Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Matthew Chapter 15
Metaphysically Interpreting Matthew 15:1-9
15:1Then there come to Jesus from Jerusalem Pharisees and scribes, saying, 15:2Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. 15:3And he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 15:4For God said, Honor thy father and thy mother: and, He that speaketh evil of father or mother, let him die the death. 15:5But ye say, whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, That wherewith thou mightest have been profited by me is given to God; 15:6he shall not honor his father. And ye have made void the word of God because of your tradition. 15:7Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,
15:8This people honoreth me with their lips;
But their heart is far from me.
15:9But in vain do they worship me,
Teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men.
Metaphysically Interpreting Matthew 15:10-20
15:10And he called to him the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: 15:11Not that which entereth into the mouth defileth the man; but that which proceedeth out of the mouth, this defileth the man. 15:12Then came the disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, when they heard this saying? 15:13But he answered and said, Every plant which my heavenly Father planted not, shall be rooted up. 15:14Let them alone: they are blind guides. And if the blind guide the blind, both shall fall into a pit. 15:15And Peter answered and said unto him, Declare unto us the parable. 15:16And he said, Are ye also even yet without understanding? 15:17Perceive ye not, that whatsoever goeth into the mouth passeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? 15:18But the things which proceed out of the mouth come forth out of the heart; and they defile the man. 15:19For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, railings: 15:20these are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not the man.
FEBRUARY 14, 1965: Matt. 15:1-20
WEEKLY UNITY - The Source of Security
Unity explains this week's International BIBLE LESSON
Which is held in greater reverence, the divine law or manmade tradition? With the personal man, tradition holds the higher place, for back of it is the weight or authority of the race mind, and its hold on the race mind is unquestioned. The spiritual man has reverence for the divine law, not manmade tradition.
Which of the two does the Christ Mind observe? The divine law always. “I came not to destroy {the law or the prophets}, but to fulfill.” Where tradition conflicts with the divine law, Jesus {the Christ} sets aside or disregards tradition. So should we as we follow Him.
Why should we not accept the wisdom of past ages, as handed down in tradition, as a guide to conduct? In following tradition we accept our beliefs and opinions ready-made instead of thinking things through and understanding them originally before accepting them. When we think things through for ourselves our mind lays hold of the formless stuff of divine substance and transforms it. By this thought process, which is the proper function of the mind in us, we discern the truth of the accumulated wisdom of mankind, and are enabled to discard what does not concern us.
Is defilement or infection primarily a physical or a mental phenomenon? It is first of all mental. Where faith in the protection of Divine Mind is absolute and complete, there is no fear and no infection. Perfect faith is the greatest prophylactic.
What evidence have we that tradition is not God-given? The fact that although tradition has the unquestioning acceptance of the race mind while the race believes it, every tradition sooner or later is superseded by something else. For example, the scientific truths of one age become the exploded superstitions of the next, and new so-called scientific truths take their place.
What is “the heart,” as used by Jesus in the text for today? The heart is the inner or emotional nature, which harbors will, desire, and the individual and personal thought.
Where should the chief cleansing of the individual take place? In the inner nature or the heart. We should learn to control our thought processes and think constructively. As we preserve the unity of the Spirit we lose our fear of contagion and become immune to outer contaminating influences. With the thought fixed on the purity and oneness of the Mind of God we become expressions of both purity and unity.
Do we make our life, or is it predestined without our volition? We make it by our habitual thought. Our security is also self-made. As we drill our soul in right principles we are ready to meet any emergency when it comes, with a stout, steadfast heart.
By keeping the ideals of purity and selflessness before me I make the meditations of my heart acceptable to Divine Mind.
The One True Light
It has been said that pictures of Jesus with a halo of light about His head are not fantastic imaginings of the great artists, but that those who knew Him saw the light that He proclaimed, the light that radiated from Him. For Jesus taught the light. He lived the light. He was the light that shone in dark places.— Lucia Kovach
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 10-19-2013
