“Hypocrisy” Mark 7: /20/2009 Dane Boyles

“Hypocrisy” In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus has shown Himself to be God and that His claim on man is complete and absolute. He has gone to great ends to put his power on display for everyone to see.

“Hypocrisy” You’d think that such things would touch the hearts of people, especially people who had the scripture. This is the point in chapter 7, verses

Mark 7:1-2 1 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and 2 saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were “unclean,” that is, unwashed.

Mark 7:3 3 (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders.

Mark 7:4 4 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.)

“Hypocrisy” The disciples hadn’t washed their hands according to religious tradition!

“Hypocrisy”  Jesus Confronts the Problem. A good Jew wouldn’t eat unless he had washed his hands a certain way. For these people, everything revolved around ritual.

“Hypocrisy” But this washing had nothing to do with cleaning the hands. The Jewish Mishnah is a compilation of Jewish oral laws dating around 200 AD and has over 35 pages of instructions devoted to washing alone.

“Hypocrisy” “Tradition is a fence around the Law.” (Mishnah) What is it that causes someone, or a group of people, to elevate their own writings above the Word of God? It is the rationalization of the Word of God.

“Hypocrisy”  Jesus Condemns the Problem. 5 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?” (Mark 7:5)

“Hypocrisy” Jesus challenge their faulty premise. The motive for what we do has to be at the core of the rationale of the practice or action. You have to link the right motive with the right actions.

“Hypocrisy” That means that unless the reality of God is at the core, we will rationalize God’s Word. 6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; (Mark 7:6)

“Hypocrisy” Their religion was a combination of externalism and traditionalism. 6 …“‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. (Mark 7:6)

“Hypocrisy” When God’s Word is rationalized, not only is the Word made subject to human intelligence, but so is God. So man becomes the context for understanding God and not the Scriptures.

“Hypocrisy” God is taken and treated simply as an idea within your own historical context. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ (Mark 7:7)

“Hypocrisy” They had dispensed with God by reducing Him to an idea. 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.” (Mark 7:8) So they worshiped the LORD in vain!

“Hypocrisy”  Jesus Clarifies the Problem (7:9-13). 9 And he said to them: “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! (Mark 7:9)

Mark 7:10 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’

Mark 7:11 11 But you 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),

Mark 7:12 12 then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 12 you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. (Mark 7:12)

“Hypocrisy” The traditions of the elders were actually an end-run around the authority of Scripture. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.” (Mark 7:13)

Luke 11:46 46 … “… woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.

Luke 11:47 47 “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your forefathers who killed them.

Mark 7: Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’ by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him ‘unclean.’ ”

Mark 7: After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him ‘unclean’?

Mark 7: For it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods “clean.”) 20 He went on: “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’

Mark 7: For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’ ”

“Hypocrisy” There is no substitute for the Word of God. Any other solution is a false solution. It has no power to change the human heart.