Mark: Living the Way of Jesus in the WorldSample

First Thought

Previous chapters focused on Jesus’ mighty deeds. Now attention returns to Jesus’ conflict with the Jewish authorities. Old Testament food laws and ritual purity were vitally important to Jewish identity and culture. For they were central in identifying the Jews as God’s distinctive people. They were also divisive since the food laws made it impossible for Jews to share meals with non-Jews. Whilst this is hard for 21st-century people to get their heads around, for the early church it was a central concern. We know from the book of Acts and Paul’s letters that it took a while for the early church to grasp that Jews and Gentiles were equally part of God’s kingdom. In this passage, Jesus removed one of the major obstacles. Jesus also challenged the Jewish authorities around the ‘traditions of the elders’ which had developed a life of their own and were undermining God’s commandments. For example, a son could declare to his parents that his property was ‘Corban’, dedicated to God and set aside from ordinary use, and thus, not available to honor and support his aging parents. Outward actions connect to the inner heart. 

What Does the Bible Say?

Is there anything in your heart that is making you ‘unclean’?

Living it Out

Take a moment to confess these to God and receive His forgiveness. 

Responding in Prayer

Holy God, thank you for forgiving me. Renew in me a clean heart and help me where I’m weak and vulnerable (…). Amen.