ON YOUR MARK: WEEK 7 DAY 1
Mark 7:1-8
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, holding to the tradition of the elders, 4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels 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.”
There is nothing more off-putting than a self-righteous snob. Today and tomorrow, we will see how Jesus took on the self-righteous as they looked down from their castle of greatness and let everyone below them know that they, themselves, were better than the rest. Their castle of selfmade holiness gets exposed as being nothing more than a picture as Jesus demolishes religious self promotion in one sentence: “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions” (Mark 7:8). That verse right there is a truth we must apply, it leads to a question we must answer. What traditions do I have that are meaningful, beneficial, and healthy that I believe make me better than others? Jesus is not saying, "don't wash your hands, don't value traditions,” what Jesus is saying is that your traditions are not your savior, especially when they are man made, not God given.
What elevates you over other people in your heart? How does Jesus' statement feel when you read it and see yourself in the Pharisees seat?