From The Inside Out - Mark 7:1-23

Intro: Growing up we were taught a little song, it doesn’t translate to good in Spanish, but it went like this.

“I don’t want to be a Pharisee because their not fair you see”

When you study the Pharisees, they are not much different than some of us. The Pharisees arose during the 400 years of silence between the Old and New Testament. This religious group looked at their history and said we do not want to be like our ancestors who fell in idolatry and sin, we want to be different, which is what the origin of the name Pharisee means, “to separate, be different, divide, distinguish”So what they started doing is taking a command from the law and created different traditions which added to the command. The command you shall keep the sabbath holy, as a day of rest. They created rules and regulations as to what constituted as work, how many steps you can walk on the sabbath. what you can and can’t do if your neighbor is in trouble. They did this with every law. These became known as the Tradition of the Elders. The Pharisees wanted to be holy, different from their ancestors who fell into idolatry and judged by God. They had good intentions, but as the saying goes “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”

Fast forward to the time of Jesus, and the Pharisee movement has become more about doing to earn the favor and approval of God and man, a public competition about who is better and looking down on others because they are not as good, excluding them. We have seen several times the Pharisees test and get angry with Jesus. In our passage today, Jesus confronts them with the real problem. Lets dive in...

I. When Your Honor Is Dishonoring

Mark 7:1–5 (ESV)

Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?”

Los fariseos, y algunos de los escribas que habían venido de Jerusalén, se reunieron alrededor de Él; 2 y vieron que algunos de Sus discípulos comían el pan con manos inmundas, es decir, sin lavar.3 (Porque los fariseos y todos los judíos no comen a menos de que se laven las manos cuidadosamente[a], observando así la tradición de los ancianos. 4 Cuando vuelven de la plaza, no comen a menos de que se laven[b]; y hay muchas otras cosas que han recibido para observarlas, como el lavamiento[c] de los vasos, de los cántaros y de las vasijas de cobre.)

5 Así que los fariseos y los escribas le preguntaron*: «¿Por qué Tus discípulos no andan conforme a la tradición de los ancianos, sino que comen[d] con manos inmundas[e]?».

A. Tradition vs Scripture

Here we have a clear example of what the Pharisees have done with the law. The took the laws about ritual cleansing and added to it. In their minds, they thought what if when I am in the marketplace and I have touched something and it is unclean and don’t know it what am I going to do? Will they added to the tradition of the elders stating, when you come back from the market place or from being out you must wash your hands. Mark tells us there was many more rules and regulations they added as well.

But, Before we jump all over the Pharisees, are we guilty of doing the same things some times?

There are churches across the country today where Pastors are in a suit and tie preaching God’s word because that is what expected of them in their churches. I have been in churches that will not allow you on the stage unless you are in a suit and tie. Or what about churches that have a Sunday Morning and Evening service, looking down on those churches that do not have one. Here is another one, wearing a hat in church, sinful?Wrong? We Christians have our own struggles with traditions just like the Pharisees.

Many of you, like me come from a Catholic up bringing, I went to Catechism, maybe some of you have as well. One of the biggest differences between Roman Catholicism and Protestant Christianity is the view of tradition and the Bible. As a Protestant Christian, we believe that Bible is the only source of doctrinal truth and rule of faith. So any tradition is evaluated and interpreted in light of scripture.

But the Catholic church says “Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God . . .” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 97. Note, all citations in this article are from this Catechism). Catholicism teaches the Bible plus tradition make up the Word of God.

Another big difference between Protestant Christianity and Catholicism is how we read and interpret the Bible. As Protestant Christians, we believe we use the Bible to understand the Bible. What this means is when we come to a difficult to understand portion of the Scripture, we use the other portions of the Scripture to understand it. For example the Book of James tells us Faith without works is dead, but we know Paul says we are saved by Grace and not by works? So what does this mean? When you put those two passages together what they are saying is that, we are saved by grace through faith and if you are saved by Grace through faith, then your faith that saved you will produce works.

