Mark 6:53-7:23, “Jesus’ Ministry At Gennesaret / Scribes And Pharisees Contend With Jesus
Because His Disciples Didn’t Wash Their Hands Before Eating”
By
1.
INTRO:
2.
In our last study, we looked at verses
33-52 of chapter 6 of Mark.
2.1.
We looked at two
miracles which Jesus performed. One was
a miracle of provision, the other a miracle of protection.
2.2.
We saw that when
Jesus and His disciples crossed over the
2.3.
We saw that Jesus
then dismissed the twelve to go back across the lake, and He went up to the
mountain to pray. But then, a storm came
up and the disciples rowed and strived for hours in their boat until Jesus finally
came walking to them, and then got in their boat. When Jesus entered the boat the storm was
completely calmed. We looked at some
lessons to be learned from this story.
3.
In our study
today, we are going to look at verses 53 of chapter 6 through 23 of chapter 7.
3.1.
First of all, we
will look at the ministry that began immediately after Jesus and the disciples
landed in their boat at Gennesaret, after leaving the people in the area of
Bethsaida Julias when the people began to scheme to make Jesus king of Israel
after He had miraculously fed the 5,000.
The people’s plan was not the timing nor the manner in which Jesus would
one day be made king so He knew that He and the disciples needed to leave the
area immediately.
3.1.
After dismissing
the disciples in the boat, Jesus had gone up on the mountain to pray, and then
a storm had come up on the lake. After
the disciples had rowed for many hours, Jesus came walking to them on the
water, and when they let Him into their boat, the storm calmed and immediately
they were at land. They evidently had
landed at Gennesaret.
3.2.
The people in
Gennesaret will hunt for those who desperately need Jesus’ healing touch, and
then they will bring them to Him and we will look at the miraculous ways in
which they were healed by Him.
3.3.
Next, we will see
that some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus and were offended because His
disciples didn’t follow their rules of ablutions (washings) that were part of
the tradition of the elders of
3.4.
When Jesus came
on the scene traditions and rituals had come to so dominate Jewish life that
true religion had died out for the most part in
3.5.
Jesus’ first sermon was the Sermon On The Mount, and in
that sermon He taught a righteousness that was far above that taught by the
religious leaders of His day. Jesus
raised the bar of righteousness to the nth degree by declaring that personal
holiness involved not only your actions but your thoughts as well. You could commit adultery by lusting and
commit murder by hating. Internal
righteousness was the first teaching of Jesus and the fundamental difference
between living in the old covenant verses living in the new covenant that Jesus
brought in. And, it was expected that
every disciple would live in this new paradigm of internal righteousness: Matthew
5:20, “20 For I say to you that unless your righteousness
surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the
kingdom of heaven.”
3.6.
We will see some very
strong words by Jesus for the Pharisees and scribes who were condemning His
disciples for eating without first washing their hands. The Law of Moses did command some washings
for ceremonial cleansing, but we will see that the Pharisees had greatly added
to these commands those of their own.
Jesus will set the record straight about how that it is from within the
heart of man that sinful thoughts and deeds proceed, not from the external
things that they do, including washing their hands.
3.7.
Jesus will condemn
the religion of the Jews for cleverly finding ways to get out of keeping the
Law of Moses while appearing to do so for religious purposes
4.
The Bible Exposition Commentary shows the following
contrast between religion based upon external observance vs internal
righteousness:
Contrasting man’s traditions and God’s truth.
|
Man’s traditions |
God’s truth |
|
|
|
|
Outward forms—bondage |
Inward faith—liberty |
|
Trifling rules |
Fundamental principles |
|
Outward piety |
True inward holiness |
|
Neglect, replace the Word |
Exalts the Word of God |
5.
