Mark 7

Mark 7:1

Although people were being healed and helped, delivered and fed, the scribes and Pharisees found fault with Jesus’ disciples because they didn’t wash their hands ceremonially as prescribed by sixty-five pages of the Mishnah, the written version of the traditional oral Jewish Law. The sect of the Pharisees came into being during the period between the Old and New Testaments. Realizing there was a danger of Judaism becoming polluted and paganized, the Pharisees, whose name means “separated ones,” were devoted to keeping the most minute detail of the law and the traditions of the elders. The problem is, the tradition of the elders became more important than the law itself. Ceremonial cleansing was a case in point. As seen in the Old Testament, God had given His people principles of hygiene that precluded the discovery of germs and infection. But as the years went by, a group of people called the scribes began to interpret the law and make application concerning, for example, the procedure for washing one’s hands. Their findings were known as the tradition of the eldersa body of work so important to the scribes and Pharisees that one rabbi said, “He who expounds the Scripture in opposition to the tradition of the elders will have no part in the world to come.”

Mark 7:3

The scribes and Pharisees not only washed their hands ceremonially, but they also washed their cups and plates between the courses of a single meal.

Mark 7:5

“You’re involved in religious traditions that have nothing to do with what God desires,” Jesus said. “With your lips you worship God, but your heart is a million miles away.” And lest we be too quick to point fingers at the Pharisees, we would do well to search our own hearts during such times as we sing praise songs to the Lord with our lips while our minds are focused on the list of things we have to accomplish that day.

Mark 7:9

The Pharisees had a tradition whereby whatever they declared to be “corban,” or “dedicated,” belonged to God. While this practice may have sounded pious, in actuality it provided a way for them to circumvent all charitable givingeven to their own parents, who they were commanded by God to honor (Exo_20:12). Again, while it is easy for us to point out the fallacies in the rituals of the Pharisees, I often wonder what Jesus would say concerning the traditions of our modern American Christianity. The test for any church practicefrom baptism to Communion, from tithing to missions is three-fold: Is it exhibited in the life of Christ? Does it extend into the Book of Acts? Is it expounded in the epistles? I encourage you to ask yourself, “Is what I’m doing seen in Jesus’ life, in Acts, in the Epistles?” If it isn’t, you shouldn’t be dogmatic about it or insistent that others practice it.

Mark 7:14

Although the scribes and Pharisees were oh-so-careful to follow all of their rituals and practices, Jesus made it clear that the real issue is not external, but internal. In other words, it’s not the washing of hands, but the purity of the heart that matters.

Mark 7:24

I like that phrase. You can’t hide Jesus if He’s in your house, if He’s in your life.

Mark 7:25

Was Jesus being difficult with this broken-hearted mother? No. He was drawing from her an expression of faith in order that not only would her daughter be healed, but that she herself would develop a relationship with Him. So, too, you might wonder if the Lord is being difficult with you. Why isn’t He answering your prayers immediately? Why isn’t He helping you presently? It could be that He’s doing something much deeper. It could be that He is allowing you to discover true faith, perseverance, and prevailing prayerinvaluable understandings that will help you not only in your present situation, but also in the next billion years to come.

Mark 7:31

There is a linkage not only physically but spiritually between hearing and speaking. If I’m not hearing from the Lord on any given day, I’ll not be able to speak clearly to the people who come my way. How can you help those who are hurting? It all begins with listening. This seemingly small incident tells me a great deal about how I should minister to people if I want to minister the way Jesus did… First, Jesus gave the deaf man individual attention as He took him aside from the multitude. Second, there was close association as Jesus put His fingers into the deaf man’s ears. Third, there was open utilization as Jesus used spit, which, in that day, was thought to contain medicinal value. In so doing, Jesus gave us justification to use the scientific knowledge He so graciously gave mankind to develop medicines and procedures. Fourth, we see heavenly glorification as Jesus looked up to heaventhereby indicating to whom all glory is to go. Fifth, Jesus demonstrated heartfelt compassion in His sigh. How will we feel this kind of compassion? I know of only one way: by going through difficulties ourselves. “Blessed be God who comforts us in our troubles that we may be able to comfort others with the comfort we ourselves have received,” Paul would declare (see 2Co_1:3-4). Why does the Lord allow us to have migraine headaches or to be smitten with cancer, to lose a loved one or see a business fail? Did you ever pray, “Lord, use me”? Did you ever ask the Lord to make your life count, to keep it from becoming mundane and irrelevant? If so, part of His answer means having to go through difficulties in order that you might sigh for people, hurt with them, feel your heart go out to them. There’s just no other way. Finally, there was articulated expectation as Jesus said, “Be opened.” I might feel for people, desire to minister to them, relate with thembut am I willing to go on record and speak the word of faith on behalf of them, to say, “In Jesus’ Name, may the depression flee, may He be your health, may He see you through”? If you follow this pattern when you pray for peopleeven if circumstances don’t unfold the way they wished it would or you thought they shoulda person will never resent the fact that you expended the energy in prayer to push through spiritual barricades, to ignore the lies of the Enemy, saying that prayer accomplishes nothing, to speak out a word of faith and expectancy, to wage a spiritual battle on their behalf.

Mark 7:36

Not only did Jesus most likely want to avoid the circus atmosphere that can so easily accompany miracles of healing, but knowing it wouldn’t be long before He would be on a Cross and that those who spread the word about Him would be candidates for the persecution to follow, perhaps Jesus was sparing them from coming oppression.

Mark 7:37

He does all things well indeedand because He does, whatever we do should be done to the best of the ability He gives us if we are to reflect Him (1Co_10:31).