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TITLE: It’s a Heart Issue
READ: Mark 7:1
CHALLENGE: True Change Starts with the Heart
Here’s the story overview. The religious leaders criticize Jesus and his disciples for not ceremonially washing their hands before eating. It broke a man-made tradition that was manufactured to supposedly keep a person holy. Therefore, if you didn’t wash your hands, they considered you unspiritual. Unworthy. Unholy. However, as Jesus will say, it’s not the dirt on your hands that’s the problem, it’s the dirt in your heart.
Mere religion focuses on external things. Jesus focused on internal things. Go to the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus focuses on heart reform, not an external reform. He talked about lust, anger, hatred, etc.
The Pharisees prayed in front of others, made sure you knew they were fasting, and gave money so that they would be noticed. It was a show of external things, yet they’d walked right by a man beaten and left half dead along the road. You look good, but you’re not good.
- TRUE CHANGE DOES NOT COME FROM MAN MADE RULES
Vv1-5 – 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.) 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?”
- Man Made Rules Focus on Externals
Let’s think about how fascinating this is. The Pharisees gather around Jesus. They are a religious group who separated themselves from sin. They would be considered the gold standard of the religiously strict; the pace setters for righteousness.
There were also teachers of the law there and they were the ones who were experts in the Old Testament and how it applied to daily life. They wanted to be holy so they focused on these extra rules, like ceremonial washing to demonstrate their holiness to God. The rules were designed for every part of life and passed down generation to generation. For instance, here’s the path to pleasing God, dunk your hands in water!
They were sent from Jerusalem to spy on what Jesus had been doing. They wanted to catch him in something so that they could accuse him and disqualify him as a spiritual leader. And they found their chance – they didn’t wash their hands! Now, the concern wasn’t even being germ free, it was a step before God to get rid of defilement. What if you had bumped into a Gentile … gross. You’re defiled. What if you had touched someone defiled and now you’re defiled so I have to get purified with some water by washing me hands. This is the stuff they worry about.
Now, mind you. Sick people are lined up getting healed by Jesus but that doesn’t matter to them. Feeding 5,000 with five loaves and two fish doesn’t matter. What matters is that you might have fist bumped a Gentile without rinsing your hands ceremonially before you ate. It’s like politics.
In the Old Testament, only a priest would ceremonially wash before entering the temple, but the traditions extended the rule further. We would say that every man’s house is their castle. The religious leaders would treat every home like a temple and the people like priests and they were to operate with the same practices of the priest. God never said that. It was a “tradition of the elders” that made life hard! It wasn’t God doing that.
Imagine when they gather around Jesus and saw him eating with unwashed hands. Your unholy disciples are eating food with unwashed hands. So, they criticized the disciples to make to make Jesus lose face because they were not complying with man-made rules. Jesus will set them straight.
I remember baptizing someone and they wanted to know where the water came from. I was wondering why? They thought it would be from the Jordan River apparently. It’s just tap water, the tap water isn’t the thing. What’s relevant is the heart and the obedience. Pond, tub, pool, lake, creek, doesn’t matter. What matters is following Jesus.
- Man Made Rules Multiply to Unbearable Levels
And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.
Did you catch that? They had many other traditions such as traditions about cups, pitchers, and kettles. How fun!
Wouldn’t you love to come to church on Sunday morning and hear how to follow God by properly washing your pots and pans? Here is Pastor Johnny to talk about proper mug rinsing! And make sure the worship songs line up with that. And here YOU are worried about your marriage but you really just needed to know about proper Christian kitty litter scooping. Something tells me they were missing the point. And we know they were because the religious leaders justified lying, divorce, hatred, anger and other far more important matters.
I’ve been in churches with lots of rules. When I came to Eagleville Bible Church I was done with that type of Christianity. Our sayings is, “We’d rather be Spirit-led than strict”.
I’ve been in churches with rules about movies, dancing, tobacco, drinking, playing cards, haircuts, music. “You don’t smoke, dance, drink, or chew and you don’t go out with girls who do”! And it was all an attempt to create this holiness or illusion of holiness.
I remember them sitting me down and talking about me getting a tapered haircut. I didn’t even know what they were talking about. And what verse do you get that from? Your hair needs cut and not only cut, it needs to be cut like this,
Then I couldn’t teach out of the NASB version of the Bible because it had to be the KJV. They thought there was only one right version of the Bible. And then they sang hymns and only hymns. Where is any of this in the Bible? I don’t believe in setting up obstacles between a person and coming to Christ.
- Man Made Rules Lead to Judging
“Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders
They see and I’m sure they’re looking. Here’s the truth – you want to find problems, you’ll find them. If you’re a critic, you’ll find plenty to criticize. I’ve often felt that the negative ninnies out there who have time to pick at others have way too much time on their hands. You need a life.
Matthew 7:1 – Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
The word “judge” refers not just to condemnation but also that critical and nitpicking spirit. Jesus went on to tell them to take the log out of their own eyes before speck hunting in someone else’s eyes. The Pharisees are speck hunting. Stop worrying about what everyone else is doing and focus on what you’re doing.
Romans 14:3-4 – The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
Let’s not fall into a critical spirit. I remember a man who made the decision to no longer watch television. It was in a day where every roof in America had a tv antenna. He was going to take his off the roof. I said, “That’s great”. As a Christian, he has the right to make that rule for himself. But he doesn’t have the right to make the rule for me. Don’t drive around and judge all those who still have their antenna on.
