The Gospel According to Mark (Part 25)

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The Gospel According to Mark

(Part 25)

Good morning and welcome to Jesus Church

We are ¼ of the way to part 100 in our series on Mark

• We believe in following in the footsteps of Jesus
  • What’s the point if you aren’t always bringing it back to Him
  • And if we are choosing to devote our life to Jesus
  • We should constantly be in the story of his life
• Last week went thru Mark’s phrase “He was gonna pass them by”
  • Which when we realize Marks reference to Exodus
  • It wasn’t that he wanted to ignore or not deal with them…
  • Its like God passing by Moses… Jesus was revealing himself
    • His character and his message to them
    • Why – Because God wants us to know him

Today lets turn to chapter 7 (This them of a relational God continues)

• This on the surface seems like a pretty irrelevant story
  • You have some religious Jews arguing over ancient purity laws
  • Shaming Jesus/Disciples because they don’t wash their hands
  • Now I’m all for washing hands – In fact I’d encourage it
• But I don’t really want to preach about it
  • So at 1^st I thought I was going from cool treasure hunt last week
  • To personal hygiene etiquette this week

But if we are willing to take a deeper look into a text like this

• Trust in Mark and that all scripture is beneficial to our lives
  • Then truly… in the concepts we learn today
  • We will see a significant truth not only in Mark but entire Bible
• Because in this text Jesus gets at the very heart of the entire Bible
  • We see the reason behind everything that Jesus does and says
  • So whether you’re new to Jesus or been Christian a long time
    • Mark 7 will speak to you/challenge you/encourage you

Tag: So lets read… pray and then dive in

Mark 7:1-23

The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is unwashed. (The Pharisees and all Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles *and dining couches*)

So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating food with defiled hands?” He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain, their teachings are merely human rules. You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions!

For Moses said, “Honor your father and mother, and Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death. But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God), then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother.

Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that. Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone and understand this”. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.

After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. “Are you so dull?” he asked. Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach and then out of the body. (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean) He went on: What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come – sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.

[PRAY]

So up to this point Jesus has been traveling a ton

He is preaching/teaching on the kingdom of God/healing people

• But in this story we get a break from all that
  • Because Jesus gets confronted by a group of religious leaders
  • They don’t like Jesus because he doesn’t fall in line with them
• So they go after Jesus… not directly but through his disciples
  • Instead of attacking Jesus head on – attack his leadership
  • By bringing shame on his disciples

Mark 7:2

(They) gathered around Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is unwashed.

• And they point to this “Tradition of the elders”
  • Which was a set of rules around the Bible… not in the Bible
  • But the Jews had made them just as authoritative as the Bible
• For example… Bible says “Rest on the Sabbath”
  • Teachers of the law would ask: What does “REST” really mean
  • So they made 300+ rules answering “what’s that really mean”
• And this specific tradition was under the Ritual purity laws
  • Has nothing to do with hygiene… reason we wash hands today
  • Instead it was a religious thing

So in the OT the priests were required to wash their hands – In the Bible

• When they would go into the temple to lead people in worship
  • Before they would do the various sacrifices
  • There was a place for them to wash their hands (Pic)
  • Can see where to sacrifice and next to it where to wash hands
• And for that time – the priests – this totally made sense
  • It symbolized that God is clean and holy
  • And those who approach God need to become clean as well
  • But the water we have only makes you clean temporarily
    • Which is the problem Jesus actually comes to solve
• This was powerful symbol fulfilled in Jesus… but like we love to do
  • We made it far more complicated – Now its not just the priests
  • Its everyone and its not just before sacrifices its…
    • Before you eat
    • Before you cook
    • Before you sit on your furniture

Many reasons u needed to be clean… Main was might touched a Gentile

• If there was one thing above all else you could never do
  • It was touch a gentile
  • Or touch something a gentile
  • Even if you walked on gentile land you had to wash your feet
• In fact if you were to bump into a gentile…
  • You had to immediately go home and burn your clothes
  • So the whole goal was to keep you away from the gentiles
  • Not Gods goal – But man’s tradition
• So Jesus is going after these man made traditions
  • And just to be clear… Jesus isn’t again tradition
  • He celebrated a lot of traditions
  • And so do we… birthdays… Eating together… Sunday Mornings
• Whats wrong is when tradition/scripture hold equal authority
  • I need the Bible read from this translation
  • I need the worship songs from this style
  • Sure you can think of a few… but tradition is never scripture
• If you are offended by something Christians are doing
  • Before you get on your soapbox
  • Make sure it’s a biblical issue… not a tradition issue

Jesus answers – Gives us the heart of the whole bible

So to answer the question about disciples not washing hands

• Jesus responds from 2 different angles
  • One is a conversation about tradition in light of scripture
  • Two is what it means to really be clean

Mark 7:6

He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain, their teachings are merely human rules…

• So much for nice cuddly Jesus… 1^st response is call them hypocrites
  • Only time in all of Mark Jesus calls someone a hypocrite

…You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions!

