Garbage In, Garbage Out?

We have completed the Old Testament and we are now in the New Testament. If you are following the schedule, you are just about to finish the book of Matthew and start the book of Mark tomorrow. It is hard to believe that in just twenty days we will complete the reading of scripture from cover to cover. For some of you this might have been the first time you have ever done this. For most of us, it may be the only time we have ever done so at this pace! If you have made it this far, keep going! The finish line is in sight! This week you will read the gospels plus about half the book of Acts. While I know you have not read the book of Mark yet, what we are covering today is also in the book of Matthew.

You are all aware that Jesus had his enemies. The Son of God was not universally embraced by his people. His strongest opposition came from the other religious groups in Jewish society. The common person was rather open to him and what he had to say. The “professionals” had a different opinion. To understand the relationship between Jesus and other religious groups, there are a few things we need to understand about the culture and politics of Israel in Jesus’ day. You and I are used to the idea of a separation of church and state. While some want to push the idea that the two should never intersect, that was not the intent behind the phrase. We exist in a time where the church does not set the law of the land and the state does not preside over matters of faith and practice for the church (at least that’s the way it should be). In first century Israel, the “church” and the state were more one and the same. That is to say, the religious leaders in Judaism also set the laws of the land in addition to the laws of Roman rule.

There were several religious groups: Pharisees, Sadducees, the Sanhedrin, and scribes. In the passage we will look at today, we will be dealing with Pharisees and scribes. Some scribes were Pharisees, but not all of them. All Pharisees were not scribes and all scribes were not Pharisees. The Pharisees were a religious group that exercised a strict interpretation of Jewish Law. They took the commands found in scripture very seriously. Historians suggest that the Pharisees showed up in history at about 150 B.C., placing them about 180 years before Jesus began his public ministry. In other words, when Jesus encounters them, they are not new. The Pharisees and their beliefs and their rules have been around for a long time. It is fair to say they are practicing the traditions of the elders. They get upset with Jesus often because He and His disciples do not. Let’s begin reading in Mark 7:1.

Mark 7:1–5 NASB95

The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from Jerusalem, and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders; and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.) The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?”

Jesus and His disciples are in the town of Gennesaret, a town sitting on the northwest coast of the sea of Galilee. These Pharisees and scribes came all the way from Jerusalem, seemingly to see what Jesus is up to. We have already talked about the Pharisees, so let me tell you a little about the scribes. The scribes were simply legal experts who had the power to draft up legal documents like certificates of marriage and divorce, business contracts, land sales, etc. In that regard, they functioned similar to lawyers today. They also copied manuscripts, worked in the temple, drafted documents for the kingdom, and taught and interpreted the Law. These two groups come together to make an accusation against Jesus and his disciples.

How could his disciples eat bread without cleaning their hands? Then Mark inserts a parenthetical statement explaining the tradition of the Pharisees. When they came in from the marketplace, they would make a big deal about washing hands, and it turns out they did the same with cups, pitchers, and copper pots. Now, on the surface there is nothing wrong with the washing of hands before you sit down for a meal. In fact, you and I might encourage it. The problem as we are about to see is having elevated that tradition above God’s law. The washing of one’s hands before a meal might be good for one’s hygiene, but surely it is not sinful. Remember that they had a framework for looking at things that were permissible and those that weren’t by categorizing them as clean or unclean. But there was no law in the Old Testament requiring this for all Israelites. There was for the priests, but not for all people.

Mark 7:6–12 NASB95

And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. ‘But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’ “Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. “For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, is to be put to death’; but you say, ‘If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, given to God),’ you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother;

Jesus responds by quoting Isaiah 29:13. In doing so, he connects the attitude of the Pharisees to the spiritual blindness of the people in Isaiah’s time. The people in Isaiah’s time cared more about tradition than God’s law. They worshipped God on the surface, but their hearts were not in it. Jesus says the Pharisees give God lip service, but their hearts aren’t in it.

He continues to say that they neglect the commands of God and hold to the traditions of men. Then he provides an example. The law says to honor your father and mother, but the Pharisees were teaching people to take what could be used for the care of one’s parents and “give it to God.” The word Corban that you see in verse eleven is a Greek transliteration of a Hebrew word that means something given to God. A transliteration is not a translation, but sort of like a spelling of a word the way it sounds (arigato in English).

So let me help you understand why the Pharisees are coming under criticism from Jesus. The law of Moses commanded that children provide for and take care of their aging parents. Those who set aside resources to do so were being persuaded to give those resources “to God” in order to honor a tradition, not to honor the law.

Richard’s mother is in the Live Oak nursing home and he provides the resources and care she needs in her old age. Now knowing Richard and Robin, there are resources set aside for her care. Now imagine that I go to Richard and say that we need him to give to a special project or we simply need to increase our budget. Whatever the reason, the church needs more resources and Richard’s got them. So Richard says to me, “Jesse, I’d love to but I have to take care of my mom.” Then I say, “Don’t worry about your mom Richard. God will take care of her. You need to do this as a gift to God. Who do you love more Richard? God? Or your mom?” And because he trusts the man who teaches him about God, and he doesn’t want to disappoint God, he gives the money set aside for caring for his mother and gives it to the church. This is a picture of how this might have played out in Israel. This is wickedness. Outwardly, the Pharisees are seen as pious, but underneath, they are greedy. Where do you think that money went?

After addressing the Pharisees and scribes, Jesus turns to the crowd:

Mark 7:14–16 NASB95

After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man. “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Defilement is an internal matter, not an external one.

Remember the original issue is the eating of bread with unclean hands. Eating food without washing your hands might be a little gross or a little unsanitary, but not a sin. But the Lord is talking about more than just bread here. He is teaching them a very important truth. The Pharisees were concerned with outward appearance, paying no attention to the root of the issue. What comes from within defiles a man. The human condition is an internal problem that manifests itself in outward expressions. Human beings are capable of great evil without any external influences. Wickedness comes from within. So garbage in, garbage out should just be garbage out.

Mark 7:17–23 NASB95

When he had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable. And He said to them, “Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.) And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. “All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”

The disciples are still scratching their heads over the statement Jesus made. Now remember how much the disciples had to unlearn. For nearly 200 years, the teaching of the Pharisees says you must wash your hands before you eat. Now keep in mind that people did not have individual copies of the Old Testament in their homes or on their person. If you wanted to know what the word of God said, you had to go to somebody who had access. The Pharisees had access. They were chief interpreters. They were trusted with proper instruction. Imagine hearing something for your entire life only to find out that it is not true.

Tradition without justification leads to legalism

Tradition without justification leads to legalism. How does eating bread with unclean hands defile a person when the person is already defiled from his sinful nature? It does not. The root of the issue is our heart. From it come a manner of all wicked things and it is that Jesus came to address. Tradition is not evil, but if it is elevated above God’s commands, it is very dangerous. If no one can remember the reason why we do something one way, it is time to ask ourselves whether it is still effective.

IF NOBODY CAN REMEMBER WHY WE HAVE ALWAYS DONE IT THIS WAY, IT IS TIME TO ADDRESS ITS EFFECTIVENESS.

Ezekiel 36 speaks of a renewed covenant with Israel that, by extension, also applies to us as believers in Christ. Listen to verses 26 and 27:

Ezekiel 36:26–27 NASB95

“Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

When we come to faith in Christ we are given a new heart, one that is capable of following his commands. His Holy Spirit resides within us giving us the power to overcome temptation and choose good over evil. As we do, we must be careful not to add to the Lord’s commands and increase a burden that was never meant for us to carry. Jesus said his yoke is easy and his burden is light. Let us be careful not to add unnecessarily to that burden.

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