- Man Made Rules Lead to Pride
Why aren’t your disciples washing their hands first? Or, why don’t you act exactly like we do. It’s one of the more dangerous and prideful pitfalls. It puts you as the standard rather than God. You need to be like me if you’re really spiritual. I remember someone telling me they were more spiritual than I was because I listened to contemporary Christian music. Please, stop!
This is how I do it, therefore you should too. And if you don’t you’re not quite as good. Don’t look down on others out of pride.
I remember someone quitting church because I quoted a Christian artist and they didn’t like their music. So suddenly, our church wasn’t good enough.
Never think, “Well, I’m better than you because I do or don’t do”. Number one, we’re all sinners so no one should ever think they are better. Number two, if it’s not a scriptural principle then it cannot be a litmus test for spirituality.
I’ve been listening to Air 1 quite a bit in the truck. It doesn’t make me a better person than someone listening to 97.1 per se. I listen to that too.
Here’s our stand as a church. Be Spirit led rather than strict and allow people the freedom to make decisions. Man made rules can never be a litmus test.
- Man Made Rules Won’t Change Your Heart
Vv6-8 – 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.’ 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
He calls them hypocrites which means to be a “play actor” and “refers here to people whose worship is merely outward and not from the heart. Their outward appearance of piety was a lie”. (EBC)
You can honor God with words and your heart be far from God. There was a man in the church I attended when first married. Squeaky clean. Went to an ultra conservative Christian college. Came to church every Sunday. One afternoon I heard his name come across the radio for committing a heinous crime. I thought, can’t be that guy! He wears a suit to church. They put him away for 25 years for what he did.
All the rules didn’t change his heart. Outward conformity never can. You honor me with your lips. Man-made rules might have a ring of wisdom but it can’t touch the simplicity of God’s word.
God makes the rules and they are found in the Bible and we do well to stick to that. I remember a woman telling me that I needed to get on the newcomers to Eagleville and tell them these three things. I said, but it doesn’t say that in the Bible and I certainly won’t say it. Some of those people are very involved in our church today because we gave them a chance to grow.
Rules cannot change your heart.
B. TRUE CHANGE COMES FROM PRIORITIZING GOD’S LAWS OVER MAN’S RULES
Vv9-13 – And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observeyour own traditions! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor 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.”
Jesus said, you have found ways to set aside the commands of God so you can observe your man made rules. God said, honor your parents. However, they had this practice called “corban” where they dedicated their money to God even though they were never required to use it for God. It is setting aside property for God. As a legal device, it only expresses an intention to give property to God and is not the actual disposal of it. The person could keep the property in his possession but say to his parents that he cannot offer than any help because he has dedicated it to God.
It put a hold on those funds and sounded so spiritual and godly. The real reason they made the rule was because they didn’t to spend any of their money to help their parents. You have to wonder what kind of human beings they were. Ignoring your parents in the name of God is SO backwards and chilling!
Elevating the teachings of men over God is a mistake. Jesus said that they do many things like that. Many things where rules are used to set aside the rules of God.
(trans.) How about this one?
Matthew 23:16-17 – “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?”
Hey, if you swear that you’re telling the truth, and you swear by the temple, you don’t have to tell the truth. How ridiculous is this? If you swear by the gold on the temple, then you really need to be telling the truth.
It’s like the old thinking where if you crossed your fingers behind your back or crossed your toes that you were absolved from lying. Just let your yes be yes and your no be no!
We can’t erase God’s rules with our traditions. Matthew 23:23-24 – “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.”
They focused on picayune things like tithing dill seeds. It would be like tithing tomatoes and beets. We’re so careful to follow the letter of the law but then they were upset that Jesus ate with sinners or that a sinful woman cried at Jesus’ feet and touched him. They were upset that they ate while going through grain fields, that he healed on the Sabbath. Jesus clearly demonstrated how they lacked justice, mercy, and faithfulness.
We do it in America when we say – I know that God says don’t murder but a woman has a right over her own body. I don’t disagree with that but I say, “You don’t have a right over the body within you”. That’s an independent life. You can’t dismiss the Ten Commandments with phrases like reproductive rights.
What about the mechanics in a relationship? Yeah, I’ll take out the trash. I’ll give you a peck on the cheek. I’ll go through the motions. I’ll sit with you in church. We know how to behave, but where is our heart? Here’s a guy classic, “I put a roof over your head”. That’s great. Do you treat her well? Do you care about her? What of the weightier matters – love – fairness – faithfulness. Way more important than play acting.
Obviously faithfulness is super important. I’ve heard guys say, “I don’t understand the issue, I don’t go to the bar and I don’t cheat on her”. It doesn’t mean you have a relationship. Right?
I reckon we could do the same with God. We can go through a lot of motions without having a real relationship with him. God doesn’t want rules to get in the way of the relationship.
C. TRUE CHANGE STARTS IN THE HEART
Vv14-23 – 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.”
Don’t focus on the external, focus on the internal. Constantly we’re reminded in Scripture things like this. Rend your heart and not your garments.
They were worried about what went into their mouths, Jesus was concerned with what came out of heir mouths! Jesus was concerned with the heart.
Rend your hearts and not your garments
Proverbs 4:23 – Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Defilement comes from within and it’s amazing what will grow in your heart. Next week we’ll come back and ponder the list and think about what should be coming from your heart.
Luke 6:43-45 – “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.