seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Mark 7:1 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus 2 and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4 When 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.[a])
5 So 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 defiled hands?”
6 He 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.
7 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’[b]
but their hearts are far from me.
7 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’[b]
8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
9 And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe[c] your own traditions! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’[d] and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’[e] 11 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— 12 then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”
14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” [16] [f]
17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? 19 For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)
20 He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. 21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre.[g] He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
27 “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
28 “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
29 Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”
30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
31 Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.[h] 32 There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.
33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). 35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
Footnotes:
a. Mark 7:4 Some early manuscripts pitchers, kettles and dining couches
b. Mark 7:7 Isaiah 29:13
c. Mark 7:9 Some manuscripts set up
d. Mark 7:10 Exodus 20:12; Deut. 5:16
e. Mark 7:10 Exodus 21:17; Lev. 20:9
f. Mark 7:16 Some manuscripts include here the words of 4:23.
g. Mark 7:24 Many early manuscripts Tyre and Sidon
h. Mark 7:31 That is, the Ten Cities
This is from the easy English site.
The disciples did not have dirty hands. Mark explained it for his Gentile readers. The Jews had a special way to wash their hands before a meal. It was not in order to remove dirt. It was a ceremony. It made sure that they had separated themselves from anything ‘unclean’. Certain foods were ‘unclean’. Gentiles were ‘unclean’. The Jews had to pour water over each hand in a special way. And they had to wash each hand with the fist of the other hand. They did this when they came in from the town. They might have touched something that a Gentile had touched. They were also very careful to wash anything that they drank from. They washed equally carefully anything that they used to prepare a meal.
Jesus said that they were not honest. Many translations use the word ‘hypocrites’ here. This means that they are like actors. They are hiding their real character. They said that they were obeying God’s laws. But they were failing to obey God’s laws. And they were expecting everyone to follow their traditions. Jesus used the words of Isaiah to emphasise that their religion was only a show on the outside. They were not sincere, because they put their own ideas in place of God’s laws.
Jesus gave an example of their wrong attitude. The word ‘Corban’ means a gift that someone has promised to God. A man could say that some of his money was ‘Corban’. He could give it to Temple funds or he could use it for himself. But nobody else could benefit from it. When his parents needed his help, he would make this excuse. So he avoided his duty to his parents in order to follow a tradition. He was therefore not obeying the command of God to give honour to his father and mother.
Jesus went north, probably in order to obtain some peace and quiet. He had made many enemies in Galilee, and the crowds were always demanding his help. Tyre and Sidon were two important harbours north of Capernaum. They were not on the Sea of Galilee. They were on the Mediterranean Sea.
Jesus’ answer to the woman sounds like an insult. ‘Dog’ was a word that people used as an insult. The *ews sometimes called Gentiles ‘dogs’. But Jesus did not use the usual word for wild, dirty dogs. He used a word that describes a family pet. The kind of voice that Jesus used would also make a difference. He was probably smiling as he spoke. He said that the children must have their food first. He meant his own people, the Jews, must receive the first offer of the gospel.
People threw bread that they did not want to the family pets. Perhaps the woman could get the pieces that the children had thrown away. That is what she thought.
When a deaf person starts to hear again, every sound seems very loud. It would not be pleasant for the man if he were in a noisy crowd. So Jesus thought about how the man would feel. Jesus showed the man what he was going to do. He touched the man’s ears. Jewish doctors used liquid from their mouths. They believed that it could cure people. Jesus touched the man’s tongue. Then the man would know that Jesus would make a difference to his speech. Jesus showed where the power to cure would come from. He looked up to heaven. ‘Ephphatha’ was an Aramaic word. Mark explained it in Greek.
If anyone was to ask me... I would say... there are times when I think Jesus was wasting His time and energy trying to save the Jews. The Gentiles were begging for His attention. The Gentiles believed that He could heal them.... the Gentiles were there..... and the Jews.... weren't they scoffing? Well actually.... it makes sense that the healing of the Gentiles would make the Bible while all the healing of the Jews was left out. Jesus was the King of the Jews.... but the Gentiles honored Him more.... it seems.The Pharisees were just rude. Their church services went a particular way.... apparently, based on the commentaries...... they would wash their hands like surgeons do today. They had all these meticulous little rules and policies that they followed to keep themselves from doing wrong but then they [and their rich buddies] would skirt every law that didn't suit their needs.
One of the laws that Jesus brought up here..... was about donating to the church. When people made a donation to the Temple.... the funds could stay in that person's bank account or go into the churches account. So it was a way of hiding resources even back in the days of Jesus.... ANYWAY..... Jesus told the people that by doing that they were protecting their money for only certain projects..... HOWEVER.... Jesus said that if the "good Temple guy"'s parents needed financial help.... the "good Temple guy" would tell his parents that his money was all invested in the Temple. Cheap bastaards..... Using the church to get away with hiding money.... and using that as an excuse to ignore the needs of his own parents.... cheap bastaards..... cheats....
A world about the Gentile woman and all this talk about dogs and doggies....... IMHO.... it's the top story of this batch. She was a Gentile..... but she knew that Jesus could heal. Her daughter was sick and she needed His help. Jesus was only in her town to get a break from the crowds.... and somehow she made it to His ear. He didn't ignore her..... but He told her He was there to save the Jews.... His people..... but she persisted and told Him that even Gentiles need Him. It's as if He called her a "yappy little puppy" instead of a "dog Gentile". He smiled... she got to Him. All this talk about feeding dogs under the table was an insulting way to say.... the Gentiles needed the Word too. Gentiles weren't allowed into the Temple.... it was only for the Jews..... so she knew she was stepping over a line asking the King of the Jews to heal her Gentile daughter..... but she also knew {IMHO] that a crumb from Jesus was better than anything in any Mayo Clinic today! If she followed the rules.... her daughter would still be demon possessed.
And then the deaf guy...... the Bible said Jesus took the guy off to a side.... I believe Jesus was there when God designed human ears. He would know about the instant pain of hearing a crowd after all that silence. It would be like turning on the radio when the audio had been set to full blast..... so Jesus took the man away from the crowd as part of the healing. I've heard a lot of Bible teachers say that Jesus took the man aside so He could keep it secret. What man who hasn't been able to hear is going to be quiet when his hearing is restored..... Of course the man sang the praises of his healer. The man was only following the rules of nature.
Jesus couldn't catch a break. No matter where He went people knew Him as the healer..... everyone wanted something from Jesus but I don't see a lot of people doing what they are told. I don't hear anyone thanking Him.
