Words from the heart
Why ‘why’ you say things is more important than ‘what’ you say
Jesus once asked for those close to him to listen.
I figure we should make a reasonable effort to do so.
Matthew 15:10-11
“Listen,” he said, “and try to understand. It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”
Woah. That may not sound like much but it was.
Still is.
His disciples were aghast that he said this.
They believed, rightly, that His message would offend the religious people of the day, who held with strict dietary discipline as a vital obedience.
That was very real to them.
They thought to eat the wrong thing was the critical choice.
That wasn’t Jesus’ read.
They were worried for the consequences but the disciples still didn’t get it.
Matthew 15:16-20
“Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus asked. “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.”
This was revolutionary.
I think maybe it still is.
’Do we understand?’ is a very real question.
I’m not at all sure we do.
Just as the religious people of His day had their preference for checking boxes and performative display, so do we. I know I deal with it.
Our predisposition - my own personal and somewhat unavoidable predisposition - for checking a list to wind up ‘good’ is a very real thing.
It’s awful hard not to at least wrestle with landing there.
On top of that, the language here gets used, often, by folks today to indict ‘bad words’ as being the main point.
(that’s not the point)
To conclude that would be to choose specific words and concepts concluded by a given cultural moment to be offensive or defiling.
Sounds, essentially.
Specific ones.
As if a sound could be valuative.
…but is that what he said?
(that’s not what he said)
He said, “the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you.“
Not the sounds of your mouth. Why you made them.
Not the syllable you expressed. What your motive was in expressing it.
Jesus points us to the mouth for what it reveals of the heart.
And I think, too often, we’re maybe a bit too busy checking our boxes to see this.
…
How often do we get this wrong?
What if this is less about saying big ugly things or using words of lessor social sophistication and more - entirely - about why we use the words we use?
What if this is what He meant? What if this space - the space of our motives - is the space He was talking about?
Once we get the outright lies, murder, and adultery out of the way… or wait… do we need to?
Isn’t Jesus the man who told us adultery is a thing of the mind and that improperly held anger is murder… and what is more a lie than a false motive?
Is it possible that Jesus meant exactly what he said?
What do you think?
How often was Jesus concerned with how he looked to the nice religious people of his day?
…
I’m not saying coarse language is the way to go. I’m not excusing it nor am I suggesting the embarrassment of the things profanity (usually) references is in any way less real.
But pasting that understanding over what Jesus actually told us here is not just wrong, it is an example of the exact behaviour he was speaking against.
We are to be heart warriors rather than rule followers. And the hearts we are to fight are not those of our neighbors but ourselves.
So I’m not saying drop bombs at the church picnic… but when you hear one, maybe ask why the person said it rather than check a box on your list of their imperfections.
Maybe choose that as a moment to love others as an expression of loving God and recognize you do it too.
Maybe ask yourself about your own honesty.
And maybe when you hear someone offer a compliment that’s anything but… ask yourself, was that ‘real’ profanity?
(I think it was)
…
Which do you think God would prefer?
That we look right to others but are wrong in our hearts, or that we are right in our hearts but unconcerned with how we look to others?
Which one of those sounds more like Jesus?
Which one sounds more like the religious people of today?
Which one sounds more like you?
What do you think?
Do we understand?
All scripture referenced is NLT unless otherwise noted. I prefer NLT for postural discussion as it is both reasonably rigorous while retaining a conversational tone.
For study I strongly encourage the use of original language tools, multiple translations, and rigorous critical thought.
Please remember that when you read the Bible in English you are always reading someone else’s theological interpretation of the text.