JESUS & THE TRADITIONS OF THE ELDERS: MARK 7:1-23

 

The Pharisees Attack

7:1-5

This passage records a confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees. The Pharisees included some scribes. Scribes were teachers of the Jewish law. They had come from Jerusalem, indicating they were probably sent by the leaders of the Pharisees to confront and discredit Jesus.

The Pharisees saw that Jesus’ disciples ate without washing their hands. Mark said the Pharisees considered unwashed hands defiled. They confronted Jesus about it.  

In verses 3-4, Mark explained to his Gentile (non-Jewish) readers the reason for the stance of the Pharisees. The “tradition of the elders” required washing of hands and other things. These traditions were rules added to the law of Moses (Torah). 

They were originally passed down orally, but were later written by Rabbi Judah around the year 200. The written version is called the Mishna. At the time of this story, these rules would have been orally disseminated. The Pharisees considered them equally authoritative to scripture.

The law only required washing in two instances: (1) before the priests entered the tabernacle (Exodus 30:19); and (2) if one touched a bodily discharge (Leviticus 15:11).

Jesus’ Counter Attack #1

7:6-8

Jesus did not directly answer the question of the Pharisees. Instead, he counter-attacked their attitudes toward the law and their traditions. There are two attacks. Both begin with the phrase “and he said to them”. Both contain Old Testament quotes. 

The first counter-attack is in verses 6-8. Jesus called them hypocrites. He then quoted Isaiah 29:13. In that verse, God rebuked the Israelites for their hypocrisy, saying they said the right words but their hearts were far from him. 

They also elevated their man made rules above the doctrines\laws of God. Jesus applied this condemnation to the Pharisees, calling it a prophecy of them. He said they left the commandments, God’s law, for the traditions of men. 

Jesus’ Counter Attack #2

7:9-13

In this section, Jesus gave a specific example of the way the Jews elevated their traditions above God’s law. He referred to God’s law concerning parents. 

First, he referred to the 5th commandment “Honor your father and mother that you days may be long in the land the LORD you God is giving you”. (Exodus 20:12) 

It is further explained in Exodus 21:12, which says “Whoever curses (or dishonors) his father or his mother shall be put to death.”

Despite their supposed piety, the Jews came up with a way around this. Instead to taking care of their elderly parents financially, they could declare that money as Corban. Mark again interpreted the meaning of the phrase, saying it means “dedicated to God”. (11) 

In this case, the Jews had specifically put their traditions above God’s law and created a loop hole to avoid obeying God’s law.  

How To Be Defiled

7:14-23

In this passage, Jesus returned to the issue of defilement. He called the people to him again. “The people” must mean those, other than the Pharisees, that were following him. It is to them that he will teach the truth, not those who only seek to attack him.

He began with “hear me, all of you, and understand”. (14) This indicates an important teaching is coming. 

That teaching is that nothing outside a person defiles him by coming into the person. (15) Jesus was very clear and specific. Touching things, eating things, or drinking things do not cause defilement. It appears that those laws and rules of the Old Covenant no longer apply. 

Jesus had already demonstrated that touching someone or something does not defile you. He touched a leper, a dead girl, and a bleeding woman. 

What is true, in contrast, is that what comes out of a person is what caused defilement. (16) 

Sadly, the disciples again did not understand. When they were alone with Jesus, they asked him about the meaning of his teaching. (17) Jesus seemed to be a little exasperated that they do not understand any more than the Pharisees did.

So, he explains that things you take in just pass on through and do not affect your heart. Mark added an explanation to make sure we understand that Jesus was declaring all foods clean. The laws of the Old Covenant regarding ritually clean and unclean things does not apply in the New Covenant. 

Peter had to get the lesson again to understand that external things did not defile him. Acts 10 records Peter’s vision of clean and unclean animals. Peter maintained that he had still not eaten anything that the Old Covenant law said was unclean. He was told, three times, not to call anything unclean that God had made clean. 

The meaning behind this vision was to prepare Peter to go and give the gospel to some Gentiles in the house of Cornelius, a Gentile. Before this teaching, Peter would have considered contact with Gentiles to make him unclean, despite the teaching of Jesus otherwise. 

The reason that what comes out of a person may defile him or her is that it reveals the uncleanness of the persons heart. It reveals all sorts of evil thoughts and attitudes. Jesus gave a long list in verse 21. 

All of these things come from within, not from without. And these are the things that defile us. That is why we must be changed. It is the doctrine of regeneration. 

Regeneration is the spiritual change wrought in the heart of a person by the Holy Spirit in which his/her inherently sinful nature is changed so that he/she can respond to God in Faith, and live in accordance with His Will (Matt. 19:28; John 3:3,5,7; Titus 3:5). 

It extends to the whole nature of the person, altering his governing disposition, illuminating his mind, freeing his will, and renewing his nature.

