Our Traditions Series

Our Traditions

Mark 7:1-23 (17-23)

Why would some people buy a cat and tie it to the bedpost to show their reverence to God?

Many years ago, a very poor holy man lived in a remote part of China. Every day before his time of meditation, in order to show his devotion, he put a dish of butter up on the window sill as an offering to God, since food was so scarce. One day his cat came in and ate the butter. To remedy this, he began tying the cat to the bedpost each day before the quiet time. This man was so respected for his piety that others joined him as disciples and worshipped as he did. Generations later, long after the holy man was dead, his followers placed an offering of butter on the window sill during their time of prayer and meditation. Furthermore, each one bought a cat and tied it to the bedpost. (source unknown, www.sermonillustrations.com).

Mark 7:17-23 And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable (or difficult saying). 18 And he said to them, "Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?" (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20 And he said, "What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."

Prayer

Man has always tried to make religion about what we eat and what we do. That has never changed. That is what religion is.

However, Jesus did not come to start another religion; another system to control the behavior of man.

This short passage is a clarification of an event in Jesus' and the disciples' ministry. We find that story in the first of the chapter, beginning with verses 1-4.

Mark 7:1-4 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, 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.)

The Jewish leadership sent scribes (experts of the law) and Pharisees from Jerusalem to Genneseret to investigate Jesus and His disciples. They came with a chip on their shoulders, and it didn't take long for them to find something.

"For the Jews often washed their hands", some translations say.

From Barnes' Notes: The Greek word translated oft(en) has been rendered various ways. Some have said that it means “up to the wrist” - Others have said up to the elbow.”

In short, the hand washing things that were observed came from the "commentaries" of the Law handed down by so-called "experts" of the law through the years.

Their traditions said, "he that despiseth washing of hands shall be rooted out of the world; for in it is the secret of the decalogue:'' (Gill)

The decalogue means the 10 commandments. The 10 commandments had not secrets, btw. Jesus will address this in verse nine. But first....

Mark 7:5 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?"

At this point in His ministry, the Jewish leaders are asking Jesus. Later, they were too intimidated of Him and asked His disciples.

"Why aren't the disciples washing their hands up to the elbows before they eat?"

Mark 7:6-8 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."

Jesus responds that this question is hypocritical. It has an emphasis on the traditions of men by men who ignored the simple instructions of the commandments, as prophecised by Isaiah. (Isaiah 29:15).

Mark 7:9-13 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)-- 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."