Hello there, partakers of the divine nature,
Today, let’s examine the conflict that arises between the commandments of men and the commandments of God:
And the Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from Jerusalem.
— Mark 7:1
At the end of the previous chapter, we saw Jesus continuing His ministry in Gennesaret, which is in Galilee. We are then introduced to Pharisees and scribes who came from Jerusalem, most likely sent to investigate the news about Jesus. Immediately, we see a conflict arise as they observe the conduct of Jesus’ disciples.
Conduct of Men
And had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with defiled hands, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders.)
— Mark 7:2-3
The Pharisees observed that Jesus’ disciples were not following the traditions of the elders. These traditions were not part of the Mosaic Law but were additional rules meant to act as safeguards to prevent breaking God’s law. However, these traditions were created by men and were not part of God’s commandments.
The Pharisees strictly enforced these traditions and were quick to point out that Jesus’ disciples were not observing them.
Commandments of Men
These traditions extended beyond dietary practices, as Mark highlights:
And when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.
— Mark 7:4
These traditions were considered highly authoritative by the religious leaders of the day, to the point that they were treated as commandments apart from the Law of Moses. When they saw that the disciples of this supposedly problematic teacher were not observing these traditions, they questioned Jesus:
And the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with defiled hands?”
— Mark 7:5
Their question highlights the nature of the conflict—they were concerned that the disciples were breaking the traditions of the elders. Notice that they directed the question to Jesus, exposing their true intent—to confront Him after hearing about His teachings and claims.
Before proceeding, it is worth noting that these traditions of men might seem outdated to us today. However, we also have traditions that are not part of God’s moral law yet are elevated to the same level of authority.
A good example is the elevation of religious leaders. Just as in Jesus’ time, today, we have so-called “men of God”—clergy members who are given excessive reverence. People bow to them, take their words as absolute truth, and sometimes even accept teachings that contradict biblical truth. Many of these individuals indulge in mysticism, and all they need to silence their followers is the phrase, “God told me….” This is similar to the false prophets of Jeremiah’s day:
Thus says Yahweh of hosts,
“Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you.
They are leading you into vanity;
They speak a vision of their own heart,
Not from the mouth of Yahweh.
They keep saying to those who spurn Me,
‘Yahweh has said, “You will have peace”’;
And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart,
They say, ‘Evil will not come upon you.’
But who has stood in the council of Yahweh,
That he should see and hear His word?
Who has given heed to His word and heard?
Behold, the storm of Yahweh has gone forth in wrath,
Even a whirling storm;
It will whirl down on the head of the wicked.
The anger of Yahweh will not turn back
Until He has done and established the purposes of His heart;
In the last days you will clearly understand it.
I did not send these prophets,
But they ran.
I did not speak to them,
But they prophesied.
But if they had stood in My council,
Then they would have caused My words to be heard by My people
And would have turned them back from their evil way
And from the evil of their deeds.
— Jeremiah 23:16-22
We need discernment to distinguish between true and false teachings, especially when people claim to have extra-biblical revelations from God.
Commandments of God
Jesus responded to the scribes by referring to Isaiah:
And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. In vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commands of men.’ Leaving the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”
— Mark 7:6-8
Jesus called them hypocrites because they used external religious practices to validate their spirituality. Jesus, who sees the heart, exposed their deception. Their legalistic traditions only masked the corruption within. Isaiah’s prophecy captures this well: “This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me.”
It is easy to be deceived by external rituals and believe we have a relationship with God while lacking true faith in Christ. Jesus warned:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, in Your name did we not prophesy, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name do many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”
— Matthew 7:21-23
Let us examine our hearts and ensure that our faith is truly in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It would be tragic to stand before Him one day and hear, “I never knew you.”
Another issue Jesus addressed was how they had replaced God’s law with their traditions. This is prideful and dangerous. Instead of seeking God’s law, they relied on fruitless rituals to be seen as righteous by men. However, such practices neither contribute to spiritual growth nor strengthen one’s walk with God.
Conflicts Between Commandments
Jesus provided a clear example of how their traditions conflicted with God’s commandments:
And He was also saying to them, “You are good at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition.”
— Mark 7:9
Jesus sarcastically commended them for their craftiness. Men can be quite creative in finding ways to circumvent God’s law to justify sinful desires. Today, similar arguments are used to defend practices such as abortion, premarital sex, extramarital affairs, and homosexuality. Many attempt to normalize sin under the guise of cultural acceptance.
Some sinful practices have become so normalized that they hardly raise concerns in the church—such as immodest dressing, foul language, and consuming ungodly entertainment. We often attribute these things to culture and fail to see when they conflict with God’s commandments.
Jesus reminded them of God’s law:
For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, is to be put to death.’
— Mark 7:10
However, they created a loophole to avoid supporting their parents by claiming their resources were dedicated to God:
But you say, ‘If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever you might benefit from me is Corban (that is to say, given to God),’
— Mark 7:11
By doing so, they invalidated God’s command:
You no longer leave him to do anything for his father or his mother.
— Mark 7:12
They prioritized human traditions over God’s law, even implicating God in their deception. Jesus concluded:
“Thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”
— Mark 7:13
Whenever a cultural tradition hinders us from fulfilling God’s commandments to love Him and love people, we must reject that tradition. I pray that we will not hide behind human traditions to justify sin. Let us remain faithful to God’s word.
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