A Harsh Indictment
Mark 7:1-7, Isaiah 29:13, Joshua 24:15
Introduction
- Jesus is demonstrated in this book as a “servant”
-- Key verse: Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
- I could preach this lesson every week, for months and we’d still not get all of it
-- Very important that we see ourselves in this; see our current status in life
-- This is a 100% teaching lesson and a chance to check your heart and intentions
- IMP: What God says to us here is critical application for living for Him
- Encouragement: When we encounter God’s truth, it should cause a change
-- We should feel uncomfortable in some areas of our life
-- Sometimes however, it IS our entire life that needs to change
-- The Gospel is not for the weak at heart, so count it an honor to be included
- Will re-preach some of this on Sunday to properly set the stage moving forward
- Read Mark 7:1-7
∆ Point 1 – An Indictment of Tradition (1-4)
- Once again we have the self-righteous imposing their views on others
-- What’s going on here is the Pharisees are now just waiting for Jesus to stumble
-- They are purposefully putting themselves into situations to gauge reactions
-- This, in all of its glory, is the nature of sin (waiting for others to fail and mock)
-- It shows where their heart is … and how much they’ve missed God
- Their being upset was because they weren’t following “their rules”
-- Re-read v3 … see the comparison? Don’t do this … unless you’ve done this
-- Mark’s explanation is to show that this is a customary practice
-- It’s an addition to the Law; a ritual that’s been handed down from generations
- Therefore, here is there approach: Our reputation is at stake!
-- “These people aren’t doing what we said, so how in charge can we be?”
- It’s an empty ritual that governs actions like this, and we need to see it
-- Why? Because we have the same problems in how we deal with others!
-- “Don’t do this because I feel convicted about it so you should as well …”
- v4 shows us the true reason: They might’ve been defiled “at the market”
-- They might’ve come in contact with someone unclean and need to be cleaned
-- IMP: What they’ve totally missed is the One who is teaching them IS clean!
- This is a huge comparison to note … what’s clean and what’s unclean
-- Their thinking: People are unclean because of who they are (Gentile, etc.)
-- God’s thinking: People are unclean because their hearts are sinful
- Therefore, this causes anger when they are in opposition to their thoughts
-- It is where we really find ourselves in this story; where religion gets crushed
-- The Pharisees believe it is all about them … God is therefore 2nd place
-- Although they cloak concern in religion, they have MISSED God totally
- IMP: Why can we say this? They have missed who the Messiah is!
- TRANS: I think we need to examine real briefly WHAT they’ve missed
-- For educated men, these guys really ought to get a refund from the school!
∆ Point 2 – Who Is the Messiah?
- APP: This is critical in KNOWING who we are following!
-- http://christianity.about.com/od/biblefactsandlists/a/Prophecies-Jesus.htm
- OT Prophecies about Jesus:
Messiah would be born of a woman. Genesis 3:15
Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2
Messiah would be born of a virgin. Isaiah 7:14
Messiah would come from the line of Abraham. Genesis 12:3
Messiah would be a descendant of Isaac. Genesis 17:19
Messiah would be a descendant of Jacob. Numbers 24:17
Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah. Gen 49:10
Messiah would be heir to King David's throne. 2 Sam 7:12-13
Messiah's throne will be anointed and eternal. Psalm 45:6-7
Messiah would be called Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14
Messiah would spend a season in Egypt. Hosea 11:1
A massacre of children would happen at Messiah's birthplace. Jeremiah 31:15
A messenger would prepare the way for Messiah Isaiah 40:3-5
Messiah would be rejected by his own people. Psalm 69:8
Messiah would be declared the Son of God. Psalm 2:7
Messiah would be called a Nazarene. Isaiah 11:1
Messiah would bring light to Galilee. Isaiah 9:1-2
Messiah would speak in parables. Psalm 78:2-4
Messiah would be sent to heal the brokenhearted. Isaiah 61:1-2
Messiah would be a priest after the order of Melchizedek. Psalm 110:4
- TRANS: Now, let’s get back into the story and see why Jesus replies harshly
∆ Point 3 – A Harsh Response (5-7)
- What’s next gives us reason to (again) reflect back on what they’ve missed
-- Re-read v5-7 of Mark 7
- The annoyance they have is that Jesus has taught them something new
-- His teaching is to depart from religious stuff and serve/worship God alone
-- To them, Jesus is teaching to “question authority”; which is a no-no
-- APP: Questioning authority leads to people losing their position!
- So, when they question Him as to why He would do this, he answers!
-- Take a look at v6 … He quotes Isaiah and says, “Their hearts are far from me”
-- Isaiah 29:13 says, “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught”
- Jesus called them hypocrites b/c they are twisting God’s Word for themselves
-- A hypocrite’s worship is external … it has nothing to do with the heart
-- Matthew 5 covers this in depth (Sermon on the Mount) … it’s a heart issue!
-- The real defilement is in their heart … not in their actions
- This was Adam’s problem.
- This was Eve’s problem.
- This is the Pharisees problem.
- And yes, even, this is OUR problem.
-- APP: It is the root of evil where we think we’ve got it all figured out
- Remember when I said God’s Word ought to cause us to change earlier?
-- This is where it begins and where it really becomes real for us
-- Joshua 24:15 hit this on the head: “Choose this day whom you will serve … but as for me and my household we will serve the Lord.”
∆ Big Ideas
- Jesus quotes Isaiah as a condemnation to how the religious have been acting
-- This is where we can see ourselves and where (apply) we need to change
- 1. Jesus is teaching: It’s never been about religion … EVER!
- 2. It is about a proper relationship with God! (Jesus sent to redeem that …)
- And now Jesus delivers the indictment of all indictments:
-- Mark 7:8, “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
- 3. True worship comes from the heart, not from a spiritual rule book!
-- The traditions were put in place to help people MEET the Law
-- They provide structure and boundaries in which we are to live (to remind us)
- Max Anders writes, “The Mishna, a collection of Jewish traditions in the Talmud, records, “It is a greater offense to teach anything contrary to the voice of the Rabbis than to contradict Scripture itself.” This is a clear example of how, “traditions of the elders” had become more important than the Law – God’s Word!”
- Let’s just let that simmer for tonight … whose instruction are we following?
- Pray