• Let go (Aph-a-tane) – Means to completely reject
  • Jesus is saying you have rejected the commands of God
  • So that you can follow your own rules
• Then he gives this sorta relevant example
  • About how kids would get out of giving money to parents
  • Saying they dedicated that money (Corbin) to God’s direction
  • As a way to not have to take care of the elderly
• So Jesus says you wanna talk about washing hands…
  • How about start taking care of your family (Examples…)
  • So Jesus isn’t against traditions…
  • He’s against us choosing our traditions over God’s word
• And in choosing tradition… they miss whole point of the Bible
  • B/C all they want to make the scriptures adjust to them

TAG: So what Jesus shows us here – Tells us a lot about our lives

1 – Following Jesus means adjusting your life to the scriptures

• Where many of us want it the other way around
  • But Jesus makes if very clear how black and white this is

Mark 7:7

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain, their teachings are merely human rules. You have let go of the commands of God…

• Jesus is saying if you fail to honor the authority of the Bible
  • You FAIL to worship God
  • There is no way around it
  • To any church that says they love God but reject the Bible
    • They worship in vain… according to Jesus
• There are so many people who say they want to follow Jesus
  • There only hang up is the Bible
  • They like some teachings… but others they don’t agree with
  • Some principles are ok – But some just isn’t relevant for today
    • We’re so culturally evolved that the Bible isn’t relevant
• YOU CAN’T FOLLOW JESUS & REJECT BASIS OF HIS LIFE/TEACHINGS
  • Our lives have to adjust to the authority of the scriptures
  • Not the other way around

TAG: Luckily there’s more than this… because this is true but harsh

2 – Following Jesus means being in close relationship with God

• Jesus doesn’t just have an issue with traditions taking precedent
  • Its that they were missing whole point of what God was doing
  • Notice what Jesus says in verse 6

Mk 7:6

These people honor me with their lips but their HEARTS are far from me.

• • Jesus is saying Gods goal was never just formal compliance
    • Jesus is saying that God wants your heart
    • God just wants is to be close to you
• B/C if u just want to add rules to feel like you are doing good in life
  • You’re missing the point… point isn’t following rules
    • Its an actual relationship with God
    • From the very beginning… we were made for relationship
  • That’s the way God set it up… Adam/Eve face to face with God
    • And everything God does is a rescue mission to get it back
    • To draw us back into a relationship with God
    • Jesus: “ALL THIS STUFF IS NOTHING if ur far from God”
  • And I don’t know where you are at this morning
    • But the God of the Bible that we read about… he loves you
    • And he wants you to love him
• And he wants a close relationship with you… not a bunch of rules
  • And if you are far from him today – You’ve walked away
  • Nothing he wants more than just to spend time with you
  • Just start there… talk again… worship again… think about Him
    • You’re relationship will flourish
    • As you flourish – Naturally stop self destructive behavior

Tag: Now one more thought – and Jesus uses a totally different angle

3 – Jesus is going to talk about the deeper issue… the heart

Mk 7:14-16

Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone and understand this”. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.

After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. “Are you so dull?” he asked. Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach and out of the body.

• Uses this illustration of food entering and leaving the body
  • Jews were obsessed with want entered their bodies
  • Because things that enter could destroy our holiness
• Jesus is saying The main issue to focus on is the state of our heart
  • Because its not what enters you that is the biggest issue
  • Its what’s always been there… and we need redeemed from

Mk 7:20

He went on: What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come…

• And he names 3 types of things we struggle with
  • Actions/Attitues/Thoughts
• And Jesus is saying all of these come from inside of you
  • And when there’s poison in your heart
  • Don’t be surprised if ur thinking/living are poisonous to others
  • Because out of your heart flow everything you do

Jesus is saying… if we follow Him we need to be cleaned from inside out

• Jesus saying you can do whatever you want on the outside
  • That won’t fix whats going on inside of your person
  • And that doesn’t mean that the outside doesn’t matter
  • What you do with your hands will effect your life/heart
    • These verses don’t give license to do whatever you want
• But Jesus is saying where you have to start is the inside
  • B/C starting on the outside never gets the root of the problem
    • Deciding not to get drunk next weekend
    • Will not last until u figure out why you need to get drunk

Notice: Jesus never denies the fact that we need to be clean

• He just says these people are going about it the wrong way
  • They were obsessed with making their lives look good
  • And never really looking any deeper at the real issue
• I think nothing is more relevant today than what Jesus points out
  • We live in a world that constantly tries to clean up the outside
  • And we are in total neglect of the inside
  • To the point we literally filter perception to look good
• It is time to stop focusing on the perception and start fix the reality