EGW WritingsMatthew 15
Ellen G. White
Read Matthew 15 in the BibleMatthew 15:1-39
Manuscript Releases, vol. 15 [Nos. 1136-1185]
MR No. 1182—A Caution Against Heavy Investment in Food Manufacture
15MR 321.3
All are to hear the last message of warning. The prophecies in the book of Revelation, chapters 12 to 18, are being fulfilled. In the eighteenth chapter is recorded the very last call to the churches. This call is now to be given. In the nineteenth chapter, the time is pictured when the beast and the false prophet are taken and cast into the lake of fire. The dragon, who was the instigator of the great rebellion against heaven, is bound and cast into the bottomless pit for a thousand years. Then follows the resurrection of the wicked and the final destruction of Satan and all the wicked, and the final triumph and reign of Christ in this earth.From Heaven With Love
Caiaphas Urges Deceit
HLv 522.2
But there were witnesses whom they could not silence. Many had heard of the soldiers’ testimony to Christ’s resurrection. And certain of the dead who came forth with Christ appeared to many and declared that He had risen. The priests and rulers were in continual dread, lest in walking the streets or within the privacy of their own homes, they should come face to face with Christ. Bolts and bars were but poor protection against the Son of God. By day and by night that awful scene when they had cried, “His blood be on us, and on our children,” was before them. Matthew 27:25.From Heaven With Love
The Guarantee of Our Resurrection
HLv 522.3
When the voice of the mighty angel was heard at Christ’s tomb, saying, Thy Father calls Thee, the Saviour came forth from the grave by the life that was in Himself. Christ had proclaimed in triumph, “I am the resurrection and the life.” These words could be spoken only by the Deity. All created beings are dependent recipients of the life of God. Only He who is one with God could say, I have power to lay down My life, and I have power to take it again. See John 10:18.HLv 522.4
Christ arose from the dead as the first fruits of those that slept, and His resurrection took place on the very day when the wave sheaf was to be presented before the Lord. For more than a thousand years when the people went up to Jerusalem to the Passover, the sheaf of first fruits, the first heads of ripened grain, was waved as a thank offering before the Lord. Not until this was presented could the sickle be put to the grain. The sheaf dedicated to God represented the harvest. So Christ’s resurrection is the type and pledge of the resurrection of all the righteous dead. “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.” 1 Thessalonians 4:14.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 12 (1897)
Ms 40, 1897
12LtMs, Ms 40, 1897, par. 15
The four apostles Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, all bear record that Jew and Gentile, rulers, kings, and governors, priests and people, all classes and tongues, were represented in rejecting and crucifying Christ, the Son of God, a man who was innocent, and against whom they could find no proof. The synagogue of Satan, the prince of darkness and his evil agents, united in a desperate companionship with disloyal, evil men. They resolved to put the whole power of their corrupt energies to work to put out of the world the light of truth.From Heaven With Love
Chapter 81—“The Lord Is Risen”
HLv 520.1
The night of the first day of the week had worn slowly away. Christ was still a prisoner in His tomb. The Roman seal was unbroken; the Roman guards were keeping their watch. Had it been possible, the prince of darkness would have kept forever sealed the tomb that held the Son of God. But heavenly angels that excel in strength were waiting to welcome the Prince of life.HLv 520.2
“And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven.” The bright beams of God’s glory illuminated his pathway. “His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.”HLv 520.3
This messenger was he who fills the position from which Satan fell. As he rolled away the stone, heaven seemed to come down to earth. The soldiers saw him removing the stone as he would a pebble, and heard him cry, Son of God, come forth; Thy Father calls Thee. They saw Jesus come forth from the grave and heard Him proclaim over the rent sepulcher, “I am the resurrection, and the life.” As He came forth in majesty and glory, the angel host welcomed Him with songs of praise.HLv 520.4
At sight of the angels and the glorified Saviour, the Roman guard had fainted and become as dead men. When the heavenly train was hidden from their view, they arose and, staggering like drunken men, hurried to the city, telling those whom they met the wonderful news. They were making their way to Pilate, but the priests and rulers sent for them to be brought first into their presence. Trembling with fear, their faces colorless, the soldiers told all, just as they had seen it. They said, It was the Son of God who was crucified; we have heard an angel proclaiming Him as the Majesty of heaven, the King of glory.HLv 521.1
Caiaphas tried to speak. His lips moved, but they uttered no sound. The soldiers were about to leave when Caiaphas at last found speech. Wait, wait, he said. Tell no one the things you have seen.HLv 521.2
“Say ye,” said the priests, “His disciples came by night, and stole Him away while we slept.” Here the priests overreached themselves. If they were asleep, how could they know? And if the disciples had been proved guilty of stealing Christ’s body, would not the priests have been first to condemn them? Or if the sentinels had slept, would not the priests have been foremost in accusing them to Pilate?HLv 521.3
The soldiers were horrified. Sleeping at their post was an offense punishable with death. Should they bear false witness and place their own lives in peril? How could they stand the trial, even for the sake of money, if they perjured themselves?HLv 521.4
The priests promised to secure the safety of the guard, saying that Pilate would not desire to have such a report circulated any more than they did. The Roman soldiers sold their integrity for money. They came before the priests burdened with a startling message of truth; they went out with a burden of money, and on their tongues a lying report.HLv 521.5
Meanwhile the report of Christ’s resurrection had been carried to Pilate. Though he had condemned the Saviour unwillingly, he had felt no real compunction until now. In terror he now shut himself within his house, determined to see no one. But the priests made their way into his presence and urged him to overlook the sentinels’ neglect of duty. He himself privately questioned the guard. They dared not conceal anything, and Pilate drew from them an account of all that had taken place. He did not prosecute the matter further, but from that time there was no peace for him.HLv 522.1
The priests, in putting Christ to death, had made themselves the tools of Satan. Now they were entirely in his power, entangled in a snare from which they saw no escape but in continuing their warfare against Christ. The only hope for them was to prove Christ an impostor by denying that He had risen. They bribed the soldiers and secured Pilate’s silence.HLv 523.1
As Christ arose, He brought from the grave a multitude of captives. See Matthew 27:52. They were those who at the cost of their lives had borne testimony to the truth. Now they were to be witnesses for Him who had raised them from the dead.HLv 523.2
During His ministry, Jesus had raised the dead to life. But these resurrected ones were not clothed with immortality. They were still subject to death. But those who came forth from the grave at Christ’s resurrection were raised to everlasting life. They ascended with Him as trophies of His victory over death and the grave. They went into the city and appeared unto many, declaring, Christ has risen from the dead, and we be risen with Him. Risen saints bore witness to the truth of the words, “Thy dead men shall live, together with My dead body shall they arise.” Isaiah 26:19.HLv 523.3
In our Saviour, the life that was lost through sin is restored. He is invested with the right to give immortality. “I am come,” He said, “that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10. “Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:54. To the Christian, death is but a sleep, a moment of silence and darkness. “When Christ, who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.” Colossians 3:4.HLv 523.4
The voice that cried from the cross, “It is finished,” will penetrate the graves and unbar the tombs, and the dead in Christ shall arise. At the Saviour’s resurrection a few graves were opened, but at His second coming all the precious dead shall hear His voice and come forth to glorious immortal life. The same power that raised Christ from the dead will raise His church above all powers, not only in this world, but also in the world to come.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 15 (1900)
Lt 53, 1900
15LtMs, Lt 53, 1900, par. 4
In our Bible, we might ask, Why need Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the Gospels, why need the Acts of the Apostles, and the variety of writers in the Epistles, go over the same thing?15LtMs, Lt 53, 1900, par. 6
We are not to feel that we must speak the very same things, giving the same representation in the same words, and yet there is to be unity in the diversity. All the different testimonies unite to form one whole, as the books of the Bible are brought together, and bound under one cover. But should Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John go off on some tangent, contradicting each other’s testimony, then there would be confusion. In the presentation of truth by different minds, there is to be unity in diversity.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 18 (1903)
Ms 91, 1903
18LtMs, Ms 91, 1903, par. 15
Why do we need a Matthew, a Mark, a Luke, a John, a Paul, and all these other writers who have borne their testimony in regard to the life of the Saviour during His earthly ministry? Why could not one of the disciples have written a complete record, and thus have given us a connected account of Christ’s life and work? The Gospels differ. One writer brings in points that another does not bring in. If these points are essential, why did not all these writers mention them? It is because the minds of men differ and do not comprehend all things in exactly the same way. Some Scripture truths appeal much more strongly to the minds of certain persons than to others; some points appear to be much more important to some than to others. The same principle applies to speakers. Some speakers dwell at considerable length on points that others would pass by quickly or not mention at all. Thus the whole truth is presented more clearly by several than by one. In the Gospels the records blend in one harmonious whole.Matthew 15:4
Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 16 (1901)
Ms 128, 1901
16LtMs, Ms 128, 1901, par. 54
“Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” [Exodus 20:12.] Christ said, “For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.” [Matthew 15:4.] He repeated the injunction that is thus given in the Old Testament Scriptures: “And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.” [Exodus 21:17.] Solomon said, “Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.” [Proverbs 20:20.]Matthew 15:6
Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 8 (1893)
Ms 48, 1893
8LtMs, Ms 48, 1893, par. 9
Christ came as the Expositor of the prophecies that He Himself had given to His people by holy men of old. He separated the precepts of Jehovah from the maxims and traditions of men. He held up the Ten Commandments as an expression of truth in all its purity. Of the leaders and the teachers of the people He declared: “In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” [Mark 7:7.] And to them He said: “Ye have made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.” “Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.” [Matthew 15:6; 22:29.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 12 (1897)
Ms 149, 1897
12LtMs, Ms 149, 1897, par. 3
Christ rebuked these false teachers. “In vain do ye worship me,” He said, “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” [Mark 7:7.] “Thus have ye made the commandments of God of none effect by your tradition.” [Matthew 15:6.] This is the work of many of the teachers of this time. They make void the law of God, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men. Christ said to the teachers in His day, “Ye are both ignorant of the Scripture and of the power of God.” [Matthew 22:29.] His words embrace all who claim to be religious, but who make void the law of God by their traditions.Matthew 15:6-9
Christ’s Object Lessons
Chapter 22—Saying and Doing
COL 276.1
In the son who said, “I go, sir,” and went not, the character of the Pharisees was revealed. Like this son, the Jewish leaders were impenitent and self-sufficient. The religious life of the Jewish nation had become a pretense. When the law was proclaimed on Mount Sinai by the voice of God, all the people pledged themselves to obey. They said, “I go, sir,” but they went not. When Christ came in person to set before them the principles of the law, they rejected Him. Christ had given the Jewish leaders of His day abundant evidence of His authority and divine power, but although they were convinced, they would not accept the evidence. Christ had shown them that they continued to disbelieve because they had not the spirit which leads to obedience. He had declared to them, “Ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.... In vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:6, 9.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 10 (1895)
Lt 1, 1895
10LtMs, Lt 1, 1895, par. 9
Our precious Saviour, when He was educating and training His disciples to co-operate with Him in the great work of the gospel of His kingdom, found obstacles on every hand. The teachings and sayings of the rabbis, the customs and traditions, like a mass of rubbish, was piled above the precious jewels of truth that the truth could not be discerned. The world’s Redeemer rescued these jewels from the companionship of error and re-set them in their order in the framework of truth. The Lord Jesus declared to the priests and scribes and rabbis, “Ye do make void the law of God through your tradition; ye teach for doctrine the commandments of men.” [Matthew 15:6, 9.] [These] very same difficulties we have to meet in our day—the sayings of men. There must be a training of the heart after the example and practice of Jesus Christ.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 11 (1896)
Ms 80, 1896
11LtMs, Ms 80, 1896, par. 1
The worship of God does not consist in outward ceremonies, or the observance of man-made creeds. Said Christ, “In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men.” [Matthew 15:9.] And again, “God is a spirit; and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” [John 4:24.]11LtMs, Ms 80, 1896, par. 3
Christ came at a time when he was most needed to set before a perishing world the truth in its purity. He came to remove the mass of rubbish which had confused their spiritual understanding and perverted true worship, that the plan of salvation should not become buried under a mass of erroneous theories, a complication of maxims, falsehoods, and authoritative dogmas. He did not require submission to the assertions and theories of man’s invention. He firmly and continuously resisted the sayings which rabbis, priests, and rulers had woven into the framework of truth, declaring before the assembled multitudes: “Ye teach for doctrines the commandments of men; ye make void the law of God through your traditions.” [Matthew 15:9, 6.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 12 (1897)
Ms 163, 1897
12LtMs, Ms 163, 1897, par. 30
The men who have the oracles of God, not only break the law themselves, but teach those who would investigate and obey the light to do the same. The men who claim to be teachers deceive the people as did the leaders in Israel in Christ’s day. He, the great Teacher, was in the world; He was the light of the world; but Satan interposed his hellish shadow between Him and the souls whom Christ came to save. When accused by the Pharisees, He said, “Ye make void the law of God by your tradition.” “Ye teach for doctrine the commandments of men.” [Matthew 15:6, 9.] Again He said to those so-called teachers, “Ye are both ignorant of the Scriptures and the power of God.” [Matthew 22:29.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 13 (1898)
Ms 30, 1898
13LtMs, Ms 30, 1898, par. 17
