clear commandment

Mark 7:1-13

"1 Then came together unto Him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.

2 And when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.

3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.

4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.

5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not Thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?

6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

9 And He said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:

11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.

12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;

13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye."

In today's verses, Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem confront Jesus because His disciples eat with unwashed hands. They criticize this as a violation of the “tradition of the elders”; a growing body of oral laws and rituals (such as ceremonial handwashing up to the elbows and cleansing of utensils) that had been added to God’s Law over time.

Jesus responds by exposing their hypocrisy. Quoting Isaiah, He declares that they honor God with their lips while their hearts remain far from Him. They worship in vain, substituting human rules for God’s commands. To illustrate, Jesus points to the practice of “Corban”: people could declare their resources as a gift devoted to God, thereby avoiding the responsibility to honor and support their parents (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16). By upholding this tradition, the leaders nullified God’s clear commandment.

Application

Are there patterns or habits in your life that have quietly replaced God’s actual commands? Let us examine our hearts and return to wholehearted obedience to Him.