May 23, 2016
GOING STRAIGHT TO THE PRIMARY SOURCE
Mark 7:1–13
James Blair
Central Truth
The Word of God is our primary source for wisdom, truth, and how to experience joy. Don't elevate the teaching of men above the Word of God.
Key Verse | Mark 7:8
"You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” (Mark 7:8)
Mark 7:1–13
Traditions and Commandments
1 Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, 2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, 1 7:3 Greek unless they wash the hands with a fist, probably indicating a kind of ceremonial washing holding to the tradition of the elders, 4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. 2 7:4 Greek unless they baptize; some manuscripts unless they purify themselves And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches. 3 7:4 Some manuscripts omit and dining couches ) 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” 6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,
‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
7
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”
9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 11 But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God) 4 7:11 Or an offering — 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, 13 thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”
Dive Deeper | Mark 7:1–13
Have you ever done something just because it is how you've always done it? Marriage quickly showed me that what I thought was normal could, in fact, be very strange to someone else. Whether you put the silverware up or down in the dishwasher or wash your clothes all at once instead of separating the darks and lights—it doesn't matter because ultimately neither choice is sinful. What if we elevated our opinions on "how to do things right" from being just a suggestion to being a rule? Can you imagine being punished for attending church on Saturday night instead of Sunday morning? Crazy!
The Pharisees had established their culture as being the ultimate rule followers. They took this to the extreme by elevating the advice of their teachers to be equal with the law. In Mark 6, Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees who wanted nothing more than to catch Him slipping up and breaking one of their laws. What they didn't count on was Jesus not only blatantly breaking their laws, but also calling them out on the whole rule book! Jesus challenges the Pharisees on these laws because they were based on the teaching of man, not the Word of God.
I find that I struggle when I choose to seek out different sources on how to properly live my life instead of going straight to the Bible itself. Paul tells us that "[a]ll Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16) The Bible is our primary source for wisdom, and yet often I treat it like the footnote. Even worse is when I decide to respond to someone by saying, "Ooh, you should totally read this book I just read by __," instead of pointing them back to what God says about the situation through His Word. This is not to say that all resources outside the Bible are bad, but it is a warning against turning the teachings of man into something more important than the Word of God.
Discussion Questions
1. What do you think the reason is behind Jesus' disregard for the Pharisees' traditions?
2. Are there any areas of your life that are more informed by the teachings of man rather than God's Word?
3. Can you think of a time when you used the excuse of tradition to not follow God's commandments?