Conflict With The Religious Leaders Over Laws

Topic: Traditions

Passage: Mark 7:1–13

October 2, 2022

Commentary

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 regards to washing their hands before and during the meals so they asked why (vv. 1-5).

Before every meal and between each course that was served the hands had to be washed in a certain way. First the hands were held with the fingers pointed upward and water was poured over them, with the water running down to the wrist. Then each hand had to be cleaned with the fingers of the other. Next the hands had to be held with the fingers pointing downward and water was poured on the wrists and had to run off the fingertips. Only after all of this were the hands considered clean.

This passage relates the difference between Jesus and the Pharisees. To the scribes and Pharisees these rules and regulations were the core of their religion. To observe them was to please God; to break them was to sin. In a religious sense Jesus and these people spoke different languages. It was precisely because He had no use for all these regulations that they considered him a bad man. All of these rules and ceremonies had nothing to do with hygiene in the Jewish eyes, but meant the person was unclean in the sight of God if he didn’t follow this procedure. Jesus answered them by quoting Isaiah (Isa. 29:13), and in principle accused them of being hypocrites and depending on their cleverness rather than depending on God (vv. 6-7).

Application

Many traditions may be good. Is there some tradition that I now have that would be good to carry on in the generations to come? Is it something that brings honor and glory to the Lord or is it just a ritual that does not profit me and perhaps it would be better for me to not do anymore?

Mark 7:1– 13 (NET)

¹ Now the Pharisees and some of the experts in the law who came from Jerusalem gathered around him. ² And they saw that some of Jesus’ disciples ate their bread with unclean hands, that is, unwashed. ³ (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they perform a ritual washing, holding fast to the tradition of the elders. ⁴ And when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. They hold fast to many other traditions: the washing of cups, pots, kettles, and dining couches.) ⁵ The Pharisees and the experts in the law asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with unwashed hands?” ⁶ He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

⁷ They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrine the commandments of men.’

⁸ Having no regard for the command of God, you hold fast to human tradition.” ⁹ He also said to them, “You neatly reject the commandment of God in order to set up your tradition. ¹⁰ For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever insults his father or mother must be put to death.’ ¹¹ But you say that if anyone tells his father or mother, ‘Whatever help you would have received from me is corban’ (that is, a gift for God), ¹² then you no longer permit him to 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 this.”