The mass of tradition that had been accumulating for ages, and that was taught by the priests and rulers, was regarded as truth by the disciples. But Christ said to these Pharisees, “Ye teach for doctrine the commandments of men.” And again, “Ye make void the law of God through your tradition.” [Matthew 15:9, 6.] In the last instruction given to His disciples, Christ said, “I have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.” [John 16:12.] The divine Teacher would bring all the rays of prophetic light to bear upon the lesson that He was the Truthbearer to the world. He would impress them with the necessity of that moral excellence of character which God and heaven require of men. He came to make known redemption, by making men intelligent in regard to its conditions; in His human life to reveal the gospel, and set an example of perfect obedience to the law of God.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 17 (1902)
Ms 56, 1902
17LtMs, Ms 56, 1902, par. 20
Against the Jewish teachers Christ brought the charge, “Ye have made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.” Ye teach “for doctrines the commandments of men.” [Matthew 15:6, 9.] This same testimony applies in our time to those who claim to be Bible teachers, but who are “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Men turn away from the Word of God, satisfied to substitute fables in its place.Matthew 15:7-9
Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 18 (1903)
Ms 78, 1903
18LtMs, Ms 78, 1903, par. 9
Christ came to implant in the midst of men the great truths of which few knew the value. The Jewish nation had discarded truth for tradition. Christ declared to them, “Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you saying, This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoreth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men.” [Matthew 15:7-9.]Matthew 15:8
Manuscript Releases, vol. 14 [Nos. 1081-1135]
MR No. 1097—The True Sabbath versus the False Sabbath; an Appeal for Total Commitment”
14MR 90.1
Whatever may be the needed discipline of the church militant amid the dragon’s wrath against those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus, the benediction is pronounced upon all who love and obey God. The words are positive, but mark their significance. The Alpha and Omega does not utter words that will lead any soul to suppose that a profession of faith without willing, genuine love and obedience, will secure to him the entrance into the Holy City and a right to the tree of life. The Lord declares, “This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoreth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me” [Matthew 15:8]. This is mockery to God, speaking with a mouth of guile.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 11 (1896)
Ms 7a, 1896
11LtMs, Ms 7a, 1896, par. 4
Whatever may be the needed discipline of the church militant amid the dragon’s wrath against those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus, the benediction is pronounced upon all who love and obey God. The words are positive, but mark their significance. The Alpha and Omega does not utter words that will lead any soul to suppose that a profession of faith without willing, genuine love and obedience will secure to him the entrance into the Holy City and a right to the tree of life. The Lord declares, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” [Matthew 15:8.] This is mockery to God, speaking with a mouth of guile.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 14 (1899)
Lt 204, 1899
14LtMs, Lt 204, 1899, par. 6
The way in which the Jewish teachers explained the Scriptures, their endless repetition of maxims and fictions, called forth from Christ the words, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” [Matthew 15:8.] They performed in the temple courts their round of service. They offered sacrifices typifying the great Sacrifice, saying by their ceremonies, “Come, my Saviour.” Yet Christ, the One whom all these ceremonies represented, was among them, and they would not recognize or receive Him. The Saviour declared, “In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men.” [Mark 7:7.]Matthew 15:8-9
Prophets and Kings
Chapter 2—The Temple and Its Dedication
PK 50.4
Although God dwells not in temples made with hands, yet He honors with His presence the assemblies of His people. He has promised that when they come together to seek Him, to acknowledge their sins, and to pray for one another, He will meet with them by His Spirit. But those who assemble to worship Him should put away every evil thing. Unless they worship Him in spirit and truth and in the beauty of holiness, their coming together will be of no avail. Of such the Lord declares, “This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoreth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me.” Matthew 15:8, 9. Those who worship God must worship Him “in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him.” John 4:23.Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6
Conformity to the World
6T 249.1
The way the Jewish teachers explained the Scriptures, their endless repetitions of maxims and fiction, called forth from Christ the words: “This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoreth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me.” They performed in the temple courts their round of service. They offered sacrifices typifying the great Sacrifice, saying by their ceremonies, “Come, my Saviour;” yet Christ, the One whom all these ceremonies represented, was among them, and they would not recognize nor receive Him. The Saviour declared: “In vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:8, 9.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 7 (1891-1892)
Lt 16, 1892
7LtMs, Lt 16, 1892, par. 22
Satan had so beclouded the understanding of even the chosen people of God, that in their separation from God they could not discern sacred things. The prophecies are made so indistinct, that truth, precious above gold, or silver, or precious stones, was buried beneath a mass of rubbish and their glorious character hidden out of sight. The precious Sabbath, given at the creation of the world, lost its true significance by the rubbish of human inventions piled upon it in maxims and traditions of men. Said Christ, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” [Matthew 15:8, 9.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 14 (1899)
Ms 169, 1899
14LtMs, Ms 169, 1899, par. 21
The way in which the Jewish teachers explained the Scriptures, their endless repetition of maxims and fiction, called forth from Christ the words, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” [Matthew 15:8.] They performed in the temple courts their round of service. They offered sacrifices typifying the great Sacrifice, saying by their ceremonies, “Come, my Saviour,” yet Christ, the One whom all these ceremonies represented, was among them, and they would not recognize or receive Him. The Saviour declared, “In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:9.Matthew 15:9
Christ Triumphant
There Will Never Be a Time to Change Our Message, December 21
CTr 362.1
In vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines. Matthew 15:9, NRSV.The Kress Collection
Conforming to the World
KC 56.4
The way in which the Jewish teachers explained the Scriptures, their endless repetition of maxims and fiction, called forth from Christ the words, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” They performed in the temple courts their round of duties. They offered sacrifices typifying the great Sacrifice, saying by their ceremonies, “Come, my Saviour,” yet Christ, the One whom all these ceremonies represented, was among them, and they would not recognize or receive Him. The Saviour declared, “In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:9.From Eternity Past
Another Sodom
EP 104.1
In the religious world today God’s mercy has been trifled with. Multitudes make void the law, “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:9. Infidelity prevails in many churches, not infidelity in its broadest sense—an open denial of the Bible—but an infidelity undermining faith in the Bible as a revelation from God. Vital piety has given place to hollow formalism. As the result, apostasy and sensualism prevail. Christ declared, “As it was in the days of Lot... . Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” Luke 17:28, 30. The world is fast becoming ripe for destruction.From the Heart
Be Conformed to the Word, January 13
FH 25.1
In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. Matthew 15:9.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 6 (1889-1890)
Lt 1f, 1890
6LtMs, Lt 1f, 1890, par. 15
The Revelator says, “I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen.” [Revelation 18:1, 2.] This is the same message that was given by the second angel, Babylon is fallen, “because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” [Revelation 14:8.] What is that wine? Her false doctrines. She has given to the world a false sabbath instead of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment and has repeated the lie Satan first told to Eve in Eden—the natural immortality of the soul. Many kindred errors she has spread far and wide, “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” [Matthew 15:9.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 7 (1891-1892)
Lt 27a, 1892
7LtMs, Lt 27a, 1892, par. 9
In the days of Christ the scribes and Pharisees had so many of their own ideas and suggestions to present, so many elaborate expositions to make, that the words which God had spoken to patriarchs and prophets were almost completely buried beneath a mass of rubbish. After these teachers had attempted to explain the Scriptures, the people knew far less of their meaning than before. Christ said, “Ye teach for doctrines the commandments of men.” [Matthew 15:9.] The Jewish leaders despised the common people; they did not expect them to understand the Word of God, and did not try to explain the Scriptures so that they could understand.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 9 (1894)
Ms 87, 1894
9LtMs, Ms 87, 1894, par. 19
In the Old Testament the very same principles were revealed as those which Christ gave in His sermon of the mount. The scribes and Pharisees knew so little of these principles through everyday practice that Christ’s sermon on the mount was as a new revelation to them, and sounded like heresy to their ears. They had misinterpreted the Scripture, and regarded the maxims and sayings of men that had passed to them from rabbi to rabbi, as having the sanctity of inspiration. But the commands of men were not like the divine command, and better suited their carnal hearts. Jesus, who had instituted the law, knew just how far those professedly pious teachers had departed from the law, and how far they had made it void by the traditions. They had worshipped God in vain “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” [Matthew 15:9.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 9 (1894)
Ms 82, 1894
9LtMs, Ms 82, 1894, par. 19
I have words to speak to the young men who have been teaching the truth. Preach the Word. You may have inventive minds. You may be expert, as were the Jewish teachers, in getting up new theories; but Christ said of them, “In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:9. They presented to the people traditions, suppositions, and fables of all kinds. The forms and ceremonies they enjoined made it simply impossible for the people to know whether they were keeping the Word of God or following the traditions of men.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 10 (1895)
Lt 8, 1895
10LtMs, Lt 8, 1895, par. 27
The popular opinion of what the Fathers say will not help my case. My work is given me of God to know and understand His will for my own individual self. By thoughtful, prayerful study, I must seek to know for myself the true meaning of the Scriptures. We should thank God every day that we are not left to human traditions and man made assertions. We cannot be safe in trusting to any other word except “It is written.” We cannot float with the current; we cannot build our faith on any human theory, lest we come under condemnation as did the Jews. “Ye teach for doctrine the commandments of men,” said Christ to them, and this statement is made decidedly plain to us in these last days. [Matthew 15:9.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 10 (1895)
Ms 22, 1895
10LtMs, Ms 22, 1895, par. 20
The judgment of men, even of teachers, may be very wide of the mark as to what constitutes true education. The teachers in the days of Christ did not educate the youth in the correct knowledge of the Scriptures, which lies at the foundation of all education worthy of the name. Christ declared to the Pharisees, “Ye are both ignorant of the Scriptures and the power of God,” “teaching for doctrine the commandments of men.” [Matthew 22:29; 15:9.] And He prayed for His disciples, “Sanctify them through Thy truth, Thy word is truth. As Thou hast sent Me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” [John 17:17-19.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 10 (1895)
Lt 128, 1895
10LtMs, Lt 128, 1895, par. 23
We frequently have brought to our notice cases of youth who are bewildered by the teachers and the ministry of the Word in the churches of today, because they are doing as the Jewish nation did “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” [Matthew 15:9.] There are Christian Endeavor Societies that our youth who have a knowledge of the truth are urged to join, and also flattering prospects are held out before them to create ambition to become worldly wise men. The Bible is taken, as a whole, [as] the Word of God, but not all the inspired Word. One wise man questions some portions of it, and some other wise, supposed good man questions another book; and infidelity is stealthily making itself a place in the minds of youth. Soon the knowledge of the truth weakens and their faith is confused. They do not know what to believe. And we find, during these camp meetings, some precious youth who were about to make their decision on the side of those who are making void the law of God.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 10 (1895)
Ms 72, 1895
10LtMs, Ms 72, 1895, par. 11
The Lord gave a parable: “No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old” [verses 36-39]. The teachings of Jesus Christ were not to be as a new patch put on an old garment. And the reason is given: all must be new, as were His words to Nicodemus, “Ye must be born again.” [John 3:7.] You cannot understand the simplicity of truth without a new birth. The characters of all who become His disciples must be trained and fashioned entirely anew to correspond with the new principles. No one can have spiritual eyesight and follow Him without giving up their old theories of religion—the maxims and customs, and the “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” [Matthew 15:9.] The doctrines of the Scriptures require self-denial and self-sacrifice, even a higher and nobler self-denial than that of rigorous fasting. It [requires] whole-hearted obedience. Our Saviour reveals that the religion He presents cannot be patched onto the old garments—the maxims and teachings of the Pharisees. A higher, holier standard must be theirs in principle.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 11 (1896)
Ms 12b, 1896
11LtMs, Ms 12b, 1896, par. 25
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets,” said Christ, “I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of the least of these commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven, but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” [Matthew 5:17-19.] The world is taking sides. The nations have drunk of the wine of Babylon, and the lawless in her borders are on Satan’s side, in disobedience and rebellion against God’s laws, exulting in their own traditions as did the Jews, and “teaching for doctrine the commandments of men.” [Matthew 15:9.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 11 (1896)
Lt 34, 1896
11LtMs, Lt 34, 1896, par. 5
All who engage in this work as co-laborers with Christ must not only be willing to preach the truth, but to practice it. Of the professedly learned and pious people of His day, Christ said, “Ye are both ignorant of the Scriptures and of the power of God. Ye teach for doctrine the commandments of men.” [Matthew 22:29; 15:9.] He longed to fill the whole nation with the spirit of His mission of love, that they might unite with Him in the work of saving the world. The Holy Spirit would now come to our workers if they would earnestly seek for it. There will be no change made in the divine economy in order to bring around marked changes in the religious world. Men and women must arise to the emergency; they must receive the golden oil, the divine communication in rich blessings. This will enable them to arise and shine, because their light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon them.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 12 (1897)
