Tuesday Night Group (TNG ) Notes
Stay up to date on our weekly study of the Gospel of Mark
Mark 7:1 – “From Jerusalem” – This is the second official delegation from Jerusalem recorded in Mark. The first one was in 3:22. They were sent on a mission. Not to observe Jesus to see if he was the real deal. But to find ways to bring charges against him.
The concept of religious leaders evaluating someone to see if they could potentially be a false prophet is a good one. It’s important to make sure the people aren’t being duped. But this evaluation was not an evaluation. This was a group of people who had already made up their mind about Jesus and now they were simply digging to find proof for what they believed. In addition, they didn’t evaluate Jesus against God’s word, they evaluated Jesus based on their religious traditions.
Mark 7:2 – “Eating food with hands that were defiled” – This wasn’t simply about eating with dirty hands. This was about keeping an elaborate ceremonial washing ritual. One would first wash their hands and then perform a ritual to make them spiritually clean. This human-born tradition grew out of the teachings in Exodus about a mandate for priests to wash their hands and feet, prior to entering the Tabernacle.
Mark 7:5 – “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders” – They admit that the ceremonial hand washing was a tradition of the elders, not of scripture. There was the written law, that which was included in scripture. Then there was the oral law, which was not written down. It was simply the tradition that had developed over the generations.
In Jesus’ day it was taught that “He who expounds the Scriptures in opposition to the tradition has no share in the world to come.” (Rabbis Eleazer) Also the Mishna, a collection of Jewish traditions in the Talmud states: “It is a great offense to teach anything contrary to the voice of the Rabbis than to contradict Scripture itself.” The religious leaders were questioning Jesus, not because he was doing something contrary to scripture. They questioned Jesus because he was allowing something to be done contrary to human tradition.
Mark 7:6&7 – “You hypocrites” – In Greek, hypocrite means “an actor” or “someone who wears a mask”. The image that a hypocrite promotes is more important than who or what they actually are. These religious leaders were far too concerned about the religious traditions, over and above their concern for the word of God. Because of their focus on these trivial human traditions, they excluded everyone who didn’t keep the traditions. Which, in turn, discouraged people from coming to God.
Jesus quotes Isaiah 29:13. Yes, these religious leaders honored God with their lips, but their hearts were far from God. It’s possible to have the image of being religious or spiritual, but actually be far from God. (Matthew 7:21)
Mark 7:8 – “You have let go of the commands of God” – The first pillar of legalism. The legalist or hypocrite rejects the command of God, in order to keep their human tradition. In doing this, they subtract the real essence and focus of God’s word. Left to our own devices, we will defend the authority of our human traditions, over and above the word of God.
“Holding on to human traditions” – Another pillar of legalism. Taking a human commandment or opinion and teaching or promoting it as a doctrine of God. Not everything in the life of a follower of Jesus is a matter of right and wrong, black or white. We all live in the grey. For many things are simply matters of personal conscience before God. (Romans 14:3)
Mark 7:9 – “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own tradition.” – The legalist or the religious hypocrite subtract from the real essence of God’s word, in order to hold onto and observe human traditions. In other words, we have a tendency to create rules and regulations, social norms and expectations, that we legalize and teach that they must be observed, or else.
The Greek word for “setting aside” means to deny somethings validity. Not that something doesn’t exist. But that something isn’t as important as something else. You can ignore it, in favor of something else.
“Observe” is from a Greek word which goes beyond mastering the tradition and into guarding and keeping what already exists. By Jesus’ time, devout Jews considered eating with unwashed hands equivalent to all other sins. Even though, God never commanded that eating with unwashed hands be considered a sin. The tradition and the routine of keeping the tradition, becomes a part of the fabric of our faith life. A part that was never intended by God.
Mark 7:10 – “For Moses said” – Moses was an Old Testament prophet. He was chosen by God to be an Israelite, raised as a member of Pharaoh’s family. He then would lead the Israelites out of their slavery in Egypt and into the wilderness. They were headed for the Promised Land.
