Whole and Holy Mark 6:53-7:23

-In Christ, people are made whole and holy.

Had Adam and Eve retained their original state, they never would have died. But Eve and then Adam yielded to the serpent's temptation, and death came into the world. Before that moment, they were in a beautiful, pristine state. They existed on a level far above the present condition of the human race. It is difficult to imagine what man was like then by viewing him as he is now. It would require something like trying to reconstruct the original version of an aircraft from its wreckage. If we knew nothing of flying, we would hardly suspect that it had once soared above the earth. The material would be the same; the capability of flight, however, would be lost.

David Breese, Living For Eternity, Moody Press, 1988, p. 99.

I. Jesus Makes People Whole vv. 53-56

After the incredible scene on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus and His disciples make their way across to Genessaret

When they get there, they will not find time for rest, but will be confronted by crowds again

This time, we see the sick gathered together to Jesus, seeking healing

We ought not be surprised that they are healed, but I think that the mechanism is curious:

Jesus touches people, or they touch Him, and they are healed

It is as though some power is present to undo the harmful brokenness in the lives of these people

What we see in Jesus is a capability to re-create and to make people whole again

This healing quality to Jesus’ ministry is critical to understand the mission that He is on and the mission that we are participating in

The ministry of Jesus is a ministry of fixing broken things and healing hurting people

While we may not see the kinds of miraculous healings that took place in the Gospels, the call is the same: we must bring people to Jesus so that they can find the one who will make them whole!

1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Holiness

Many trees appear to be healthy when we see them in summer. But, in the winter, after their leaves have all fallen off, we sometimes find that hidden underneath the lush green of the summer foliage was a parasitic plant called mistletoe, which had been slowly sucking away some of the tree’s vitality.

We as Christians sometimes have hidden sins, which—like the mistletoe—slowly suck away our spiritual vitality. Although not always evident in times of outward spiritual health and fruitfulness, we must always examine ourselves for those small, often unseen, parasites of sinful habits that will sap our vitality. And we must also remember that just because they are not apparent now does not mean that in another season of our life God will not reveal them for all to see.654

II. Jesus Makes People Holy vv. 1-23

The Pharisees Fear Unclean Hands vv. 1-5

The scene shifts and the Pharisees let their displeasure be known: Jesus’s disciples have not been following the prescriptions set for handwashing

Mark makes it clear for us that this is not a matter of obedience to the Law of God, but of adherence to the traditions of the elders and their teachers

The Pharisees have a self-righteousness problem: they love legalism, because it allows them to manipulate a set of rules for the sake of their standing before people

The Pharisees have a misplaced priority: they live in fear of unclean hands when their greater problem is an unclean heart

Jesus Condemns Unclean Hearts vv. 6-13

There is a very serious hypocrisy here that Jesus calls out: They have right actions, but wrong attitudes

They are elevating traditions above commandments, because the traditions are much easier to keep and involve more outward demonstration of righteousness

They honor themselves and not God or people. Their obedience is wrapped up in how to raise their esteem in the public square and appear righteous, not how to honor God and bless people

There is a disconnect: Their hearts are far from God, in spite of all of the religious acts they perform

Joel 2:12–13

[12] “Yet even now,” declares the LORD,

“return to me with all your heart,

with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

[13] and rend your hearts and not your garments.”

Return to the LORD your God,

for he is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;

and he relents over disaster. (ESV)

3. Jesus Calls us to Consideration vv. 14-23

The primary problem in our lives is not what is coming at us from the outside, but what is coming out of the inside of our hearts; For some religious people with separatist instincts, this is a problem

Rather than focusing on the filth outside of us, Jesus is concerned that we address the filth inside of us

This is frightening, because there is only One who can make us holy: Jesus

The same one who can make us whole, also makes us holy!

Imbesi's Law of the Conservation of Filth:In order for something to become clean, something else must become dirty. Freeman's Extension:… but you can get everything dirty without getting anything clean.

2 Corinthians 5:21

[21] For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (ESV)