His Story Bible Study

Chapter 14: Only God Makes Us Pure

• Main Truth: God purifies hearts, not rituals.
  A tradition-kept exterior can’t cleanse a defiled heart—only God’s truth welcomed, believed, and obeyed can.
• Chapter Summary: After an official delegation challenges Jesus over ritual handwashing, He exposes how man-made traditions (including “loopholes” like Corban) can nullify God’s commands and mask greed, then declares that what truly defiles comes from within the heart.
  He then warns against greed with the Rich Fool, calls disciples to seek God’s kingdom instead of worrying, and urges watchful readiness for His return with lamps burning and servants faithfully at work.
• What You Will Learn in This Study:

  • Jesus confronts “religious cover-ups”: He refuses to let tradition outrank God’s commands, even when it looks holy on the outside.

  • Jesus locates purity in the heart: defilement isn’t about dirty hands; it’s about what flows out from within.

  • Jesus exposes greed as spiritual rot: He names it, unmasks it, and calls generosity toward the poor as the fruit of inner cleansing.

  • Jesus redefines “wealth”: the Rich Fool shows that full barns can still mean an empty soul, and true riches are being “rich toward God.”

  • Jesus trains us out of anxiety: seeking God’s kingdom first displaces worry and resets what we chase.

  • Jesus will return unexpectedly: He calls for lamps burning, sleeves rolled up, and faithful service—because accountability matches responsibility.