Mark 7:1-8 Walk in the Light and Love Others

Mark 7:1-8  The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were “unclean,” that is, unwashed.  (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders.  When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash.  And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)  So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with ‘unclean’ hands?”  He 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.’  You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”

"They worship me in vain" is a startling statement directed at the most austentatiously righteous people in Israel: the Pharisees and teachers of the law, those who best knew God's holy commands.  Their obedience to the religious and cultural laws and customs of their time brought great honor and respect to them.  The people looked to them for leadership and deferred to their judgment on how to live a righteous life.  Their wisdom was sought in almost every situation.  As respected leaders, they were accustomed to receiving honor at the feasts and celebrations.  The head tables of any gathering would belong to them.  The people believed the Pharisees and teachers of the law had a unique and special relationship with God because of their knowledge and their experience.  The people believed if anyone knew God, these set-apart and specially ordained holy people knew the God of creation and held the keys to his kingdom.  They would have believed the Pharisees had every right to accuse the disciples for not completing the appropriate rituals for washing their hands before eating.  And the people would have been shocked when Jesus attacked this group of church officials, inferring they were sanctimonious and supercilious, saying, These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  Yet Jesus had no fear of quoting the prophet Isaiah, when He called these men hypocrites, for He knew the Pharisees and teachers of the law had raised these manmade commandments and customs for self-serving reasons: to elevate their position in the Jewish society.  Consequently, Jesus knew it pleased the Father to fault their self-serving lifestyle and their lack of grace.   

Jesus constantly looked to the hearts of the men and women.  He warned the people, “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them.  If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven."   (Matthew 6:1)  Contrary to these religious leaders,  Jesus asked the people to fulfill God's commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.  (Matthew 22:37-40)  Jesus was asking them to reflect God's nature by loving.  The Pharisees and the teachers of law were caught up with loving themselves and their lives first and foremost.  They used religion and self-sacrifice to accentuate their holiness.  They were focused on manmade righteousness, not on God's holiness.  They were oriented this way for self-engrandisement; not for God's glory.  This show of self is not in any way a reflection of the Spirit of light that comes from on high, for it does not reflect God: it reflects the carnal man, Adam, the fallen man.  A self-righteous attitude cannot be tolerated in God's kingdom for it is an anti-Christ spirit.  When a person fails to elevate God's mercy, grace, and goodness; he or she elevates his or her own efforts to be like God, with the implied attitude, "I can become holy and righteous without God's help."  This is a vain, vacuous spirit--a humanistic spirit that is directly opposed to God and his work through Jesus Christ on the cross.  What the religious people of that time showed forth as light was denounced by Jesus as great darkness.  If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!  (Matthew 6:23)  If the way you SEE life revolves around yourself: what you want, where you want to go, when you want things to happen; something is terribly wrong.  How great is the darkness in your life!  You have strayed far from the true path of righteousness, and you do not have your eyes on the light of Christ.  When people point to themselves or a list of laws rather than Christ, beware!

When we stray from the truth, we must stop and remember what are the commands of God?  The two cardinal commandments to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves confront the self-serving and hedonistic lifestyles of humans and fulfill all the commandments ever given by God.  They turn the world upside down.  Self-interest is replaced by love, the unconditional love of God the Father shown through his Son's sacrifice at the cross.  We see this change in orientation clearly illustrated in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus said: Don't bless yourself by bragging about giving to the needy or receive honor for how much you give.  Don't let men praise you for your prayers, and don't fast to get attention.  Don't find pleasure in holding a grudge.  Don't gain as much wealth for yourself as you can, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  Don't for the sake of gain try to serve two masters.  Don't vent your frustration by fretting about what you need or want.  (See Matthew Chapter Six)  The Bible indicates we are strangers here, pilgrims bound for a heavenly city.  We are different from the natural man who is dead in his trespasses and sins.  Therefore, we are to love in place of hate, pray for our enemies.  When we do, we are TRUE children of God because He sends rain and sunlight on all people, regardless of their attitudes toward him.  We are to be as He is, slow to anger and quick to forgive.  The flesh is self-oriented, self-serving and self-righteous: this natural spirit leads to death.  As children of God we have the spirit of a servant--we willingly serve.  We take up the cross and follow Jesus.  The Bible says while we were yet sinners, Christ loved us.  We should also have that same mind in us.  Loving leads to LIFE.  If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?  Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others?  Do not even pagans do that?  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.  (Matthew 5:46-48)  Be blessed dear ones as you go about doing good, as you go about loving others with the love of the Lord.