SCRIPTURE: MARK 7
CLEAN AND UNCLEAN (vs. 1-23)
The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law saw some of Jesus’ disciples eating food with unwashed hands. So they asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with unclean hands? Jesus 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 but rules taught by men.” (vs. 6-7)
THIS IS HOW THE PHARISEES AND TEACHERS OF THE LAW LET GO OF THE COMMANDS OF GOD AND HOLD ON TO THE TRADITIONS OF MEN:
Moses said, “Honor your father or and your mother and anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death”. But they say that if a man says to his father or mother: ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban; (that is a gift devoted to God). Then they no longer do anything for his father or mother. This is nullifying the word of God by the traditions they had handed down.
Jesus said: “Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’ by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that make him ‘unclean'” (v. 15). The meaning is: Things that enters a man goes into his stomach and then come out of his body. But what comes out of a man is from the man’s heart which consists of evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance an fooly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean’.
THE FAITH OF A SYROPHERNICIAN WOMAN (vs. 24-30)
Jesus went to Tyre and entered a house. Then a woman who had a daughter possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. Jesus said: “First let the children eat all they want, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” She replied: “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” (vs. 27-28). Then Jesus told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” (v. 29) When she went home, he found her child lying on bed but the demon was gone.
THE HEALING OF A DEAF AND MUTE MAN (vs. 31-37)
From Tyre, Jesus went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. There some people brought him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man. Jesus took him aside away from the crowd. He put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said “Be Opened!”. At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone but because they were overwhelmed with amazement, the more they kept talking about it.
THOUGHTS:
People consider religious rituals more important than God’s word. They even replace God’s word to gain confidence with external rituals than internal change.
Washing of hands was a tradition of the Jews. It was a ceremony to cleanse them from any contact considered unclean. When they saw the disciples of Jesus not washing their hands, they accused them of being unclean. Then Jesus used Isaiah’s words to counter them. He called the Pharisees hypocrites because they worshiped God for the wrong reasons – a desire to gain profit, to appear holy, and to increase their status. We become hypocrites when we pretend to be something we are not. Hypocrites pay more attention to reputation than character. They follow religious practices while distant from God. They show self-righteousness and criticize the sins of others.
The Jews refused to eat if their hands were not cleaned. But Jesus pointed out that sins begin in the attitudes and intentions of the inner person. He had renounced the cultural restriction regarding food in Acts. 10:9-29. We are not pure because of outward actions. We become pure on the inward when God renews our mind and transforms us into his image.
The Pharisees used God as an excuse to avoid helping their families. They thought that it was more important to put money in the temple treasury than to help their needy parents. They used God as an excuse to neglect their responsibilities of helping their parents and those in need.
“Dog” refers to house pets. Jesus was saying that the first priority was to provide food for the children, not to allow pets to interrupt family meals. The woman pointed out that she was willing to be considered as an interruption as long as she could receive God’s healing for her daughter. The power of Jesus was so great that he did not need to be present physically in order to free someone from demons. His power transcends any distance.
The Syrophoenician Woman was a Gentile who were at a distance spiritually. But Jesus healed her. Any Gentile who recognizes Jesus can find salvation because Jesus had erased the distance from the Gentiles at the cross. In contrast the Jews reject Jesus and lose God’s spiritual healing.
When Jesus healed a Deaf and Mute Man, he commanded the people not to tell anyone because he did not want to be seen simply as a miracle worker but to listen to his real message of salvation. We must not be so concerned about what Jesus can do for us that we forget to listen to his message.