COMMENTARY ON MARK
LESSON NUMBER 75
“ Mark 7:5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, Why walk not Thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? 6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.” (Mark 7:5-8; Matthew 15:1-2,7-9)
QUESTION AND ANSWER TIME
INTRODUCTION
Jesus’ earthly ministry exposed the nature and totally unacceptability of merely traditional religion. He did not speak extensively about the idolatrous practices of Rome, or the abusive slavery that was extant throughout that empire. Nor, indeed, did He deal with the vanity of Emperor worship and all things that surrounded it. He did launch into dissertations about the evils of a nation chosen by God being dominated in their own land by a foreign government. All of these things would have been subjects for books, pamphlets, and crusades – had Jesus thought like His professed followers do in our time. When it came to exposing adverse conditions, the Messiah shined the light upon the vanity of religion – the religion that was found among His own people. He blasted their leaders, giving them no honor, save for their role in making the Word of God known (Matt 23:2-3). Among other things, this reveals the extreme danger of corrupted religion and an erroneous religious emphasis. The presence of Jesus does not sanctify defiled religion – even if He attends the Temple and the synagogues where it is indulged and promoted. This by no means sanctifies a continual haranguing of what is wrong, to the exclusion of declaring what is true. However, it does confirm that participating in the life of Christ requires the abandonment of sterile and spurious religion. I know this is not a popular consideration. However, it is still true, no one can partake of the Lord’s table and the table of demons (1 Cor 10:21).
WHEN TRADITION BECOME THE STANDARD OF MEASURE
“ Mk 7:5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, Why walk not Thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?”
FROM JERUSALEM. Mark says these Pharisees and scribes “came from Jerusalem” (7:1). Matthew says Jerusalem was where they were permanently located – “which were from Jerusalem” (Matt 15:1). If there was one city in all of earth which could have given men an advantage, it was Jerusalem. Solomon referred to it as “the city of David, which is Zion” (1 Kgs 8:1). Alamoth referred to it as “the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High” (Psa 46:4). David called it “the city of the great King” (Psa 48:2). Jeremiah lamented that it was once known as “The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth” (Lam 2:15). Jeremiah prophesied that this city would be called “the throne of the Lord” (Jer 3:17). Nehemiah referred to it as “the holy city,” even when it lay in shambles (Neh 11:1,18). Matthew also called it “the holy city” (Matt 4:5). Zechariah said it would be called “the city of truth” (Zech 8:3). Jeremiah said that a time would come when Jerusalem would be called, “The Lord our righteousness” (Jer 33:16). Ezekiel said it would be called “The Lord is there” (Ezek 48:35). When Daniel was in captivity in Babylon, he prayed “toward Jerusalem” (Dan 6:10). God Himself said of Jerusalem, “Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen Me to put My name there” (1 Kgs 11:36). Jerusalem was, indeed, a city of gerat spiritual advantage.
It simply was not possible to be from a better city. This was the premier city in all of the world. If men can be sanctified by a place or an area, surely the city of Jerusalem will qualify to confer that sanctification – and that is where these “Pharisees and scribes” were from. If people’s heritage makes them acceptable, or confers the ultimate advantage, we should expect these men to rise above the masses in their comprehension, and be able to traffic in holy realms. But, alas, we will find that this is not at all the case. Rather, these men were among the worst of all people. Jesus spoke more harshly to them than to anyone else.
IT IS TRUTH THAT SANCTIFIES. When it comes to being sanctified, or set apart, it is “the truth” that accomplishes the work – the truth of God. Jesus prayed to the Father, “Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth” (John 17:17). Within the framework of the New Covenant, it is Christ Himself, together with the Holy Spirit, who sets us apart unto God, granting the ability to comprehend and handle the truth (Rom 15:16; 1 Cor 1:2; Eph 5:26; Heb 2:11; 10:10; 13:12). Jesus referred to Himself as “THE truth” (John 14:6), and to the Holy Spirit as “the Spirit of truth” (John 14:17). Jude also reminds us that we are “sanctified by God the Father,” who is, in fact, “the God of truth” (Deut 32:4).
It is not enough to embrace a religion with an illustrious heritage, or to be found where the power of God was once realized. That is like coming “from Jerusalem.” The truth must be personally and willingly seen and embraced by each individual.
WHY??? These men from Jerusalem asked Jesus, “Why don't Your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with 'unclean' hands?” Matthew says they asked, “Why do Thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread” (Matt 15:2). Here, the measure of acceptable conduct was not the Law, which was given by God. It was not the Psalms and the Prophets, which interpreted the Law of God and defined priorities. They made no reference to John the Baptist and the necessity of adhering to his message – and he was the one who prepared the way for the Lord. Their standard of conduct was not the Law, but “the tradition of the elders.” In their minds, “the elders” were the ones who could flawlessly adapt the laws of God to the behavior of men. To them the “tradition of the elders” was the touchstone of truth and the measure of acceptance. That tradition was exalted, extolled, and obeyed by them.