Ms 174, 1897
12LtMs, Ms 174, 1897, par. 92
Now is our time of probation; now is our time of test and trial. Will we be obedient to God? Will we respect the commandments which are the rule of His government in heaven and in earth? If men respect not a plain “Thus saith the Lord,” but accept the word and commandments of men; if they venture to dishonor God’s law, and compel the consciences of men, forcing them to respect human laws and enactments, they exalt the human above the divine, and plainly say, “We will not have this man to rule over us. We will receive the commandments of men, and teach them as the commandments of God.” [Luke 19:14; Matthew 15:9.] Thus they bind up with the first great apostate, and decide their future destiny.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 12 (1897)
Ms 128, 1897
12LtMs, Ms 128, 1897, par. 26
Christ’s every act was acceptable to the Father. God loved His Son in His humiliation. He loved Him most when the penalty the transgressors of the law fell on Him. In that terrible working out of Satan’s enmity, the apostate was joined by the professed worshipers of God, for whom Christ had done so much. These departed from the principles of the law of Jehovah, making void His law by their traditions. Christ said to them, Ye teach for doctrines the commandments of men. [Matthew 15:9.] Christ was the Majesty of heaven. He was the Commander of the heavenly hosts. But He put off His crown, and divested Himself of His royal robe to take human nature upon Himself, that humanity might become familiar with humanity. As the world’s Redeemer He understands all the experiences that humanity must pass through. He found Himself in fashion as a man. He humbled Himself to do the greatest work that could be done for the human race. A beam of righteousness from heaven shone amid the moral darkness of this earth, to enlighten every man that cometh into the world.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 12 (1897)
Ms 27, 1897
12LtMs, Ms 27, 1897, par. 16
“Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy,” were the words spoken by Christ to His disciples. [Luke 12:1.] He besought them to take heed, and not receive the doctrines which were not from God. And of the Pharisees He said “Ye do teach for doctrine the commandments of men.” [Matthew 15:9.] In His lessons Christ used the figure of leaven in two entirely different senses. He likened the gospel, the kingdom of heaven, to leaven. And again He speaks of the leaven of evil surmising and evil thinking. As the leaven spreads through the meal in which it is hidden, so will the leaven of evil surmising and malice pervert the entire being—thoughts, actions, and character—where it is received. With the good leaven, the Word of God, true goodness, righteousness, and peace are introduced. This brings the entire affections into conformity to the mind and will of God.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 12 (1897)
Ms 34, 1897
12LtMs, Ms 34, 1897, par. 21
Let no one upon whom the light of the third angel’s message has shone become tempters to their fellow men, agents of Satan in leading minds into confusion, and removing the sanctity that God has placed upon his Sabbath by exalting the traditions and customs of men. Jesus reproved the Pharisees for this, saying, “Ye teach for doctrines the commandments of men.” [Matthew 15:9.]Evangelism
False Tests and Man-Made Standards
Ev 214.2
Preach the Word—I have words to speak to the young men who have been teaching the truth. Preach the Word. You may have inventive minds. You may be expert, as were the Jewish teachers, in getting up new theories; but Christ said of them, “In vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:9. They presented to the people traditions, suppositions, and fables of all kinds. The forms and ceremonies they enjoined made it simply impossible for the people to know whether they were keeping the Word of God or following the traditions of men.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 13 (1898)
Lt 5, 1898
13LtMs, Lt 5, 1898, par. 11
The teachers of Christ’s day did not receive His words. After rejecting the truth, they labored to retain their influence over the people by an endless repetition of fables and childish traditions. But when they refused the light of the world, they lost their wisdom. Christ said to them, “Ye teach for doctrines the commandments of men.” [Matthew 15:9.] Trivial and unessential forms and ceremonies were made by them as important as the law of Jehovah.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 13 (1898)
Ms 142, 1898
13LtMs, Ms 142, 1898, par. 1
The Lord Jesus likened His disciples to the things most familiar to them. He compared them to the salt and the light. “Ye are the salt of the earth,” He said. “Ye are the light of the world.” [Matthew 5:13, 14.] These words were addressed to a few poor, humble fishermen. Priests and rabbis were in that congregation of hearers, but these were not the ones addressed. With all their science of learning, with all their supposed instruction in the mysteries of the law, with all their claims of knowing God, they revealed that they knew Him not. To these leading men had been committed the oracles of God, but Christ turned from them to the humble fishermen and said, “Ye are the light of the world.” These great men whom the world called wise Christ declared to be unsafe teachers. He said to them, “Ye teach for doctrine the commandments of men.” And again, “Ye are both ignorant of the Scriptures and the power of God.” [Matthew 15:9; 22:29.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 13 (1898)
Lt 52, 1898
13LtMs, Lt 52, 1898, par. 10
When Christ instructed His disciples, we read, “Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures.” [Luke 24:45.] While priests and rulers were darkening the minds of men with their counsel, “teaching for doctrine the commandments of men,” Christ said to them, “Thus it is written.” [Matthew 15:9; Luke 24:46.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 13 (1898)
Ms 3, 1898
13LtMs, Ms 3, 1898, par. 33
The Scribes and Pharisees were annoyed that Christ did not approve of their pretension. Instead, Christ reproved them for depending upon forms and ceremonies for salvation while their hearts were full of wickedness. “Ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin,” He said, “and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the others undone.” “Ye teach for doctrine the commandments of men.” [Matthew 23:23; 15:9.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 14 (1899)
Ms 82, 1899
14LtMs, Ms 82, 1899, par. 4
“The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few.” [Luke 10:2.] When Christ made this statement there were scribes and Pharisees, priests and rulers, in every city and town in the land. The Saviour saw that these religious teachers were wholly unfitted to minister to the spiritual needs of the people. “Ye know not the Scriptures, nor the power of God,” He said to them. “Ye do teach for doctrine the commandments of men.” [Matthew 22:29; 15:9.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 14 (1899)
Ms 127, 1899
14LtMs, Ms 127, 1899, par. 31
The priests and elders of Israel were not what they professed to be. They spent their lives in outward ceremonies, and considered these services too sacred to be mingled with any secular business. Therefore their life was supposed to be wholly a religious one. But they performed their ceremonies to be seen of men, to be considered pious and devoted by the world. While professing to obey, they refused to render to God the obedience to which he had called them. They made the requirements of the law very exacting when it was for their interests to do this; but when they were shown that strictest obedience was required of them they reasoned away the force of God’s precepts to favor themselves. They were not doers of the Word which they professed to teach to others, and Christ declared, “Ye teach for doctrine the commandments of men.” [Matthew 15:9.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 14 (1899)
Ms 161, 1899
14LtMs, Ms 161, 1899, par. 5
We find none so blind as those who stand in positions of responsibility in the churches. Like the rulers in Christ’s day, those who are blessed with every spiritual advantage, and who claim to be teachers of the people, are the least able to interpret the Scriptures correctly. They know not what is truth for this time. To the Jewish leaders, who were exciting the prejudices of the people against Him, Christ said, “Ye teach for doctrine the commandments of men.” “Ye are both ignorant of the Scriptures and the power of God.” [Matthew 15:9; 22:29.] His words apply to the religious teachers of today who refuse to sit down with the servants of God and study the messages He sends. O if these ministers would only take the stand of the noble Bereans, and search the Scriptures, to see if these things are so! They would be safe in coming to the Word of God. If they would lay aside their prejudice, and unite in prayer and searching of the Word, the Holy Spirit would give them understanding.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 14 (1899)
Lt 207, 1899
14LtMs, Lt 207, 1899, par. 16
I am pained beyond what any language can express. Irreverence is coming in apace. I have words to speak to the young men who have been teaching the truth: Preach the Word. You may have inventive minds. You may be expert, as were the Jewish teachers, in getting up new theories; but Christ said of them, “In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men.” [Matthew 15:9.] They presented traditions, suppositions, and fables of all kinds to the people. The forms and ceremonies they enjoined made it simply impossible for the people to know whether they were keeping the Word of God or following the imaginations of men.Manuscript Releases, vol. 14 [Nos. 1081-1135]
MR No. 1091—Preach God’s Word, Not Fanciful, Imaginary Doctrines
14MR 61.1
I am pained beyond what any language can express. Irreverence is coming in apace. I have words to speak to the young men who have been teaching the truth: Preach the Word. You may have inventive minds. You may be expert, as were the Jewish teachers, in getting up new theories, but Christ said of them, “In vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” [Matthew 15:9]. They presented traditions, suppositions, and fables of all kinds to the people. The forms and ceremonies they enjoined made it simply impossible for the people to know whether they were keeping the Word of God or following the imaginations of men.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 14 (1899)
Ms 134, 1899
14LtMs, Ms 134, 1899, par. 2
Christ declared to the teachers in Israel, “Ye are both ignorant of the Scriptures and of the power of God.” “Ye teach for doctrine the commandments of men.” [Matthew 22:29; 15:9.] The guilt of these rulers was not in the sight of Christ like the guilt of the ordinary sinner. These men stood under the most solemn obligations to God. They had pledged themselves to teach a “Thus saith the Lord,” and to bring strict obedience into their practical lives. But instead of doing this, they were perverting the Scriptures. Their religion consisted in a round of ceremonies, and the object of their worship was lost sight of. They did not do the work connected with their sacred office as if they were handling the property given them in trust by God. Their selfishness and covetousness and greed caused them to be despised by all the nations.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 15 (1900)
Ms 7a, 1900
15LtMs, Ms 7a, 1900, par. 4
Christ said to them, “Ye know not the scriptures nor the power of God.” “Ye teach for doctrine the commandments of men.” [Matthew 22:29; 15:9.] Because of this, the truths Christ uttered fell upon the world with the strangeness of a new revelation. True, the disciples had the teachings of Christ in the Old Testament Scriptures, but these had been so misinterpreted, by those to whom they had been educated to look to for instruction, that they were ignorant of the real meaning of the Word. They could not take in the truths which fell from the lips of the heaven-sent Teacher.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 15 (1900)
Ms 28, 1900
15LtMs, Ms 28, 1900, par. 8
Ministers of God have been guilty of the sin of disregarding a “Thus saith the Lord.” They have led the members of their churches to observe rites which have no foundation in the Word of God, but are in direct opposition to His law. By perversion and misrepresentation of the Word of God, they have caused the people to commit sin. God will reward them according to their works. Even as did the priests and rulers in the time of Christ, they have caused the people to err. Christ says of them as He said of the Jewish leaders, “In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men.” [Matthew 15:9.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 16 (1901)
Ms 143, 1901
16LtMs, Ms 143, 1901, par. 45
The influence of these messages has been deepening and widening, setting in motion the springs of action in thousands of hearts, bringing into existence institutions of learning, publishing houses, and health institutions; all these are the instrumentalities of God to co-operate in the grand work represented by the first, second, and third angels flying in the midst of heaven to warn the inhabitants of the world that Christ is coming again with power and great glory. The prophet says, “I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils.” [Revelation 18:1, 2.] This is the same message that was given by the second angel. Babylon is fallen, “because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” [Revelation 14:8.] What is that wine?—Her false doctrines. She has given to the world a false Sabbath instead of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, and has repeated the falsehood that Satan first told to Eve in Eden—the natural immortality of the soul. Many kindred errors she has spread far and wide, “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” [Matthew 15:9.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 16 (1901)
Ms 153, 1901
16LtMs, Ms 153, 1901, par. 6
“I say unto you,” Christ continued, “that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” [Verse 20.] Why this statement? Because in practice and in teaching, the scribes and Pharisees disregarded the principles of God’s law. They put human maxims and traditions in the place of God’s Word, “teaching for doctrine the commandments of men.” [Matthew 15:9.] They set aside God’s holy precepts for fables of their own creating.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 21 (1906)
Lt 318, 1906
21LtMs, Lt 318, 1906, par. 12
“In vain ye do worship Me,” said Christ to the Pharisees, “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” [Matthew 15:9.] Let those who are entrusted with the work of teaching the Word of God be sure that they are under the control of Him who has declared, “All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.” His commission to His disciples includes the words, “Teaching them (all nations) to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” [Matthew 28:18-20.] No man is authorized to set up his own mind as the standard to which he may compel others to conform.The Three Angels’ Messages
“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen”
3AM 145.2
The same message—The Revelator says, “I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen.” [Revelation 18:1, 2.] This is the same message that was given by the second angel, Babylon is fallen, “because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” [Revelation 14:8.] What is that wine? Her false doctrines. She has given to the world a false sabbath instead of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment and has repeated the lie Satan first told to Eve in Eden—the natural immortality of the soul. Many kindred errors she has spread far and wide, “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” [Matthew 15:9.]—Letter 1f, 1890 (November) (Selected Messages 3:405)Manuscript Releases, vol. 3 [Nos. 162-209]
Fanaticism and Side Issues—Part 2
3MR 31.2
