In the previous blog we learned that Jesus is the Son FROM God. In other words, He is the long expected Messiah! And His teaching (which was inextricably intertwined with His miracles) attested to this fact. Jesus' miracles demonstrated that He had AUTHORITY over death, sickness, nature, and demons. In other words, Jesus had the POWER to reverse the fortunes of God's people and reverse the curses of Genesis. Jesus' manifestation of this POWER gave His teaching AUTHORITY and left the crowds AMAZED. Obviously Mark wants us to know that Jesus clearly fits the profile of the Messiah and that He is FROM God!
JESUS VERSUS THE PHARISEES
But Mark doesn't just want us (the readers) to know how AMAZING Jesus was. NO. He also wants the reader to know that the current religious establishment lacks God's AUTHORITY (in comparison to Jesus). This is why Mark is constantly contrasting Jesus with the Pharisees and the teachers of the law regarding religious observances (such as the Sabbath Day, the laws of ceremonial purity and cleanliness, and spiritual disciplines such as prayer and fasting). He makes this contrast explicit in Mark 1:22 when he writes, "Jesus taught them as one who had authority, AND NOT AS THE SCRIBES."
But why does Mark feel the need to undermine the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees? SIMPLE. The teachings of Jesus and the teachings of the Pharisees were diametrically opposed especially on the question: 'What does it look like to FOLLOW and HONOR God?' Jesus' vision of what it looks like to FOLLOW God centers on a MISSION to RESCUE sinful people whereas the Pharisees' vision centers on a MISSION to RETREAT from sinful people (Mark 2:13-17). In other words, Jesus came to HEAL the sick whereas the Pharisees tried to AVOID the sick. These two visions couldn't be more different! But whose teaching would the people trust? Who would the people look to for guidance? Jesus or the official religious establishment?
Well, the Pharisees and scribes sat in the positions of AUTHORITY within the Jewish establishment. This meant that WHEN they gave guidance to the people, the people would be more inclined to TRUST and FOLLOW them. But Mark wants the people to TRUST and FOLLOW Jesus (and not the PHARISEES). And so Mark (through his gospel) is attempting to de-authorize and de-legitimize the teachings of the Pharisees and scribes so that Jesus can hold his rightful place of honor and authority in the lives of people. And Mark accomplishes this by showing that Jesus (and not the Pharisees or scribes) is FROM God...that Jesus is God's AUTHORIZED agent...that Jesus is God's TRUE Son (and NOT the Pharisees)!
THE TRADITIONS OF MEN
Now Jesus' AUTHORITY over the Pharisees is made most evident when Jesus accuses the PHARISEES of "leaving the commandments of God and holding to the traditions of men" (7:1-13). So what specifically were the Pharisees doing? Mark 7:1-4 tells us. They took general Scriptural guidelines and added HUMAN TRADITIONS to them. And so for instance, when God instructed His people to "be clean," the Pharisees took this guideline and supplemented it with a HUMAN TRADITION (probably for the purpose of clarification) that required people to wash their hands after going to the marketplace which was infested with unclean sinners and Gentiles.
Sounds harmless right? But as we see elsewhere, this practice flows out of a RELIGIOUS MENTALITY where sinners and Gentiles are to be absolutely and utterly avoided (when at all possible). But this defies God's MISSION (and Biblical guidance)! How can God's people be RESCUING sinners if they are RETREATING from them? It's kind of like a fireman who is RETREATING from a burning house even though he is supposed to be RESCUING people. The fireman's ACTIONS defy the fireman's MISSION. The same is true for God's people! And so it is important that we make sure we are following Jesus and NOT the Pharisees!
THE BOTTOM LINE
So how can we make sure that we are following in the footsteps of Jesus and NOT resurrecting the human traditions of the Pharisees? For starters, we must be careful how we apply general principles from the Bible. For instance, "Be holy for God is holy" does NOT mean that people shouldn't laugh in a church service or wear jeans in the church building or play drums to accompany worship music or be seen at a movie theater. These are HUMAN TRADITIONS that cause the church to RETREAT (in a non-Biblical way) from sinners and God's MISSION!
So how should we apply the principle "be holy for God is holy?" The Bible does this for us! 'Being holy' means setting ourselves apart by putting on compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience (Colossians 3:12-17). It means not "conforming to the former PASSIONS of your former ignorance" (1 Peter 1:14-16). And so 'being holy' is NOT about SUPERFICIAL OUTWARD APPEARANCE that reflects a Pharisaical mentality. NOPE. It's about SUPERNATURAL INWARD TRANSFORMATION that reflects God's character!
In all of this, we must remember that Jesus came to make followers and NOT Pharisees! And so we need to make certain that the TRADITIONS OF MEN are not overshadowing the COMMANDMENTS OF GOD in our lives and in our churches. Why? The MISSION of God's church and the LIVES of un-rescued people depend on it!
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