Takeaways

God’s word is sufficient for Godliness. 

We do not supersede God’s word with our rules.

God is more pleased with inward devotion than outward ceremonies. 

JESUS WALKING ON WATER: MARK 6:45-56

 Here Comes Jesus - Walking on the Water

6:45-52

Immediately after Jesus fed the 5,000, he made the disciples get in their boat and go to Bethsaida while he dismissed the crowd. There is a since of urgency here. Jesus acted immediately and forcefully. He compelled them to leave and to leave at once.

Mark does not explain the reason for Jesus’ sudden action, but we can ascertain it from the parallel passage in John 6. As the crowd began to say Jesus was the prophet who was to come into the world, as prophesied by Moses, Jesus perceived the crowd was on the verge of taking him by force to make him king. (John 6:15) 

The disciples might well have become caught up in this revolutionary fervor since they did not yet understand the kind of Messiah Jesus was. Sending them off prevented their participation in this unwise act. 

After Jesus dismissed the crowd, he went up on the mountain to pray. In Mark’s gospel, when Jesus goes off to pray, he goes to a lonely place, without the disciples, and before making an important decision or facing a crisis. Here, Jesus could have allowed the crowds to make him king and work from there. However, he prays and decides to continue the path of the servant. He “made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant”. (Philippians 2:7)

Jesus’ praying was not a short time, however. He went up on the mountain in the evening and did not come to the disciples until sometime between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m., the 4th watch in Roman reckoning. 

Jesus saw the disciples struggling on the lake because the wind was against them. It was probably some kind of wind storm. They were common on the Sea of Galilee. 

This situation is different than the storm in Mark 4. In that storm, the boat was taking on water and the disciples were afraid the boat would sink and they would drown. Here, there is no mention of fear of dying. But, they were struggling mightily against the wind. 

Jesus went to them. He came to help them out of compassion, just as he acted in compassion toward the hungry crowd.  

More importantly, Jesus also came to them revealing his deity by walking on the water. Only God can defy the laws of nature and walk on water. Job said that only God stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. (Job 9:8)

In addition, Jesus declared his deity. When the disciples saw Jesus and feared he was a ghost, Jesus told them not to be afraid because “it is I”. The Greek words for this are “ego eimi” (ἐγώ εἰμι), the same as the Greek version for God’s identification of himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14 (“I AM”) 

The words “He meant to pass by them” may be confusing. Mark is not saying Jesus was going to pass them without acknowledging them. Rather, he is using it in the Old Testament sense of God revealing himself to men. For example, God “passed by” Moses after Moses requested that God show him his glory.God agreed to “pass by” Moses and let Moses see his glory. (Exodus 33:18-23) 

Another example occurs when Moses makes the second set of tablets for the commandments. God passed by him and proclaimed his name and his character. (Exodus 34:4-7) 

Similarly, in 1 Kings 19, God passed by Elijah to remind that he was still working and still had followers in Israel. 

The disciples, however, did not understand. First, they thought Jesus was a ghost or evil spirit. They were so scared, the cried out. They were terrified. (49-50)

Even though Jesus had saved them from a previous storm, they seemed to believe he had abandoned them to attacks by ghosts and storms. 

So Jesus joined them in the boat and the wind ceased. (51) The disciples were “utterly astounded”. It is an interesting reaction, since he had calmed a storm before. That time they were filled with great fear. (4:41) 

Being utterly astounded, or filled with great fear, is not the same as understanding and believing in who Jesus is. Mark says plainly that they did not understand about the loaves (52), meaning they did not see the deity of Christ in the miracle. 

Job 9:11 says: “Behold, he passes by me and I see him not; he moves on, but I do not perceive him”. It seems remarkably applicable to this story in Mark. 

By this time, Jesus had also revealed his deity by dividing a boy’s lunch into food for 5,000 or more people. He had also revealed it in healing illnesses, casting out demons, raising the dead and forgiving sins. Yet the disciples did not understand or believe. 

In fact, their hearts were hardened. (52) Their first hand knowledge of Jesus, his teaching and works, did not lead them to faith at this point. Jesus acted outside their normal parameters. It scared them. It astonished them. But, it had not at this point, led them to the belief that Jesus is God. 

This is a sad commentary on the spiritual life of the disciples at this point. But it is a great testimony to what can do in a person’ life, as evidenced by what the disciples later become. 

Jesus Continues to Heal

6:53-56

Arriving in the area of Gennesaret, Jesus is immediately recognized. People brought the sick from all over the region for Jesus to heal. And he did heal them, even if they only touched the tassels of his garment in faith.

By healing the sick, Jesus demonstrated his deity. He showed his authority over the physical body. He also demonstrated his deity by his compassion, for God is compassionate. Psalm 113:13 says “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.”  

The deity of Christ is an essential doctrine of the Christian faith. It is taught by the Bible. It is essential to the doctrine of the Trinity. It is essential to knowing Christ as savior and lord. 