I have words to speak to the young men who have been teaching the truth. Preach the Word. You may have inventive minds. You may be expert, as were the Jewish teachers, in getting up new theories; but Christ said of them, “In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” [Matthew 15:9]. They presented to the people traditions, suppositions, and fables of all kinds. The forms and ceremonies they enjoined made it simply impossible for the people to know whether they were keeping the Word of God or following the traditions of men.Patriarchs and Prophets
Chapter 14—Destruction of Sodom
PP 166.1
There is cause for alarm in the condition of the religious world today. God’s mercy has been trifled with. The multitudes make void the law of Jehovah, “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:9. Infidelity prevails in many of the churches in our land; not infidelity in its broadest sense—an open denial of the Bible—but an infidelity that is robed in the garb of Christianity, while it is undermining faith in the Bible as a revelation from God. Fervent devotion and vital piety have given place to hollow formalism. As the result, apostasy and sensualism prevail. Christ declared, “As it was in the days of Lot, ... even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” Luke 17:28, 30. The daily record of passing events testifies to the fulfillment of His words. The world is fast becoming ripe for destruction. Soon the judgments of God are to be poured out, and sin and sinners are to be consumed.Selected Messages Book 2
Two Temple Cleansings—Two Calls Out of Babylon
2SM 118.1
The prophet says, “I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils” (Revelation 18:1, 2). This is the same message that was given by the second angel. Babylon is fallen, “because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication” (Revelation 14:8). What is that wine?—Her false doctrines. She has given to the world a false sabbath instead of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, and has repeated the falsehood that Satan first told Eve in Eden—the natural immortality of the soul. Many kindred errors she has spread far and wide, “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9).The Voice in Speech and Song
Chapter 56—Eternal Truth
VSS 324.1
Scriptural Study vs. Suppositions and Fables—Preach the Word. You may have inventive minds. You may be expert, as were the Jewish teachers, in getting up new theories; but Christ said of them, “In vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines, the commandments of men” [Matthew 15:9]. They presented traditions, suppositions, and fables of all kinds to the people. The forms and ceremonies they enjoined made it simply impossible for the people to know whether they were keeping the Word of God or following the imaginations of men.To Be Like Jesus
Satan’s Attack Against God’s Memorial, May 8
BLJ 139.1
In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. Matthew 15:9, NKJV.Matthew 15:10-20
Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 12 (1897)
Ms 65, 1897
12LtMs, Ms 65, 1897, par. 14
“And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear and understand.” He spoke with no hesitation, but with authority, as one who would flash light upon all around Him. “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man, but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.” [Matthew 15:10, 11.]12LtMs, Ms 65, 1897, par. 17
“Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended after they heard this saying?” Christ knows the hearts of all men. Nothing is hid from Him. “He answered, and said, Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up.” [Verses 12, 13.] “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” [John 15:2.] “Let them alone, they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” [Matthew 15:14.] “For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed. Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows; for every one is an hypocrite and an evil doer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.” [Isaiah 9:16, 17.]12LtMs, Ms 65, 1897, par. 18
“Then answered Peter, and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. And Jesus said, Are ye yet without understanding? Do ye not yet understand that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast into the draught. But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses, blasphemies; these are the things which defile a man; but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.” [Matthew 15:15-20.]Matthew 15:11-20
Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 1
Chapter 8—Religion and the Mind
1MCP 69.1
The Mind and Spiritual Warfare—Our improvement in moral purity depends on right thinking and right acting. “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.” “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man” (Matthew 15:11, 19, 20).Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 19 (1904)
Lt 123, 1904
19LtMs, Lt 123, 1904, par. 47
Our improvement in moral purity depends on right thinking and right acting. “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. ... For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man.” [Matthew 15:11, 19, 20.]Matthew 15:13
Manuscript Releases, vol. 14 [Nos. 1081-1135]
MR No. 1121—Meetings in Washington, D. C.; The Need of the Holy Spirit; Final Events
14MR 286.2
I think of the meditation of Christ and the promise, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you” (John 14:18). The agency of the Holy Spirit is to combine with human effort, and all heaven is engaged in the work of preparing a people to stand in these last days. The end is near, and we want to keep the future world in view. The burden of my prayer is that the churches may be aroused from their moral torpor and awaken to earnest, interested endeavor. Oh, that they could see and understand that in this last conflict the Captain of the Lord’s host is leading on the armies of heaven, and mingling in the ranks and fighting our battles for us. We shall have apostasies; we expect them. “They will go out from us, because they were not of us” [cf: 1 John 2:19]. “Every plant, which My heavenly Father has not planted, shall be rooted up” (Matthew 15:13).Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 19 (1904)
Ms 114, 1904
19LtMs, Ms 114, 1904, par. 4
We desire that in all that is done, the Lord’s name shall be glorified and His cause advanced. Never was there a time when wise generalship was so much needed as at the present time. Human prejudice is not of God. To be guided by impulse is very dangerous. Human impulse is a poor commodity and can not take the place of sanctified reason. The Lord Jesus is looking upon every soul with intense interest. He has declared that the spiritual character of His church is to be carefully maintained. The church is in the world and is to do a work for the world, but the doors of the church are not to be opened to worldliness. “Every plant which My heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up.” [Matthew 15:13.] The church must be strictly guarded. Its sacred character must be demonstrated to the world. “Ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.” [1 Corinthians 3:9.] “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” [Philippians 2:12, 13.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 19 (1904)
Ms 78, 1904
19LtMs, Ms 78, 1904, par. 10
“Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up.” [Matthew 15:13.] The Son of God has control over the church in this world. He has entrusted it to the care of His servants. It is a sacred work, the guardianship of the church—the garden redeemed from the wilderness of sin by the divine Husbandman. This garden is to be filled with the plants of righteousness. There are professing Christians who bring forth no fruit but that which is unto death. True Christians bring forth fruit to God’s glory. The difference between them and worldlings may be plainly seen. When God sees that there are those in the church who are bringing in dangerous sentiments, the warning comes, “Beware. Plants are being brought in which are not of God’s choosing, but which will bear poisonous fruit.”Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 23 (1908)
Lt 18, 1908
23LtMs, Lt 18, 1908, par. 4
I shall rejoice greatly if the fear that Brother Reaser’s becoming separated from the work is averted. I think of how many souls he could guide in right ways if he himself will become humble in heart and place himself where the Lord can use him. I trust that he will make clean and certain work for time and for eternity. If he will cease to feel that he is to be the greatest influence, he will learn to counsel with other minds, to pray with his brethren, and become one with them in judgment. One man’s mind should not hastily form decisions that have to do with important matters and carry out those decisions without the calm and prayerful consideration of other minds. May the Lord help every soul to walk humbly with God. “Every plant, which My heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up,” Christ said. [Matthew 15:13.] The church with its heaven-born principles is a sacred enclosure. The heavenly Husbandman gives it divine cultivation and entrusts it with sacred responsibilities.Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 23 (1908)
Ms 9, 1908
23LtMs, Ms 9, 1908, par. 15
Let none speak lightly of the duty of the church to administer censure and rebuke; neither let them criticize the action of the church when this painful task becomes necessary. Christ has given plain instruction regarding the duty of the church toward those who, while professing to be loyal members, are bringing dishonor to the cause of God by their course of action. “Every plant which My Heavenly Father hath not planted,” He says, “shall be rooted up.” [Matthew 15:13.] God has commanded that those who prove themselves unworthy of church fellowship shall be separated from His body. Those who speak against the exercise of this authority speak against the authority of Christ.Jesus, Name Above All Names
Captain of the Lord’s Host, January 22
JNN 29.2
I think of the meditation of Christ and the promise, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you” (John 14:18). The agency of the Holy Spirit is to combine with human effort and all heaven is engaged in the work of preparing a people for to stand in these last days. The end is near, and we want to keep the future world in view. The burden of my prayer is that the churches may be aroused from their moral torpor and awaken to earnest, interested endeavor. Oh, that they could see and understand that in this last conflict the Captain of the Lord’s host is leading on the armies of heaven and mingling in the ranks and fighting our battles for us. We shall have apostasies; we expect them. “They will go out from us because they were not of us” (1 John 2:19). “Every plant, which My heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up” (Matthew 15:13).Selected Messages Book 3
Christ Mingles in the Ranks in the Last Conflict
3SM 425.3
In this last conflict the Captain of the Lord’s host [Joshua 5:15] is leading on the armies of heaven and mingling in the ranks and fighting our battles for us. We shall have apostasies, we expect them. “They will go out from us because they were not of us” (see 1 John 2:19). “Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up” (Matthew 15:13).This Day With God
All Men Are Brothers, September 17
TDG 269.4
The Lord Jesus is looking upon every soul with intense interest. He has declared that the spiritual character of His church is to be carefully maintained. The church is in the world, and is to do a work for the world, but the doors of the church are not to be opened to worldliness. “Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up” (Matthew 15:13). The church must be strictly guarded. Its sacred character must be demonstrated to the world. “Ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:9). “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12, 13)....The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials
Meetings in Washington, D. C.; The Need of the Holy Spirit; Final Events
1888 761.2
I think of the meditation of Christ and the promise, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you” (John 14:18). The agency of the Holy Spirit is to combine with human effort, and all heaven is engaged in the work of preparing a people to stand in these last days. The end is near, and we want to keep the future world in view. The burden of my prayer is that the churches may be aroused from their moral torpor and awaken to earnest, interested endeavor. Oh, that they could see and understand that in this last conflict the Captain of the Lord’s host is leading on the armies of heaven, and mingling in the ranks and fighting our battles for us. We shall have apostasies; we expect them. “They will go out from us, because they were not of us” [cf: 1 John 2:19]. “Every plant, which My heavenly Father has not planted, shall be rooted up” (Matthew 15:13).Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 6 (1889-1890)
Lt 112, 1890
6LtMs, Lt 112, 1890, par. 10
I think of the meditation of Christ and the promise, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” John 14:18. The agency of the Holy Spirit is to combine with human effort and all heaven is engaged in the work of preparing a people for to stand in these last days. The end is near, and we want to keep the future world in view. The burden of my prayer is that the churches may be aroused from their moral torpor and awaken to earnest, interested endeavor. Oh, that they could see and understand that in this last conflict the Captain of the Lord’s host is leading on the armies of heaven and mingling in the ranks and fighting our battles for us. We shall have apostasies, we expect them. “They will go out from us because they were not of us.” [1 John 2:19.] “Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.” [Matthew 15:13.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 7 (1891-1892)
Lt 23, 1892
7LtMs, Lt 23, 1892, par. 8
There is one thing we should not forget, and that is that “every plant that my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up.” [Matthew 15:13.] Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me; and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My father which gave them me is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of (my) Father’s hand.” [John 10:27-29.] “All that my Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” [John 6:37.]Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 16 (1901)
Ms 53, 1901
16LtMs, Ms 53, 1901, par. 8
From first to last the minds of the disciples were confused with regard to the difference between the sacred and the common. This called forth the statement from Christ, “Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up.” [Matthew 15:13.]Matthew 15:13-20
Manuscript Releases, vol. 16 [Nos. 1186-1235]
MR No. 1223—The Parable of the Ten Virgins
16MR 271.1
Said Christ, “Every plant, which My heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.... Those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: these are the things which defile a man” [Matthew 15:13, 18-20].Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 13 (1898)
Ms 92a, 1898
13LtMs, Ms 92a, 1898, par. 15
Said Christ, “Every plant that my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. ... Those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart: and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: these are the things which defile a man.” [Matthew 15:13, 18-20.]Matthew 15:19
The Desire of Ages
Chapter 17—Nicodemus
DA 172.1
Jesus continued: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” By nature the heart is evil, and “who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.” Job 14:4. No human invention can find a remedy for the sinning soul. “The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” “Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” Romans 8:7; Matthew 15:19. The fountain of the heart must be purified before the streams can become pure. He who is trying to reach heaven by his own works in keeping the law is attempting an impossibility. There is no safety for one who has merely a legal religion, a form of godliness. The Christian’s life is not a modification or improvement of the old, but a transformation of nature. There is a death to self and sin, and a new life altogether. This change can be brought about only by the effectual working of the Holy Spirit.From Heaven With Love
Chapter 17—Nicodemus Comes to Jesus at Night
HLv 107.4
Jesus continued: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” By nature the heart is evil. See Job 14:4. No human invention can find a remedy for the sinning soul. “The carnal mind is enmity against God.” “Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” Romans 8:7; Matthew 15:19. The fountain of the heart must be purified before the stream can become pure. He who is trying to reach heaven by his own works in keeping the law is attempting an impossibility. The Christian’s life is not a modification of the old, but a transformation of nature, a death to self and sin, and a new life altogether. This change can be brought about only by the Holy Spirit.Matthew 15:21
