Mark 7 – Jesus At Work

 Mark shows Jesus as fearless and compassionate in this chapter. We see the relentless opposition from the very people the pharisees and Scribes “guardians of the truth” who had perverted the Word of God for their own selfish gain and instead of leading people to the LORD had weighed them down with traditions that they had used to displace the Word of God. Their attack on Jesus was personal. They did not come to enquire of Him and through the Scriptures ascertain whether  He was the promised Messiah that the Scriptures testified to!

The Pharisees and scribes came to guard their own position in society and discredit Jesus, destroy Him… and thier “weapon” of choice? The disciples not washing thier hands before they ate as thier traditions warranted!

1.- HYPOCRISY…EXPOSED. -{Read v1-13}

The word “Hypocrisy” means “Actor”, “hypokrites from “hup” which means “under” and “krino” meaning “to judge” originally referred to “one who judged from under the cover of a mask.”-{preceptquestions,com}

In other words the Pharisees and scribes were pretending to be something they were not. They were not righteous though they wanted to promote they were the most righteous of all people. They were “pretenders, ” …”bluffers” trying to project themselves as someone they were not. “Actors” playing a part in society and they were not who they wanted society to think they were! And Jesus calls them out by using SCRIPTURE!

They attacked Jesus through the attack on His disciples not washing before a meal. The washing they are referring to is not for hygiene like you or I may do to was before a meal if we have been doing something that caused our hands to be dirty. This was an elaborate ceremonial washing. The priests in the Old Testament would wash before certain things and the Pharisees and Scribes took this to base the ceremonial washing that they added to it. And this is what they did with their traditions… they added to the Scriptures and so they believed you had to wash up to the elbow and in a certain way before you had anything to eat. And so all the Jews would do this as the tradition was passed down and some even washed in between courses of their meals to show how “righteous, holy, God-fearing” they were.

They wanted to project an image and it was a sham, and they put these burdens of their traditions on the people and weighed them down. They took the law of God, interpreted it and over time kept interpretations going and going and going to where they ended up exalting and holding their traditions ABOVE God’s Word! Jesus calls them out on their hypocrisy! He goes head on with those who were most revered, feared as the Godliest of the Godliest, the most devout of the devout. They were play actors.

And instead of leading people to God they had led them away from God with all thier traditions, that people were to supposed to live by,that no one could. God’s Word had been perverted and replaced. judging others under a mask of spirituality and they were found out by Jesus to be… HYPOCRITES!

  • “But He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:
  • ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. And in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
  • Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”-{Mark 7:6-8}

Jesus then gives an illustration. Where God says to honor your parents, the pharisees “tradition” was to say what was set aside for God could not be given to the parents who may be in need! So they elevated their tradition above what God has said!

  • “He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘The one who speaks evil of father or mother, is certainly to be put to death’; but you say, ‘If a person says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is, given to God),’ you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or his mother; thereby invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”-{Mark 7:9-13}

2.- HEART…OF THE PROBLEM EXPLAINED. – {Read v 14-23}

“IT’S AN INSIDE JOB”

Jesus puts His finger on the problem of the Pharisees and Scribes. The heart! The heart of every spiritual, problem is – the heart! The ehart of the matter is – the ehart! Not what goes into the person. Not the externals but internal!

When my youngest son was about seven years old, we were driving one day and I was trying to explain to him that what we do or don’t do does not make us sinners, but who we are produces those things. He sat silent for a while and later broke the silence with “It’s an inside job!” Sin… “It’s an inside job!” And he was right. Sin is INTERNAL that is where it is and where it originates. Jesus says…

  • “And He was saying, “That which comes out of the person, that is what defiles the person. For from within, out of the hearts of people, come the evil thoughts, acts of sexual immorality, thefts, murders, acts of adultery, deeds of greed, wickedness, deceit, indecent behavior, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile the person.”-{Mark 7:20-23}.

While the Pharisees were all about externals- the promoting of themselves as someone whom they were not and having authority over the people…they were “hypocrites!”

 

3.-DELIVERANCE; POWER OF JESUS WORD.-{v 24-30}

A woman came to Jesus having heard of Him and implored Him to deliver her daughter who had a demon. Without going to where the girl was Jesus spoke, “…go; the demon has gone out of your daughter.” And after going back to her home, she found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.”-{Mark 7:29-30}. His Word enough to deliver the girl. Neither distance nor demons cannot deter the Word of Jesus from being explicitly carried out when Jesus speaks..! His Word completly breaks the power of demonic hold on an individal!

 

4. – HEALING…EXTENDED.-{Read v 31-37}.

Here we see the Compassion of the LORD Jesus again as He heals one suffering person, who was deaf and struggling with an impediment of his tongue. Jesus chose to heal him and healed completly he was!; speaking. “…And his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly.”-{v35}. 

  • Note His desire and the peoples response? “And He gave them orders not to tell anyone; but the more He ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it. And they were utterly astonished, saying, “He has done all things well; He makes even those who are deaf hear, and those who are unable to talk, speak.”-{Mark 7:36-37}

TRUTHS TO CONSIDER;

  • BEWARE OF HYPOCRISY;

Checj yourself to makesure you have not exalted a teaching, opion aboe the Scriptureor twisting a Scripture to try make it say what you want it to say, and then seek to enforce it on othersas a means of “spirituality.” It is easy to allow opinions- “sincere opinions” to become as it were “thus says the LORD,” when He has not said it. Beware of exalting and displacing the supremey and authority of the Scriptures with externals, traditions as equal or superior.

  • GUARD YOUR HEART;

Be honest, the heart of our problem IS the heart. Our hearts! “It is an inside job!”

Beware of hypocrisy, It may not be the “washingof hands ” as a means to and demonstration of “righteousness.” But perhaps something else you or me have embraced and seek to have others do likewise. It may even bea “good thing ” but not a God thing!

Hypocrisy is a heart issue.

Hyporites are often judgmentally harsh towards others as the Pharisees in this chapter.

BEWARE of exalting externals rather than the inner person. The spiritual problem for each person is not external but the heart. The heart of the problem is…the heart!

  • CONSIDER JESUS;

FEARLESS– in His calling out the Pharisees and scribed hypocrisy, ina society where they had ben revered and had a stronghold over the people. They led the people into spiritual bondage Jesus led people to Himself and spirital freedom!

HE KNOWS WHATS IN OUR HEART AND WANTS US TO KNOW THE ROOT CAUSE OF OUR MOTIVATION TO SIN- 

CONQUEROR– over demons, and disease

How wonderful is the LORD Jesus in this chapter-Fearless- Conqueror -Compassionate.

 

CONSIDER The LORD JESUS; Praise , trust and tell someone else abut Him today!

God bless,

Aidan.