QT 11/28/2023 Mark 6:53-7:13, The selfish responses to Jesus

Mark 6:53–7:13 (ESV) —

53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. 54 And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him 55 and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

7:1 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.”

 

NOTE: The passage at the end of chapter six and the passage that begins chapter seven go well together. They show the contrast in the people's response and the leaders' response to Jesus. Both responses are not completely correct, but they do offer interesting contrast and similarity. The people, wherever they see Jesus, rush to him (a good response), so that they can heal their sick (an okay response). There is nothing wrong with looking to God for healing but it is a slightly selfish response, because they are trying to remove a source of pain from their life, not necessarily meaning they want to become followers of Jesus -- they just want their lives to be easier. The leaders go to Jesus looking for some way to criticize him because his popularity threatens their position. Rather than being excited about his healing, they are skeptical … no, jealous. To them tradition is everything. They have memorized the moral laws. They know the reasoning (the Mishna and Talmud interpretations). They are comfortable with their upper class lifestyle. Yet Jesus' teaching and the confirmatory miracles threaten their whole lifestyle. The are selfish too, and want to keep their comfortable lifestyle and position. And they wanted to selfishly keep the people's devotion to their teaching.

 

Also, the leaders were more interested in the letter of the law than the spirit of the law. Technically, the ritual washing was more for priests than the people, and we see the influence of religion, i.e., more rules are always better (which is not true).

 

Additionally, the description of Corban, a gift given to God, allowed the participant to use the gift until death whereby it then passed over to the temple. The rule allowed the rich to avoid having to use their wealth to take care of their parents.

 

We are all selfish in various degrees (none good). And we need to take note of our actions and recognize the selfish act (even in giving or sacrifice, like, "to be seen"). We can't escape our selfish flesh, but recognizing it can help us to live less selfishly.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I see myself as selfish or have I "whitewashed" my actions?

 

PRAYER: Father, I am selfish even when I think I am not. Help me to see it in my everyday actions. Free me from myself. Help me to think through ways to truly give and sacrifice without being seen or known.