The Review and Herald
May 4, 1911
RH May 4, 1911, par. 16
At times in his ministry in Galilee where he had been driven by the opposition at Jerusalem, emissaries from the religious leaders came to him seeking to entangle him in some way, and to engage him in a controversy. One such instance is recorded in the fifteenth chapter of Matthew. After he had spoken to these opposers plain truths that would naturally arouse feelings of resentment in their unconverted hearts, and lead them to take steps against him, the simple record is that “Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.” Verse 21. After his return, once more the pharisees came, “tempting” him. Matthew 16:1. After a straight reply to their questions, “he left them, and departed.” On another occasion, he “departed, and did hide himself from them.” John 12:36.Matthew 15:21-28
Conflict and Courage
God Abhors Caste, October 18
CC 297.1
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:12, 13.CC 297.2
“Behold, a Canaanitish woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil” (Matthew 15:22, R. V.). The people of this district were of the old Canaanite race. They were idolaters, and were despised and hated by the Jews. To this class belonged the woman who now came to Jesus. She was a heathen....CC 297.3
Christ did not immediately reply to the woman’s request. He received this representative of a despised race as the Jews would have done.... The woman urged her case with increased earnestness, bowing at Christ’s feet, and crying, “Lord, help me.” ...CC 297.4
She yields at once to the divine influence of Christ, and has implicit faith in His ability to grant the favor she asks. She begs for the crumbs that fall from the Master’s table. If she may have the privilege of a dog, she is willing to be regarded as a dog. She has no national or religious prejudice or pride to influence her course, and she immediately acknowledges Jesus as the Redeemer, and as being able to do all that she asks of Him.CC 297.5
The Saviour is satisfied. He has tested her faith in Him.... Turning to her with a look of pity and love, He says, “O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.” From that hour her daughter became whole. The demon troubled her no more....CC 297.6
In faith the woman of Phoenicia flung herself against the barriers that had been piled up between Jew and Gentile. Against discouragement, regardless of appearances that might have led her to doubt, she trusted the Saviour’s love. It is thus that Christ desires us to trust in Him. The blessings of salvation are for every soul. Nothing but his own choice can prevent any man from becoming a partaker of the promise in Christ by the gospel.CC 297.7
Caste is hateful to God. He ignores everything of this character. In His sight the souls of all men are of equal value.32The Desire of Ages, 399-403.From Heaven With Love
Chapter 43—Christ Breaks Down Racial Barriers
HLv 267.1
After the encounter with the Pharisees Jesus withdrew from Capernaum and crossed Galilee to the hill country on the borders of Phoenicia. Looking westward He could see the ancient cities of Tyre and Sidon with their heathen temples. Beyond was the Mediterranean, over which the messengers of the gospel were to bear its glad tidings to the centers of the world’s empire. The work before Him now was to prepare His disciples for their mission.HLv 267.2
“Behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon.’” RSV. The people of this district were idolaters, despised and hated by the Jews. The woman who now came to Jesus was a heathen, and therefore was excluded from the advantages the Jews daily enjoyed.HLv 267.3
Tidings of Christ’s work had penetrated to this region. This woman had heard of the prophet, who, it was reported, healed all manner of diseases. Hope sprang up in her heart. Inspired by a mother’s love, she determined to present her daughter’s case to Him. He must heal her child. At times she was tempted to think, What can this Jewish teacher do for me? But the word had come, He heals all manner of diseases, whether those who come for help are rich or poor.HLv 267.4
Christ knew that this woman was longing to see Him, and He placed Himself in her path. By ministering to her sorrow, He could give a living representation of the lesson He designed to teach. For this He had brought His disciples to this region. He desired them to see the ignorance existing in cities and villages close to Israel. The people who had been given the truth made no effort to help souls in darkness. The partition wall which Jewish pride had erected shut even the disciples from sympathy with the heathen world. These barriers were to be broken down.HLv 268.1
Christ received this representative of a despised race with the cold and heartless manner in which the Jews would treat such a case. But the woman did not lose faith. As He passed on, as if not hearing her, she followed, continuing her supplications. Annoyed, the disciples asked Jesus to send her away. They saw that their Master treated her with indifference, and they supposed that the prejudice of the Jews against the Canaanites was pleasing to Him.HLv 268.2
But it was a pitying Saviour who answered: “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Although this answer appeared to be in accordance with the prejudice of the Jews, it was an implied rebuke to the disciples, which they afterward understood as reminding them of what He had often told them—that He came to the world to save all who would accept Him.HLv 268.3
The woman urged her case with increased earnestness, bowing at Christ’s feet, and crying, “Lord, help me.” Jesus, still apparently rejecting her entreaties, answered, “It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.” This was virtually asserting that it was not right to lavish on strangers and aliens from Israel the blessings brought to the favored people of God. This answer would have utterly discouraged a less earnest seeker. But the woman saw that her opportunity had come.HLv 268.4
Beneath the apparent refusal of Jesus, she saw a compassion He could not hide. “Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Even dogs are not left unfed! So, while there were many blessings given to Israel, was there not also a blessing for her? She was looked on as a dog, and had she not, then, a dog’s claim to a crumb from His bounty? If she may have the privilege of a dog, she was willing to be regarded as a dog; and she immediately acknowledged Jesus as the Redeemer, as being able to do all that she asked of Him.HLv 269.1
The Saviour was satisfied. He had tested her faith. He had shown that she who had been regarded as an outcast from Israel was no longer an alien, but a child in God’s household. As a child it was her privilege to share in the Father’s gifts. Christ now granted her request and finished the lesson to the disciples. Turning to her with a look of pity and love, He said, “O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.” From that hour her daughter became whole. The woman departed, acknowledging her Saviour, and happy in the granting of her prayer.HLv 269.2
It was for this miracle that Jesus went to the borders of Tyre and Sidon. He wished to relieve the afflicted woman and at the same time leave an example of mercy for the benefit of His disciples when He would no longer be with them. He wished to lead them to be interested in working for others besides their own people.HLv 269.4
When He said, “I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” He stated the truth. This woman was one of the lost sheep that Israel should have rescued. The work they had neglected, Christ was doing.HLv 270.1
This act opened the minds of the disciples more fully to the labor that lay before them among the Gentiles. They saw souls bearing sorrows unknown to those more highly favored, longing for help from the mighty Healer, hungering for truth. Afterward, when the partition wall between Jew and Gentile was broken down by the death of Christ, this lesson had a powerful influence on the representatives of Christ.HLv 270.2
The Saviour’s visit to Phoenicia and the miracle there performed had a yet wider purpose. Today, the same pride and prejudice have built strong walls of separation between different classes of men. Multitudes feel virtually shut away from the gospel. But let them not feel that they are shut away from Christ.HLv 270.3
In faith the woman of Phoenicia flung herself against the barriers piled up between Jew and Gentile. Against discouragement, regardless of appearances, that might have led her to doubt, she trusted the Saviour’s love. Thus Christ desires us to trust in Him. The blessings of salvation are for every soul. Nothing but his own choice can prevent any man from becoming a partaker of the promise in Christ by the gospel.From Heaven With Love
Faith in Christ Gives Her a Tremendous Argument
HLv 269.3
Jesus longed to unfold the deep mysteries of the truth, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs with the Jews, and “partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel.” Ephesians 3:6. In rewarding the faith of the centurion at Capernaum and preaching to the inhabitants of Sychar, He had already given evidence that He did not share the intolerance of the Jews. But now Jesus brought the disciples in contact with a heathen, whom they regarded as having no reason to expect favor from Him. He would show that His love was not to be circumscribed to race or nation.HLv 270.4
Caste is hateful to God. In His sight the souls of all men are of equal value. He “hath made of one blood all nations of men, ... that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might ... find Him, though He be not far from every one of us.” All are invited to come to Him and live. “The same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Acts 17:26, 27; Romans 10:12, 13.The Desire of Ages
Chapter 43—Barriers Broken Down
DA 399.1
After the encounter with the Pharisees, Jesus withdrew from Capernaum, and crossing Galilee, repaired to the hill country on the borders of Phoenicia. Looking westward, He could see, spread out upon the plain below, the ancient cities of Tyre and Sidon, with their heathen temples, their magnificent palaces and marts of trade, and the harbors filled with shipping. Beyond was the blue expanse of the Mediterranean, over which the messengers of the gospel were to bear its glad tidings to the centers of the world’s great empire. But the time was not yet. The work before Him now was to prepare His disciples for their mission. In coming to this region He hoped to find the retirement He had failed to secure at Bethsaida. Yet this was not His only purpose in taking this journey.DA 399.2
“Behold, a Canaanitish woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.” Matthew 15:22, R. V. The people of this district were of the old Canaanite race. They were idolaters, and were despised and hated by the Jews. To this class belonged the woman who now came to Jesus. She was a heathen, and was therefore excluded from the advantages which the Jews daily enjoyed. There were many Jews living among the Phoenicians, and the tidings of Christ’s work had penetrated to this region. Some of the people had listened to His words and had witnessed His wonderful works. This woman had heard of the prophet, who, it was reported, healed all manner of diseases. As she heard of His power, hope sprang up in her heart. Inspired by a mother’s love, she determined to present her daughter’s case to Him. It was her resolute purpose to bring her affliction to Jesus. He must heal her child. She had sought help from the heathen gods, but had obtained no relief. And at times she was tempted to think, What can this Jewish teacher do for me? But the word had come, He heals all manner of diseases, whether those who come to Him for help are rich or poor. She determined not to lose her only hope.DA 400.1
Christ knew this woman’s situation. He knew that she was longing to see Him, and He placed Himself in her path. By ministering to her sorrow, He could give a living representation of the lesson He designed to teach. For this He had brought His disciples into this region. He desired them to see the ignorance existing in cities and villages close to the land of Israel. The people who had been given every opportunity to understand the truth were without a knowledge of the needs of those around them. No effort was made to help souls in darkness. The partition wall which Jewish pride had erected, shut even the disciples from sympathy with the heathen world. But these barriers were to be broken down.DA 400.2
Christ did not immediately reply to the woman’s request. He received this representative of a despised race as the Jews would have done. In this He designed that His disciples should be impressed with the cold and heartless manner in which the Jews would treat such a case, as evinced by His reception of the woman, and the compassionate manner in which He would have them deal with such distress, as manifested by His subsequent granting of her petition.DA 400.3
But although Jesus did not reply, the woman did not lose faith. As He passed on, as if not hearing her, she followed Him, continuing her supplications. Annoyed by her importunities, the disciples asked Jesus to send her away. They saw that their Master treated her with indifference, and they therefore supposed that the prejudice of the Jews against the Canaanites was pleasing to Him. But it was a pitying Saviour to whom the woman made her plea, and in answer to the request of the disciples, Jesus said, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Although this answer appeared to be in accordance with the prejudice of the Jews, it was an implied rebuke to the disciples, which they afterward understood as reminding them of what He had often told them,—that He came to the world to save all who would accept Him.DA 401.1
The woman urged her case with increased earnestness, bowing at Christ’s feet, and crying, “Lord, help me.” Jesus, still apparently rejecting her entreaties, according to the unfeeling prejudice of the Jews, answered, “It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.” This was virtually asserting that it was not just to lavish the blessings brought to the favored people of God upon strangers and aliens from Israel. This answer would have utterly discouraged a less earnest seeker. But the woman saw that her opportunity had come. Beneath the apparent refusal of Jesus, she saw a compassion that He could not hide. “Truth, Lord,” she answered, “yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” While the children of the household eat at the father’s table, even the dogs are not left unfed. They have a right to the crumbs that fall from the table abundantly supplied. So while there were many blessings given to Israel, was there not also a blessing for her? She was looked upon as a dog, and had she not then a dog’s claim to a crumb from His bounty?DA 401.2
Jesus had just departed from His field of labor because the scribes and Pharisees were seeking to take His life. They murmured and complained. They manifested unbelief and bitterness, and refused the salvation so freely offered them. Here Christ meets one of an unfortunate and despised race, that has not been favored with the light of God’s word; yet she yields at once to the divine influence of Christ, and has implicit faith in His ability to grant the favor she asks. She begs for the crumbs that fall from the Master’s table. If she may have the privilege of a dog, she is willing to be regarded as a dog. She has no national or religious prejudice or pride to influence her course, and she immediately acknowledges Jesus as the Redeemer, and as being able to do all that she asks of Him.DA 401.3
The Saviour is satisfied. He has tested her faith in Him. By His dealings with her, He has shown that she who has been regarded as an outcast from Israel is no longer an alien, but a child in God’s household. As a child it is her privilege to share in the Father’s gifts. Christ now grants her request, and finishes the lesson to the disciples. Turning to her with a look of pity and love, He says, “O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.” From that hour her daughter became whole. The demon troubled her no more. The woman departed, acknowledging her Saviour, and happy in the granting of her prayer.DA 402.1
