Skip to main content

142. White Washed Tombstones!


Key Verse: "Nothing outside a man can make him "unclean," by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him "unclean."
Mark 7:15

Approximately six hundred years before Jesus, the people of Judah had sinned so badly by ignoring the word of the Lord that God allowed them to be punished by being destroyed by the Babylonians. Jerusalem was completely ruined. Many of the citizens were killed and only a relatively few, referred to as "the remnant," were carried off to live in Babylon for 70 years before being allowed to return and begin again.

This event proved to be a real wake up call for the people. The priests and Levites developed an extensive list of rules and regulations by which the people were to live that would outline very clearly how not to break the Ten Commandments again, or any of the whole Law, or "Torah," from Moses in the first five books of the Bible.  In all, 603 extra laws were created, referred to as, "the hedge around the Law," which orthodox Jews still try to live by today. As time passed, following these man made laws became more important than worship of God Himself. They thought that they were worshiping God, but in truth, they were worshiping His law and ignoring God's heart altogether. This is the issue that Jesus is addressing in today's readings.

"Why aren't your disciples observing the proper ceremony before they eat?" That is probably a better way to understand the Pharisees' accusations against the disciples here. The washing was for ceremony more than cleanliness. It was an outward show, something that could be observed and criticized if not done correctly.

Jesus, instead, returns to the original intent of the law that He gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai during the exodus. "You find your manmade laws more important to follow than God's law itself. While the fifth commandment says, "Honor your father and your mother," you're even willing to dishonor your parents by letting them starve for the sake of these manmade rules that you love so much. You are so blind to the truth! You only focus on the externals so that you can judge rather than get your heart in order, where God is focused."

The Pharisees were concentrating on getting the outward behavior correct so that the world would judge them worthy. What they didn't understand is that if they could get their heart right, the behavior would follow.

It's like the difference between a movie and genuine love. The actors on the screen can do all of the right moves. They can help us believe that they are in love by their actions, but we all know that when the camera turns off, all of that changes. They go back to their regular lives, or the next scene, depending upon what is called for. Genuine love, however, needs no director to tell the lovers how to behave. They know what to do and want to because their hearts are committed to act appropriately.

While the Pharisees wanted to condemn for appearing "unclean," Jesus warns us to begin by being "clean" from within. It's a heart issue. Each one is responsible for his or her own heart. Your salvation is not dependent on the world's opinion of you. The world may see you as a "good person," and not be able to conceive of God seeing you otherwise. God, however, looks inside at the heart condition. If your heart is right with Him, then all is right, no matter what the world thinks of you.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

211. The Sons of Thunder's Request

Matthew 20:20-28 , Mark 10:35-45 , Key verse: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all." Mark 10:43B-44 In our readings for yesterday, in which Jesus outlined what was about to happen to Him, for His disciples, the passage in Luke ends: "The disciples did not understand any of this. It's meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what He was talking about." ( Luke 18:34 ) Now, we see just how truly clueless they were. Jesus had laid out a plan before them of pain and suffering and death and now James and John are focused on a promotion. The disconnect is so obvious. It's really not important to know whether James and john came up with this request on their own or if their mother put them up to it. The request was made and James and John thought that they could handle the responsibility that would come with it. What is that saying, "Fools rush in where angels fe...

204. Come Like a Child

Psalm 127 , Matthew 19:13-15 , Luke 18:15-17 , Mark 10:13-16 Key Verse: Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14 The attitude of the disciples isn't much different than the attitude of many people, even Christians, today. Instead of seeing children as a blessing from the Lord, too many regard them as a burden to bear that gets in the way of our own selfish happiness. Family size is determined by what we think we can afford rather than openness to God's blessing, trusting God to provide. Satan hates children. Children represent innocence. The sooner he can corrupt and or damage a child, the happier he is. This is why Jesus warned in Matthew 18:6: "If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drown in the depths of the sea." To corrupt or damage ...

174. Pleading for the Fig Tree

Proverbs 27:18 , Luke 13:6-9 Key Verse: He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored. Proverbs 27:18 We have here three main characters: a master, who acquired the tree in hopes of eventually enjoying its fruit, a servant, who looks to the tree to reflect his care and attention, and lastly, the tree itself. The master has the right to expect his investment to pay off. The servant, who has obviously put much effort into the tree, would also like to see fruit. The servant's interest is not only to show his own talent in gardening, but because he wants to please his master. Both the servant and the master are dependent upon the tree to do what it was designed to do. Their little parable is an interesting way for Jesus to finish off His exhortation to, "repent or perish."  God is the Master. He had a purpose for you before you were even born. ( Jeremiah 1:5 & Psalm 139:16 ) He planted you on this earth to ful...