{"id":36973,"date":"2025-08-14T22:00:59","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T05:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/?p=36973"},"modified":"2025-08-05T16:25:53","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T23:25:53","slug":"mark_7_1-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/mark_7_1-13\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Put Tradition Over God\u2019s Word"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mark 7:1-13\u00a0 (CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

\n

Today\u2019s passage is Mark 7:1-13.\u00a0 With an open mind and a humble heart, read this passage and see what sticks out to you in this passage.\u00a0 Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?\u00a0 After you\u2019ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Mark 7:1-13 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were “unclean,” that is, unwashed.
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0(The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders.
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with ‘unclean’ hands?”
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.<\/em>
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0And he said to them: “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God),
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother.
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 1-13:\u00a0 Jesus had no problem with washing your hands before eating per se.\u00a0 Rather Jesus\u2019 problem was with the Pharisees and teachers and how they put more focus on following their man-made traditions (like \u201cwash your hands before you eat\u201d) than obeying God\u2019s commands.\u00a0 As Jesus says in verse 8, \u201cYou have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!\u201d<\/p>\n

For example, according to their tradition, the Pharisees and teachers of the law taught their disciples that they could take the money that they would usually give to their aging parents, call it \u201cCorban\u201d (an offering to God), and therefore be exempt from having to give that money to their parents.\u00a0 Jesus showed how this practice was actually violating God\u2019s command to honour one\u2019s parents.\u00a0 Quoting Isaiah 29:13, Jesus likens this practice to worshiping in vain, giving worship that actually means nothing because it\u2019s following a man-made rule that doesn\u2019t actually honour God.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Don\u2019t let following traditions get in the way of obeying God\u2019s Word.<\/strong>\u00a0Are there any traditions you carry on that seem spiritual but are not from God\u2019s Word and actually violate God\u2019s commands?\u00a0 For example, it causes my blood to boil when old church goers habitually hang out amongst themselves, oblivious to the new people who have stepped into the church.\u00a0 To me that tradition of \u201cfellowshipping with your friends\u201d while ignoring those who are new to church actually goes against God\u2019s commands to love your neighbour as yourself and to show hospitality to strangers to God\u2019s house.\u00a0 Instead, welcome those who are new while you have the opportunity to do so.\u00a0 Make them feel at home in God\u2019s house.\u00a0 You can always talk with your old friends later.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Worship is not worship if it\u2019s not from the heart.<\/strong>\u00a0 God doesn\u2019t want mindless, heartless worship where we go through the motions of worship without actually trying to draw near to God.\u00a0 So whenever you come to God, whether it\u2019s in a church service, your own personal time with God, or a small group, check your heart.\u00a0\u00a0 Make it your goal to give God your attention and your affection.\u00a0 Our attitude should be: \u201cJesus, I\u2019m here to focus on You, to love You and to do what pleases You.\u201d<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Don\u2019t be so quick to judge and criticize.\u00a0 Check yourself first.<\/strong>\u00a0 The Pharisees and teachers of the law came from Jerusalem to judge Jesus, to find things to criticize and complain about Jesus.\u00a0 In the end, it was they who got exposed.\u00a0 Often those who quickly criticize others can only do so because they are oblivious to their own faults.\u00a0 As Matthew 7:3-5 says:
\n3\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Father, I pray that I would not be so quick to judge and criticize others, lest I show just how foolish and blind I am.\u00a0 I pray I would not let man-made traditions get in the way of obeying Your Word.\u00a0 Since worship is a matter of the heart, may I always check my ego at the door when I worship with others and come before You with a humble heart.\u00a0 In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

copyright \u00a9 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Mark 7:1-13.\u00a0 With an open mind and a humble heart, read this passage and see what sticks out to you in this passage.\u00a0 Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?\u00a0 After you\u2019ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Mark 7:1-13 (NIV)
\n1\u00a0\u00a0The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and
\n2\u00a0\u00a0saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were “unclean,” that is, unwashed.
\n3\u00a0\u00a0(The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders.<\/p>\n

On verses 1-13:\u00a0 Jesus had no problem with washing your hands before eating per se.\u00a0 Rather Jesus\u2019 problem was with the Pharisees and teachers and how they put more focus on following their man-made traditions (like \u201cwash your hands before you eat\u201d) than obeying God\u2019s commands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36975,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36973"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36973\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36976,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36973\/revisions\/36976"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}