This was the only miracle that Jesus wrought while on this journey. It was for the performance of this act that He went to the borders of Tyre and Sidon. He wished to relieve the afflicted woman, and at the same time to leave an example in His work of mercy toward one of a despised people for the benefit of His disciples when He should no longer be with them. He wished to lead them from their Jewish exclusiveness to be interested in working for others besides their own people.DA 402.2
Jesus longed to unfold the deep mysteries of the truth which had been hid for ages, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs with the Jews, and “partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel.” Ephesians 3:6. This truth the disciples were slow to learn, and the divine Teacher gave them lesson upon lesson. In rewarding the faith of the centurion at Capernaum, and preaching the gospel to the inhabitants of Sychar, He had already given evidence that He did not share the intolerance of the Jews. But the Samaritans had some knowledge of God; and the centurion had shown kindness to Israel. Now Jesus brought the disciples in contact with a heathen, whom they regarded as having no reason above any of her people, to expect favor from Him. He would give an example of how such a one should be treated. The disciples had thought that He dispensed too freely the gifts of His grace. He would show that His love was not to be circumscribed to race or nation.DA 402.3
When He said, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” He stated the truth, and in His work for the Canaanite woman He was fulfilling His commission. This woman was one of the lost sheep that Israel should have rescued. It was their appointed work, the work which they had neglected, that Christ was doing.DA 402.4
This act opened the minds of the disciples more fully to the labor that lay before them among the Gentiles. They saw a wide field of usefulness outside of Judea. They saw souls bearing sorrows unknown to those more highly favored. Among those whom they had been taught to despise were souls longing for help from the mighty Healer, hungering for the light of truth, which had been so abundantly given to the Jews.DA 402.5
Afterward, when the Jews turned still more persistently from the disciples, because they declared Jesus to be the Saviour of the world, and when the partition wall between Jew and Gentile was broken down by the death of Christ, this lesson, and similar ones which pointed to the gospel work unrestricted by custom or nationality, had a powerful influence upon the representatives of Christ, in directing their labors.DA 403.1
The Saviour’s visit to Phoenicia and the miracle there performed had a yet wider purpose. Not alone for the afflicted woman, nor even for His disciples and those who received their labors, was the work accomplished; but also “that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.” John 20:31. The same agencies that barred men away from Christ eighteen hundred years ago are at work today. The spirit which built up the partition wall between Jew and Gentile is still active. Pride and prejudice have built strong walls of separation between different classes of men. Christ and His mission have been misrepresented, and multitudes feel that they are virtually shut away from the ministry of the gospel. But let them not feel that they are shut away from Christ. There are no barriers which man or Satan can erect but that faith can penetrate.DA 403.2
In faith the woman of Phoenicia flung herself against the barriers that had been piled up between Jew and Gentile. Against discouragement, regardless of appearances that might have led her to doubt, she trusted the Saviour’s love. It is thus that Christ desires us to trust in Him. The blessings of salvation are for every soul. Nothing but his own choice can prevent any man from becoming a partaker of the promise in Christ by the gospel.DA 403.3
Caste is hateful to God. He ignores everything of this character. In His sight the souls of all men are of equal value. He “hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us.” Without distinction of age, or rank, or nationality, or religious privilege, all are invited to come unto Him and live. “Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference.” “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free.” “The rich and poor meet together: the Lord is the Maker of them all.” “The same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Acts 17:26, 27; Galatians 3:28; Proverbs 22:2; Romans 10:11-13.Matthew 15:21-38
Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 24 (1909)
Lt 28, 1909
24LtMs, Lt 28, 1909, par. 13
Read the twenty-first to the twenty-eighth verses of the fifteenth chapter of Matthew. Here Christ taught His disciples a needed lesson by acting out for a time the ideas and sentiments that controlled the lives of many who were then following Him. “Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And behold a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto Him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and besought Him, saying, Send her away, for she crieth after us. But He answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshiped Him, saying, Lord, help me. But He answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their Master’s table. Then Jesus answered and said, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that hour.24LtMs, Lt 28, 1909, par. 15
“Then Jesus called His disciples unto Him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue now with Me three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. And the disciples said unto Him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? And Jesus said unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. And He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to His disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven basketsful. And they that did eat were four thousand men besides women and children.” [Verses 21-38.]Matthew 15:22
The Desire of Ages
Chapter 66—Controversy
DA 608.3
The Pharisees had gathered close about Jesus as He answered the question of the scribe. Now turning He put a question to them: “What think ye of Christ? whose son is He?” This question was designed to test their belief concerning the Messiah,—to show whether they regarded Him simply as a man or as the Son of God. A chorus of voices answered, “The Son of David.” This was the title which prophecy had given to the Messiah. When Jesus revealed His divinity by His mighty miracles, when He healed the sick and raised the dead, the people had inquired among themselves, “Is not this the Son of David?” The Syrophoenician woman, blind Bartimaeus, and many others had cried to Him for help, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou Son of David.” Matthew 15:22. While riding into Jerusalem He had been hailed with the joyful shout, “Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.” Matthew 21:9. And the little children in the temple had that day echoed the glad ascription. But many who called Jesus the Son of David did not recognize His divinity. They did not understand that the Son of David was also the Son of God.Matthew 15:22-28
Daughters of God
The Canaanitish Woman
DG 64.3
She was a heathen woman who had faith that Jesus could heal her daughter.DG 64.4
“Behold, a Canaanitish woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil” (Matthew 15:22, RV). The people of this district were of the old Canaanite race. They were idolaters, and were despised and hated by the Jews. To this class belonged the woman who now came to Jesus. She was a heathen, and was therefore excluded from the advantages which the Jews daily enjoyed. There were many Jews living among the Phoenicians, and the tidings of Christ’s work had penetrated to this region. Some of the people had listened to His words and had witnessed His wonderful works.DG 65.1
This woman had heard of the prophet, who, it was reported, healed all manner of diseases. As she heard of His power, hope sprang up in her heart. Inspired by a mother’s love, she determined to present her daughter’s case to Him. It was her resolute purpose to bring her affliction to Jesus. He must heal her child. She had sought help from the heathen gods, but had obtained no relief. And at times she was tempted to think, What can this Jewish teacher do for me? But the word had come, He heals all manner of diseases, whether those who come to Him for help are rich or poor. She determined not to lose her only hope.DG 65.2
Christ knew this woman’s situation. He knew that she was longing to see Him, and He placed Himself in her path. By ministering to her sorrow, He could give a living representation of the lesson He designed to teach.... The people who had been given every opportunity to understand the truth were without a knowledge of the needs of those around them. No effort was made to help souls in darkness. The partition wall which Jewish pride had erected shut even the disciples from sympathy with the heathen world. But these barriers were to be broken down.DG 65.3
Christ did not immediately reply to the woman’s request.... But although Jesus did not reply, the woman did not lose faith. As He passed on, as if not hearing her, she followed Him, continuing her supplications.... The woman urged her case with increased earnestness, bowing at Christ’s feet, and crying, “Lord, help me”.... The Saviour is satisfied. He has tested her faith in Him. By His dealings with her, He has shown that she who has been regarded as an outcast from Israel is no longer an alien, but a child in God’s household. As a child it is her privilege to share in the Father’s gifts. Christ now grants her request, and finishes the lesson to the disciples. Turning to her with a look of pity and love, He says, “O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.” From that hour her daughter became whole. The demon troubled her no more. The woman departed, acknowledging her Saviour, and happy in the granting of her prayer.—The Desire of Ages, 399-402 (1898).Matthew 15:26
The Ellen G. White Letters and Manuscripts: Volume 1
Lt 8, 1851
Sunday Brother Holt lectured in the forenoon and James in the afternoon. In the morning meeting before Brother Holt commenced to lecture, Sister Butler [Sarah Butler], who came to the meeting and was obliged to keep [to] her bed nearly all the while, confessed in the meeting that she had been wrong. Then Brother Butler talked very well; there was a confession made all around with weeping. Then I got up and told my vision about Brethren Baker and Hart and others. I never had it in a more clear manner. I told Brother Baker [that] his going to the churches to proclaim the third angel’s message was all wrong, that he had to tame down that message or he could not have got into the churches, and that he had been taking the children’s bread and giving it to dogs.21
An allusion to Matthew 15:26: “But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.”
Matthew 15:27
Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 7 (1891-1892)
Lt 16e, 1892
7LtMs, Lt 16e, 1892, par. 19
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth much fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatsoever ye ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” [John 15:16.] O! what a depth of meaning [is] in those words! We can say from the heart, “Truth, Lord!” [Matthew 15:27.] We were not the ones to make the first movement toward Christ. It was our Redeemer who made the movement toward us. “And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me.” [John 12:32.] He touched your heart; by His grace, you responded and drew toward Jesus. Man would not make the first movement; he could not. Christ was lifted up on the cross. It was His love that brought Him to our world, His love expressed for fallen man that led Him to make an offering of His soul for sin. And as the heart responds in gratitude to this unspeakable love, the language of the soul is, “Thy gentleness hath made me great.” [Psalm 18:35.]Matthew 15:28
Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3
Spiritual Gifts
3SG 28.2
It is humble, confiding faith that moves omnipotence. Those only who have this faith may expect the manifestation of the gifts. Mark 2:5. “When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” Chapter 9:23. “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” Matthew 9:21, 22.“For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her he said, Daughter, be of good comfort, thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.” Chapter 15:28. “Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith; be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.”Matthew 15:29-39
The Desire of Ages
Chapter 44—The True Sign
DA 404.1
“Again He went out from the borders of Tyre, and came through Sidon unto the Sea of Galilee, through the midst of the borders of Decapolis.” Mark 7:31, R. V.DA 404.2
It was in the region of Decapolis that the demoniacs of Gergesa had been healed. Here the people, alarmed at the destruction of the swine, had constrained Jesus to depart from among them. But they had listened to the messengers He left behind, and a desire was aroused to see Him. As He came again into that region, a crowd gathered about Him, and a deaf, stammering man was brought to Him. Jesus did not, according to His custom, restore the man by a word only. Taking him apart from the multitude, He put His fingers in his ears, and touched his tongue; looking up to heaven, He sighed at thought of the ears that would not be open to the truth, the tongues that refused to acknowledge the Redeemer. At the word, “Be opened,” the man’s speech was restored, and, disregarding the command to tell no man, he published abroad the story of his cure.DA 404.3
Jesus went up into a mountain, and there the multitude flocked to Him, bringing their sick and lame, and laying them at His feet. He healed them all; and the people, heathen as they were, glorified the God of Israel. For three days they continued to throng about the Saviour, sleeping at night in the open air, and through the day pressing eagerly to hear the words of Christ, and to see His works. At the end of three days their food was spent. Jesus would not send them away hungry, and He called upon His disciples to give them food. Again the disciples revealed their unbelief. At Bethsaida they had seen how, with Christ’s blessing, their little store availed for the feeding of the multitude; yet they did not now bring forward their all, trusting His power to multiply it for the hungry crowds. Moreover, those whom He fed at Bethsaida were Jews; these were Gentiles and heathen. Jewish prejudice was still strong in the hearts of the disciples, and they answered Jesus, “Whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?” But obedient to His word they brought Him what they had,—seven loaves and two fishes. The multitude were fed, seven large baskets of fragments remaining. Four thousand men, besides women and children, were thus refreshed, and Jesus sent them away with glad and grateful hearts.DA 405.1
Then taking a boat with His disciples, He crossed the lake to Magdala, at the southern end of the plain of Gennesaret. In the border of Tyre and Sidon His spirit had been refreshed by the confiding trust of the Syrophoenician woman. The heathen people of Decapolis had received Him with gladness. Now as He landed once more in Galilee, where His power had been most strikingly manifested, where most of His works of mercy had been performed, and His teaching given, He was met with contemptuous unbelief.DA 405.2
A deputation of Pharisees had been joined by representatives from the rich and lordly Sadducees, the party of the priests, the skeptics and aristocracy of the nation. The two sects had been at bitter enmity. The Sadducees courted the favor of the ruling power in order to maintain their own position and authority. The Pharisees, on the other hand, fostered the popular hatred against the Romans, longing for the time when they could throw off the yoke of the conqueror. But Pharisee and Sadducee now united against Christ. Like seeks like; and evil, wherever it exists, leagues with evil for the destruction of the good.DA 406.1
Now the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Christ, asking for a sign from heaven. When in the days of Joshua Israel went out to battle with the Canaanites at Bethhoron, the sun had stood still at the leader’s command until victory was gained; and many similar wonders had been manifest in their history. Some such sign was demanded of Jesus. But these signs were not what the Jews needed. No mere external evidence could benefit them. What they needed was not intellectual enlightenment, but spiritual renovation.DA 406.2
