Crumbs 106

 

Crumbs 106

Clean Within

1. Scripture Mark 7:9-23 New International Version 9 And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe  your own traditions! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honour your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’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] 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.”

2. Crumbs In verse 9 some translations have “set up “ instead of “observe “ For the people Jesus was talking to traditions had become part of their their faith, an addition to the commands of God. Many fall into the temptation of “do it yourself” religion. In which traditional practices carry the same authority as Scripture. With laws for what may and may not be done the Lord’s people finish up carrying a burden that God did not intend. Man’s way had been added to God’s way. Worse was to follow. They twisted their religion to justify things they wanted to do that were completely contrary to the spirit of Scripture. In this case it was avoiding responsibilities to elderly parents.

There is always a danger of judging folk by externals and assuming a person’s spirituality is shown by the rules they obey. The spirit of the law is love and no amount of meticulous obeying of regulation will make us better people. It’s what’s inside is that matters and makes us the people we are. In verses 21 and 22 our Lord gets to the core. What absorbs our thinking, sex, our next meal, our status, or that other person who irritates you so much ?

Questions

1. What traditions have been added to our faith ?

2. How have we twisted our faith to justify what we do ?.

3. How do we avoid the defilements mentioned by our Lord ?