On Tradition
The Pharisees and the scribes came out from Jerusalem to investigate what was going on. Mark 7:1-13 tells their latest attempt to find fault with Jesus and his crew. They watched for a while. They were good watchers. Are we like them? Do we like to watch and listen, but not put into practice? I fear that is something on which I need work. At any rate, in this case they watched the disciples eat and took Jesus to task because they didn't wash their hands before eating. They were violating the tradition of the elders! Queue "Fiddler on the Roof's Tradition!!!!"
I jest a bit. I'm pretty sure I don't wash as often as I should either. But the environment I'm in at work and at home isn't as bad as many jobs, and the environment in America is generally pretty good compared to some parts of the world, and certainly compared to antiquity. The Jews made it a point to have clean hands before handling food and to have clean dishes in which to serve and cook. I can at least see the value in the last. And those disciples just weren't doing what they were expected! How could they!
Jesus replied that Isaiah prophesied against them and their hypocrisy (Isaiah 29:13) by giving honor to God with their lips but having hearts that were far from God. The Pharisees taught the law, and many oral traditions, that everyone was expected to keep. He used the example that they were expected to honor their parents as God commanded, but instead would leave their parents on their own declaring that all they had that seemed to be surplus and could have been used for their aid was dedicated to God so couldn't be used. While this was one example, Christ went on to declare that there were many other similar twists of the law and tradition that they did where they let man's tradition circumvent God's commands.
How many traditions are in our denominations today? Some are specific to one or just a few denominations, and some are widespread. Some in terms of dress and grooming vary greatly between denominations and have changed considerably over time. How many people have Sunday best clothes anymore? I'm sure that some do, but many just wear what they would wear to work to church. Some would dress up for a fancy party to a greater extent than in going to church. If men have suits or women have nice dresses, they frequently stay in the closet because they aren't as comfortable or are too much bother. I know my suit jackets do, most of the year. Traditions. We still have them.
What Defiles
But Christ was clear in Mark 7:14-23 to identify what was important. What goes into the body is never the problem when it comes to your eternal destination. What comes out is the problem. Our words and our works define us for eternity. Do we confess Jesus is our Savior, accept His sacrifice on the cross for our sin, recognize the risen Lord and try to live with Him as our boss? Do we then spread the word about who He is and what He's done for us? If so, then our words and works are good and not defiled. If our hearts are full of evil and our words and works are driven by sinful desires and thoughts, then we are defiled.
External things don't defile us, whether by consumption of food and drink or by proximity. Jesus was a bit worried that He had to explain what He was saying to His disciples. I'm afraid He has to explain much to us as well that we should just understand. He expressed one of His few "If any man has ears to hear, let him hear" quotes to emphasize His point. We need to not be afraid to go and do what He wants us to do because of what is going on wherever it is. Outside doesn't affect inside. Inside affects outside. Or at least that's the way it's supposed to be.
Paul would have more to say about this later in trying to straighten out the early church and dealing with food offered to idols. His only variation was to try to not do anything that would cause offense to someone. You'd think that would have gotten easier over the centuries, but it seems like today people take offense at anything and everything. If we take Christ at His word and get our own hearts and minds in order and following His will, we won't have to worry about defilement.
The Greek Woman
After this interaction with the Pharisees, He went to the borders of Tyre and Sidon for some rest (Mark 7:24-30). But such was not to be. A Syrophenician woman had a daughter who was possessed of a devil. She came and found Jesus and asked for Jesus to cast the devil out of her. Jesus first priority was to His own people, and He said it was not appropriate to take from the children's table to give to the dogs. While this might seem offensive, it was a common term used at the time for any Gentile by a Jew. I'm pretty sure the politically correct police would be all over Him today, and are certainly all over any other Christian if we use an improper term.
The woman defended her actions by saying that even the dogs under the table got to eat the children's crumbs. I'd suspect that there were fewer crumbs then than now. If there wasn't enough to eat, there wouldn't have been many crumbs. But Jesus got her point, and told her to go her way because all was well with her daughter. When she got back home, she found her daughter laid on the bed cleansed of the devil that had been plaguing her.
How many times do we give up when we don't get the answer we want or expect? Way too many. Keep pressing on in prayer if you have a need. Keep in mind that James warns us not to pray for something just to satisfy our own lusts. But if we have a legitimate need, don't give up seeking. Believe in His promises.
The Healing of the Deaf Man with a Speech Impediment
After that, Christ came back to the coasts of Decapolis (Mark 7:31-37). A multitude brought a man to Him who was deaf and speech impaired. If he had been deaf for some time, his speech could have just gradually drifted from the norms to be unintelligible. It's also possible he had some specific condition with his tongue that made it difficult to speak. At any rate, Christ commanded his ears to be opened and all was right with the man's hearing and speech immediately.
Trying to keep the crowds from growing, since He didn't get the rest He was looking for at Tyre and Sidon, He told the multitude to not tell anyone what had happened. But it seemed the more He asked them not to spread the word, the more the word was spread. Their primary response was "He has done all things well." Would that this could be the motto on every Christian's grave marker - He or She has done all things well. It's a challenge to each of us to examine our lives and try to figure out what we should be doing for Him, and perhaps even more of a challenge to then do it.
If it's hard, like it is for me to sit down and write comments about another chapter, take heart. What people say about us today really isn't significant. Some will appreciate and love Christians. Most will hate and despise us. What matters is what God thinks of us and our works. I suspect that even if He is pleased and we are rewarded, we won't feel we deserve it, because anything we have accomplished for Him, has been through the grace of God and the working of His Holy Spirit.