VS 6:53-56 - “53
When they had crossed over they came to land at Gennesaret, and moored to
the shore. 54 When they got out of the
boat, immediately the people recognized Him, 55 and ran about that whole country and began to
carry here and there on their pallets those who were sick, to the place they
heard He was. Wherever He entered
villages, or cities, or countryside, they were laying the sick in the market
places, and imploring Him that they might just touch the fringe of His cloak;
and as many as touched it were being cured.” – Mark tells us that when Jesus
and the disciples landed in their boat, having traveled from Bethsaida Julias where
they previously were ministering, that the people immediately recognized Jesus
and they began running around the country-side finding those who needed healing
and bringing them to Jesus to get healed, and, as many as even touched the
fringe of His cloak were healed
5.1.
Jesus had sent
the disciples over to Bethsaida Julius because they needed rest after an
exhausting intern mission’s trip, however they hadn’t found rest there but had
been hopping busy with ministry from the moment they had landed. Now, they arrive at Gennesaret and ministry
began immediately where it had finished with Jesus healing person after person
of illnesses.
5.2.
J.D. Jones make the point that since John’s gospel
includes Jesus’ Bread Of Life Discourse (about how they had to eat His flesh
and drink His blood to have eternal life-most left Jesus at that point)
directly after His feeding of the 5,000 that there is a gap or parenthesis in
our story that Mark leaves out, and that Jesus didn’t go directly from
Bethsaida Julias to Gennesaret, as Mark makes it seem.
5.3.
The Knowledge
Commentary states the following about where Jesus and the disciples came from
and where they ended up here when they arrived at land: “Jesus and His
disciples had crossed over the Sea of Galilee from the northeast to the
west (cf. v. 45) and anchored (moored) at Gennesaret, a fertile,
populous plain (two miles wide and four miles long), south of Capernaum on the
northwestern shore of the lake. Rabbis called this plain “the
5.4.
What an
amazing testimony this section is to the power and person of Jesus Christ! Earlier in
the book of Mark, the writer had included a story in which as Jesus was going
with a centurion to heal his daughter, that a woman with a hemorrhage of blood
had latched onto the hem of His garment in faith believing that if she did so
she would be healed, and she in fact had been healed. Now, we see that many were touching the
fringe of His cloak and that ‘as many as touched it were being cured’.
5.5.
We have to wonder
if the people here had heard the story about the woman with the hemorrhage of
blood who had by faith touched the hem of Jesus’ robe and been healed, and now
they were attempting this same trick themselves. It is possible also that this same thing had
occurred previously to more than just that one woman.
6.
Mark 7:1-23 - “1
The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had
come from Jerusalem, 2 and had seen that some of
His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat
unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of
the elders; 4 and when they come from
the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are
many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the
washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.) 5 The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why do
Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their
bread with impure hands?” 6 And 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.
7 ‘But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’ 8
“Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” 9 He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in
order to keep your tradition. 10 “For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, is to be put to death’; 11 but you say, ‘If a man says to his father
or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, given to
God),’ 12 you no longer
permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; 13 thus invalidating
the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many
things such as that.” 14 After He called the crowd
to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen
to Me, all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing outside the man which
can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man
are what defile the man. 16 [“If
anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”] 17 When he had left the crowd and entered the
house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable. 18 And He said to them, “Are
you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes
into the man from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not go into his heart,
but into his stomach, and is eliminated?” (Thus He declared all
foods clean.) 20 And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the
man. 21 “For from within,
out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts,
murders, adulteries, 22 deeds of
coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality,
envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23 “All these evil things proceed from
within and defile the man.”” – Mark tells us the story of how some Pharisees and
scribes noticed that Jesus’ disciples were eating their hands without washing
them, and they questioned Him about why He would alow them not to follow the
traditions of the elders in these things, and Jesus began to rebuke them for
setting aside the commandments of God in order to keep the traditions of men
6.1.
A Commentary
Critical And Explanatory makes the following comment about the same story as recorded
by Matthew in chapter 15 of his gospel:
“Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of
6.2.
