Mark 7:1-5

Passage

Some Pharisees and scribes gathered around Jesus as He was going about.  They noticed that His disciples ate with defiled hands – that is, with hands that have not been ritualistically cleaned according to the Jewish law.  The Jews have many traditional laws that mandate how they must wash their hands prior to eating after coming in contact with common places such as markets.  They also have many traditions according to cups and cooking vessels and even what furniture they can have.  So the Pharisees ask Jesus why it is that His disciples don’t eat according to the tradition of the elders with respect to washing their hands.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

The Jews had many traditions.  We have to understand that some of these traditions come out of the Law that God gave to Moses as recorded in the Old Testament.  But many more came out of manmade tradition.  In the case of this particular story, these laws about washing hands are laws that come out of the tradition of mankind.  So when the Pharisees and the scribes speak this way to Jesus, we must understand that the Pharisees aren’t accusing Jesus of breaking God’s Law but rather Jewish tradition.

Why is this an important distinction to make?  Do you believe God’s Law is eternal?  Do you believe tradition is eternal?  What is the difference between God’s Law and manmade tradition?

Second Thought:

Mark makes it clear to his audience that there are many other traditions.  In fact, in reading Mark he takes on a bit of a disparaging tone with respect to all the Jewish tradition.  There is a point where tradition gets in the way of function.  Tradition can get in the way of being able to hold onto the meaning of a situation or an experience.  Tradition can become what we do while enabling us to lose sight of why we are doing it.

Have you ever experienced this in your life?  Are there things you do because they’ve always been done that way and you don’t remember why you do it that way?  How do we get into that mindset to begin with?

Third Thought:

Because the Pharisees and the scribes are about following tradition, they assume that Jesus should be as well.  They ask Jesus why His disciples aren’t following the tradition.  In their question is an assumption of superiority that tradition is better.

Do we make assumptions about our traditions?  When does tradition actually make something better?  When does tradition hinder an experience?  How can we tell the difference?  How hard is it to act when tradition gets in the way of doing something?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 7:6-8