John 6:22-71, Mark 7:1-23, Matthew 15:1-20 (Link)
Jesus cautions the people to work for eternal goals, not fleeting whims. What good is financial accomplishments in the next life? So what if you reach the top of the chain at work? When asked why God should accept you for all of eternity, will you talk about how you climbed the corporate ladder? Jesus bought your admission into glory. Any other goal is futile.
The Jews all understood that eating certain foods would make you unclean. This had been ingrained into the society for over a thousand years! Now Jesus is saying that it isn’t what you put into you that makes you unclean but instead what comes out of you is what makes you unclean. I don’t know about you, but I need help with this. I pray for my own shortcomings frequently and I trust in the forgiveness from Jesus. There is nothing you can do from the outside to be truly clean. Jesus does it from the inside.
