Mark 7:1-23 The Heart of the Matter

(Done on the morning of December 3/10, posted in the afternoon due to internet issues.  Sorry for the lateness.)


From this passage, we see Pharisees questioning Jesus about why some of his disciples don’t wash their hands vs. 3 “(The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands, as required by their ancient traditions.”  

Ok, personally .. Er… I wash my hands all the time, and it’s a good practise.   But the Pharisees were preaching this like it was divine holy law, and that was tradition.

We have tons of traditions in the Church that we hold on too, or traditions from our past, that many times we try to preach as holy law before others.   In verse 8 Jesus says “For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”

Do we look down on somebody that doesn’t go by our traditions?   Look at the Christmas season, and yes, I love Christmas time .. But really, it is a tradition not a holy covenant, or thing that we must celebrate.   But we hold it up more than the teachings of Christ sometimes.   Vs. 9 “You skilfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to you own tradition.”  And then he uses the example of honouring your father and mother, but using God as an excuse for noth helping them.

Check out verse  14“It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.”   and verse 18 “Don’t you understand either? He asked.  “Can’t you see that the food you put into your body cannot defile you?  Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.” (By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes)”   Hehe, now hand me that bacon strip!!

But we need to be careful of what we teach to others, that we are not teaching tradition, but the actual scriptures.   Jesus says is verse 20 “It is what comes from inside that defiles you.   For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.   All of these vile things comes from within; they are what defile you.”