"A Real Relationship With Jesus Is Better Than Rules, Regulations.. Series

The Ministry, Message, and Messiah in the Book of Mark Week 16:

"A Real Relationship with Jesus is Better Than Rules, Regulations, and the Tradition of Religion"

(Mark 7:1-13)

Crossroads Community Church

Rev. Ricky A. Rohrig Sr., Founding Pastor

There is always a way to do things in life like your way, my way, the highway, or the right way. What I am getting at is there rules all around us; things that are put in place to tell, or show us how to do things. Sometimes we agree with the rules and other times we do not. Sometimes the rules makes sense to us, and at times we thing they are absurd. In the OT there are 613 laws or rules that applied to people’s lives. If you were a keeper of the law like the Pharisees you would have studied these laws and known them very well.

The Pharisees were known as spiritual fathers of modern Judaism. Their main distinguishing characteristic was a belief in an Oral Law that God gave to Moses at Sinai along with the Torah. The Torah, or Written Law, was akin to our modern day U.S. Constitution in the sense that it set down a series of laws that were open to interpretation. The Pharisees believed that God also gave Moses the knowledge of what these laws meant and how they should be applied. This oral tradition was codified and written down roughly three centuries later in what is known as the Talmud.

The Pharisees also maintained that an after-life existed and that God punished the wicked and rewarded the righteous in the world to come. They also believed in a messiah who would herald an era of world peace.

Pharisees were in a sense blue-collar Jews who adhered to the tenets developed after the destruction of the Temple; that is, such things as individual prayer and assembly in synagogues.

In today’s message we are going to see how Jesus rebukes the Pharisees as I minister and teach from this thought, “A Real Relationship with Jesus is Better Than Rules, Regulations, and the Tradition of Religion!” (repeat)

Mark 7:1-13

1 Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.

2 And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.

3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.

4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.

5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?

6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:

11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.

12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;

13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

1. Critiquing, criticizing, and condemning (Mark 7:1-2)

One of the things you’ll notice is that about half of today’s lesson is Jesus talking.

1 Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.

2 And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.

• Are you getting the picture, here are the Pharisees looking around and now noticing something isn’t right

• They are critiquing, criticizing, and condemning

• How many of you know people like this

o No matter what you do it is always wrong

o People who knit pick

o Point the finger at you

o Look down at you

o Ones that think they are better than you