Mark (15)

Introduction: When I was in 8th grade science class we did an experiment one time testing the bacteria growth on petri dishes. It was amazing the things that we tested that on the external, had the appearance of cleanliness. But when tested, had major germs growing.

Transition: In the same way, the passage of God’s Word from Mark 7:1-23 that we are studying today we will see Jesus making a similar point. Something may have the appearance of cleanliness on the outside, but in reality is filthy dirty. Anther way to say it is, correct external behaviors will not clean the dirty heart. Beauty is only skin deep. Righteousness is produced from the inside out! (read the passage)

Transition: The first thing to notice in verses 1-5 is the question that Jesu sis confronted with.

Question

Verses 1-5 contain the key question that sets this passage into motion.

Walking through text making observations.

The custom wasn't concerned with hygiene, rather holiness. Which is a commendable pursuit, however, they had wrongly concluded that their customs could make them clean. The only thing these guys were doing by washing their hands was making their hands clean, their hearts were still dirty.

Answer

1. Verses 6-8 contains the direct answer to the question.

2. Walking through making observations.

3. Problem: Difference between tradition and truth. Between hypocritical habits and correct commandments. Tradition isn’t the problem, its teaching as doctrine (or essential truth) the commandments of men (traditions). Making our interpretations of God’s word more authoritative than the actual word. We may very well be excited to break tradition, but be very cautions because usually in doing so we are simply establishing new traditions that we are hold just as high as the last set of traditions. There is a major difference between being free from traditions and free to disobey God’s commands. As Christians we should realize it is the commands of God that have opened our eyes to our sinful law breaking and great need for His grace and forgiveness. And when we are made new my the perfect obedience of Christ’s death and resurrection, we are also made new to desire to obey God’s word. Jesus is not an anarchist or anti anti authoritarian, or against the law. Rather, He fulfills the law so that we can be free in Him to love God and keep His commands.

Examples of how that looks in something like our Sunday morning gathering. There are Biblical commands that we are given like gathering, and gathering on Sundays, and singing, praying, giving, preaching, baptizing, communion. However, often times there are crtain traditions that we take on in fulfilling those commands that when not in check end up being major points of division and causes of disunity.

4. Question: What traditions might I be clinging to that are hindering my relationship to God and others?

Evidence

In verses 9-13 Jesus offers the evidence for his answer to the Pharisees and scribes.

Walking through making observations.

Danger: Bible fencing. Setting up guardrails around a command of scripture in order to keep from disobeying that command. However, the problem became when those guardrails started taking up the same, if not more authority than the actual word of God. And before long they were trampling word of God in order to justify behavior. Reinterpreting the plain meaning of the Bible in order to validate disobedience. Rendering the word of God useless.

Question: How might I be trying to fence the Bible in order to validate my own selfish desires?

Explanation

Verses 14-23 Jesus continues to explain His reasoning both Publicly and Privately.

Walking through text making observations.

14-16 Physical filth cannot defile the spiritual heart. A person isn't spiritually dirty because they touched a dead body. Jesus further explains this point in a private session with His disciples.

17-23 Defiled behaviors come out of a defiled heart.

The difference between symptoms of evil and the source. We have a major problem when we are led to believe that we are inherently good. When we think that outside of Christ we have the potential to do good things, or to choose right behaviors, we are believing a lie. We are mistakenly averting our attention fro the Holy God of the universe who created our inward being, with other forms of moralistic righteousness that can appease our sinful hearts with self righteous comparisons. In other words, since I am not as bad as that guy i must be pretty good. Problem, my eternal destination doesn't rest upon being as good as the guy beside me. rather the standard is God, holy perfection. And we have all sinned and fallen short of that glory.

Question: How can my heart be clean? See Titus 3:1-7 In same way that non-conformity to traditional behaviors cannot make a heart dirty, they also cannot make a heart clean. This truth confronts the deep dirty heart stain of legalism which says, I can try heard enough to make myself right with God. I can at least do more good deeds than bad deeds and God will weigh my good deeds and see that I've tried hard and grant me eternal life.

Titus 3:1–7 ESV

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Closing: We attempt to deal with the root of our problem in many different ways. We try to clean our own hearts with religion. With philosophy, hard work, money, self-esteem, self-awareness, power, politics, prestige, or even the refusal of all absolutes. We have been led to believe that true enlightenment comes by believing in yourself and if you look deep enough you can find the source of your hope from within. A lie that says if you find yourself you'll find all you need. However, the Bible tells us that true heart cleansing come from an external source. The internal defilement of our heart can only be cleansed by the external righteousness of another. True cleansing of our sous in available outside of ourselves. We must be made clean. We must be washed by another. And His name is Jesus.

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