Mark Reading Plan – W7D1
Week 7 | Day 1 | Mark 7:1-13
Pray
Ask God to open your heart to His word today.
Bible Reading (read these verses three times slowly)
The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 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.)
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?”
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.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’
You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ 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)— then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of Godby your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”
Reflection & Questions
Jesus doesn’t hold back in today’s reading. He publicly declares the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, and even uses the Scriptures they love against them.
He tells them that:
- They “worship in vain”
- Their hearts are far from God
- They’ve let go of God’s commands for human traditions
This would have been a stinging message to a people steeped in their religion. How dare he talk like that! But Jesus was right.
As we read of the Pharisees, the question for ourselves should be not whether or not we are like the Pharisees, but how much? We all have some of this in our hearts. We have developed ways to justify our actions and hold onto our stubborn thinking, instead of truly seeking God and His ways. What’s the antidote? A true relationship with God; where we listen to Him, trust Him and obey Him.
Pray
Use this song as a prayer for God to speak to you, and then spend some time quietly listening to His voice and His words for you today.
Bible Reading
The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 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.)
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?”
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.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’
You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ 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)— then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of Godby your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”
Reflection and Questions
Jesus doesn’t hold back in today’s reading. In front of EVERYONE, Jesus calls out the Pharisees for being wrong, and even uses the Scriptures they love against them.
He tells them that:
- They “worship in vain” – meaning that their worship wasn’t even real worship, they didn’t do it for God.
- Their hearts are far from God – meaning they cared more about their rules and habits more than they cared about God.
- They’ve let go of God’s commands for human traditions – meaning human things mattered more to them than what God says, which is obviously pretty bad right?
This would have been a pretty serious message to the Pharisees, especially because they considered themselves the leaders of the church! They probably would have said to each other ‘How dare this guy named Jesus talk like that!’ But Jesus was right.
As we read about the Pharisees, do you think that you’re ever a bit like them? Where you might care a bit more about what people say, even more than what God says? Honestly, all of us have done this before, so you aren’t alone! But what’s the solution for this? A real relationship with God; where we listen to Him, trust Him and obey Him.
Prayer
Pray and talk to God about listening to Him more than you listen to people who go against Him.
Bible Reading
The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 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.)
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?”
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.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’
You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ 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)— then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of Godby your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”
Devo Focus
“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.” Vs. 7
Devo
Wow! Talk about calling someone out! Jesus doesn’t hold back in today’s reading. He publicly declares the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, and even uses the Scriptures they love against them. He tells them that:
- They “worship in vain”
- Their hearts are far from God
- They’ve let go of God’s commands for human traditions
This would have been a stinging message to a people steeped in their religion. How dare he talk like that! But Jesus was right. As we read of the Pharisees, the question for ourselves should be not whether or not we are like the Pharisees, but how much? We all have some of this in our hearts. We have developed ways to justify our actions and hold onto our stubborn thinking, instead of truly seeking God and His ways. What’s the antidote? A true relationship with God; where we listen to Him, trust Him and obey Him.
Prayer
Use this song as a prayer for God to speak to you, and then spend some time quietly listening to His voice and His words for you today.
