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Mark chapter 7

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1Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. 2And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. 3For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. 4And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. 5Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? 6He 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. 7Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8For 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. 9And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 10For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: 11But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. 12And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; 13Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. 14And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: 15There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. 16If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. 17And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. 18And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; 19Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? 20And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

What does Mark chapter 7 mean?

Mark chapter 7 includes accounts of teaching, debating, and miracles. In all the stories, Jesus emphasizes the importance of God's moral standards over man's tradition, setting the stage for the culture of the church that will live in the truth that Jesus has fulfilled the Law. The sequence of Mark 6:31–7:37 is loosely paralleled in Mark 8:1–30, including feeding a multitude, crossing the sea, dealing with the Pharisees, teaching about bread, healing, and a confession of Jesus as Messiah.

The scribes from Jerusalem once again join the local Pharisees to debate Jesus (Mark 3:22). They attack the disciples who do not follow the tradition of washing before eating. Jesus responds with strong words, pointing out that their human tradition is not as sacred as they insist; they can even use their extra-scriptural standards to refuse to care for their aging parents and look pious doing it.

Jesus then gives the people a lesson in ethics, showing exactly why the Pharisees are in the wrong. God gave Moses and the Israelites ceremonial laws as a sign that their culture was far removed from that of the pagan nations they interacted with. He also gave them moral laws to define right from wrong and civil laws to enforce ceremonial laws, moral laws, and enforce general order. While these laws are not explicitly grouped as civil, moral, or ceremonial, context gives us great insight into which ones represent earthly concerns, and which are expressions of God's character. He never meant the people to honor the ceremony more than the moral principle behind it. He never meant for the religious leaders to add to and use the ceremonial law as justification for neglecting the moral law. And He certainly never intended for the religious leaders to add manmade traditions that placed a heavy burden on the people (Mark 7:1–23).

The story of the Syrophoenician woman is a subject of much debate, but when seen in the context of the chapter, it makes more sense. The Pharisees value the traditions of washing and keeping an oath at all costs. All devout Jews value the tradition of avoiding Gentiles. Even Jesus' ministry in general is designed to reach the Jews and leave reaching the Gentiles for Paul and early members of the church. The gospel is meant for the Jews first. But when faced with a Gentile woman with a great need, Jesus forgoes tradition and takes the moral act of granting her request. The controversy of the story comes in the way He stages the interaction. What some scholars see as dismissive and insulting can also be interpreted as a cunning revelation of faith the disciples can't understand (Mark 7:24–30).

After teaching the disciples that the ceremony of avoiding Gentiles is passing away, Jesus travels through the Gentile regions of Tyre and Sidon, then turns east and enters Decapolis again. The witness of the man freed from a legion of demons has done its work, and the people are much more amenable to His presence. They bring Him a deaf and mute man whom He heals (Mark 7:31–37).

Jesus began this tradition vs. moral argument with the Pharisees early on in His ministry when He defended His disciples as they picked heads of grain on the Sabbath. It's interesting to note that the traditions the Pharisees value serve more to make them look good than to worship God. We still argue about tradition, like what should a pastor wear, what songs should we sing, what instruments should we use, if we should celebrate Christmas…. We forget that tradition is merely an optional tool designed to point us to God. It is never meant to take the place of obeying God's law to love Him and others. When it does, it becomes an idol.
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