Mark Chapter 7 Verses 1 – 3

• So the fame of Jesus continues to spread. To the point that the Pharisees and some of the scribes, the religious elite mind you, the political leaders of Israel, they also come out to see Jesus and it’s interesting to me, they immediately find fault. Why? Why would they come to Jesus and immediately, I mean right off the bat…first things first here…they perceive Jesus and His disciples to be flawed…why?

 

 

• Well…It’s obvious to me because I see this constantly even today…they immediately find fault because that’s what they came to do man. They have come not seeking truth. They have not come to honor Jesus. They have not come to see, hear, learn and be changed for the better…if they had of come for any of those reasons, then guess what, that would have happened! But that’s not the case. They have come to criticize.

 

 

• I see this all the time. If you criticize then guess what, that’s in your heart…it’s been there since before you came. Oh he’s too loud, this church is too this or these people are too that…well, that’s what you came to do. Going off to a family gathering when that one family member will be there…you know…uncle Rico…I wish he’d just get a job and quit living in his van…what are you doing? Setting yourself up to immediately find fault…

 

 

• But God would tell us, "Whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things and the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:8

 

 

• On your way home from work…about to open the door and see her or see him…what have you come home to do? You’ll find out soon enough. "Hey, did you finish doing this or have you cleaned up that or did you get that bill paid or did you get that oil changed or did you blah blah blah blah blah…." Why not, "Hi! How are you! You look nice today. I was thinking about how this or that and let me tell you, that’s a good job you did there…" Wives when was the last time you told your husbands they were good? Something they do is good…tell ‘em! Husbands when is the last time you said, "Baby you are one hot mommmmmmma!?"

 

 

• What have you come to do man? We’ll find out soon enough. Soft heart, encouraging words, serving those around you…you’ve come to find God and to be conformed into the image of Christ. You’ve come to grow in stature and in strength and to honor the God of love and order…aloof attitude, critical eye, making a list of things that you don’t like…you’ve come to find fault…

 

 

• These religious elite, self righteous and pious claiming by their robes and their religion to be close to the heart of God…they’re wired up all wrong in their hearts man…and immediately they find fault…check this out…

 

 

Mark Chapter 7 Verses 4 – 5

• And Jesus answered and said to them, "Why do you covet power over the people and yet you heal none of them?" Well actually that’s what I would have said…HA! "Why do you lay a heavy burden on My children. Why do you dine in luxury while the poor ache from hunger? Why do you set yourself over the servants and demand that they serve you?" Man I would go off…and in a way, Jesus does…but just think about this for a minute…

 

 

• People were being healed and helped, delivered and fed…raised from the dead…restored to society and to their families…lepers who had not been home in years were going home…unclean folks with public type diseases and issues who had not been held or touched or honored in years were being completely restored man…yet because they haven’t washed their hands ceremonially as detailed in 65 pages of the Mishnah, the written version of the traditional oral Jewish law, (my autocorrect wanted to replace Mishnah with Mishmash, HA!)… yet because they haven’t washed their hands ceremonially as detailed in 65 pages of the Mishnah… accusation of fault?

 

 

 

• "What has happened to you?" I wonder if that is the look Jesus gave them…"Don’t you remember, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength?" But what has it all become? Your traditions have become more important to you than the Word of God itself even to the point that your traditions have become your gods…

 

 

Mark Chapter 7 Verses 6 – 9

• The first thing I typically do is, after reading that scripture set right there…is begin to think about others. Other groups, other people…I’m so inherently naturally carnally accusatory…but I would do well to apply this to myself primarily. You know that is how Godly judgment is carried out? Before you allow your heart to correct, rebuke even condemn someone else for being hard, for being critical, for being problematic, are you first accepting your own rebuke inwardly?

 

 

 

• What are you getting at? Quick point here. The world says "Doesn’t the Bible say do not judge?" Well yes but it also says "Do not eat." Nine verses of the Bible contain that phrase…"Do not eat." What’s the context though? Matthew Chapter 7 verses 1 – 5 ("But we only like the first half of verse 1!" That doesn’t work…look at the first half of verse 1 in context of the surrounding verses…!)

 

 

• It’s like me or you or them alone. Maybe the new one in the room. When I’m the new one in the room how do you think I am? Quiet! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT! HA! Stick to myself! Shy…apprehensive…is that the real me? I THINK NOT! HA! But put me in a crowd of my homeboys and homegirls…I’m like that crazed squirrel off of Ice Age…just running around having a grand time, loud and fun!