A Commentary
Critical And Explanatory comments on verse four here: ““And after market”: after any common
business, or attending a court of justice, where the Jews, as Webster and Wilkinson remark, after their subjection to the Romans, were
especially exposed to intercourse and contact with heathens—“except they wash,
they eat not.” The Jews were so
paranoid that they may have somehow come into contact with a Gentile during the
course of their day, and thus been defiled, they ceremonially washed their
hands routinely after every trip into the community or business conducted in
the city.
6.3.
Notice here that
Mark tells us that there were many such manmade observances which the Pharisees
observed in their religion: ‘there are many other
things which they have received in order to observe.’
6.4.
But, the Old
Testament did not say that if you touched a Gentile that you were made
ceremonially unclean. They Jews had
added this rule and rite to their religion, and in doing so they made life very
difficult upon themselves and the people.
J.D. Jones claims in his commentary that in
6.5.
The entry that
Matthew makes in his gospel about this account shows that this was another one
of those incidents where in His infinite wisdom Jesus when being tested
answered a question with a question:
“Matt. 15:1-3, “1 Then some Pharisees and scribes
came to Jesus from
6.6.
The Old Testament commanded that we are to honor our
father and mother, and this illustration by Jesus regarding the ‘corban’
reveals that not taking care of our parents when they are elderly is to break
this fifth of the ten commandments.
6.7.
J.D. Jones in his
commentary on this passage states that the Jews would arrange things such that
they would commit their possessions to God as ‘corban’ and this meant
that now no one could be given them (including elderly and needy parents), but
then they would arrange things such that their possessions would not be given
to God until they died and couldn’t use or spend them any longer. This way they could get away with not giving
anything of this money to God or parents in this life.
6.8.
Quoting the
prophet Isaiah, Jesus says that the religion of the Pharisees was ‘in vain’,
as the Lord was not please with them: ‘in vain do they worship Me’. The Lord spoke through Isaiah to the people
of Israel telling them that He hated their worship services because of the evil
that was in their hearts and lives: Isaiah 1:13-18, “13 Bring your worthless
offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the
calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. 14 “I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They
have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. 15 “So when you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not
listen. Your hands are covered with blood. 16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove
the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, 17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the
ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow. 18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet,
They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be
like wool.”
6.9.
Jesus tells the
Pharisees and scribes here that sin comes from within a person, out of his
heart. There is a story that is found in
2 Kings chapter 6 that illustrates the fact that sin originates from within
man. The Israelites had gone down to
retrieve the ark of the covenant after the Philistines had stolen it, and God
had judged the Philistines for having it.
As they brought the ark back, the people of
6.10.
From this story, we can see that we who are Christians
need to realize that we can do all of the right things externally in our lives,
deeds that normally would be considered worthy and good, but if the motive and
intentions of our heart are wrong, then we are still in sin and God is not
pleased with what we are doing for Him.
6.11.
In Matthew’s
account of this story, Jesus tells us what will eventually happen to all facets
of religion that are manmade, it will be uprooted by God and both teacher and
pupil will fall into a pit: Matthew
15:12-14, “12 Then the disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know
that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?” 13 But He answered and said, “Every
plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. 14 “Let them alone; they are blind guides
of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.””
6.12.
Jesus gives us a
list here of those things that are sinful that come up from within our own
hearts, and we would be wise to consider these sins and whether or not we may
not be allowing these things to exist in our own life:
6.13.
‘evil thoughts’.
6.14.
‘fornications’.
6.15.
‘thefts’.
6.16.
‘murders’.
6.17.
‘adulteries’.
6.18.
‘deeds of coveting and wickedness’.
6.19.
‘deceit’.
6.20.
‘sensuality’.
6.21.
‘envy’.
6.22.
‘slander’.
6.23.
‘pride’.
6.24.
‘foolishness’.
7.
