The Gospel Series Part 7B

LESSON ON THE LEAVEN OF THE PHARISEES, SADDUCEES, AND HERODIANS

Conflict over the tradition of ceremonial defilement (Mt 15:1-20, Mk 7:1-23, John 7:1)

Mk 7:1-2 Mark explains what kind of washing the Pharisees were talking about. It wasn't your mother telling you to go clean up before dinner after playing outside. This was a ritual washing that had been passed down orally through the generations. It is not found in the Old Testament.

Mk 7:3 Mark gives us a clue this is not related to overall cleanliness, since they do it in "a special way, holding the tradition of the elders". Jesus will give His objections in a minute.

Mk 7:4 Mark also mentions this is not the only tradition they hold not found in the Law of Moses. Many other laws the Pharisees made and kept.

Mk 7:5 Even the Pharisees did not charge the disciples with a violation of the Law of Moses, but rather they ask why they don't walk according to the "tradition of the elders" (cue the Fiddler on the Roof music here - Tradition, Tradition...)

Mk 7:6-8 Jesus gives them a response they probably didn't want to hear. Once again, the issue is one of the heart, not the outward appearance. The Pharisees had neglected the true teaching of the law and substituted their own law. They thus pretended to honor God while ignoring the commandments of God.

This is an easy mistake to be trapped by. How many things do we do in the church because of tradition? And when someone doesn't hold them exactly the way we do, how much friction does it cause in the body of Christ? Things like baptism (do you dunk forward, backward, or sprinkle?). There is no set method given for baptism, yet we teach a certain method as church doctrine. The issue is the heart. Many divisions in the body could be prevented if we just focused on what the Word says, and avoid teaching as doctrines the commands of men. In certain church circles, if we didn't teach the commands of men as doctrine, would there be any thing to talk about?

Mk 7:9-13 In case they didn't get it, Jesus provides a specific example in how they had voided the commandment of God and substituted their own law. He also gives the final comment "And many such things you do". This was not an isolated case.

Mk 7:14-16 This must have nearly given the Pharisees heart failure. Does this mean we can eat pork? That won't defile us? And what does Jesus mean by the things that come out defile a man? Fortunately we don't have to guess, Jesus gives us the explanation.

Mk 7:17-23 We owe a lot to the disciples for not understanding Jesus. Many times they come to Him and say - "Huh?" - whereupon Jesus explains what He has just said. In this case food (what is taken in) is processed by the body and eliminated. But what comes out of the body - evil thoughts and the like - are what defiles a man. It's an issue of the heart, not the actions.

Ministry to a believing Gentile woman in Tyre and Sidon (Mt 15:21-28, Mk 7:24-30)

Mt 15:21-22 This woman was a cannanite. In other words, she was NOT a Jew. What we see here is a person trying to apply a formula to God to get Him to do what they want. As a non-Jew, she had no claim to using the term "Son of David". But she had heard other people (Jews) use this term, and Jesus had healed them. She thus thinks that formula will work for her.

Mt 15:23 But Jesus appears to ignore her. Our pet formulas don't work with God.

Mt 15:25 After she gave up on her formula, Jesus responds. Just as with us, when we give up trying to use the right phrases (praying in King James English), or trying to impress Him and simply fall down in worship and say "Lord help me", then He responds to us in our need.

Mt 15:26 Since Jesus was sent to the Jews (the children) it would not be appropriate to take from the Jews and give to others. Jesus is the bread, the dogs refer to the Gentiles. The dogs refers to a house pet, not a roaming savage dog.

Mt 15:27-28 She responds even the pets get left-overs. She just wanted a crumb from the bread of life. Notice her development from a person using a formula on God to a person who develops genuine faith. The Lord is always trying to grow and mature us.

Healings in Decapolis (Mt 15:29-31, Mk 7:31-37)

Feeding the 4,000 in Decapolis (Mt 15:32-38, Mk 8:1-9)

This is really only a minor miracle. He only fed 4,000 and He had more to work with - 7 loaves and several fish!

Mark tells us this occurred in Decapolis ("ten cities"^[1]). It was a region with a large Greek (Gentile) population. This will become important shortly.

Mt 15:32-33 Jesus has compassion on the multitude since they had not eaten. The disciples don't have a clue how to handle this, and this might be a surprise to us because they had just seen Him feed 5,000 people miraculously. Had they already forgotten? Perhaps not. Remember, this is Gentile territory. It was one thing to do miracles in Israel, but really Lord, can you work in this heathen Gentile territory?

And we have the same problem. We see how God can work in some areas, but can He really work in the least churched county in the least churched state in the United States (Lane county, Oregon)? Yes He can. We must never think God can only work in certain areas that are "religious". This was the disciples mistake.

Mt 15:34-39 Jesus takes seven loaves and a few fish and feeds the multitude.

Return to Galilee and encounter with the Pharisees and Sadducees (Mt 15:39-16:4, Mk 8:10-12)

The Pharisees were continuing to ask for a sign. Jesus responds if they can discern the weather, can't they see the signs of the times? He holds them accountable for the knowledge they have. The only sign they will see is from the prophet Jonah. If all you know about the story of Jonah is from Sunday School as a child, take the time to rediscover the story. It's a short book, only 4 short chapters. But many miracles are in it's pages (perhaps the largest in the Old Testament, and NOT the whale thing).

Warning about the error of the Pharisees, Sadducees and Herodians (Mt 16:5-12, Mk 8:13-21)

Mt 16:6 Leaven is again a symbol of something bad. The Holy Spirit is consistent in His use of idioms.

Mt 16:7 Oh, how thankful I am the disciples didn't understand every thing. Their confusion causes Jesus to explain many things.

Mt 16:8-10 Jesus points out He can't be speaking of physical bread, since He has just provided food for many thousands. He obviously means something else.

Mt 16:12 The disciples finally figure it out.

Healing a blind man at Bethsaida (Mk 8:22-26)

We see Jesus heal a person in a different way. Not to belabor a point, but it's critical to remember we can't use formulas with God. He uses many different ways to accomplish His work. Just because we see God move in a certain church or in a certain way in a person's life does NOT mean if we do the same things they do we will get the same blessing. It doesn't work that way.

Jesus spits on his eyes. There's a method we don't often see in those so-called "healing services". I wonder why not?

^[1] PC Bible Atlas for Windows

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