Mark 7:1-23
Clean and Unclean
The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus 2 and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 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. 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.)
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 defiled hands?”
6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
“‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
7
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’
8You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
9 And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ 11 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— 12 then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”
14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” [16]
17 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 person from the outside can defile them? 19 For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)
20 He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. 21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
Colossians 3:1-17
Rules for Holy Living
1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
The Pharisees were a popular group during Jesus' time...The Pharisees challenged Jesus...He pushed back on their ideas of the Bible...The Pharisees liked rituals and many rituals of the Old Testament were expanded by them...Jesus even challenges one of the eating different kinds of non-kosher foods...He was declaring all foods clean (Mark 7:19)...Eating the proper foods was very important to not only the Pharisees, but to all Jews...This comment would have been shocking to those listening to Him...Jesus seems to want us to focus our thoughts off of food and other material things, and more on His Father -and how we can get closer to Him...
I think it must be pointed out that Jesus was not a Pharisee...He makes that very clear throughout the gospels...St. Paul was a Pharisee, and he saw the need for rules and discipline -not that Jesus didn't...St. Paul tells us to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts...For a good relationship we need to be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, and patience like Jesus, while fighting the thoughts of sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, folly, impurity, lust, and evil desires...These are not peaceful thoughts, or things, or ideas..They are not the peace of Christ...
There are rules for Holy Living...And God gave us moral laws, this sense of right and wrong...God is LOVE...We are made in His Image...We will always seek love and relationships, because of this...And a relationship always involves two or more, like a family...And a family needs rules, too...So there is this connection between love, family, and rules...
Jesus is teaching us about having a loving relationship with God...This relationship is one on One...He does not want our relationship with God to be reduced just to a set of rules...Jesus does not want us to have a checklist in our pockets (or in our minds for that matter) for the ones we love...Our relationship with God is more than a list, and a set of rituals and rules...Relationships are more than this set of rules, they are about respect, about trust, about forgiveness, about humility, and most of all about love...A man is viewed from what comes out of his mouth and by his actions... His words and his actions are first set out in thought, and ideas...These things and thoughts come from the heart and that is what makes a person good, or what will defile him...
Jesus teaches us so much...He teaches us the eternities...Jesus teaches us that a relationship with God, is a matter of heart...God and our heart are a Spiritual relationship -it is the very special relationship...The real treasure in life, and the real security in life is this Spiritual relationship we have with our Father...This Spiritual relationship is the most important one we can and will ever have...