By directly quoting the Mosaic Law of Exodus 20:12 (The law that was given to Moses by God, in order to help the Israelites become not just freed slaves, but a nation of God’s chosen people, aka the Ten Commandments.) Jesus shows that he prioritizes God’s written word over human traditions. He’s setting something up to teach his disciples, the Pharisees and all of us.
Mark 7:11-12 – “But” – Always pay attention to the buts in the Bible! Jesus is now going to bring done the hammer. He’s going to teach the Pharisees and the teachers of the law something very important. Oh, and the disciples are there to learn as well. To learn not only what Jesus is going to teach them. But also, to learn how Jesus is going to teach them.
“Corban” – Hebrew word meaning “gift or offering”. The tradition allowed a person to declare their resources as “Corban”, meaning they were consecrated to God and therefore unavailable for any other purpose. Like, honoring your father or mother.
Mark 7:13 – “You nullify the word of God” - Money used to help your parents could be deemed “Corban” and thus used to feed the institution, instead of what God originally intended the money to be used for. Following the human created Corban tradition, a child could completely disobey God’s command to honor their father and mother (Exodus 20:12) and do it while still being considered ultra-religious. That’s hypocrisy.
Mark 7:14 – “Called the crowd” – In most accounts the crowds call to Jesus. The crowds come looking for Jesus. This time Jesus calls the crowds. This signals that he’s getting ready to drop something big.
“Listen…and understand” – To listen means to give attention with the ear; attend closely for the purpose of hearing. Listening is a conscious choice. Jesus is directing the crowd, that he just called to himself, to invest some effort, to participate.
To understand means to perceive the meaning of; grasp the idea of; comprehend. Understanding can only occur through listening. Understanding isn’t necessarily agreeing. You can understand something with which you don’t agree. Jesus isn’t yet asking the crowd to make a conscious decision. He’s simply asking them to be open to understanding something very important.
Mark 7:15 – One of the most revolutionary passages in the New Testament. Up to this point in time, the Jewish world, Jesus’ world, operated under the sway of an outside-in perspective. Food could defile you. How you wash your hands could defile you. Infirmities could defile you.
Jesus now declares the actual truth of an inside-out perspective. A person isn’t defiled by what they eat or how they wash their hands or if they’re sick. A person is defiled by what’s in their hearts. In other words, your heart influences your actions, not the other way around. You don’t do what you do, in order to be someone. You are someone, thus you do what you do.
Mark 7:16 – “If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear” This verse isn’t included in all ancient manuscripts. It’s a repetition of Mark 4:23.
Mark 7:17 – “His disciples asked him about this parable” – The disciples are still wrestling with what Jesus just taught the crowd. They’re processing the difference between spiritual purity and physical purity. What Jesus spoke wasn’t really a parable, but the disciples had no other place to file such a teaching in their consciences.
Mark 7:18 – "Are you so dull?” – Jesus knows what it’s like to be frustrated by the lack of understanding in others. For Jesus didn’t give them a parable. Jesus simply restated what God has always taught and intended.
“Don’t you see…” – Jesus is still only asking his disciples to understand. To perceive the meaning of; grasp the idea; comprehend. He’s frustrated because the disciples love to hear him teach and even love to obey his orders. But they don’t understand what he’s saying, when it contradicts their pre-conceived ideas.
God gave food laws to the Israelites as a sign that they are set apart from all the other nations around them. Non-kosher food is called unclean, but those who eat it are not called unclean. People are declared unclean because of what they touch or associate with (Leviticus 5:3) or what comes out of their bodies (Leviticus 13:3; 15:18) not what goes into their bodies. The Old Testament doesn’t give any punishment for eating unclean food.
Mark 7:19 – “For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach.” – Jesus is making a direct reference to kosher food laws. Food can’t defile someone because it goes into the stomach, not the heart. I guess you aren’t what you eat!
“Jesus declared all food clean” – Or it would be better said: Jesus reminds everyone that God never declared any foods unclean. God simply declared some foods to be off-limits, in order for the Israelites to be different than all the people around them. Jesus didn’t come to abolish the law. Jesus came to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17).
