The Way - Day 098 (Mark 7)

Pastor Tom's Journal on Today's Reading:
Mark 7:1-23
Jesus has yet another encounter with the scribes and Pharisees, who were the so-called religious people of His day. They were more concerned about the external actions of a person rather than the true condition of the heart. These groups added their own man-made traditions to Scripture and in many cases their rules took precedence over God's word. In this particular showdown, the scribes and Pharisees "saw some of His [Jesus'] disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, [and] they found fault. For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders" (7:2-3). The "tradition of the elders" was a source outside of Scripture which men had created and used as the highest authority in Judaism. Oftentimes it took priority over God's revealed commandments. The problem lies in the fact that God had not commanded these practices of the scribes and Pharisees, yet they were holding Jesus' disciples accountable for following them. These people began to question Jesus about His disciples’ failure to obey the ritual (7:5) to which He responded with the words of Isaiah the prophet, "This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (7:6). They believed adhering to their list of rules gained them favor with God when in reality it only drove them further from the truth. Jesus goes on to reveal that the scribes and Pharisees "reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition" (7:9). He then exposes their failure to obey God's commands and replacing it with their own interpretation (7:9-13). The root problem of the scribes and Pharisees was that they depended on obedience to their made up rules in order to "worship" God. Jesus came to expose the impossibility of finding forgiveness through good works. He taught that a man must recognize his inability to find God on his own and therefore humble himself asking for grace. Although the scribes and Pharisees may have appeared "spiritual" on the outside, their hearts were still evil and defiled (7:17-23).
 
A relationship with God does not come through following a list of rules or regulations, but is granted when a person truly recognizes the sinfulness of their heart and turns to Him for mercy. Mercy and grace are always granted to those who admit their need. All of us must be careful about finding security in a man-made list of rules, even after we receive the forgiveness of God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I believe that God's word is very clear about what He expects from us, so we should spend our time obeying what He has already revealed, not what we think He is saying. Quit making up rules so that you can find comfort in a system which may be contrary to what God is requiring.

Mark 7:24-37
Jesus was under a lot of pressure from the multitudes and much scrutiny by the scribes and Pharisees. This predicament must have been difficult, humanly speaking, because He was always in demand wherever He went. There was almost no time to rest. It may be for this reason Jesus departed from Gennesaret and took retreat in the region a Tyre and Sidon. "He entered a house and wanted know one to know it, but He could not be hidden. For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter" (7:24-26). Mark obviously makes a big deal about her nationality - she was not a Jew, but a Gentile (Greek). Matthew refers to her as "a woman of Canaan" (Matthew 15:22). Instead reacting in a manner which we have come to expect with Jesus, Matthew reveals that "He answered her not a word" (Matthew 15:23a). Although Mark does not document it, it appears that this woman went to Jesus' disciples after He did not respond to her request and they begged Jesus to tell her to go away (Matthew 15:23b). Following a period of silence Jesus says to the woman, "Let the children [Israel] be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread [blessings] and throw it to the little dogs [Gentiles, non-Jews]" (7:27). Matthew adds Jesus' words spoken prior to Mark's statement, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:24). I am certain Jesus was not being unkind to this woman, but simply communicating His mission and maybe also testing her faith. Paul reveals in Romans 1:16 that the gospel was intended to be preached to "the Jew first and also for the Greek." This is not a rejection of the Gentiles, but only the process God chose to spread His message of faith and repentance. Some people see this as favoritism, but who are we to question God. I believe this is one of those things we cannot try to figure out, but simply trust that God knows best.

This woman whose daughter is demon-possessed is very persistent and evidences a great faith in Jesus' ability to heal. She speaks to Him and says, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs" (7:28). Her view was that everyone would benefit from the blessings given to the Jews. God had promised Abraham that through His descendents, "all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Genesis 12:3). She obviously believed in this promise given thousands of years ago and knew in her heart that Jesus was the promised One sent from God the Father. Because of her faith and humility, Jesus granted her request and her daughter was delivered of the demon (7:29-30). This is a wonderful example of persistence and faith in God's ability to do the impossible.

Dear God, teach me what it means to be persistent in prayer. When I believe You have the ability to accomplish something, may I not quit asking until the answer has come.