Scripture: Mark 7:1-13

C.I.: Jesus Prepares His Disciples to Deal with “Religion”

We are beginning a new series. – In Mark chapter 7, Jesus is intensively preparing His disciples (us) to be able to handle difficult situations when they arise. Today Jesus responds to the “religious.” “Religion” (of any type) is man's attempt to reach up to God. Yet God sent His Son in order to establish a “relationship”!

•  The Three Problems “Traditions” Can Cause, (Mark 7:1-13)

•  Background: The “Religious” Finding Fault with Jesus' Disciples, (vs. 1-5)

•  A group of religious Jews have been sent on a fact-finding” mission regarding Jesus.

•  The religious leadership in Jerusalem – had heard many things about this Galilean rabbi, - so they wanted to discover if this man was orthodox (i.e., right ).

•  ( v. 5 ), “The Pharisees & the scribes asked Him, ‘Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?'”

•  “Traditions” were very important to the Jews in Jesus' day

•  Tradition was, “a fence for protection.” Its easy to see how this happens (cf. Gen. 2:17; 3:3 ), “…you shall not eat , for in the day you eat … You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you d.

•  The problem arises when traditions supercede the word of God

•  Rabbi Eleazer, “He who expounds the scriptures in opposition to the tradition has no share in the world to come.”

•  The Mishna, a collection of Jewish traditions, records, “It is a greater offense to teach anything contrary to the voice of the rabbis than to contradict scripture itself.”

•  Traditions are still important to many people today. – But there can be problems (3 of them!)

•  Tradition Can Lead to a Show of Hypocritical Honor, (v. 6)

•  “He said to them, ‘Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me.”'”

•  There are some traditions which bring attention to themselves and not to God…

•  Example: Clothes worn to services (commandment?). – ( Jms. 2:2-4 ), “If am man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and fine clothes, - and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, saying, ‘You sit here in a good place,' and you say to the poor man, ‘You stand over there, or sit by my footstool,' have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become j….”

•  Example: Raising of hands (prayer) or saying “amen” (during a lesson). If motivated to please God, fine. But merely to be seen/heard by others, not!

•  ( I Tim. 2:8 ), “I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands…,”

•  ( I Chron. 16:36 ), “‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.' Then all the people said, ‘Amen,' and praised the Lord.”

•  Thus, some traditions of men are only to bring attention to the person not to God!

•  Tradition Can Lead to Worthless Worship, (v. 7)

•  “But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.”

•  “Doctrine” = Teaching (God's), “Precepts” = Teaching (man's), “Vain” = Worthless!!!

•  Today people say, “This is the way we have always done it” in re: religious traditions.

•  Ex.: Tithing ( I Cor. 16:2; II Cor. 9:7 ). - Instruments ( Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16-17 ), etc.

•  The ultimately question re: “traditions” is in the matter of authority.

•  Some traditions have Apostolic Authority, ( 2 Thess. 2:15 ), “…stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, either by word of mouth or letter from us/ apostles .”

•  The final the authority for all we do – must come from God - ( Matt. 21:23-27 ), “…the chief priests & elders came to Him, as He was teaching & said, ‘By what authority are….”

•  Everything that people do spiritually comes from one of two sources; from heaven or men.”

•  Clearly, the ones from heaven please God when we practice them. Those from men…?!

•  God has given us His word so that we might know & do what please Him, ( II Tim. 3:16-4:4 )

•  Thus, sometimes traditions can lead to worthless worship!!!

•  Tradition Can Lead to Subjugation to Man-Made Commandments, (v. 8)

•  “Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”

•  Sadly, many of our friends, co-workers and others are being led enslaved by man-made rules which are a violation of God's word.

•  ( I Tim. 4:1-2 ), “The Spirit explicitly says in later times some will fall away from the faith…”

•  So how can we help our religious friends keep from being deceived?

•  ( I Jn. 4:1, 6 ), “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” … “We (the apostles) are from God ( I Jn. 1:1 , “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen, what we beheld and our hands have handled concerning the word of life.” ) ; - he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. – By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

•  So this is how we help our religious friends – deal with the problem of religion !!!

•  Jesus shows how this can happen - ( vs. 9-12 ), “He was saying to them, ‘You nicely set aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. – For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother;' and ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death'; - but you say, ‘If a man says to his father or mother, anything of mine you might have been helped by is Corban (that is to say, been given to God),' – you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother”

•  Corban was a legal term, meaning, “A gift dedicated to God.”

•  That was not a problem. – The problem arose when the Pharisees were encouraging the people to give their money to the temple – when they had family members who were in need.

•  Notice their teaching, “But you say (their teaching), ‘If a man says to his father…”!!!

•  But don't they make it sound noble – almost holy!

•  ( v. 13 ), “…thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; - and you do many such things as that.”

•  As we've seen, traditions can become “a fence.” – People feel secure behind them.

•  Yet our security must only be found in a right relationship w/Jesus through His word.

•  Rom. 1:16; Mk. 16:15-16!