Mark 7:20 – “What comes out of a person is what defiles them.” - Everything that you do is dictated by who you are. You don’t do what you do, in order to be. You be, which determines what you do.
Mark 7:21-23 – “For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come” – Charles Spurgeon once wrote: “Sin is not a splash of mud upon man’s exterior, it is a filth generated within himself.” William Barclay added: “Every outward act of sin is preceded by an inward act of choice.”
Mark 7:24 – “Went to the vicinity of Tyre” – Tyre is a coastal city on the Mediterranean Sea, northwest of the Sea of Galilee. It was located in modern day Lebanon. This was a predominantly Gentile territory.
“Did not want anyone to know it.” – Jesus likely went to this area to escape the large crowds and have a period of rest with his disciples. Remember it was all the way back in 6:31 that Jesus desired to get away with the disciples to “a quiet place to get some rest”.
This verse also shows that Jesus did not obey the Jewish traditions that taught that a faithful Jew would have nothing to do with Gentiles and would never enter a Gentile’s house. Right before this verse, Jesus declares that nothing from outside of you can make you unclean (Mark 7:20). It’s no coincidence that Mark now follows Jesus into Gentile territory. Jesus, through his actions, is wiping out the difference between clean and unclean people.
“He could not keep his presence secret.” – This is a glorious principle. Anytime Jesus is present at all, he finds a way to touch lives. For Jesus cannot be hidden.
Mark 7:25 – “As soon as she heard about him” – This woman came to Jesus to interceded for her daughter. An intercessor is a person who acts as a mediator, by praying on behalf of others. Essentially an intercessor “stands in the gap” between other people and God. We can all intercede for others, but not all of us are called and gifted to be an intercessor. So, how do you know the difference?
If you’re an intercessor you’ll have a sense of burden or urgency to pray for specific people or situations that appear in your mind. You’ll feel a strong and consistent urge to consistently pray for individuals, nations or circumstances. Finally, you’ll find that yielding to the desire to intercede for others will lead to a greater awareness of events and a transformation in your life.
Mark 7:26 – “The woman was Greek” – In identifying this woman as Greek, a Gentile or non-Jew, Mark creates conflict and allows the plot of Jesus’ story to move forward. Remember, every moment of Jesus’ waking days are spent walking with and teaching the disciples and also all of us.
“She begged Jesus” – This woman is at the end of her rope. She has reached the limits of her patience, resources and energy. She can no longer cope with the difficult situation of her daughter being demon possessed. Her feelings of desperation, frustration and helplessness made her believe that all of her options had been exhausted. And then she heard that Jesus was in town. She knew that she needed to get to him.
Mark 7:27 – “It’s not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” Ouch! Jesus slams this woman. He tells her that the children (the Jewish people) get priority over the little dogs (Gentiles). Jesus is using shock value to teach a lesson. Jesus created a situation where this woman would need to decide – continue to intercede or give up.
In Jesus’ day, Jews often called Gentiles “dogs”. To the Gentiles the word dog meant a shameless and audacious woman, very much like we use the word “bitch” today. Yet, Jesus didn’t use the normal word for “dog”. He used the term “little dogs”. In Greek, diminutives are characteristically affectionate.
Mark 7:28 – “Even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Wow! Not only is this woman’s response quick witted, it demonstrates a great deal of faith. First, she accepted her low place before Jesus by not debating the “little dogs” reference. Second, she asked Jesus to deal with her on her own level. She allowed Jesus to meet her where she was.
In this exchange we see the power of coming to God, just as we are. If this woman had responded with contempt – “Who are you to call me a little dog”, she would’ve never received from Jesus what her daughter needed. Her humble, faith-filled submission to Jesus brought the victory. Nothing touches God more than faith coupled with a humble heart. Remember, it’s what comes from the inside that makes you clean or unclean. This Gentile woman was clean!
