Faith Daily Lectio Tuesday, October 20, 2026 Gospel
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 · Tuesday in the week of the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 24)
Gospel
Oratio (prayer)
Lord Jesus, You look past our hands to our hearts. Send Your Holy Spirit as I read Matthew 15, that I may hear Your Word above every tradition of men and receive the clean heart You give. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Meditatio (meditation)
Matthew 15:1-20
1Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
2Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
3But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
4For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
5But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
6And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
7Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
8This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
10 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:
11Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
12Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?
13But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
14Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
15Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.
16And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?
17Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
18But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
19For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
20These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.
Consider even rereading in another translation.
You could also consider listening to this chapter, narrated:
KJV (Max McLean) · ESV (Max McLean) · NIV (dramatized)
You might read the whole reading slowly, aloud, more than once.
Consider this verse, for example:
“This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” (Matthew 15:8)
What other lines speak to you?
Scribes and Pharisees come from Jerusalem to accuse the disciples of eating with unwashed hands. Jesus answers that they have set aside God's commandment to honor father and mother for the sake of their own tradition. Then He calls the multitude and teaches that what defiles a person comes not from the plate but from the heart.
The Law Jesus quotes Isaiah against careful, religious people: "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me" (v. 8). We can keep every outward custom and still hold our hearts back from God. And Jesus does not let us blame what is outside us: "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies" (v. 19). No washing of hands can reach that.
The Gospel What we cannot wash, Jesus cleanses. He shed His own blood for hearts like ours, and in Baptism He washed you and made you His own. The God who said "Honour thy father and mother" (v. 4) sent His Son to keep that commandment perfectly in your place. His word, not our tradition, makes us clean, and He speaks that word to you today.
Prayer Lord Jesus, I confess that I have honored You with my lips while my heart was far from You. Forgive me. Create in me a clean heart, wash me in Your mercy, and keep me in Your Word. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Tentatio (trial)
It can be painful to see what comes out of our own hearts in an unguarded moment: a sharp word, a bitter thought. The disciples did not understand at first either, and Peter had to ask, "Declare unto us this parable" (v. 15). Under trial it may help to bring our questions to Jesus as Peter did, and to trust that the One who knows our hearts best is the One who died to cleanse them.
Prayer Lord Jesus, when I see the evil in my own heart, do not let me despair. Teach me Your Word, cleanse me again by Your mercy, and keep my heart near to You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.
My church home: Peace Lutheran Church, McMurray, PA. Looking for a church? See About Daily Lectio.
