A Challenge from the Pharisees, Part 2. Mark 7:8-13.
You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men. And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!”For Moses said, ‘Honour your father and mother’; and ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’”But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”‘ (that is, given to God) -“Then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, “thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”
Dear Heirs with Christ of the Kingdom of Heaven,
Jesus continues with his response to the criticism of the Pharisees and the scribes on his seeming laxity at enforcing ritual washing on his disciples.
Rebuke (vv. 9-10). Jesus castigates the Pharisees and the scribes for paying attention to traditions at the expense of the commandment of God. People of every generation are prone to deviate from the commandments of God in favor of the preferences of men. Think how our modern society pays attention to outward appearance – dress, hairstyles, and demeanor – often at the expense of the teaching of scripture.
Reference (vv. 11-12). Jesus cites Moses in the commandment to honor father and mother. Again, the reference to Moses is deliberate. All religious Jews, no matter the sect, acknowledged Moses’ authority. Jesus is now saying that they found a way of disobeying the command of Moses, which they acknowledge as being from God, in favor of some man-made tradition about dedicating things to God.
Reversal (v. 13). The Pharisees have made the tradition of men more important than the commandment of God and thus reversed the intended order – the commandment first. What Jesus is saying is that their self-righteousness is misplaced, because it impresses men at the expense of pleasing God. What about us, do we pay more attention to men than we do God?
Your Loving Pastor Chris.