Mark 7:29 – “For such a reply” You can almost sense the smile on Jesus’ face. This woman was at the end of her rope, yet she made the choice to lower herself even more, for her daughter. She didn’t want Jesus to neglect the Jewish children. She simply pointed out that this Gentile dog was satisfied to get the crumbs. For even the crumbs are powerful enough to change everything.
The concept of religious leaders evaluating someone to see if they could potentially be a false prophet is a good one. It’s important to make sure the people aren’t being duped. But this evaluation was not an evaluation. This was a group of people who had already made up their mind about Jesus and now they were simply digging to find proof for what they believed. In addition, they didn’t evaluate Jesus against God’s word, they evaluated Jesus based on their religious traditions.
Mark 7:2 – “Eating food with hands that were defiled” – This wasn’t simply about eating with dirty hands. This was about keeping an elaborate ceremonial washing ritual. One would first wash their hands and then perform a ritual to make them spiritually clean. This human-born tradition grew out of the teachings in Exodus about a mandate for priests to wash their hands and feet, prior to entering the Tabernacle.
Mark 7:5 – “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders” – They admit that the ceremonial hand washing was a tradition of the elders, not of scripture. There was the written law, that which was included in scripture. Then there was the oral law, which was not written down. It was simply the tradition that had developed over the generations.
In Jesus’ day it was taught that “He who expounds the Scriptures in opposition to the tradition has no share in the world to come.” (Rabbis Eleazer) Also the Mishna, a collection of Jewish traditions in the Talmud states: “It is a great offense to teach anything contrary to the voice of the Rabbis than to contradict Scripture itself.” The religious leaders were questioning Jesus, not because he was doing something contrary to scripture. They questioned Jesus because he was allowing something to be done contrary to human tradition.
Mark 7:6&7 – “You hypocrites” – In Greek, hypocrite means “an actor” or “someone who wears a mask”. The image that a hypocrite promotes is more important than who or what they actually are. These religious leaders were far too concerned about the religious traditions, over and above their concern for the word of God. Because of their focus on these trivial human traditions, they excluded everyone who didn’t keep the traditions. Which, in turn, discouraged people from coming to God.
Jesus quotes Isaiah 29:13. Yes, these religious leaders honored God with their lips, but their hearts were far from God. It’s possible to have the image of being religious or spiritual, but actually be far from God. (Matthew 7:21)
Mark 7:8 – “You have let go of the commands of God” – The first pillar of legalism. The legalist or hypocrite rejects the command of God, in order to keep their human tradition. In doing this, they subtract the real essence and focus of God’s word. Left to our own devices, we will defend the authority of our human traditions, over and above the word of God.
“Holding on to human traditions” – Another pillar of legalism. Taking a human commandment or opinion and teaching or promoting it as a doctrine of God. Not everything in the life of a follower of Jesus is a matter of right and wrong, black or white. We all live in the grey. For many things are simply matters of personal conscience before God. (Romans 14:3)
Mark 7:9 – “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own tradition.” – The legalist or the religious hypocrite subtract from the real essence of God’s word, in order to hold onto and observe human traditions. In other words, we have a tendency to create rules and regulations, social norms and expectations, that we legalize and teach that they must be observed, or else.
The Greek word for “setting aside” means to deny somethings validity. Not that something doesn’t exist. But that something isn’t as important as something else. You can ignore it, in favor of something else.
“Observe” is from a Greek word which goes beyond mastering the tradition and into guarding and keeping what already exists. By Jesus’ time, devout Jews considered eating with unwashed hands equivalent to all other sins. Even though, God never commanded that eating with unwashed hands be considered a sin. The tradition and the routine of keeping the tradition, becomes a part of the fabric of our faith life. A part that was never intended by God.
Mark 7:10 – “For Moses said” – Moses was an Old Testament prophet. He was chosen by God to be an Israelite, raised as a member of Pharaoh’s family. He then would lead the Israelites out of their slavery in Egypt and into the wilderness. They were headed for the Promised Land.
By directly quoting the Mosaic Law of Exodus 20:12 (The law that was given to Moses by God, in order to help the Israelites become not just freed slaves, but a nation of God’s chosen people, aka the Ten Commandments.) Jesus shows that he prioritizes God’s written word over human traditions. He’s setting something up to teach his disciples, the Pharisees and all of us.