In “The Second Vatican Council indicates three criteria for interpreting Scripture in accordance with the Spirit who inspired it. 1. Be especially attentive to the content and unity of the whole Scripture.’. . . 2. Read the Scripture within the living Tradition of the whole Church.’ … 3. Be attentive to the analogy of faith.” (Par. 111, 112, 13, 114). Did you catch #2? Read the Bible within the living tradition of the whole church. So as Protestants will let the Bible interpret the Bible, Catholicism says the tradition of the church interprets the Bible and by doing this you elevate tradition on the same level as the Word of God.

Christians who elevate traditions and put them on the same level as the word of God or Catholicism who puts tradition on the same level as the Word of God are both wrong.

We dishonor God and His Word when we elevate our traditions and place them on the same level as God’s Word.

This is what the Pharisees were doing, and Jesus calls them out for it

Mark 7:8–13 (ESV)

You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban” ’ (that is, given to God)— then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

8 Dejando el mandamiento de Dios, ustedes se aferran a la tradición de los hombres».

9 También les decía: «Astutamente[f] ustedes violan el mandamiento de Dios para guardar su tradición. 10 Porque Moisés dijo: “Honra a tu padre y a tu madre”; y: “El que hable mal de su padre o de su madre, que muera[g]”. 11 Pero ustedes dicen: “Si un hombre dice al padre o a la madre: ‘Cualquier cosa mía con que pudieras beneficiarte es corbán (es decir, ofrenda[h] a Dios)’”, 12 ya no le dejan hacer nada en favor de supadre o de su madre; 13 invalidando así la palabra de Dios por la tradición de ustedes, la cual han transmitido, y hacen muchas cosas semejantes a estas».

The Jewish Law stated they were to care for their parents as they grew older, which included helping with any physical necessities. But the Pharisees allowed people to give “Corban”, which is setting aside property and other things as dedicated to God, therefore it could not be touched. What they would use to help their parents was given to Corban, therefore they could no longer help their parents. This is why he says you make void the Word of God for your traditions.

B. The Problem With Comparison

The other problem the Pharisees had is the problem of comparison. In their comparison, they were elevating themselves above others. Notice their question to Jesus, “why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” They were comparing saying, these guys are defiled and unclean unlike us who are clean.

We do the same thing as well don’t we? Look at so and so, can you believe them, I would never preach in jeans. Can you believe they missed church 1 Sunday this month, they are not like us. He doesn’t know as much as the Bible as me. One of the lessons we tried to teach our kids early and we used a little saying that we heard on a Family Life Radio broadcast, it is 5 simple words but very profound.

It’s not fair to compare.

God deals differently with every single person in this room, and every person in this room is at a different season in life. So it’s not fair to compare your situation with that of another and it is sinful to think that you are better than others in your comparison. The Bible actually tells us in Philippians 2:3

Philippians 2:3 (ESV)

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

C. Honoring God with your lips and not from your heart Is False Worship

Mark 7:6–7 (ESV)

And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,

“ ‘This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me;

in vain do they worship me,

teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

6 Jesús les respondió: «Bien profetizó Isaías de ustedes, hipócritas, como está escrito:

“Este pueblo con los labios me honra, Pero su corazón está muy lejos de Mí. 7 Mas en vano me rinden culto, Enseñando como doctrinas preceptos de hombres”.

Jesus, makes it very clear for them quoting the prophet Isaiah to let the Pharisees know that worship that doesn’t come from a clean heart, worship that seeks the approval of men over God, worship that elevates tradition over God’s very own words is false worship.

Worship is not just about what you say and what you do. The Pharisees wanting to be different from their ancestors, fell into the same problem of false worship, the same problem of going through the motions, thinking they were close to God but in reality their hearts were far from God.

Worship that goes through the motions to gain the approval of men and is not from a heart that is transformed by the Gospel is false worship.