“O ye hypocrites,” said Jesus, “ye can discern the face of the sky,”—by studying the sky they could foretell the weather,—“but can ye not discern the signs of the times?” Christ’s own words, spoken with the power of the Holy Spirit that convicted them of sin, were the sign that God had given for their salvation. And signs direct from heaven had been given to attest the mission of Christ. The song of the angels to the shepherds, the star that guided the wise men, the dove and the voice from heaven at His baptism, were witnesses for Him.DA 406.3
“And He sighed deeply in His spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign?” “There shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas.” As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, Christ was to be the same time “in the heart of the earth.” And as the preaching of Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so Christ’s preaching was a sign to His generation. But what a contrast in the reception of the word! The people of the great heathen city trembled as they heard the warning from God. Kings and nobles humbled themselves; the high and the lowly together cried to the God of heaven, and His mercy was granted unto them. “The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation,” Christ had said, “and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.” Matthew 12:40, 41.DA 406.4
Every miracle that Christ performed was a sign of His divinity. He was doing the very work that had been foretold of the Messiah; but to the Pharisees these works of mercy were a positive offense. The Jewish leaders looked with heartless indifference on human suffering. In many cases their selfishness and oppression had caused the affliction that Christ relieved. Thus His miracles were to them a reproach.DA 406.5
That which led the Jews to reject the Saviour’s work was the highest evidence of His divine character. The greatest significance of His miracles is seen in the fact that they were for the blessing of humanity. The highest evidence that He came from God is that His life revealed the character of God. He did the works and spoke the words of God. Such a life is the greatest of all miracles.DA 407.1
When the message of truth is presented in our day, there are many who, like the Jews, cry, Show us a sign. Work us a miracle. Christ wrought no miracle at the demand of the Pharisees. He wrought no miracle in the wilderness in answer to Satan’s insinuations. He does not impart to us power to vindicate ourselves or to satisfy the demands of unbelief and pride. But the gospel is not without a sign of its divine origin. Is it not a miracle that we can break from the bondage of Satan? Enmity against Satan is not natural to the human heart; it is implanted by the grace of God. When one who has been controlled by a stubborn, wayward will is set free, and yields himself wholeheartedly to the drawing of God’s heavenly agencies, a miracle is wrought; so also when a man who has been under strong delusion comes to understand moral truth. Every time a soul is converted, and learns to love God and keep His commandments, the promise of God is fulfilled, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you.” Ezekiel 36:26. The change in human hearts, the transformation of human characters, is a miracle that reveals an ever-living Saviour, working to rescue souls. A consistent life in Christ is a great miracle. In the preaching of the word of God, the sign that should be manifest now and always is the presence of the Holy Spirit, to make the word a regenerating power to those that hear. This is God’s witness before the world to the divine mission of His Son.DA 407.2
Those who desired a sign from Jesus had so hardened their hearts in unbelief that they did not discern in His character the likeness of God. They would not see that His mission was in fulfillment of the Scriptures. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus said to the Pharisees, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” Luke 16:31. No sign that could be given in heaven or earth would benefit them.DA 407.3
Jesus “sighed deeply in His spirit,” and, turning from the group of cavilers, re-entered the boat with His disciples. In sorrowful silence they again crossed the lake. They did not, however, return to the place they had left, but directed their course toward Bethsaida, near where the five thousand had been fed. Upon reaching the farther side, Jesus said, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.” The Jews had been accustomed since the days of Moses to put away leaven from their houses at the Passover season, and they had thus been taught to regard it as a type of sin. Yet the disciples failed to understand Jesus. In their sudden departure from Magdala they had forgotten to take bread, and they had with them only one loaf. To this circumstance they understood Christ to refer, warning them not to buy bread of a Pharisee or a Sadducee. Their lack of faith and spiritual insight had often led them to similar misconception of His words. Now Jesus reproved them for thinking that He who had fed thousands with a few fishes and barley loaves could in that solemn warning have referred merely to temporal food. There was danger that the crafty reasoning of the Pharisees and the Sadducees would leaven His disciples with unbelief, causing them to think lightly of the works of Christ.DA 408.1
The disciples were inclined to think that their Master should have granted the demand for a sign in the heavens. They believed that He was fully able to do this, and that such a sign would put His enemies to silence. They did not discern the hypocrisy of these cavilers.DA 408.2
Months afterward, “when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another,” Jesus repeated the same teaching. “He began to say unto His disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” Luke 12:1.DA 408.3
The leaven placed in the meal works imperceptibly, changing the whole mass to its own nature. So if hypocrisy is allowed to exist in the heart, it permeates the character and the life. A striking example of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, Christ had already rebuked in denouncing the practice of “Corban,” by which a neglect of filial duty was concealed under a pretense of liberality to the temple. The scribes and Pharisees were insinuating deceptive principles. They concealed the real tendency of their doctrines, and improved every occasion to instill them artfully into the minds of their hearers. These false principles, when once accepted, worked like leaven in the meal, permeating and transforming the character. It was this deceptive teaching that made it so hard for the people to receive the words of Christ.DA 408.4
The same influences are working today through those who try to explain the law of God in such a way as to make it conform to their practices. This class do not attack the law openly, but put forward speculative theories that undermine its principles. They explain it so as to destroy its force.DA 409.1
The hypocrisy of the Pharisees was the product of self-seeking. The glorification of themselves was the object of their lives. It was this that led them to pervert and misapply the Scriptures, and blinded them to the purpose of Christ’s mission. This subtle evil even the disciples of Christ were in danger of cherishing. Those who classed themselves with the followers of Jesus, but who had not left all in order to become His disciples, were influenced in a great degree by the reasoning of the Pharisees. They were often vacillating between faith and unbelief, and they did not discern the treasures of wisdom hidden in Christ. Even the disciples, though outwardly they had left all for Jesus’ sake, had not in heart ceased to seek great things for themselves. It was this spirit that prompted the strife as to who should be greatest. It was this that came between them and Christ, making them so little in sympathy with His mission of self-sacrifice, so slow to comprehend the mystery of redemption. As leaven, if left to complete its work, will cause corruption and decay, so does the self-seeking spirit, cherished, work the defilement and ruin of the soul.DA 409.2
Among the followers of our Lord today, as of old, how widespread is this subtle, deceptive sin! How often our service to Christ, our communion with one another, is marred by the secret desire to exalt self! How ready the thought of self-gratulation, and the longing for human approval! It is the love of self, the desire for an easier way than God has appointed that leads to the substitution of human theories and traditions for the divine precepts. To His own disciples the warning words of Christ are spoken, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.”DA 409.3
The religion of Christ is sincerity itself. Zeal for God’s glory is the motive implanted by the Holy Spirit; and only the effectual working of the Spirit can implant this motive. Only the power of God can banish self-seeking and hypocrisy. This change is the sign of His working. When the faith we accept destroys selfishness and pretense, when it leads us to seek God’s glory and not our own, we may know that it is of the right order. “Father, glorify Thy name” (John 12:28), was the keynote of Christ’s life, and if we follow Him, this will be the keynote of our life. He commands us to “walk, even as He walked;” and “hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.” 1 John 2:6, 3.From Heaven With Love
Chapter 44—The True Sign
HLv 271.1
In Decapolis, where the demoniacs of Gergesa had been healed, the people had constrained Jesus to depart. But they had listened to the messengers He left behind. As He came again into that region, a crowd gathered, and a deaf, stammering man was brought to Him. Taking him apart from the multitude, Jesus put His fingers in his ears and touched his tongue. He sighed at thought of the ears that would not be open to the truth, the tongues that refused to acknowledge the Redeemer. At the word, “Be opened,” the man’s speech was restored.HLv 271.2
Jesus went up into a mountain, and there the multitude flocked to Him, bringing their sick and lame. He healed them all; and the people, heathen as they were, glorified the God of Israel. For three days they thronged about the Saviour, sleeping at night in the open air, and through the day pressing to hear the words of Christ and see His works.HLv 271.3
At the end of three days their food was spent. Jesus would not send them away hungry, and He called on His disciples to give them food. At Bethsaida they had seen how their little store availed for feeding the multitude; yet they did not now bring forward their all, trusting His power to multiply it for the hungry crowds. Again the disciples revealed their unbelief. Those He fed at Bethsaida were Jews; these were Gentiles and heathen. Jewish prejudice was still strong in the hearts of the disciples. “Where are we to get bread enough in the desert to feed so great a crowd?” RSV.HLv 271.4
But obedient to His word they brought Him what they had—seven loaves and two fishes. The multitude were fed, seven large baskets of fragments remaining. Four thousand men, besides women and children, were thus refreshed.HLv 272.1
Then with His disciples, Jesus crossed the lake to Magdala. In the border of Tyre and Sidon His spirit had been refreshed by the confiding trust of the Syrophoenician woman. The heathen people of Decapolis had received Him with gladness. Now as He landed once more in Galilee, where most of His works of mercy had been performed, He was met with contemptuous unbelief.HLv 272.2
The two sects—Pharisees and Sadducees—had been at bitter enmity, but now they united against Christ, asking for a sign from heaven. When Israel went out to battle with the Canaanites at Bethhoron, the sun had stood still at Joshua’s command. Some such sign was demanded of Jesus. But no mere external evidence could benefit them.HLv 272.3
“O ye hypocrites,” said Jesus, “ye can discern the face of the sky,”—by studying the sky they could foretell the weather—“but can ye not discern the signs of the times?” Christ’s own words, spoken with the power of the Holy Spirit, were the sign God had given. The song of the angels to the shepherds, the star that guided the wise men, the voice from heaven at His baptism were witnesses for Him.HLv 272.4
“And He sighed deeply in His spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign?” “There shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas.” As the preaching of Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so Christ’s preaching was a sign to His generation. But what a contrast in the reception of the word! The people of the great heathen city humbled themselves; the high and lowly together cried to the God of heaven, and His mercy was granted them. “The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation,” Christ had said, “and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.” Matthew 12:41.HLv 273.1
Every miracle Christ performed was a sign of His divinity, but to the Pharisees these works of mercy were a positive offense. The Jewish leaders looked with heartless indifference on human suffering. In many cases their oppression had caused the affliction that Christ relieved. Thus His miracles were to them a reproach.HLv 273.2
That which led the Jews to reject the Saviour was the highest evidence of His divine character: His miracles were for the blessing of humanity. His life revealed the character of God. He did the works and spoke the words of God. Such a life is the greatest of all miracles.HLv 273.3
Many in our day, like the Jews, cry, Show us a sign; work a miracle. Christ does not impart to us power to vindicate ourselves or satisfy the demands of unbelief and pride. But is it not a miracle that we can break from the bondage of Satan? Enmity against Satan is not natural to the human heart. It is implanted by the grace of God. When one who has been controlled by a stubborn, wayward will yields himself to the drawing of God’s heavenly agencies, a miracle is wrought. So also when a man who has been under strong delusion comes to understand moral truth. The change in human hearts, the transformation of human characters, is a miracle that reveals an ever-living Saviour. In preaching the Word of God, the sign that should be manifest now and always is the presence of the Holy Spirit, to make the Word a regenerating power to those that hear.HLv 274.1
Turning from the group of cavilers, Jesus reentered the boat with His disciples. In sorrowful silence they again crossed the lake. On reaching the farther side, Jesus said, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.” The Jews had been taught to regard leaven as a type of sin. In their sudden departure from Magdala the disciples had forgotten to take bread. They understood Christ as warning them not to buy bread of a Pharisee or Sadducee. Their lack of spiritual insight often led to misconception of His words.HLv 274.2
Now Jesus reproved them for thinking that He who had fed thousands with a few fishes and barley loaves could have referred in that solemn warning to merely temporal food. There was danger that the crafty reasoning of the Pharisees and Sadducees would leaven His disciples with unbelief.HLv 274.4
Leaven works imperceptibly, changing the meal to its own nature. So if hypocrisy is allowed in the heart, it permeates the character and life. A striking example was the practice of Corban, by which a neglect of filial duty was concealed under a pretense of liberality to the temple. The scribes and Pharisees concealed the real tendency of their doctrines, instilling them artfully into the minds of their hearers. This deceptive teaching made it hard for the people to receive the words of Christ.HLv 274.5
The same influences are working through those who try to explain the law of God to make it conform to their practices. This class do not attack the law openly, but put forward speculative theories that undermine its principles. They explain it so as to destroy its force.HLv 275.1
The hypocrisy of the Pharisees was the product of self-seeking. This led them to pervert and misapply the Scriptures. This subtle evil even the disciples of Christ were in danger of cherishing. The followers of Jesus were influenced in a great degree by the reasoning of the Pharisees, often vacillating between faith and unbelief. Even the disciples had not in heart ceased to seek great things for themselves. This spirit prompted the strife as to who should be greatest. This made them so little in sympathy with Christ’s mission of self-sacrifice. As leaven will cause corruption, so the self-seeking spirit, cherished, works the defilement and ruin of the soul.HLv 275.2
Today, as of old, how widespread is this subtle, deceptive sin! How often our service to Christ is marred by the secret desire to exalt self! How ready the thought of self-gratulation and the longing for human approval! The love of self, the desire for an easier way than God has appointed, leads to the substitution of human theories and traditions for the divine precepts.From Heaven With Love