Mark 7:11-12 – “But” – Always pay attention to the buts in the Bible! Jesus is now going to bring done the hammer. He’s going to teach the Pharisees and the teachers of the law something very important. Oh, and the disciples are there to learn as well. To learn not only what Jesus is going to teach them. But also, to learn how Jesus is going to teach them.
“Corban” – Hebrew word meaning “gift or offering”. The tradition allowed a person to declare their resources as “Corban”, meaning they were consecrated to God and therefore unavailable for any other purpose. Like, honoring your father or mother.
Mark 7:13 – “You nullify the word of God” - Money used to help your parents could be deemed “Corban” and thus used to feed the institution, instead of what God originally intended the money to be used for. Following the human created Corban tradition, a child could completely disobey God’s command to honor their father and mother (Exodus 20:12) and do it while still being considered ultra-religious. That’s hypocrisy.
Mark 7:14 – “Called the crowd” – In most accounts the crowds call to Jesus. The crowds come looking for Jesus. This time Jesus calls the crowds. This signals that he’s getting ready to drop something big.
“Listen…and understand” – To listen means to give attention with the ear; attend closely for the purpose of hearing. Listening is a conscious choice. Jesus is directing the crowd, that he just called to himself, to invest some effort, to participate.
To understand means to perceive the meaning of; grasp the idea of; comprehend. Understanding can only occur through listening. Understanding isn’t necessarily agreeing. You can understand something with which you don’t agree. Jesus isn’t yet asking the crowd to make a conscious decision. He’s simply asking them to be open to understanding something very important.
Mark 7:15 – One of the most revolutionary passages in the New Testament. Up to this point in time, the Jewish world, Jesus’ world, operated under the sway of an outside-in perspective. Food could defile you. How you wash your hands could defile you. Infirmities could defile you.
Jesus now declares the actual truth of an inside-out perspective. A person isn’t defiled by what they eat or how they wash their hands or if they’re sick. A person is defiled by what’s in their hearts. In other words, your heart influences your actions, not the other way around. You don’t do what you do, in order to be someone. You are someone, thus you do what you do.
Mark 7:16 – “If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear” This verse isn’t included in all ancient manuscripts. It’s a repetition of Mark 4:23.
Mark 7:17 – “His disciples asked him about this parable” – The disciples are still wrestling with what Jesus just taught the crowd. They’re processing the difference between spiritual purity and physical purity. What Jesus spoke wasn’t really a parable, but the disciples had no other place to file such a teaching in their consciences.
Mark 7:18 – "Are you so dull?” – Jesus knows what it’s like to be frustrated by the lack of understanding in others. For Jesus didn’t give them a parable. Jesus simply restated what God has always taught and intended.
“Don’t you see…” – Jesus is still only asking his disciples to understand. To perceive the meaning of; grasp the idea; comprehend. He’s frustrated because the disciples love to hear him teach and even love to obey his orders. But they don’t understand what he’s saying, when it contradicts their pre-conceived ideas.
God gave food laws to the Israelites as a sign that they are set apart from all the other nations around them. Non-kosher food is called unclean, but those who eat it are not called unclean. People are declared unclean because of what they touch or associate with (Leviticus 5:3) or what comes out of their bodies (Leviticus 13:3; 15:18) not what goes into their bodies. The Old Testament doesn’t give any punishment for eating unclean food.
Mark 7:19 – “For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach.” – Jesus is making a direct reference to kosher food laws. Food can’t defile someone because it goes into the stomach, not the heart. I guess you aren’t what you eat!
“Jesus declared all food clean” – Or it would be better said: Jesus reminds everyone that God never declared any foods unclean. God simply declared some foods to be off-limits, in order for the Israelites to be different than all the people around them. Jesus didn’t come to abolish the law. Jesus came to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17).
Mark 7:20 – “What comes out of a person is what defiles them.” - Everything that you do is dictated by who you are. You don’t do what you do, in order to be. You be, which determines what you do.
