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Mark 7

Life Application Study BibleMarkChapter 7

Mark 7

New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1633, 1634, 1635

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A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.

7Mark 7

1One day some Pharisees and teachers of religious law arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. 2They noticed that some of his disciples failed to follow the Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating. 3(The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands,* as required by their ancient traditions. 4Similarly, they don’t eat anything from the market until they immerse their hands* in water. This is but one of many traditions they have clung to—such as their ceremonial washing of cups, pitchers, and kettles.*) 5So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, “ Why don’t your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony.”

6Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for hewrote,‘These people honor me with their lips,but their hearts are far from me.

7Their worship is a farce,for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’*

8For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.” 9Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition. 10For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother,’* and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’* “But you Say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’* 12In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents. 13And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.” 14Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” he said, “and try to understand. ‘It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.*” 17Then Jesus went into a house to get away from the crowd, and his disciples asked him what he meant by the parable he had just used. 18“Don’t you understand either?” he asked. “Can't you see that the food you put into your body cannot defile you? 19Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.” (By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes.) 20And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. 21For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. 23All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.” 2. Jesus’ ministry beyond Galilee Jesus Sends a Demon Out of a Girl (103/Matthew 15:21-28) 24Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre.* He didn’t want anyone to know which house he was staying in, but he couldn't keep it a secret. 5Right away a woman who had heard about him came and fell at his feet. Her little girl was possessed by an evil* spirit, 26and she begged him to cast out the demon from her daughter. Since she was a Gentile, born in Syrian Phoenicia, 27Jesus told her, “First I should feed the children—my own family, the Jews.* It isn’t right to take food from the children and throwit to the dogs.” 28She replied, “That's true, LORD, but even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat the scraps from the children’s plates.” 29“Good answer!” he said. “Now go home, for the demon has left your daughter.” 30And when she arrived home, she found her little girl lying quietly in bed, and the demon was gone. Jesus Heals Many People (104/Matthew 15:29-31) 31Jesus left Tyre and went up to Sidon before going back to the Sea of Galilee and the region of the Ten Towns.* 32A deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to him, and the people begged Jesus to lay his hands on the man to heal him. 33Jesus led him away from the crowd so they could be alone. He put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then, spitting on his own fingers, he touched the man’s tongue. °4Looking up to heaven, he sighed and said, “Ephphatha,” which means, “Be opened!” 35Instantly the man could hear perfectly, and his tongue was freed so he could speak plainly! 36Jesus told the crowd not to tell anyone, but the more he told them not to, the more they spread the news. 37They were completely amazed and said again and again, “Everything he does is wonderful. He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who cannot speak.” Jesus Feeds Four Thousand (105/Matthew 15:32-39)

Textual footnotes

  1. add and dining couches. 7:7 \sa 29:13 (Greek version).
  2. would have given to you is Corban’ (that is, a gift).
  3. should listen and understand. Compare 4:9, 23.
  4. 7:3 Greek have washed with the fist.
  5. 7:4a Some manuscripts read sprinkle themselves.
  6. 7:10a Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16. 7:10b Exod 21:17 (Greek version); Lev 20:9 (Greek version).
  7. 7:14 Greek ‘What f
  8. 7:15 Some manuscripts add verse 16, Anyone with ears to hear
  9. 7:24 Some manuscripts add and Sidon.
  10. 7:25 Greek unclean.
  11. 7:27 Greek Let the children eat first.
  12. 7:31 Greek Decapolis.

Life Application Notes 10 notes

7:1ffThe religious leaders sent some investigators from their headquarters in Jerusalem to check up on Jesus. The delegation didn’t like what they found, however, because Jesus scolded them for keeping the law and the traditions in order to look holy instead of to honor God. The prophet Isaiah accused the religious leaders of his day of doing the same thing {Isaiah 29:13). Jesus used Isaiah’s words to accuse these men.

7:3,4Mark explained these Jewish rituals because he was writing to a non-Jewish audience. Before each meal, devout Jews performed a short ceremony, washing their hands and arms in a specific way. The disciples did not have dirty hands, but they were simply not carrying out this traditional cleansing. The Phari- Sees thought this ceremony cleansed them from any contact they Might have had with anything considered unclean. Jesus said they were wrong in thinking they were acceptable to God just because they were clean on the outside.

7:4Christians become like Pharisees when they worry that contact with unbelievers may leave them tainted—avoiding “worldly” places where sinners hang out or rejecting books or speakers whose ideas do not conform to theirs. Some Christians and some Pharisees have a lot in common: Both would try to stop Jesus from working certain places or talking to certain people. Jesus wants us to go out into the world and make contact. Jesus didn’t intend for us to withdraw, purify ourselves, and never reach out.

7:6,7Hypocrisy is pretending to be something you are not and have no intention of being. Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites because they worshiped God for the wrong reasons. Their worship was not motivated by love but by a desire to attain profit, to appear holy, and to increase their status. We become hypocrites when we (1) pay more attention to reputation than to character, (2} carefuily follow certain religious practices while allowing our hearts to remain distant from God, and (3) emphasize our virtues but others’ sins.

