John 6:22-7:1 | Matthew 15:1-20 | Mark 7:1-23

After Jesus had fed the multitude, there were many in the crowd who wanted to make Him king, but He dispersed them and sent them away.  The next day they found Him with His disciples at Capernaum, and they challenge Jesus to give them more food, just like Moses gave their forefathers in the wilderness.  Jesus corrects them, telling them that it was God Who gave them bread in the wilderness, and it was God Who sent Jesus down as the bread of life.  Jesus almost goes out of His way to offend them, saying that He is the Bread of Life from the Father, and that it is necessary for those who seek God to eat His Body and drink His Blood.  Many in the crowd were offended, and went away, and many of the Lord’s disciples also stopped follow Him at that time.  Only the 12 were left, and they told Him they would remain faithful to Him.

In like manner, we see other ways in which Jesus offended the Jews, with examples in these passages from Matthew and Mark.  Pharisees from Jerusalem came to Galilee and criticized Jesus and His disciples for breaking the law, even though they didn’t break God’s law, but only their interpretation.  Jesus points out their own hypocrisy, and quotes from Isaiah 29:13, telling them that they were guilty of teaching the people the doctrines of men, but claiming them to be the doctrines of God.  Jesus tells them, and then He tells His disciples that it is what comes out of a person’s mouth (which is a reflection of what is in their heart) that defiles a man, and not what a person eats, or if they eat with unwashed hands.