Monday, March 4th – Mark 7:1-8
1 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?” 6 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.”
PRAYER
Lord, it’s so easy to drift into the trap of traditions and legalism. It’s easy to check boxes on a list of do’s and don’ts, but that’s not what you want. That’s not what I want either. May my life be marked by a heart following closely after you. Shake up the ground of all my tradition. Break down the walls of all my religion. Your way is better.
Amen.