The gospel lectionary reading for Trinity 11 in Year A is Matthew 15.[10-20] 21-28. If we take the whole text, there are two episodes which are both commonly misinterpreted.
The first part concerns the dispute between Jesus and the Pharisees about the washing of hands, and his teaching of the disciples about whether ‘unclean’ food pollutes. It has often been read as Jesus setting aside the food laws of Leviticus and Deuteronomy—but in fact that is not the case.
For a full discussion, see the interview with Logan Williams here.
The second half is Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite woman, called the Syro-Phoenician in Mark. Popular reading of this sees Jesus as a racist Jew who doesn’t understand the broader scope of the gospel, and has to learn not to be racist from her.
But attention to the text, and the context of Matthew’s gospel, demonstrates how wrong this reading is. Jesus challenges the woman about her convictions, and to his delight finds her someone of ‘great faith’ in contrast to the ‘little faith’ of the disciples in the previous chapter.
For written commentary on his section, see here.
For the really helpful Grove booklet on Disability and the Christian Story, see here.
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A purely technical question: how can the subtitles be turned off? I find them infuriating. I’ve worked out that the “CC” square button next to the settings cog icon needs clicking to toggle the subtitles on/off. But even when the “off” option is selected, as soon as I start running the video, the subtitles stubbornly re-appear. Any ideas, anyone?
Martin Walker
Hi Martin. I think you’ve said this before.
They are added to the video before uploading. The reason is that I can edit them and make corrections. I cannot do that with YouTube subtitles.
Very few have said anything negative about them—so we will keep monitoring.
thanks
I get two lots of subtitles, one generated by youtube on the fly. This is confusing. Pressing “CC” turns of one set, which is much better.
Subtitles are annoying when a nice table is put up and the subtitles obscure some of the lower part. I want to do a screen grab!
Many thanks, Ian – sorry if I’m repeating myself – I just find them very distracting – especially when they’re wrong!!
‘Nuff said – won’t repeat myself any more.
But must say how grateful I am for all the hard work that you and James put into this act of service for all God’s people – and all preachers in particular – quite exceptional.
Martin
I agree – you should be able to turn them off and stay off. But if that’s not possible, please turn them off each time. For people like me, who do not hear well even with their $6,000 hearing aids, they are the only way we can “hear” and engage with the videos Thank you
‘Please turn them off…because I need them…?’
https://xkcd.com/386/
“Someone is wrong on the Internet”
Thanks!
The “traditions of the elders” is still quite common as denominationalists contend for the Historical foundations of the same. Often those fundamentals are held sacrosanct
AI Overview The “tradition of the elders” in the Bible refers to the oral laws, interpretations, and customs developed by Jewish religious leaders over generations to supplement the written Torah. In the New Testament, this motif represents the critical tension between human religious rules and the direct, life-giving commandments of God
.Key Aspects of the Motif of Oral Torah: Unwritten legal rulings and fence laws created by the Pharisees to protect people from breaking God’s written commands
.External Purity: Ritual behaviours like ceremonial handwashing, and cleansing of cups, pots, and beds
.Divine vs. Human Authority: A sharp contrast highlighted by Jesus, where human customs override or nullify God’s direct commands
. Internal vs. External Defilement: The shifting of focus from physical cleanliness to the condition of the human heart
.Major Biblical References Mark 7:1–13: Jesus rebukes the Pharisees and scribes for letting unwashed hands trigger a conflict, accusing them of setting aside God’s command to preserve human tradition.
Matthew 15:1–20: Jesus expands on the theme, explaining that what defiles a person comes from within (evil thoughts, deceit) rather than what enters through unwashed hands. Galatians 1:14: Paul uses the phrase to describe his own former, zealous life practicing ancestral traditions before his conversion
Jesus counsels to avoid such characters.
The Canaanite Woman considered to be an unclean, defiled vessel however
exhibited a faith from within that Jesus marvelled at that which came out of her. [sic]
Why Jesus responded to her as He did.
Jesus as he often did tests or tries will or motifs in our prayers; in deed the Psalmist
asks God to test him and try him to see if there was any evil way in him[self] and lead me in the way everlasting. PS.139.
Jesus invites us to ask what we will [what our will is really in} and he will answer.
Such is perseverance and urgency in prayer requests, rather than in a casual saying of a prayer.
More so, not a repetition of prayer but an exercising of faith, something that our will, [prevailing purpose} is in.
The woman prevailed with Christ [ a true Israelite, one who prevails with God {Jacob]
She acknowledged her unworthiness [humility] and undeserving of mercy but would be grateful for even some small crumbs.
25 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.[the epistle reading for this Sunday]
Lord teach us to pray. Shalom.
I only recently learnt about the Oral Torah. It is regarded as more than the “traditions of the elders.” Rather, the belief is that these oral interpretations of the written law were given to Moses and handed down orally. Eventually, they were written down in the Mishnah, etc.
This is regarded as being as much Torah as the written text. I just found this quotation from the Talmud (from https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1426382/jewish/Torah.htm):
‘As the Talmud states, “Scriptures, Mishnah, Talmud and Aggadah (anecdotes and parables)—even that which a diligent student is destined to instruct before his teacher—all was already told to Moses at Sinai.” ‘
Allen Ross @
https://bible.org/seriespage/22-jesus-and-traditions-elders-matthew-151-20
Has an interesting paper on Jesus and The Traditions of The Elders (Matthew 15:1-20) then and currently within Christian Church cultures.
David, Chalbad reports that the Mishnah was not equal to the Torah
With Jews being hounded for studying and observing Torah, the academies all but ceased to operate. The Jewish way of life was in severe danger of being forgotten.
It was against this backdrop that a great leader arrived on the scene and compiled the Mishnah, thus preserving Jewish scholarship for all future generations.
Even after being committed to writing, the Oral Torah retained its original name.
The History of the Mishnah
It Was Compiled by Rabbi Yehuda “the Prince”
This remarkable sage was Rabbi Yehuda the Prince, so called since he was the leader of the Jews at the time. He undertook the monumental task of organizing the colossal body of the Oral Law as it existed at that time into a single work that would be easy to memorize and review. This project made the Oral Law widely accessible, allowing it to be studied anywhere and everywhere. Torah study, crucial for Jewish survival, was thus preserved throughout the subsequent centuries of exile, hardships, and persecution.
The Mishnah is an authoritative collection comprising much of the Oral Torah as it existed at the time of its compilation. It is the culmination of 1,500 years of Torah scholarship, beginning with the Giving of the Torah in 2448 (1313 BCE) until the conclusion of the Tannaic Era (see below) in c. 3949 (189 CE).
The Mishnah cites teachings in the name of numerous expounders of Torah scholarship known as Tanna’im (“instructors”). These were the scholars of the great academies of the Land of Israel in the final centuries preceding the Mishnah’s compilation.
With the conclusion of the compilation, the era of the Tanna’im came to an end. Subsequent expositors of Jewish law are known as Amorai’m (“explainers”), the scholars who elaborated on the Mishnah and whose teachings are cited in the next great work of the Oral Law, the Talmud.
Source –
chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/6133834/jewish/10-Mishnah-Facts-Every-Jew-Should-Know.htm
THE Mishnah is a collection of Jewish commentaries “interpreting” the written law.
About Rabbi Yehuda “the Prince”
Judah ha-Nasi or Judah I, known simply as Rebbi or Rabbi, was a second-century rabbi and chief redactor and editor of the Mishnah. He lived from approximately 135 to 217 CE. He was a key leader of the Jewish community in Roman-occupied Judea after the Bar Kokhba Revolt. Wikipedia