II. Our Problem is an Inside Out Problem

To hear Jesus talk like this to the Pharisees, was astounding to the people because externally they appeared to be holy, close to God, but Jesus tells them, you are far from God. Then Jesus says this,

Mark 7:14–16 (ESV)

And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”

14 Llamando de nuevo a la multitud, Jesús les decía: «Escuchen todos lo que les digo y entiendan: 15 no hay nada fuera del hombre que al entrar en él pueda contaminarlo; sino que lo que sale de adentro del hombre es lo que contamina al hombre. 16 [i]Si alguno tiene oídos para oír, que oiga».

Jesus calls all the people, this is something they all need to hear and understand. Jesus turns the Jewish mind upside down, because their whole life they have been hearing, you can eat that it is unclean, don’t touch that it is unclean, don’t go there or you might touch something unclean. Jesus calls every one in close because he is about to blow their mind, nothing outside a person can defile him. Nothing! BUT… the things that come out of him is what defiles him.

Jesus just rocked their world and offers the crowd no explanation. But the disciples feeling the weight of what Jesus said, thinking “did I just hear what i think I heard?” They ask Jesus what he meant,

Mark 7:18–23 (ESV)

And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

18 «¿También ustedes son tan faltos de entendimiento?», les dijo*. «¿No comprenden que todo lo que de afuera entra al hombre no lo puede contaminar, 19 porque no entra en su corazón, sino en el estómago[j], y se elimina[k]?». Jesús declaró asílimpios todos los alimentos.

20 También decía: «Lo que sale del hombre, eso es lo que contamina al hombre. 21 Porque de adentro, del corazón de los hombres, salen los malos pensamientos, fornicaciones[l], robos, homicidios, adulterios,22 avaricias, maldades, engaños, sensualidad, envidia[m], calumnia, orgullo[n] e insensatez. 23 Todas estas maldades de adentro salen, y contaminan al hombre».

Jesus explains to them that the problem is not external, and we cannot fix it by washings, staying away from foods or even doing good and coming to church. Our problem is an inside out problem. It is a problem with the condition of the heart. Our heart is selfish and sinful and it needs to be transformed. There is no amount of animal sacrifices, or washings, or good deeds, or ritual prayers, or what ever you do to try to gain favor with God and enter your way into heaven.

The Bible tells us there is only one way to fix the human heart.

John 14:6 ESV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

How does Jesus deal with mans sinful hurt, let’s look at a passage we read a couple of weeks ago.

Hebrews 13:12–13 (ESV)

So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.

Jesus lived the perfect life for you, Jesus paid the penalty of sin, which is death, for you. He did this by dying on a cross and Hebrews tells us he did this in order to “sanctify” which means Jesus’ blood will clean you, wash you and transform your heart.

Only Jesus can take a heart that is defiled and make it clean.

I was a wretch I remember who I was I was lost, I was blind I was running out of time

Sin separated The breach was far too wide But from the far side of the chasm You held me in your sight

So You made a way Across the great divide Left behind Heaven's throne To build it here inside

And there at the cross You paid the debt I owed Broke my chains, freed my soul For the first time I had hope

Thank you Jesus for the blood applied Thank you Jesus, it has washed me white Thank you Jesus, You have saved my life Brought me from the darkness into glorious light

Un pecador Ese es quien era yo Miserable Y perdido Sin ninguna dirección Un gran abismo Nos quería separar Pero cruzaste la distancia Me viniste a rescatar

Ya no hay división Un camino se abrió Tu trono Dejaste Por vivir en mi interior Allí en la cruz Cargaste mi dolor Mi deuda Tú pagaste Y me diste salvación

Te doy gracias por morir por mí Te doy gracias nuevo soy en ti Te doy gracias tengo libertad Tu sangre derramada el perdón me da

The author of Hebrews invites you to go to him and meet him at the cross, he will cleanse your heart.