Ignore the Plants

ALL – Psalm 19:1-14
ALL – Proverbs 4:14-19
OT – Genesis 46:1-47:31
NT – Matthew 15:1-28

Some people like offending others.

I don’t. I hate offending people. I feel awful. I see myself as a people pleaser. The only reason I’m not purely a people pleaser is that I sometimes feel like it’s necessary to confront people with God’s lovingly-intended truth. Even then I sometimes am tempted to worry about what people will think of me. And all because I hate to offend people.

Especially religious people. Especially Christian religious people who work really hard to do what’s right and seem to have a good grasp of the truths of the Scriptures. But sometimes I find that a seemingly respectable member of the Christian faith constantly turns the Scriptures into rules that aren’t really there. I don’t know why something feels off at first—usually, anyways. But eventually a time comes along when this person’s rules clearly clash with the Scripture’s commands. And even if I say so in the most inoffensive way I know, I take the risk of offending another person, whether I like it or not.

The goal should never be to offend, just to be clear. The goal, ideally, is to guide everyone via the truth to faith in Christ Jesus and in His Father. But sometimes the truth is offensive, especially to people who have made a lifestyle of portraying their opinions as truth (and yes, I’m aware of the danger that I could be and probably am sometimes one of those people).

Jesus spoke the truth. And sometimes it offended people. One time His disciples approached Him, concerned about how He had offended the Pharisees by confronting their neglect of God’s commands. What did Jesus think about offending people who were spreading falsehoods and not obeying the truth?

Jesus replied, “Every plant not planted by my Father shall be rooted up, so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and both will fall into a ditch.” – Matthew 15:13-14, The Living Bible

Wow. Ignore them. Jesus didn’t seem to be too concerned. This is the Jesus who never sinned, the Jesus whose self-sacrifice provides the model for love, whose impromptu foot-washing ceremony provides the model for service. This is the Jesus who claims to be “gentle and humble in heart” (Matt. 11:29). You would think that Jesus would be at least somewhat concerned about offending the Pharisees.

But He wasn’t.

Jesus was concerned with leading people to His Father. The Pharisees were just concerned with leading people. And Jesus could see from their teachings and behaviors that His Father had not planted them. They were denying the truth with both their words and their actions, promoting their own words and actions as truth instead. Jesus spoke the truth unapologetically, and He let the chips fall where they may. His Father would deal with the Pharisees at the appropriate time.

May we people-pleasing people follow Jesus’ example. May we first make sure that we know the truth, listening intently and obeying constantly. But when we know the truth, may we learn to speak it unapologetically, even if it offends. The offended persons may never change, but perhaps we can lead others away from their falsehoods.

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