Mark Chapter 7

Mark Chapter 7

Some Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem came to check out what all this Jesus hoopla was about, and they were just appalled to find out that he and his disciples are eating bread with dirty hands. You see Pharisees and all Jews wash their hands a lot (a healthy practice indeed, according to the World Health Organization), and they love fasting because that’s what the elders of their community do. They’re also big fans of washing cups, pots, certain types of vessels and tables. They ask Jesus why he and his posse are always eating with their dirty hands.

JC tells them at Esaias prophesied of these hypocrites. I bet the Pharisees were like, uh… are we hypocrites or just hygienic? Personally, I’m a fan of washing my hands, cups, tables, etc… but that’s just me. Jesus says that old Esaias talked about how these Pharisees would honor God with their lips, but not their hearts by teaching the commandments of men rather than god. Apparently, by washing all the aforementioned items they are rejecting God’s commandments (thou shalt be filthy?) in order to keep to their own traditions.

But, before the Pharisees can possibly explain that hand washing and the like can prevent the spread of disease, etc (as I assume that would be their first line of defense, of course), Jesus launches into a tirade about their other sins. He reminds his audience that Moses said you should honor your father and mother and if you don’t you should “die the death”. (Eep! Better be nice to mom and dad.) JC accuses them of believing that whatever profits them is a gift to their parents, so they feel like don’t have to do anything else for their mom and dad.

(Somewhere in there he mentions Corban, but I wasn’t really sure how that played in. Here’s the quote in case you want to try your hand at translation. “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].” Good luck!)

Jesus yells at them again for replacing god’s word with their own traditions (look out Catholic Church, he’s talking to you!)

JC calls everyone to huddle up close, imploring each one of them to listen and understand what he’s saying to them.

He starts by letting them know that only things that come from within yourself can defile or corrupt you, no external influence exists that can do such a thing.
Jesus checks in again with those who have ears (guess who gets left out), and reminds them that they REALLY need to focus and listen to him.

He goes into a house, away from the crowd and his disciples ask him about this latest parable. JC turns to his friends and says, don’t you guys get it? Don’t you understand that external things cannot corrupt you? The thing is external things don’t enter your heart, but rather your stomach, then they go you in your excrement and purge all the meat.

On the other hand, he explains, from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride and foolishness!

Jesus gets pretty tired of everyone and he leaves that house and heads over to the border of Tyre and Sidon where he entered a house where he could hide. But a certain Greek woman from Syrophenicia, who had a daughter that was possessed found him and fell at his feet asking him to cure her offspring. Jesus tells her to have the child eat all her bread and not feed it to the dogs under the table. The woman confirms that the kid does feed her bread to the dogs. He tells her that the devil is gone out of their daughter and when she comes home, sure enough he’s gone. (So, was this kid just acting up because she wasn’t eating enough? That’s sure what it sounds like to me.)

From my perspective, poor Jesus just seems so tired at this point. It must be exhausting trying to convince people that you’re the son of god all the time, travelling here and there and everywhere.

But, he’s not done. He leaves Tyre and Sidon heads across the sea of Galilee through the ensuing mist and over to Decapolis where again he is basically mobbed. This time they bring him a man who is deaf and couldn’t speak. JC pulls him away from the crowd and heals him with the command Ephphatha, which means Be opened.

Jesus seems to be wearying of all the fame and the constant demands to heal people. He tells them not to tell anyone else about the miracle he’s just performed, but the more he tells them not to the more people they tell.

Now, I feel like I’ve been pretty hard on Jesus up to this point. He just seems so brash and arrogant to me, but I finally feel like he might not be such a terrible guy, just young and trying to figure out how to do the right thing in this world.