This type of appraisal is now found within the church. Men have embraced traditional views, and use them to measure the acceptance of those who wear the name of Jesus. They use such cherished phrases as “the great commission,” “the work of missions,” “youth ministry,” “the free will of man,” “premillenialism,” “the plan of salvation,” “the sinner’s prayer,” “the thousand year reign of Christ,” “pre-tribulation,” “post tribulation,” “the rapture of the church,” “the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues,” “slain in the Holy Spirit,” etc. None of these expressions are found in Scripture, and yet they are treated as though they were the word of God itself. Men are judged by their acceptance or rejection of this language. They insert it into their creeds and statements of faith, and divide the body of Christ with them. If men do not accept this language, they are often viewed as possibly not being “Christians” at all.
The fact that this approach to religion remains prominent within the professed church confirms its source. These are nothing less than examples of “doctrines of devils” [demons], perpetrated by our adversary the devil (1 Tim 4:1). Do not be surprised if you are asked why you or your brethren do not honor these hoary traditions.
WHEN WORSHIP BECOMES “VAIN”
“ 6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoreth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”
YOU HYPOCRITES! Those who are familiar with the Gospels know that Jesus was intolerant of religious pretension – when people simulated, or feigned, identity with God. This has become very popular in our day, but little is known of it because a new breed of teacher and theologian has been popularized. The emphasis of religion has shifted from preparation for glory to living in this world. Human relationships have been exalted above heavenly ones. The outer man has been accented above the inner man. These conditions have opened the door for all manner of false teachers and erroneous doctrines – just like they did in the time when Jesus “dwelt among” men.
Jesus does straight to the point, declaring that these men were the subjects of Isaiah’s gripping denunciation of wayward Israel. Matthew also records these words (Matt 15:7-8). They were from a generation that existed long before them, who mouthed their religion while remaining fundamentally corrupt within. Just as surely as there is “a generation” noted for serving the Lord (Psa 22:30), there is also “a generation that set not their heart aright” (Psa 78:8). These generations span the history of the world, and are found in all ages. Jesus referred to them as “wheat” and “tares” (Matt 13:25,29-30), “children of the kingdom” and “children of the wicked one” (Matt 13:38), “good” fish and “bad” fish (Matt 13:48), “the wicked” and “the just” (Matt 13:49), and five “wise” virgins, and five “foolish” virgins (Matt 25:1-2). Paul referred to them as “vessels” to “honor,” and “vessels” to “dishonor” (2 Tim 2:20). John referred to them as “the children of God” and “the children of the devil” (1 John 3:10).
In all of the above cases, the unacceptable people were depicted as being outwardly among believers, who are the only accepted people. They were, in other words, representing themselves as being part of the people of God. Here, Jesus refers to such people as “hypocrites.” The word “hypocrite” means “an actor,” or one who assumes the character of another. STRONG’S They are no more real than a person who puts on a gorilla costume and pretends as though that is what he is. In His scathing denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus referred to them as “hypocrites” no less then seven times on a single occasion (Matt 23:13,14,15,23,25,27,29). When it came to the matter of religion, they were nothing more than stage-actors – pretenders.
WHEN THE LIPS AND HEART ARE OUT OF SYNCH. The prophecy to which Jesus refers is found in Isaiah 29:13. “Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor Me, but have removed their heart far from Me.” Elsewhere Isaiah referred to Israel as “an hypocritical nation” (Isa 10:6), just as Jesus referred to the Pharisees and scribes. His words are a Divine assessment of such a people.
This is an approach to religion that goes no deeper than the mouth, never getting into the heart. It is nothing more than talk – talk that is not supported by character. It is in the same category as a man professing a profound love for God while he is inebriated, drunk with liquor and out of his mind. God not only rejects such talk, he rejects the talker as well. When a person’s heart is “far from” God, “God is not in all his thoughts” (Psa 10:4). Such a person has no actual appetite for God – he does “thirst” for God and “long” for Him (Psa 63:1). This is a person who has a preference for the things of this world, whether it is fame or fortune, honor or riches. Such can go a long time without any thought of the Lord, quest for His blessing, or involvement in His statutes and judgments. Yet, they insist on being considered devote, religious, and [in our day] a “Christian.” In reality, they are nothing more than a hypocrite – an actor on a stage.
WHEN WORSHIP IS VAIN. Is it really possible to absolutely waste your time in, what is considered to be, “worship?” Indeed it is! Both Matthew and Mark record the same words: “They worship Me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.” NIV This is a most arresting denunciation. Isaiah said, “their fear toward Me is taught by the precept of men.” Another version reads, “Their worship of Me is made up only of rules taught by men.” NIV Their concept of “worship” and the “fear of the Lord” had been strictly formed by men, with not so much as a word from God Himself being used to buttress what they did. It is much like the “praise and worship” emphasis that is permeating the whole of present-day Christendom.
