Let’s start by looking at the OFFENDED PHARISEES once again.
“Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?” I wonder how the disciples were feeling about this, and how they asked their question. Had they gotten over the awe that so many Jews had before the elite Pharisees? Was the question asked in fear? “Oh, no, do you realize that the Pharisees are mad at you?” Or was there a bit of joyfulness in the question? “Wow, Lord, you sure knocked the stuffing out of them that time, and they are really, really angry.” Or was this just a simple question – “Lord, did you know?”
Do you remember the blind man whom the Lord healed in John 9? He is a joy. After his cure, he was brought before the Pharisees, and they tried their best to intimidate him. But he refused to bow before them. “Tell us how you were healed!” And he told them. They said, “Give God the praise; we know that this man (Jesus) is a sinner.” “He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.” After a break, the Pharisees then demanded that he tell them again what it was that Jesus did to heal him. “He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples?” Do I hear a little sarcasm in his voice? “Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses’ disciples.” It’s a wonder that they didn’t cut off his head at that very moment. In the midst of that interrogation, the blind man’s parents were brought before those same Pharisees. They were very different than their son in the presence of those mighty and powerful Pharisees. I can’t say that they cowered before them. But they feared the Pharisees lest they should be excommunicated and driven out of the temple. In other words, in their confusion and ignorance, they feared the loss of their salvation as though it was in the power of those men to kick them out of Heaven. It was common for the people of Israel to be frightened of the wrath of the Pharisees.
“Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?” If you or I were there that day, we might have asked the same question – “Did you know?” But as well-trained Baptist theologues today, you know that Christ already knew. We know that Christ was smart enough to read the signs; He could see it in the faces of His enemy. But we also believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God; He is God the Son. Christ possessed all the attributes of deity. Only when it was the specific will of the Father that Christ not know something that He didn’t know it. One specific example, during His earthly ministry, was the time of the Lord’s Second Coming. Of course Christ knew that the Pharisees were scandalized. But the Lord Jesus wasn’t the least bit concerned about that.
How offended were the Pharisees? Had they been embarrassed by Christ in front of the crowd? Yes, and that must have stung. Were they irritated? At the very least. Were they angry? Undoubtedly Were they furious? Quite possibly. Were they ready to return to Jerusalem looking for a warrant to arrest and execute Christ? Very likely.
The Lord replied to the disciples’ question by referring to FOREIGN WEEDS.
“But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.” In my research I saw that some preachers make these plants refer to the doctrines of the Pharisees. They make this apply to those traditions about washing hands and not washing hands, for example. There is not one heresy taught in the world which will not one day be plucked up by the roots and tossed into the fire. I also saw in one outline that someone applied our Lord’s statement to some of the practices and ceremonies of the Pharisees, false churches and modern cults. Again, there is no doubt that such things as infant baptism, the sacrifice of the mass, and the secrets of the Mormon temple will be pulled up like dandelions. Last week, I made reference to the Mormon’s sacred underwear. I didn’t see anyone roll their eyes at me – as if I made that up. I don’t know if anyone snickered or if everyone believed me, but believe me you should. Last week Jackie and Darren were visiting some of Darren’s Mormon relatives and they took lots of pictures. Monday, I saw a picture of two young men of the family lounging around on a couch, and their sacred underwear extended down below their long basketball-type shorts. Some of you might not believe some of the traditions and rites of this so-called Christian denomination, but they are there.
Christ Jesus “answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.” I personally think that the Lord was not talking about doctrines or ceremonies, but the Pharisees themselves. The Lord wasn’t directly tying this statement into His earlier parable about the seeds and the soils, but He could have. While the sower is scattering the precious seed of the gospel, and there are tiny seedlings growing for the Lord, there are also tares and other types of weeds in those fields. And as Christ told us in regard to that parable and the others in Matthew 13, those weeds will be removed in the last day. They not only will be removed, but they shall be judged and burned. “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” “As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” “So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
In Matthew 15 Our Lord didn’t need to say much more about those weeds or their end.
But in a round about way, He did say a little more when He spoke of THE BLIND FARMERS.
“Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” As Christians, we can’t stick our heads in the sand and forget that heresies and heretics exist. There are times and places when it is a part of our duty to point – and shout and warn. “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” Jude 1:3 is more of a positive command than a negative one, but there are those occasions when it is important that evil be exposed and attacked.
But here in Matthew 15, isn’t the Lord telling His disciples and telling us not to be overly concerned? “Let them alone.” There are a great many preachers who would disagree with me about this. But I believe that my primary purpose is not to spend my time attacking all the spiritual weeds in the world. I don’t know, but there may be a million heresies and false doctrines out there. I don’t have time to address them all. I believe that my mandate is to teach the whole counsel of God. If we all have our feet firmly planted in the truth, then at least as far our own hearts are concerned, the weeds can grow until the Lord sends His angels to pluck them up. That doesn’t mean that I might not laugh at unholy holey underwear from time to time. And it doesn’t mean that I won’t openly attack the heresy of infant baptism, or any of the others. But I’m not convinced that these things are my primary commission.
But the fact remains there are blind men falling into ditches today. And all of us at one point were among them – at the lip of the pit and even on the brink of Hell. It is a part of our commission to warn both the blind followers and even the blind leaders that there is a ditch ahead of them. “But the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, (rather) mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.” The weapons of our warfare are not swords and rifles, or even trowels and weeding forks. Our tools are the scriptures empowered by the Holy Spirit.
“Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind.” I had a stamp-collecting friend who had a serious case of macular degeneration – He was legally blind. We would often joke about him driving me to our meetings. At the restaurant I would have to read the menu to him. But at home he had the largest television known to man, and he could follow the stories. And he had a machine about the size of two microwave ovens, into which he could put some of his stamps and a screen could let him see a highly magnified version. What I am saying is that even this blind man could be made to see a few things.
Yes, those Pharisees were blind leaders, leading blind men into the ditch of Hell. But wasn’t Nicodemus one of those Pharisees; and wasn’t he eventually given grace to see the truth? Yes, there comes a point when it is a waste of time to try to make the blind man see. But until we reach that point, we need to do whatever we can to shine the One who is the Light of World onto their hearts.