Begin with two minutes of silence and stillness before God.
What’s up, church family! Let’s dive right into today’s chapter of Mark 7! While I was reading Mark 7, I kept returning to verses 6-9 and was honestly convicted by the words Jesus spoke to the Pharisees. Take a moment to read over Mark 7:6-9 again.
We see Jesus, once again, frustrated with these religious leaders for valuing rituals, such as the tradition of hand washing, over loving and meeting the needs of their own people. He tells them that they are who Isaiah was speaking of when he said, “This people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” (Isaiah 29:13, Mark 7:6b-8) In Mark 7, Jesus goes on to tell them that they are really good at dismissing God’s Word to justify and exalt their man-made traditions. Ouch!
It can be easy for us to read this passage of scripture and judge the Pharisees for what they did. It can be even easier to believe that we would never do the same, but what struck me while reading Mark 7 is how I shuddered every time I read verse 9, “And he said to them, 'You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!’” The thought of Jesus looking at me, looking at my life, and saying those very words terrifies me. The reality is, however, that there are plenty of things that you and I have done that deserve that kind of scolding.
I mean, think about it! How often do we choose comfort, pride, earthly possessions, etc., over God and His way? How often do we turn a blind eye to the suffering or needs around us because it makes us uncomfortable? I can only speak for myself when I say that I reject and betray God more than I would like to admit. If I had to guess, the same is probably true for you. In our own strength and wisdom, we are no different than the Pharisees. We twist God’s Word to benefit ourselves, and we totally miss the heart and mission of Jesus Christ! If we can read our Bibles, pray, and show up to church week in and week out, and STILL miss out on leading people to know, love, and follow Jesus Christ, then something is amiss within our hearts. The beauty of the Kingdom of Heaven is that God meets the needs of His people through His people. That cannot happen unless we daily give our pride to God and pick up His humility. Make a choice today; what will you surrender, and what will you take up in its place?
Take two minutes to reflect in silence.