Jesus says such “worship” is vain, pointless, futile, and fruitless. It never reaches heaven, but is nothing more than a stench in God’s nostrils (Amos 5:21). A fundamentally corrupt heart cannot give anything acceptable to God. Even their religious activity is an abomination to Him. As it is written, “unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled” (Titus 1:15). Confirming he is speaking about religious people, Paul continues, “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him” 16). The “worship” of such people is nothing more than an exercise in vanity. It never rises above the place in which it is pretentiously offered. This Divine perspective has some rather alarming implications.
PREFERRING TRADITION TO THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD
“ 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.”
When it comes to the subjects of worshiping and serving the Lord, what is involved in embracing the traditions of men? What has really happened when any people approach God purely upon the basis of what men have surmised from Scripture, or have imagined that God requires from them? Those who have been caught in the vortex of religious tradition may very well provide palatable explanations for why they have done so. Perhaps they will excuse themselves from all wrong by saying that is what they were taught from their youth. Or, they might explain that this is what their church teaches, and they really have never heard anything else. There is a sense in which there is some validity to these excuses. There may very well have been those who “shut up” the kingdom of God to them (Matt 23:13), took away “the key of knowledge” (Lk 11:52), and led them to “fall into the ditch” (Matt 15:14). And, indeed, such teachers will give account for their despicable leadership before they are thrust out from the presence of the Lord.
However, this by no means frees the followers of such pretenders from their own responsibility to God. The Creator has strategically and purposefully placed every person both in time and place in order that they might “seek the Lord,” to “feel after Him, and find Him” (Acts 17:26-27). There is also the consistent testimony of nature (Psa 19:1-3), the work of the law written in their heart, the testimony of the conscience (Rom 2:15), and the sound of the Gospel (Rom 10:14-15). Those who embrace “the tradition of men” are not altogether innocent.
LAYING ASIDE THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD. Mark says the people laid “aside the commandment of God.” Matthew says they “transgressed the commandment of God” (Matt 15:3). What does it mean to “lay aside” God’s commandment? Other versions read, “neglecting,” NASB “let go of,” NIV “abandon,” NRSV “leave,” RSV “turning away from,” BBE “disregard,” NAB “put aside,” NJB “ignore,” NLT “forgotten about,” IE “give up,” WILLIAMS and “regard and give up and ask to depart from you.” AMPLIFIED
All of this presumes some exposure to “the commandment of God.” For the Pharisees and scribes, it may have been hearing John the Baptist, or Jesus Himself. It may have been hearing the Scriptures read in the synagogue (Acts 13:27). For those in our time, it may have been exposure to the Ten Commandments, Scriptures read at a wedding or a funeral, some great hymn of the faith, or some preaching or reading via communication media. Remember, the Word of God in any amount is “quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb 4:12). It probes the heart, enters the conscience, and distinguishes between the soul and the spirit of a man. It calls out for the attention of men, testifying of their Creator, and introducing them to His will – however small the measure of that word may be.
The smallest segment of God’s word, or any of its commandments, is sufficient to lead one into the acute awareness of the Lord, and the fact that He is to be sought. Men cannot excuse themselves from the influences wrought upon their hearts when they are exposed to “the commandment of God.”
Yet, when men choose to embrace religious tradition in the place of “the knowledge of God” and “the truth,” there is something that they must do – something for which they will be held strictly accountable. They must “turn away their ears from the truth” BEFORE they can embrace fables (2 Tim 4:4). They must thrust the Word of God from them (Acts 13:46) and choose instead to subject their hearts and minds to strictly fictitious views of the Word. I fear that we have all been exposed to such people, and have witnessed the miserable results of their preferences.
HOLDING THE TRADITION OF MEN. Other versions read “hold to,” NASB “holding on to,” NIV “hold fast,” RSV “observe,” GENEVA and “cling to.” NAB The idea is that “the commandment of God” specifically, and the Word of God generally, urges the heart to let loose of mere human tradition. It probes the heart, pointing out the vanity of tradition, and the power of truth. Yet, those who love the praise of men more than the praise of God (John 12:43) only tighten their grip on tradition, refusing to let it go. Be sure of this: you cannot hold truth in one hand and the “traditions of men” in the other. To hold tradition, you must let go of the truth, and to hold the truth, you must let go of tradition. Further, when it comes to religion, you must hold one or the other.
It does not seem from Scripture that the Pharisees and scribes appeared to be letting go of God’s commandment to maintain their grasp on tradition. They did “outwardly appear righteous unto men” (Matt 23:28) – but they were not. They had forgotten about the truth.
Jesus goes on to mention some of their cherished traditions. He does not leave it up to the people to figure out what they were: “as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.” Those “washings” were in a general category of external cleansings and procedures that did not require the involvement of the heart. They could be done perfunctorily, or by mere habit or routine – like the contemporary “praise and worship” service, the popular “forty days of purpose” (Evangelicals) or “lent” (Catholic), or other forms of codified conduct.