1.   And there are gathered together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, who had come from Jerusalem,
      2   and had seen that some of his disciples ate their bread with defiled, that is, unwashen, hands.
      3   (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands diligently, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders;
      4   and when they come from the market-place, except they bathe themselves, they eat not; and many other things there are, which they have received to hold, washings of cups, and pots, and brasen vessels.)
      5   And the Pharisees and the scribes ask him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with defiled hands?
      6   And he said unto them, Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,
      This people honoreth me with their lips,
      But their heart is far from me.
      7   But in vain do they worship me,
      Teaching as their doctrines the precepts
            of men.
      8   Ye leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men.
      9   And he said unto them, Full well do ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your tradition.
      10   For Moses said, Honor thy father and thy mother; and, He that speaketh evil of father or mother, let him die the death:
      11   but ye say, If a man shall say to his father or his mother, That wherewith thou

Questions and Brief Comments.

Verses 1, 2. What had the Pharisees and scribes noticed?

Verses 3, 4. Had God commanded any such thing? Why then did they observe it? Did they have many such regulations?

Verse 5. For what did they take Jesus to task?

Verse 6. What did Jesus call them? In what were they hypocrites? (When people are scrupulous about outward performance but are far from God in their hearts).

Verse 7. What sort of worship is vain? Why? Who only has the right to prescribe the acts of worship? How must we worship God today? What inspired prophet had said this?

Verses 8, 9. What is contrasted with the commandment of God? Can a man hold by both? (Comp. Matt. 6:24). Which one did they leave, and which did they hold fast? Which did they reject in order to keep the other?

Verses 10-13. "Moses said--but ye say." Which of these was "the commandment of God"? Comp. Matt. 15:4. What had God said? What did they say? What had they made void? how? Was that the only thing of that sort they did?

mightest have been profited by me is Corban, that is to say, Given to God;
      12   ye no longer suffer him to do aught for his father or his mother;
      13   making void the word of God by your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things ye do. [94]

NOTES AND TEACHING POINTS.

THE LESSON AND ITS TITLE.

      "Jesus Teaches Sincerity" is not an altogether sufficient heading for this lesson. The matter of sincerity is indeed touched upon; but another matter also, and more so. And both points come in the way of a rebuke to the scribes and Pharisees. The lesson my be divided as follows:

      I. The Pharisees' Criticism. Verses 1-5.
      II. The Lord's Reply and Rebuke. Verses 6-13.

      In relating the Pharisees' Criticism Mark tells of some of the Pharisees' traditional customs, which were common also among all the Jews. They had noticed that Christ's disciples did not observe these traditions. Doubtless they were watching to see something like that, for they were ever alert to find fault with Him and His followers. They had come down all the way from Jerusalem, and (judging from their general attitude toward the Lord) for no good purpose. So having seen what they could see they came to Jesus to tell Him about it and to bring a charge in the form of a question.

      The Lord's reply came with a stinging rebuke to them and all their tribe. He charged them with hypocrisy, and with practicing a vain worship--vain because dictated not by the commandment of God but by the teachings of men. Such worship is not acceptable to God. We must serve Him "in sincerity and truth," (Josh. 24:14) and worship Him "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). They had missed it on both points: they neither worshipped in spirit, and sincerely, nor in truth--for God's word is truth. (John 17:17). They had substituted human traditions in the place of Divine truth.

      Tradition versus God's word. Jesus called their attention to the fact that they had not only super-added their own traditions to God's word (Deut. 4:2; Prov. 30:6) but that their traditions actually nullified God's word and set it aside. It must ever turn out so. As no man can serve two masters, so men cannot hold two different standards of authority--the Scriptures and Tradition. Sooner or later one of these will occupy the supreme place and the other will be ousted; and in the downward course of all things it will be God's word that is cast aside and tradition exalted in the place thereof. So it had come to be with them. So it is in Christendom. The Roman church furnishes a striking example. In her elaborate rituals and ceremonies (all of which are traditional and of human origin) scarcely one single item of the simple New Testament worship can be recognized. All has been altered, vitiated, and nullified by human traditions--baptism, the Lord's Supper, prayer, confession, worship, faith, repentance, the song-service of God's house, the whole conception of the church--all has been perverted by human tradition. And some Protestant institutions are not far behind Rome in this matter. Of all that the Lord says (in Isaiah's words) "In vain do they worship me teaching as their doctrines the commandments of men."

      To maintain the purity and simplicity of New Testament worship requires faith, purpose and watchfulness. Through a small crevice a great river may begin to pour itself. A seemingly slight departure--as for example the adding of instrumental music to the worship, which is without express warrant of God's word to us--a flood-gate may be opened which in a short while will admit any and every human change and addition.

HYPOCRISY.

      A man may follow a false system of faith and worship with entire sincerity. Many do. That does not make error acceptable. It requires both sincerity and truth to save men. If sincerity alone were sufficient the truth would be of no more worth than falsehood and error. But the word of God says that if the blind lead the blind both shall fall into a ditch. (See also Prov. 14:12).

      But honesty is better than hypocrisy even at that. However, being occupied with outward forms and ceremonials is easily conducive to inward unreality. Men put their confidence in outward forms and acts and overlook the necessity of a right heart before God. Indeed we all are in danger of holding the outward form of godliness, without caring duly for a true heart. This becomes hypocrisy. "Search me, O God and know my heart, try me and know my thoughts." [95]

Source: Third Lord's Day Lesson of March. Lesson 12. March 18, 1928. Jesus Teaches Sincerity (Mark 7:1-13).