Notice here that no
only did Jesus teach in this that sin does not come from without into a man,
but rather it comes out of a man, from his heart, He also implied that no foods
were unclean and were sinful to eat in and of themselves: ‘Thus He declared all foods clean.’
8.
The Wycliff Bible
Commentary says the following about what Jesus meant in quoting Isaiah 29:13 in
this passage: “Jesus did not mean that Isaiah specifically predicted the
practices of the first century Jews, but rather that Isaiah’s words concerning
the people of his own day were applicable also to the Jews of Christ’s day. The
quotation is from Isa 29:13, following the LXX with slight alteration.”
9.
These oral laws
of which the Pharisees and scribes were referring to included hundreds of
commandments passed down as tradition, and it was compiled in 200AD into what
is referred to today as the Mishnah. It
is the first section of the Jewish Talmud.
The Mishnah is looked at by Jews as being as inspired as the rest of the
Old Testament.
10.
The Bible
Exposition Commentary includes the following about this passage of
scripture:
In defending their tradition, the Pharisees eroded
their own characters and also the character of the Word of God. They were hypocrites,
“playactors,” whose religious worship was practiced in vain. True worship must
come from the heart, and it must be directed by God’s truth, not man’s personal
ideas. What a tragedy that religious people would ignorantly practice their
religion and become the worse for doing it!
But they were not only destroying their character;
they were also destroying the influence and authority of the very Word of God
that they claimed to be defending. Note the tragic sequence: teaching their
doctrines as God’s Word (Mark 7:7); laying aside God’s Word (Mark 7:8);
rejecting God’s Word (Mark 7:9); finally, robbing God’s Word of its power (Mark
7:13). People who revere man-made traditions above the Word of God eventually
lose the power of God’s Word in their lives. No matter how devout they may
appear, their hearts are far from God.
History reveals
that the Jewish religious leaders came to honor their traditions far above the
Word of God. Rabbi Eleazer said, “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 in the Talmud, records, “It is a greater
offense to teach anything contrary to the voice of the Rabbis than to
contradict Scripture itself.” But before we criticize our Jewish friends,
perhaps we should examine what influence “the church fathers” are having in our
own Christian churches. We also may be guilty of replacing God’s truth with
man’s traditions.
11.
Jesus called
these Pharisees and scribes ‘hypocrites’ because they were like the
actors in the plays that wore a mask and pretended to be something that they
were not. Benjamen F. Marting once
wrote, "Hypocrisy is the art of affecting qualities for the purpose of
pretending to an undeserved virtue. Because individuals and institutions and
societies most often live down to the suspicions about them, hypocrisy and its
accompanying equivocations underpin the conduct of life. Imagine how frightful
truth unvarnished would be."
12.
God’s people do
the same things the Pharisees did in this day.
A pastor posted this list of things that people in the mainstream church
do today in setting aside the commandments of God for the traditions of men:
Political
correctness vs speaking the truth
Emphasis
on church attendance vs evangelism
Emphasis
on political activism vs evangelism
Explaining
away/ignoring uncomfortable scripture vs obedience
Legalism
(we do it this way, therefore we are spiritual w/ 0 scriptural backup) vs
obedience
Intellectualism
vs obedience
Emphasis
on community vs worship of God and growth in Him
Despising
the Word vs Trembling at it (arrogance)
Programs
vs Prayer
Worldly
Methods vs Prayer
Confusing
reading a devotional with reading the Word
Confusing
the newest “way to do it” with the work of the Spirit
Confusing
social programs with love
Confusing
tolerance with grace
Confusing
pc with discernment
Confusing
government giveaways with alms giving/helping the poor
13.
CONCLUSIONS:
13.1.
Beware of putting the traditions of men above the
commandments of God’s word.
13.2.
Recognize that it is from the heart that sin proceeds,
beware of the attitudes and thoughts of your heart.
13.3.
Remember that you can do all of the right things
externally and still be wrong.