Mark 7:1-8 (NIV) The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and 2 saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were "unclean," that is, unwashed. 3 (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)
5 So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with 'unclean' hands?"
6 He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
"'These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
7 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.'
8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."
· The leaders have already done observation and interrogation, and have drawn their conclusion. So, far whatever reason, it seems that the interrogation phase continues. It is possible that they are building a case file for an eventual trial
· The issue here is "washing your hands before you eat." The disciples are breaking the law by eating with unclean hands. How does Jesus respond? Or even better, put it in your words.
o You have let the law become your God
o You are blind to the purpose
o Your focus is on do's and don'ts
· Sometimes we let the unimportant crowd out the important. What is the important?
o A heart closer to God
o Worship of God
o APPLICATION:
· So, in evaluating the rule, the question should have been asked, how does this rule bring a person closer to God or worship God?
· There are Baptist churches (and other churches) which do the same thing. They hold some "internal" rule above the more important things. Some are more concerned with how you are dressed or whether you attend Sun nt and Wed nt as criteria for walking with God
§ The latter may be a good thing, but it is not requirement for the important things
Mark 7:9-13 (NIV) And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! 10 For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' 11 But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban' (that is, a gift devoted to God), 12 then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that."
· Jewish tradition permitted people to declare something they owned as dedicated to God. This did not mean that they had to give it to the priests or even give up the use of it themselves. However it freed them from giving it to someone else, even a needy parent (Constable, Notes on Mark, 2008, p. 77).
· In other words, what were they doing?
o They had develop rules to suit themselves
o Their rules allowed them to be selfish
o Their rules allowed them to be greedy
o Their rules let them think they were pleasing God
Mark 7:17-23 (NIV) After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 "Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? 19 For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.")
20 He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' 21 For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.'"
· First of all, what is the implications of Mark's comment that Jesus declared all foods clean?
o It is okay to eat pork
o It is okay to eat any meat
o The Old Covenant rules on food do not apply
· That does not mean that the OC food are on par with non-OC food. There is no qualitative argument on food types
· But there is no rule against eating any type of food
· What affects our life spiritually, is not food, although lack of self-control in regards to food is mentioned in scripture (and hinted at here -- greed, envy, and folly)
· So spiritually our focus should be on things that affect the heart and not the stomach (note that some differentiate these into six attitudes and six actions, but I have a hard time seeing the difference)
· So, what is the problem with making a rule on evil thoughts?
o Each person is going to struggle in a different way
o Example: each person may define lewdness differently or even slander
o Besides when you have a rule, and you keep the rule, does that mean you don't commit the sin?
· No, because the sin is in the heart
· So, how do we stay clean?
o Continual repentance
o Continual seeking God (repentance and seeking God imply prayer)
o Continual cleansing of our heart by the word of God. Continual meaning daily, not Sundays and Wednesdays only
Mark 7:24-30 (NIV) Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
27 "First let the children eat all they want," he told her, "for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."
28 "Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."
29 Then he told her, "For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter."
30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
· Obviously, Jesus' replies about the law have not gained him any standing with the leaders or even devout Jews of his time. Sometimes we forget the devout followers of a faith who are not the scribes or the Pharisees. Much like the people who followed Paul around and tried to convince them to become Jews and follow the law. So, Jesus enters Gentile territory for a period of time
· The entry into Gentile territory logically connects with the preceding discussion, how?
o Jesus does not observe the traditional separation from defiling associations (Constable, p 80)
o Jesus sets an example for his disciples that ministry will mean going out to the Gentiles
· But Jesus' is very reluctant to perform ministry among the Gentiles, why?
o Jesus came specifically to call his people to Him
o Jesus would send the disciples to the world, but his focus was on redeeming the Jew first
· Why did Jesus answer the request of the Gentile woman?
o It was not her witty reply
o It was her faith (this is the only record of distant healing in the gospel of Mark, other gospels include the Centurion's faith as another case)
· Interesting, that the Gentiles didn't always have the person of Jesus to see the results
· Their faith required them to believe Jesus could heal without his physical presence
· That is still true today
· In the gospel of John, when Thomas believes because he sees and touches, what does Jesus say to him?
o John 20:29 (NIV) Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
o 1 Peter 1:8 (NIV) 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
o 2 Cor 5:7 (NIV) We live by faith, not by sight.
· As Gentiles, we do not have the privilege of the generation that saw Jesus. And, even though they saw him, the nation rejected him. We are called to live by faith, not by sight
Mark 7:31-37 (NIV) Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. 32 There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man.
33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means, "Be opened!"). 35 At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. "He has done everything well," they said. "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."
· This story is interesting and different
o Mark is the only one who records it
o Jesus loops around Palestine, quite a long trip. Maybe he did it to spend time teaching his disciples
o The man could be a Gentile based on the region, but I think he is a Jew, otherwise Mark would have recorded it
o It is a messianic miracle, although this one does not appear demonic but physical, which shows that Jesus can heal both types of dumb
o Jesus could heal in a word but this one has a lot of physical actions associated with it
· One possibility is that is was the people who begged Jesus to heal the man and not the man himself. Possibly, Jesus did the extra actions to help the man have faith
o The effect on the crowd is startling (vs 37a), 'People were overwhelmed with amazement. "He has done everything well,"'
o The Amplified Bible translates it, "And they were overwhelmingly astonished, saying, He has done everything excellently (commendably and nobly)!"
o NLT: 'for they were completely amazed. Again and again they said, "Everything he does is wonderful."'
· One of the most important aspects of our witness is the quality of our effort. We should shudder at the words, "it is good enough for government." Doing something and doing it well reflects the person and character of God. Nothing that God does is done shabbily or just enough
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