Tradition or Transformation?

Mark 7:1-8

Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, 2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly,[a] holding to the tradition of the elders, 4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.[b] And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.[c]) 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” 6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,

“‘This people honors me with their lips,

    but their heart is far from me;

7 in vain do they worship me,

    teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

This week, I’ll take us through the passage I preached on Sunday, Mark 7:1-30. I had to go over a lot of it quickly, so these devotionals will give us a chance to catch some important things we didn’t have time for Sunday or re-hit essential things.

The Pharisees had a major issue. Well actually they had multiple, but one is the most important. They were devoted to tradition, while lacking any transformation of their hearts. They followed all kinds of rituals, had all kinds of checklists of things to do and things to avoid doing (and even people to avoid).

Yet they are condemned by Jesus again and again. Why? Look at verse 6-8.

Their hearts were far from God. Do you see how that contaminated everything else they did? It didn’t matter that they had great things to say and to sing about God, because in their hearts they were far from Him. It didn’t matter that they thought they were following all the commandments, because in their hearts they were doing what they thought God wanted, even though He had told them again and again in His Word what they should do.

They all knew Micah 6:8, they probably even had it memorized.

Micah 6:8

He has told you, O man, what is good;

    and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,[a]

    and to walk humbly with your God?

So I ask you today, is your heart far from God? Have you created traditions to follow instead of receiving the heart transformation that Jesus offers?

Ask God to draw your heart near to Him and to transform your life.