Mark 7:1–13 (ESV)
Traditions and Commandments
7 Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of
the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, 2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they
wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, 4 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.) 5 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?” 6 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;
7 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments
of men.’
8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition
of men.”
9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting
the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely
die.’ 11 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)— 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, 13 thus making void the word of God
by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”
Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for being overly concerned with man-made observances while failing
to fulfill God’s Commandments. Such hypocrisy still abounds, as most people worry more about human opinions than what God thinks. Given our own failures in this regard, it is a good thing that the Lord not only commands in His Word, but also graciously
forgives and promises goodness.
I pray: Lord, cleanse us each day from our sins. We thank You that Jesus was made a fragrant, sacrificial offering for us. Amen.
Edward A. Engelbrecht, The Lutheran Study Bible (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2009), 1670.