6 And he said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, "'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' 8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men." (Mark 7:6-8)
Jesus confronted these religious leaders head-on. He quotes from the prophet Isaiah, a man who had hypocrites in his own day (6). Jesus applied Isaiah's words to the scribes and Pharisees. They honored God with their lips, but their hearts were far from God (6). They took the commandment of God and used it to make commandments and traditions of men, which caused them to leave God's word (8).
Did Jesus have an example of their departure from God's word in mind? Yes.
9 And he said to them, "You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! 10 For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.' 11 But you say, 'If a man tells his father or his mother, "Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban"' (that is, given to God)— 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, 13 thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do." (Mark 7:9-13)
They hadn't only voided peripheral commands in God's word, but one of the ten commandments (13). The fifth commandment was to honor father and mother (10, Exodus 20:12). To dishonor or revile your parents was worthy of death (10, Exodus 21:17). In other words, this was a serious commandment. They knew it. But, still, they tampered with it! How?
Well, they created the practice or teaching of "Corban" (11). It comes from the Hebrew word for "offering" or "gift devoted to God." So children could dedicate their possessions to God and use them as an excuse to neglect their parents. I would love to help you, mom and dad, but my money and home are Corban, dedicated to God, and I cannot use them on you. And because God comes before family, they decided this made the child exempt from helping the parent.
This is but one example of their twisting of Scripture. This is why Jesus called them hypocrites (6). If they had truly wanted to honor God from their hearts, they would have obeyed the fifth commandment (6). Their hearts, in love and honor and worship of God, would have directed them to care for their parents. And when the knucklehead with the "Corban" idea came forward, he would have been shot down. Are you kidding? That violates the whole heart of God! We will do the hard thing and take care of our parents, thank you very much!
But human efforts for cleanness produce hypocrisy. Why? Because we can't really change ourselves, because the problem is with the heart. So we have to lower the bar somehow, yet keep the appearance that we are righteous. They wanted to feel as if they were keeping the fifth commandment to honor parents, but didn't have what it took to actually honor their parents, so their little rules helped them feel better about their greed.
We must be on guard against this same dangerous spirit today. Our flesh craves the loophole. How can we get out of this? How can we feel we've obeyed or fulfilled our obligations or have been clean, but without being clean? How can we look the part? What is the least we can do? How can we convince others we are good?
And why do we often look for the loophole? Why did the Pharisees create a cheap and counterfeit path to cleanness? Why did they invent easy ways to appear clean? Let's read on:
14 And he called the people to him again and said to them, "Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15 There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him. 16 [in some manuscripts] If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." 17 And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. (Mark 7:14-17)
Jesus' disciples didn't become unclean when they resisted the Pharisees' handwashing ceremony. They weren't unclean because of something they touched or ate. No, Jesus said, uncleanness comes from within.
The things that come out of a person are what defile him (15). This was revolutionary talk. Theirs was a culture steeped in customs and ceremonies. They constantly worried about ceremonial defilement and created a complex set of rules to protect themselves from that outward uncleanness. So Jesus' words rattled the disciples. When they went into the house, they asked Jesus about the teaching (17).
Next week, we will consider what Jesus told them. It is the key to the hope we have in him to obtain clean hearts.
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For the entire Mark series, go here. Thank you.