7:8,9The Pharisees had added hundreds of their own rules and regulations to God's holy laws, and then they tried to force people to follow these rules. These men claimed to know God's will in every detail of life. There are still religious leaders today who add rules and regulations to God's Word, causing much confusion among believers. It is idolatry to claim that your interpretation of God’s Word is as important as God’s Word itself. It is especially dangerous to set up unbiblical standards for others to follow. Instead, look to Christ for guidance about your own behavior, and let him lead others in the details of their lives.

7:8,9Jesus wasn’t against ail tradition, but he was against those who made their traditions as important, if not more important, than God’s Word. Good traditions shine a spotlight on God’s Word, move us to obedient service, and help our hearts sing. They explain and reinforce the teachings of God. God’s Word should always be the focus, and tradition a means of bringing that Ward alive. Celebrate your traditions with the prayer that Christ would be exalted. Change your traditions if they become more important than God’s Word.

7:10,11The Pharisees used God as an excuse to avoid helping their families. They thought it was more important to put money in the Temple treasury than to help their needy parents, although God’s law specifically says to honor fathers and mothers (Exodus 20:12) and to care for those in need (Leviticus 25:35-43). (For vowing to give money to God, see the note on Matthew 15:5, 6.) We should give money and time to God, but we must never use God as an excuse to neglect our responsibilities. Helping those in need is one of the most impartant ways to honor God.

7:18,19As they interpreted the dietary laws (Leviticus 11), the Jews believed they could be clean before God because of what they refused to eat. Jesus pointed out that sin begins in the attitudes and intentions of the inner person. Jesus did not degrade the law, but he paved the way for the change made clear in Acts

7:20-23An evil action begins with a single thought. Allowing our mind to dwell on lust, envy, hatred, or revenge will lead to sin. Don't defile yourself by focusing on evil. Instead, follow Paul’s advice in Philippians 4:8 and think about what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable.

7:24Jesus traveled about 30 miles to Tyre. The cities of Tyre and Sidon were port cities on the Mediterranean Sea north of Israel. Both had flourishing trade and were very wealthy. They were proud, historic Canaanite cities. In David’s day, Tyre was on friendly terms with Israel (2 Samuel 5:11), but soon afterward the city became known for its wicked-

Charts, profiles & sidebars from the printed pages

Study feature · page 1634

MINISTRY IN PHOENICIA Jesus’ ministry was to all people— first to Jews but also to Gentites. Jesus took his disciples from Galilee to Tyre and Sidon, large cities in Phoenicia, where he healed a Gentile woman's daughter.

Mediterranean Sea f Capernaum ‘pull / Gennesaret

Study feature · page 1635

cians play, singers sing, actors act, and writers write. Let each creative Christian tell the story. Jesus used spit and mud; surely we can find windows to the minds and hearts of people as well. 8:1ff This is a different miracle from the feeding of the 5,000 described in chapter 6. At that time, those fed were mostly Jews. This time Jesus was ministering to a non-Jewish crowd in the Gentile region of the Ten Towns. Jesus’ actions and message were beginning to have an impact on large numbers of Gentiles. That Jesus would compassionately minister to non-Jews was very reassuring to Mark's primarily Roman audience. 8:1-3 Do you ever feel that God is so busy with important concerns that he can't possibly be aware of your needs? Just as Jesus was concerned about these people’s need for food, he is concerned about our daily needs. At another time Jesus said, “Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs” (Matthew 6:32). Do you have concerns that you think would not interest God? Nothing is too large for him to handle and no need too small to escape his interest. 8:4 How could the disciples experience so many of Jesus’ miracles and yet be so stow to comprehend who he was? They had already seen Jesus feed over 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish (6:35-44), yet here they doubted whether he could feed another large group. Sometimes we are also slow to catch on. Although Christ has brought us through trials and temptations in the past, we don’t believe that he will do so in the future.!s your heart too closed to take in all that God can do for you? Don’t be like the disciples. Remember what Christ has done, and have faith that he will do it again.

ness. Its king even claimed to be God (Ezekiel 28:1ff). Tyre rejoiced when Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 B.C., because without Israel's competition, Tyre’s trade and profits would increase. It was into this evil and materialistic culture that Jesus brought his message. 7:26 This woman is called a Gentile, born in Syrian Phoenicia. Mark's designation refers to her political background. His Roman audience would easily identify her by the part of the empire that was her home. 7:27, 28 On the surface, Jesus’ words may seem harsh and unsympathetic, but the woman recognized them as a wide-open door to God’s throne. Jesus did not use the negative term for “dogs” that referred to scavengers (the word sometimes used by Jews to refer to Gentiles); instead, he used the term for a household pet. The woman took the cue and added to his analogy of pets under a family dining table. Her attitude was expectant and hopeful, Not prickly or hypersensitive. She knew what she wanted and she believed Jesus could provide. We could learn from this woman’s singular purpose and optimistic resilience. Jesus really does want to meet our needs. When we pray, we're talking to a friend. 7:29 This miracle shows that Jesus’ power over demons is so great that he doesn’t need to be present physically in order to free someone. His power transcends any distance. 7:34 When Jesus said, “Be opened!” he used language that this deaf man would understand. The healing message was personal and unique. Whoever thought spittle might be the conduit of a Miracle? If there is only one means of witness in your church (sermons, for instance), many people likely will not hear. Churches need lots of different methods to meet diverse needs. Let musi-

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