 

 

• See out of context you don’t get me do you? But in context, surrounded by my element man…here I am world, LOVE ME! HA!

 

 

• Matthew Chapter 7 says, "Judge not, that you be not judged." And the Christian who loves Jesus and loves wisdom says, "JUDGE ME!" Find me loving. Find me humble. Find me flawed! And find me born of the Holy Spirit! The Christian calls out to the friend or to the co-worker…JUDGE ME! David in Psalm 139 cried out, "search me, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting!"

 

 

• Look close enough and you know what you’re going to find? A broken person, sinful and filled with chaos and problems but in the midst of it all…love, security and acceptance. A deep intimate relationship with a Father God who has looked upon my helpless state and has deemed me worthy of the blood of His One and Only Son…you will find love man…love that transcends sin and treads upon offense like its nothing because Jesus put it to an open shame at the cross of Calvary and set me free…

 

 

• So the world says "Judge not that you be not judged" yet we say "I’m glad you brought that up…let me tell you what I’ve done and let me also tell you what He’s done…" Matthew 7 continues, lets surround Matthew 7:1 with all of its friends…bring context to it…"For with what judgment you judge you will be judged and with the measure you use it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brothers eye but do not consider the plank in your own eye…hypocrite, first remove the speck in your own eye so that you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s."

 

 

• Red letters y’all. Did Jesus say not to judge? Nope. He said see clearly. In fact Jesus would command us to judge in John 7:24 but always with clarity…what’s clarity, how clarity? John 7:24, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment!" What is the definition of righteousness? The cross. Period. So what does the Bible teach and how does this relate to what Jesus is saying here in Mark Chapter 7?

 

 

• We are to love others and to consider ourselves primarily when it comes to judgment and our inherent bent on accusation…and we are also to be our brother’s keeper…let me clarify that word keeper…care taker…not under taker…

 

 

• So I read this passage and immediately my black heart points the finger…Jesus says here that these teach their traditions and lay aside, throw away God’s commandments…groups that pray the same prayers over and over and over yet Jesus said clearly in Matthew Chapter 6 that when you pray do not use vain repetitions…the heathen does that to their false gods!...and groups that shove baptism down the throats of unsuspecting sheep pressing it as necessary for salvation when Paul would say (because he did in 1 Corinthians 1:14), "I thank God that I baptized none of you…"

 

 

• Or others who say you must worship on this day or that day only or you are of the devil when Paul would correct them Biblically (again because he did in Romans 14:5), "One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind." These traditions abound in our culture…these commandments of men rather than commandments of God…they abound in the "church" but the question is…what does the Word of God say?

 

 

• The worship of the mother of Jesus as co-redeemer with Christ and the exaltation of angels as intercessory mediators…what does the Word of God say! "You shall have no other gods before Me! There is only One mediator between God and man and that is the man Christ Jesus…" What have you become?…the look maybe we would get from Jesus…

 

 

• The traditions have become the gods…your traditions have replaced God’s commandment…to love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love others as yourself…

 

 

• Jesus calls out one specifically of the Jews here…

 

 

Mark Chapter 7 Verses 9 – 13

• You see they had developed traditions that even went to the point of circumventing the commandments of God! If a Jew would preface an insult to his parents by saying, "This is Corban," then he was free to dishonor and say whatever because according to their tradition they were saying, "This is for your own good."

 

 

• Terrible, ugly stuff man…making the word of God of no effect because of what you have been taught as tradition…or maybe traditions you are making yourself…what you believe is maybe ok…you know, me and God, we have a special relationship…He knows my heart and so this thing I do…I do…oh but find out someone else is up to the same thing…here comes the pointed finger…

 

 

• God says be free of all that…it’s all junk…it’s all deception…it’s all a waste of time man…the disciples didn’t wash their hands, they sat down with Jesus and ate…how many would have missed the meal because of some trip that’s been laid on them by some man…are you quick to find fault? Could it be that you’re looking for it? You know who that really locks away, who that really apprehends and imprisons…you. That’s baby stuff man…tattle tale stuff…we become an adult at 18…Matthew 18 > go and tell your brother his fault…one on one…lest you show your cowardice by gossiping…

 

 

• Jesus is not condemning these Pharisees here…if so He would have simply condemned them…but He calls out to them, reasons with them and asks one simple question within this all…will you consider the commandment of God? Love. How does it all stack up, how does the context of you stack up to that singular, primary, eternal, principal cornerstone covenant? May be a good time for doing some business with God…