Mark 7

Mark 7 Commentary

by Brad Boyles

Judaism during Jesus’ time not only put an emphasis on the written law (the Old Testament) but also the oral law. The oral law would have been man’s interpretation of the written law passed down through the generations. Simply put, this meant more rules.

The P’rushim had interpreted the Written Torah, and their sages and rabbis had decreed additional rules. Together, these came to be called, at first, the Tradition of the Elders and later the Oral Torah.

Jewish New Testament Commentary

Essentially, the oral law required additional cleansing. They even had a supplementary prayer which was to be said during the ritual. The important aspect here is that the washing was not necessarily for hygiene. Once again referencing the Jewish New Testament Commentary, the hand-washing was based on the idea that “a man’s home is his Temple, with the dining table his altar, the food his sacrifice and himself the cohen (priest). Since the Tanakh requires cohanim (priests) to be ceremonially pure before offering sacrifices on the Temple altar, the Oral Torah requires the same before eating a meal.”

“The rabbis were deadly serious about this. They said that bread eaten with unwashed hands was no better than excrement. One rabbi who once failed to perform the ritual washing was excommunicated. Another rabbi was imprisoned by the Romans, and he used his ration of water for ceremonial cleansing instead of drinking, nearly dying of thirst. He was regarded as a great hero for this sacrifice.”

David Guzik

With all that context, it is understandable why Jesus was so furious with the teachings of the religious leaders. His point is well taken. If they were this obsessive and unbending about cleansing their hearts, Jesus would consider them to be faithful and godly men. Their priorities were on the outward rituals they could do for themselves instead of the mysterious, inward work of God. This does not mean he was removing the Levitical laws concerning foods, but that He was illustrating that no food can successfully change the heart and the mind from a spiritual perspective.

The question I always like to ask is, what does this mean for us today? Do we rely on traditions and rituals to produce heart change? There are still many people today who believe they are getting to Heaven based on their works. There are others who believe they are saved because they are “good.” Some believe they are saved because they were baptized as a child or because they attend church every week. I recently attended a funeral where the pastor, in his sermon, stated that the woman who had died was saved by the water sprinkled on her head at baptism.

Just like the Jews, who had good intentions, we would say these are all beneficial to a Christian life. Baptism, church attendance, and good works are all important. However, they become a hindrance when we rely on them to cleanse us from our sin and create in us a new heart. Baptism is an outward sign of an inward heart change that can only take place through faith in Jesus.

Ask yourself – do you go to church to be saved or because Jesus has already saved you? Do you perform good works to earn Salvation, or because Jesus has already changed your heart to obey Him? We must remember that there is no amount of human cleansing that can make our hearts right with God. It is only through Jesus’ grace!