Traditions

The Traditions of Judaism

The disciples of John the Baptist questioned Jesus as to why He and His disciples were not fasting as they and the Pharisees were doing (vv. 14-15)? Jesus compared His conduct to that of a King having a wedding banquet. He said that at a wedding people are happy and eating and not mourning …

Conflict With The Religious Leaders Over Laws

Earlier in Mark we saw the conflict of the Pharisees with Christ over the Sabbath. Now we see a clash over the traditional religious ceremonies. The scribes and Pharisees saw that Jesus and His disciples did not keep the traditions of the oral law in regard to washing their hands…

A False Proverb Refuted

The people of Judah believed they were being punished for the sins of their ancestors and not their own. This proverb that the children were suffering for the sins of their fathers had been circulating in Jerusalem and Babylon (vv. 1-2). While there are cumulative effects …

IllustrationWhere Evangelical Christians Are Located

Most evangelicals now live in China, South Korea, India, Africa and Latin America, where they are going through a transforming religious experience. In various ways, they are making evangelical Christianity more conservative and more liberal. They are infusing it with local tradi …

IllustrationThe Butter and Cat Tradition

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, …

IllustrationRitual of Tieing a Cat to the Bedpost

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 …