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them,

“Hear and understand.

It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man,

but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”

B. First Request: What about the Pharisees?

Then the disciples came and said to Him,

“Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?”

C. First Response: They Are Blind Guides

But He answered and said,

“Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted.

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.”

B'. Second Request: Explain the Parable

Peter said to Him,

“Explain the parable to us.”

C'. Second Response: Defilement Originates in the Heart

Jesus said,

“Are you still lacking in understanding also?

Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated?

But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.

A'. Defilement Comes from Within and Not from Without

These are the things which defile the man;

but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

phrasing

Comments

Daddio

Thank you for your pages. I'm still learning.

Question 1: In the Arc, you made 10a to be a Sequence with 10b-11. Could it be Temporal or even a Progression? If so, why did you prefer Sequence?

Question 2: Also in the Arc, because of "Then…" in 12a could 12-14 relate as a Progression to 10-11?

Thank you for what you do. I know you had reasonings for the choices you made. I'm curious.

Adnan

Hi Daddio,

I am glad to share my thoughts here.

Q1: I do not think that Temporal would work because the "after" refers back to verses 1-9 - after Jesus' exchange with the Pharisees. Progression would work here, however I tend to use that only when I feel the author is clearly moving towards a climax. Here I did not see this.

Q2: Here a progression would also work. Again, I do not see the Matthew moving towards a climax. He seems to be more reporting what happened, one step after another. This is my view here. Others may add a progression.

One thing that is important for me is not to be to mechanical or technical in arcing. I try to use arcing to understand what the author is trying to say. Does it help me understand the pericope if I add a progression here? Does it make a big difference in the logical flow? These are some of the questions I would ask.

I hope this helps some. May God bless you as you dive into His precious word.

Blessings,

Adnan

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