Traditions of Our Elders
Mark 7:1 Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.
They sought Jesus out. Be sure that trouble will come to you, but this was an opportunity to learn.
Job 5:7 Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.
Job 5:8 I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause:
Mark 7:2 And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.
They were always finding fault. The Pharisee spirit was proud and judgmental. Indeed there is no harm in washing hands. This was a good thing that kept germs from the hands. There was not yet knowledge of germs, but this was a good thing to wash the hands. To be condemning people all the time was not Good. The Pharisees were trusted to bring others to God, they were not doing this with their critical spirit.
Mark 7:3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.
This was a tradition of men. Tradition meets the Living Word of God, in Christ Jesus.
Mark 7:4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brazen vessels, and of tables.
This is not unlike our society, preoccupied with cleaning the outside, but inside they were separated from God. The hearts are not right. Lots of rules and regulations, but nothing changed within the person to come closer to God.
Mark 7:5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
They confronted Jesus about not keeping the traditions of religious people of the past. Some traditions are good, but the word and Spirit of God are the truth we follow. Jesus would answer them using scriptures, God's word, not mans ideas. We must cleanse our hearts with the living word and in this way we will not sin against God.
Honor God from the heart
Mark 7:6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
They talked but did not walk the talk. They said the served God, but not from their heart. They preferred doing outward things to be seen of man. God looks upon our hearts. He knows the heart motive of all we say and do.
Mark 7:7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
We need the word of God, therein is the power of God. Flowery stories and traditions are not worthy to be compared to God's word. Better to read the Bible out loud, then to preach to make ourselves look good.
Mark 7:8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
Mark 7:9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
They were guilty of putting traditions above the word. Is your church speaking the word of God, or traditions? Does it matter to you, or are we just looking for a religious experience? Jesus gives another example of a tradition that does not respect the word of God. He goes to Moses, who they claimed to teach.
Mark 7:10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:
Mark 7:11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.
Instead of honoring and caring for their parents, they made excuses and put their money somewhere else. Can we care for parents and choose to put our hearts elsewhere?
Mat 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Mark 7:12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;
Mark 7:13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
They ignored the commands of God for the traditions of man. Where is our treasure? Is obeying God most important to us?
Body and Soul
Mark 7:14 And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:
Listen to Jesus, this is important.
Mark 7:15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.
Referring to foods, the restrictions on foods would soon be lifted. Peter would have a vision:
Acts 10:13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
Acts 10:14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
Acts 10:15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
Jesus was speaking of religious pretense. The Pharisees washed their hands, but their hearts were unclean. They were critical about outward religious things, but their hearts were not right. Religious people are quick to judge and to argue about religious things. If their hearts were right towards God, they would see God in Jesus and his disciples.
Mat 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Mat 23:24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
Mat 23:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Mat 23:26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
Mat 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
Mat 23:28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Do you see the spiritual things? Is your heart right towards God? We are also told to be careful to not offend our soul. The body doesn't matter so much as the soul. The soul is eternal. Jesus spoke these things concerning the heart.
Mat 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Mat 5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Mat 5:30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Mark 7:16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
Heart and soul
Mark 7:17 And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable.
Mark 7:18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also?
Are you without understanding also? His disciples did not have the Holy Spirit of truth in them. When we receive Jesus we are given the Holy Spirit to be able to understand spiritual things.
1 Cor 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
...Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;
Mark 7:19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?
Jesus makes it clear that the body means little. What happens to you body is of little importance. That which is most important is your heart and soul.
Mark 7:20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
Not physical waste, a defiled heart, the outpouring of the heart.
Mark 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
Mark 7:22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
Mark 7:23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
How do these things get into our heart? First, we are a fallen people, born into sin. Yet, we have a will. If we will to dwell on these bad things they will fill our hearts, defiling us. We need to be born again.
Jude 1:23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
Our hearts are changed by Jesus coming within our heart by the Holy Spirit and by us conforming to his will.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Read your Bible, be faithful and trust the Lord, no matter what. He is Lord of all.
Gentile healing
Mark 7:24 And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid.
Why was he there and into a Gentiles house? For he was sent to the Jews first. He was their Messiah that was to come to deliver them. He was the son of man, the son of David the king, and would receive the eternal throne that was prophesied. God's word must come to pass.
Mark 7:25 For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:
Mark 7:26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.
Mark 7:27 But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.
Who were the children? The children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for whom the Messiah came. The Jews called the Gentiles, dogs. Jesus was the bread of life.
John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Mark 7:28 And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs.
Mark 7:29 And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.
Because of her faith, Jesus gave her grace, the devil was gone from her daughter.
Mark 7:30 And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.
A miracle to the Gentiles. After Jesus would go to the cross, the Gentiles would be given a chance to receive him. The Gentiles are the Church, this is the time of the Gentiles, the time of the building of the church. We will be taken up to meet Jesus in the air and then the scales will fall from the eyes of Israel and they will receive Jesus as their Messiah.
1 Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1 Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Rom 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
He does all things well
Mark 7:31 And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.
Decapolis, deca means ten, ten cities situated in one district on the east of the Sea of Galilee.
Mark 7:32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him.
Those who brought the troubled man were intercessors on his behalf. When we pray for another's need, bringing him to Jesus, we are his intercessor through prayer.
Mark 7:33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue;
Jesus would heal in many ways. The source is God's power, not the method of the flesh.
Mark 7:34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.
Jesus groaned and spoke to the Father: be opened.
Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Rom 8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
God hears your sighs, but even these are to be of faith.
Eph 4:27 Neither give place to the devil.
This is important: that when in trouble we do not allow darkness to fill our hearts, but we cry out to Jesus, to God who hears and will come to our aid. Sing praises to him and feel the presence of the Living God.
Mark 7:35 And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.
A great miracle, healed and given wisdom to speak.
Mark 7:36 And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it;
News travels fast, even though they were told not to tell others. This would make it harder to travel in the cities and the religious leaders would be envious, seeking to stop him before the time.
Mark 7:37 And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.
He hath done all things well, amen, God does all things well, we trust in him. In time of need, we keep the faith. God does all things well.
Mat 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
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