Feb 02 2025
In Mark 7, Jesus and his disciples are confronted with an investigative team of Pharisees and scribes who have come up from Jerusalem. They ask Jesus why he and his disciples don’t keep the tradition of the elders. In reply, Jesus condemns them for following commandments of men even at the expense of keeping the law of God. This week, we “punch right” and put our own practices and cherished traditions under review: have we substituted our own good ideas for Scripture? Are we satisfied with keeping man-made laws that make us look good, even if it allows us to disobey explicit commands of God? Although it’s more comfortable to point out the sins of others; Jesus forces us to confront the dangerous deception of our own religious sins.