Mark 7:21-23 – “For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come” – Charles Spurgeon once wrote: “Sin is not a splash of mud upon man’s exterior, it is a filth generated within himself.” William Barclay added: “Every outward act of sin is preceded by an inward act of choice.”
Mark 7:24 – “Went to the vicinity of Tyre” – Tyre is a coastal city on the Mediterranean Sea, northwest of the Sea of Galilee. It was located in modern day Lebanon. This was a predominantly Gentile territory.
“Did not want anyone to know it.” – Jesus likely went to this area to escape the large crowds and have a period of rest with his disciples. Remember it was all the way back in 6:31 that Jesus desired to get away with the disciples to “a quiet place to get some rest”.
This verse also shows that Jesus did not obey the Jewish traditions that taught that a faithful Jew would have nothing to do with Gentiles and would never enter a Gentile’s house. Right before this verse, Jesus declares that nothing from outside of you can make you unclean (Mark 7:20). It’s no coincidence that Mark now follows Jesus into Gentile territory. Jesus, through his actions, is wiping out the difference between clean and unclean people.
“He could not keep his presence secret.” – This is a glorious principle. Anytime Jesus is present at all, he finds a way to touch lives. For Jesus cannot be hidden.
Mark 7:25 – “As soon as she heard about him” – This woman came to Jesus to interceded for her daughter. An intercessor is a person who acts as a mediator, by praying on behalf of others. Essentially an intercessor “stands in the gap” between other people and God. We can all intercede for others, but not all of us are called and gifted to be an intercessor. So, how do you know the difference?
If you’re an intercessor you’ll have a sense of burden or urgency to pray for specific people or situations that appear in your mind. You’ll feel a strong and consistent urge to consistently pray for individuals, nations or circumstances. Finally, you’ll find that yielding to the desire to intercede for others will lead to a greater awareness of events and a transformation in your life.
Mark 7:26 – “The woman was Greek” – In identifying this woman as Greek, a Gentile or non-Jew, Mark creates conflict and allows the plot of Jesus’ story to move forward. Remember, every moment of Jesus’ waking days are spent walking with and teaching the disciples and also all of us.
“She begged Jesus” – This woman is at the end of her rope. She has reached the limits of her patience, resources and energy. She can no longer cope with the difficult situation of her daughter being demon possessed. Her feelings of desperation, frustration and helplessness made her believe that all of her options had been exhausted. And then she heard that Jesus was in town. She knew that she needed to get to him.
Mark 7:27 – “It’s not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” Ouch! Jesus slams this woman. He tells her that the children (the Jewish people) get priority over the little dogs (Gentiles). Jesus is using shock value to teach a lesson. Jesus created a situation where this woman would need to decide – continue to intercede or give up.
In Jesus’ day, Jews often called Gentiles “dogs”. To the Gentiles the word dog meant a shameless and audacious woman, very much like we use the word “bitch” today. Yet, Jesus didn’t use the normal word for “dog”. He used the term “little dogs”. In Greek, diminutives are characteristically affectionate.
Mark 7:28 – “Even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Wow! Not only is this woman’s response quick witted, it demonstrates a great deal of faith. First, she accepted her low place before Jesus by not debating the “little dogs” reference. Second, she asked Jesus to deal with her on her own level. She allowed Jesus to meet her where she was.
In this exchange we see the power of coming to God, just as we are. If this woman had responded with contempt – “Who are you to call me a little dog”, she would’ve never received from Jesus what her daughter needed. Her humble, faith-filled submission to Jesus brought the victory. Nothing touches God more than faith coupled with a humble heart. Remember, it’s what comes from the inside that makes you clean or unclean. This Gentile woman was clean!
Mark 7:29 – “For such a reply” You can almost sense the smile on Jesus’ face. This woman was at the end of her rope, yet she made the choice to lower herself even more, for her daughter. She didn’t want Jesus to neglect the Jewish children. She simply pointed out that this Gentile dog was satisfied to get the crumbs. For even the crumbs are powerful enough to change everything.
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