Believing in the deity of Christ is also the only way to have peace in the world. Knowing that he is in control, working out God’s eternal plan, and taking care of those who believe in him provides the Christian peace in the midst of life’s turmoil. 

MARK 6:14-44 - THE END OF JOHN, THE BEGINNING OF THE APOSTLES' MINISTRY, AND JESUS THE SHEPHERD

 Herod Thought Jesus Was A Resurrected John

6:14-16

There was speculation in Herod’s court about the identity of Jesus. Some said he was John the Baptist raised from the dead. Some said he was Elijah. Others said he was a prophet. (15)

When Herod learned about Jesus and his working miracles, Herod believed he was John the Baptist resurrected. This probably came from guilt.

This is another stark contrast to those in Nazareth, even Jesus’ earthly family. They thought he was crazy. He was an embarrassment. Herod thought Jesus was John the Baptist, a great prophet and preacher. 

Herod Murdered John

6:17-29

Herod Antipas was the son of King Herod the Great. He was tetrarch of Judea and Perea. Rome never actually made him king, but he used the title locally. 

Herod Antipas was first married to the daughter of the king of the Nabataean empire. This was probably a treaty marriage, as the Nabataean Empire was wealthy and powerful at the time. It existed in what is now known as Jordan. The Nabataeans build the city of Petra, which is now a tourist destination.

Herod repudiated his first marriage and married his niece, Herodias. She was also the wife of his half brother, Herod II. Antipas and Herodias had an affair while Herod II was visiting Rome. Herodias then agreed to divorce her husband in order to marry Antipas. She brought her daughter Salome with her.

The Jews were scandalized by the marriage. John the Baptist condemned the marriage as a violation of Jewish law. It was forbidden by Leviticus 18:16, which says “you shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness”. Leviticus 20:21 all says: “If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is impurity”. 

Herodias took offense at John’s condemnation. She wanted Herod to execute John. But Herod was afraid of John and kept him alive in prison instead. Herod recognized John as a righteous and holy man. (20) 

However, at a banquet for the leading men of the area, Herodias used her daughter, Salome, to get what she wanted. Salome did some dirty dancing that pleased Herod and all the men there. 

In his enthusiasm, Herod promised to give her whatever she wanted. At her mother’s request, Salome asked for the head of John. Since Herod had taken a vow in front of all of these leaders, he complied. He had John beheaded and gave Salome the head. Herod did not want to do it, but did it to keep his promise.  

John’s disciples came, took John’s body, and laid it in a tomb. (29) This prefigures the death of Jesus and his burial. 

 

The Apostles Return

6:30-32

The narrative “sandwich” is now closed as Mark returns to the story of the Apostles’ mission trip. The first piece was the sending. The second piece was the return. The filling was he story of the death of John. 

The Apostles returned from their preaching trip. They told Jesus all they had done. Jesus took them away to a desolate place away from the pressing crowds to rest. There were so many people around they could not even eat. 

Jesus recognized and demonstrated that, even in the Lord’s service, there must be times of rest and restoration. 

Jesus Had Compassion

6:33-34

The crowds continued to press in, even arriving at the desolate place before Jesus and the disciples got there. Jesus had compassion on them. He saw them as sheep without a shepherd. They had no purpose and no leader. 

The Sadducees were not shepherds because they were mostly concerned with their wealth and political power.

The Pharisees had become conceited by their rule following and looked down on the masses. 

The common people had no one to lead them to the true worship of God.

So, Jesus taught them. 

In Ezekiel 34, God gave Ezekiel a message condemning the leaders of Israel, calling them the shepherds of Israel. God declared that he would personally become the shepherd who would take care of the people. Jesus fulfills the promise.

Jesus Feeds 5k+

6:35-43

While the disciples wanted to send the crowd away so they could find food, Jesus told them to feed them. (37) The disciples ignored all of Jesus’ previous miracles and focused on the physical limitations. They still did not see Jesus as God. 

They did not have enough money to go buy food for all of the people. So, Jesus both provided and taught them a lesson. 

Jesus sent them into the crowd to look for food and they came up with five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus took the food, prayed, and multiplied it enough to feed everyone and have 12 baskets left over. (43)

All ate and were satisfied. If there were 5,000 men there, there probably also many women and children. Matthew’s version specifically mentions women and children. (Matthew 14:21) 

Jesus fed them all enough for them to be satisfied and full. 

Jesus again acted to meet the needs of the people. He was the good shepherd. 

He also showed the disciples a miracle. Only God could do this. There is also symbolism here that points to Jesus’ divinity. They were in a desolate place just as Israel was in the desert during the Exodus. (Deuteronomy 8) In his deity he provided food just as God had provided manna for Israel. 

 

Jesus is still the good shepherd. He leads his people and teaches them. He takes care of them.