The True Evidence That Christ Came From God
HLv 273.4
Those who desired a sign from Jesus had hardened their hearts. They would not see that His mission was in fulfillment of the Scriptures. “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” Luke 16:31.HLv 274.3
The disciples were inclined to think that their Master should have granted the demand for a sign in the heavens. He was able to do this, and such a sign would put His enemies to silence. They did not discern the hypocrisy of the cavilers. Months afterward, Jesus repeated the same teaching. “Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” Luke 12:1.From Heaven With Love
Self-Deception of Egocentric Motivation
HLv 275.3
The religion of Christ is sincerity itself. Zeal for God’s glory is the motive implanted by the Holy Spirit, and only the power of God can banish self-seeking and hypocrisy. This change is the sign of His working. When the faith we accept destroys selfishness and pretense, when it leads us to seek God’s glory and not our own, we may know that it is of the right order. “Father, glorify Thy name” (John 12:28) was the keynote of Christ’s life, and if we follow Him this will be the keynote of our life.Matthew 15:31
Prophets and Kings
Chapter 4—Results of Transgression
PK 69.1
Jesus, the divine Master, ever exalted the name of His heavenly Father. He taught His disciples to pray, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.” Matthew 6:9, A.R.V. And they were not to forget to acknowledge, “Thine is ... the glory.” Verse 13. So careful was the great Healer to direct attention from Himself to the Source of His power, that the wondering multitude, “when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see,” did not glorify Him, but “glorified the God of Israel.” Matthew 15:31. In the wonderful prayer that Christ offered just before His crucifixion, He declared, “I have glorified Thee on the earth.” “Glorify Thy Son,” He pleaded, “that Thy Son also may glorify Thee.” “O righteous Father, the world hath not known Thee: but I have known Thee, and these have known that Thou hast sent Me. And I have declared unto them Thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” John 17:4, 1, 25, 26.From Splendor to Shadow
Visit of the Queen of Sheba
SS 36.5
Jesus, the divine Master, taught His disciples to pray, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.” Matthew 6:9, RSV, emphasis supplied. And they were to acknowledge, “Thine is ... the glory.” So careful was the great Healer to direct attention from Himself to the Source of His power, that the multitude, “when they saw the dumb speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing,” did not glorify Him, but “glorified the God of Israel.” Matthew 15:31, RSV.Matthew 15:32
Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 17 (1902)
Ms 132, 1902
17LtMs, Ms 132, 1902, par. 14
The feeding of the multitude is an illustration of Christ’s tender solicitude. After thousands, forgetting the wants of nature, had listened with deepest interest to His ministry of truth, He, like a pitying father, was mindful of their wants. Often hungry Himself, He was awake to the necessities of others. Calling His disciples to Him, He said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with Me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.” [Matthew 15:32.] He remembered that after His long fast in the wilderness of temptation, He had fainted, and that angels had ministered to Him. Without hesitation He wrought a miracle to feed the thousands who had followed Him in order that they might hear the gracious words proceeding from His lips.EGW Writings — Ellen G. White. Ellen G. White Estate · all rights reserved
Matthew 15:1-20
The Desire of Ages
Chapter 42—Tradition
DA 395.1
The scribes and Pharisees, expecting to see Jesus at the Passover, had laid a trap for Him. But Jesus, knowing their purpose, had absented Himself from this gathering. “Then came together unto Him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes.” As He did not go to them, they came to Him. For a time it had seemed that the people of Galilee would receive Jesus as the Messiah, and that the power of the hierarchy in that region would be broken. The mission of the twelve, indicating the extension of Christ’s work, and bringing the disciples more directly into conflict with the rabbis, had excited anew the jealousy of the leaders at Jerusalem. The spies they sent to Capernaum in the early part of His ministry, who had tried to fix on Him the charge of Sabbathbreaking, had been put to confusion; but the rabbis were bent on carrying out their purpose. Now another deputation was sent to watch His movements, and find some accusation against Him.DA 395.2
As before, the ground of complaint was His disregard of the traditional precepts that encumbered the law of God. These were professedly designed to guard the observance of the law, but they were regarded as more sacred than the law itself. When they came in collision with the commandments given from Sinai, preference was given to the rabbinical precepts.DA 395.3
Among the observances most strenuously enforced was that of ceremonial purification. A neglect of the forms to be observed before eating was accounted a heinous sin, to be punished both in this world and in the next; and it was regarded as a virtue to destroy the transgressor.DA 396.1
The rules in regard to purification were numberless. The period of a lifetime was scarcely sufficient for one to learn them all. The life of those who tried to observe the rabbinical requirements was one long struggle against ceremonial defilement, an endless round of washings and purifications. While the people were occupied with trifling distinctions, and observances which God had not required, their attention was turned away from the great principles of His law.DA 396.2
Christ and His disciples did not observe these ceremonial washings, and the spies made this neglect the ground of their accusation. They did not, however, make a direct attack on Christ, but came to Him with criticism of His disciples. In the presence of the multitude they said, “Why do Thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.”DA 396.3
Whenever the message of truth comes home to souls with special power, Satan stirs up his agents to start a dispute over some minor question. Thus he seeks to attract attention from the real issue. Whenever a good work is begun, there are cavilers ready to enter into dispute over forms or technicalities, to draw minds away from the living realities. When it appears that God is about to work in a special manner for His people, let them not be enticed into a controversy that will work only ruin of souls. The questions that most concern us are, Do I believe with saving faith on the Son of God? Is my life in harmony with the divine law? “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life.” “And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.” John 3:36; 1 John 2:3.DA 396.4
Jesus made no attempt to defend Himself or His disciples. He made no reference to the charges against Him, but proceeded to show the spirit that actuated these sticklers for human rites. He gave them an example of what they were repeatedly doing, and had done just before coming in search of Him. “Full well ye reject the commandment of God,” He said, “that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honor thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: but ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do aught for his father or his mother.” They set aside the fifth commandment as of no consequence, but were very exact in carrying out the traditions of the elders. They taught the people that the devotion of their property to the temple was a duty more sacred than even the support of their parents; and that, however great the necessity, it was sacrilege to impart to father or mother any part of what had been thus consecrated. An undutiful child had only to pronounce the word “Corban” over his property, thus devoting it to God, and he could retain it for his own use during his lifetime, and after his death it was to be appropriated to the temple service. Thus he was at liberty, both in life and in death, to dishonor and defraud his parents, under cover of a pretended devotion to God.DA 397.1
Never, by word or deed, did Jesus lessen man’s obligation to present gifts and offerings to God. It was Christ who gave all the directions of the law in regard to tithes and offerings. When on earth He commended the poor woman who gave her all to the temple treasury. But the apparent zeal for God on the part of the priests and rabbis was a pretense to cover their desire for self-aggrandizement. The people were deceived by them. They were bearing heavy burdens which God had not imposed. Even the disciples of Christ were not wholly free from the yoke that had been bound upon them by inherited prejudice and rabbinical authority. Now, by revealing the true spirit of the rabbis, Jesus sought to free from the bondage of tradition all who were really desirous of serving God.DA 397.2
“Ye hypocrites,” He said, addressing the wily spies, “well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoreth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” The words of Christ were an arraignment of the whole system of Pharisaism. He declared that by placing their requirements above the divine precepts the rabbis were setting themselves above God.DA 397.3
The deputies from Jerusalem were filled with rage. They could not accuse Christ as a violator of the law given from Sinai, for He spoke as its defender against their traditions. The great precepts of the law, which He had presented, appeared in striking contrast to the petty rules that men had devised.DA 397.4
To the multitude, and afterward more fully to His disciples, Jesus explained that defilement comes not from without, but from within. Purity and impurity pertain to the soul. It is the evil deed, the evil word, the evil thought, the transgression of the law of God, not the neglect of external, man-made ceremonies, that defiles a man.DA 398.1
The disciples noted the rage of the spies as their false teaching was exposed. They saw the angry looks, and heard the half-muttered words of dissatisfaction and revenge. Forgetting how often Christ had given evidence that He read the heart as an open book, they told Him of the effect of His words. Hoping that He might conciliate the enraged officials, they said to Jesus, “Knowest Thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?”DA 398.2
He answered, “Every plant, which My heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.” The customs and traditions so highly valued by the rabbis were of this world, not from heaven. However great their authority with the people, they could not endure the testing of God. Every human invention that has been substituted for the commandments of God will be found worthless in that day when “God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:14.DA 398.3
The substitution of the precepts of men for the commandments of God has not ceased. Even among Christians are found institutions and usages that have no better foundation than the traditions of the fathers. Such institutions, resting upon mere human authority, have supplanted those of divine appointment. Men cling to their traditions, and revere their customs, and cherish hatred against those who seek to show them their error. In this day, when we are bidden to call attention to the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, we see the same enmity as was manifested in the days of Christ. Of the remnant people of God it is written, “The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17.DA 398.4
But “every plant, which My heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.” In place of the authority of the so-called fathers of the church, God bids us accept the word of the eternal Father, the Lord of heaven and earth. Here alone is truth unmixed with error. David said, “I have more understanding than all my teachers: for Thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Thy precepts.” Psalm 119:99, 100. Let all who accept human authority, the customs of the church, or the traditions of the fathers, take heed to the warning conveyed in the words of Christ, “In vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”From Heaven With Love
Chapter 42—Christ Foretells a Great Uprooting
HLv 264.1
The mission of the Twelve, indicating the extension of Christ’s work, had excited anew the jealousy of the leaders at Jerusalem. The spies sent to Capernaum in the early part of Christ’s ministry were put to confusion, but now another deputation was sent to watch His movements and find some accusation against Him.HLv 264.2
As before, the ground of complaint was His disregard of traditional precepts professedly designed to guard the observance of the law. Among the observances most strenuously enforced was ceremonial purification. Neglect of the forms to be observed before eating was accounted a heinous sin.HLv 264.3
The life of those who tried to observe the rabbinical requirements was one long struggle against ceremonial defilement. While the people were occupied with trifling observances, their attention was turned away from the great principles of God’s law.HLv 264.4
Christ and His disciples did not observe ceremonial washings. The spies did not, however, make a direct attack on Christ, but came to Him with criticism of His disciples: “Why do Thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.”HLv 264.5
Jesus made no attempt to defend Himself or His disciples. He proceeded to show the spirit that actuated these sticklers for human rites. He gave them an example of what they were repeatedly doing: “Full well ye reject the commandment of God,” He said, “that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honor thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death; but ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more aught for his father or his mother.” An undutiful child had only to pronounce the word Corban over his property, and he could retain it for his own use during his lifetime, and after his death it was to be appropriated to the temple service. Thus he was at liberty to dishonor and defraud his parents, under cover of a pretended devotion to God.HLv 265.1
Jesus commended the poor woman who gave her all to the temple treasury. But the apparent zeal for God on the part of the priests and rabbis was a pretense to cover a desire for self-aggrandizement. Even the disciples of Christ were not wholly free from the yoke of inherited prejudice and rabbinical authority. By revealing the true spirit of the rabbis, Jesus sought to free all who were really desirous of serving God.HLv 265.2
“Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoreth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me. In vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Christ declared that by placing their requirements above the divine precepts, the rabbis were setting themselves above God. Jesus explained that defilement comes not from without, but from within. Purity and impurity pertain to the soul.HLv 265.3
The disciples noted the rage of the spies and heard the half-muttered words of dissatisfaction and revenge. They told Christ, hoping that He might conciliate the enraged officials: “Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?”HLv 265.4
He answered, “Every plant, which My heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.” The customs and traditions so highly valued by the rabbis could not endure the testing of God. Every human invention that has been substituted for the commandments of God will be found worthless in that day when “God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:14.HLv 266.1
Even among Christians are found institutions and usages that have no better foundation than the traditions of the fathers. Men cling to their traditions and hate those who show them their error. In this day, when we are bidden to call attention to the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, we see the same enmity as was manifested in the days of Christ. Of the remnant people of God it is written, “The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17.HLv 266.2
But “every plant, which My heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.” In place of the authority of the so-called fathers of the church, God bids us accept the word of the eternal Father, the Lord of heaven and earth. Here alone is truth unmixed with error. “In vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”