Thru the Bible

Steve Schwetz: Don't mix religion and politics. Isn't that one of the unwritten rules of polite conversation? Welcome to Through the Bible. We're about to witness a moment when Jesus himself stepped into the intersection of faith and politics. So open your Bible to Mark 7 and while you're finding your place, I want to share a couple of letters from our fellow Bible Bus travelers. First, we got a note from George who tells us back in 1993 right after getting out of the Army, I trusted the Lord for my salvation. I discovered your program shortly after. I was able to listen to the radio at work in a basement showroom.

There was a young man, some guy named Steve, announcing and I would listen every day. After a year, I left for Bible College in Fort Worth, Texas and I was on and off with TTB. Fast forward 30 years and now I'm a trucker and have gotten away from the Lord. While driving, I got to thinking about Through the Bible and I wondered if they had a podcast. So I looked and lo and behold, you do. I listen to many podcasts, but I try to start my day with yours. I listened again for the first time and heard Steve's familiar voice.

Wow, what a testimony of faithfulness. Thank you for this ministry and God bless you. I'm trying to complete my first trip and this has helped me restore a relationship with the Lord. Well, thanks for your service and for your note, George, and welcome back to the Bible Bus. We're grateful that God has used his word to draw you back to himself. So keep showing up and I'm going to keep saving your seat. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon either. And from Mary, we hear this. I jumped on the bus halfway through, but now that we started our route over, I'm going to be able to hear every book.

I don't plan on getting off. The teaching reinforces what I've learned already. In Genesis, I was able to better understand why Cain's offering was not acceptable. There are other things I have learned as well. I also like hearing updates on souls being saved by getting the true word of God out. Well, it's great to hear from you, Mary. Thanks for writing and sharing what God's teaching you. And you know that we'd love to hear from you too. So why don't you tell us what you're learning as you travel the highways and byways of Scripture with us?

Is there maybe a study or a passage that's particularly impacted your life? You can send us a note through our app. You can email us at biblebus@ttb.org. You can also mail your letter to Box 7100, Pasadena, California 91109. If you're in Canada, Box 25325, London, Ontario N6C 6B1. And you can also call and leave a message anytime at 1-800-65 Bible. Let's pray. Father, thank you for the truth of your word and for the way it changes lives. Open our hearts to receive what you have for us and then help us to follow Jesus more faithfully.

In his name we pray. Amen. Here's Dr. J. Vernon McGee with our study of Mark 7 on Through the Bible.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Now this chapter that we are coming to today is much briefer than the last chapter. It had 56 verses and we frankly had to move fast to cover it. Today we are in a chapter that has 37 verses, but again a very important chapter that carries out the theme of Mark, which is to show that the Lord Jesus is God's servant doing God's will. He's a man of action and that he is doing the things that would appeal to a Roman of that day and any person who's looking for someone who can get the job done.

And that's the wonderful thing about him as a savior. He can save and he's the only one who can. We have in this chapter three incidents. First, the Lord Jesus rebukes the Pharisees. He casts the demon out of the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman and he heals the deaf and dumb man. Now let's look at this for just a moment. This first incident where he rebukes the Pharisees. You will note and many of you were in that period and have our notes on between the Testaments. And during the time of the close of the Old Testament to the opening of the New Testament, you'll note that many things took place.

In one sense, this is the most eventful part of the history of the nation Israel. And during this period, and it came about first during the time of their captivity and then when they returned to the land, there were the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the scribes and the Herodians. Now evidently Ezra was a scribe and probably the founder of that group. Now the Pharisees rose to defend the Jewish way of life against all foreign influences. They were strict legalists. They believed in the Old Testament and they were nationalists in their politics. They wanted to bring the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God so into your viewpoint here to pass on there.

And the Sadducees, they were made up of the wealthy and the socially minded. Actually, they had very little spiritual depth, none whatsoever. They wanted to get rid of tradition. They rejected the supernatural. They were opposed to the Pharisees who accepted the supernatural and the Old Testament. They were closely akin to the Greek Epicureans by the way. And then the scribes, they were a group of professional expounders of the law. They obviously go back to Ezra and they became in our Lord's day hair splitters and they were more concerned with the letter of the law than with the spirit of the law.

That I think is one of the great problems that we have today that there has been put into our laws in this country, this hair splitting method and the philosophical interpretation that was never intended. I believe that is what comes out of certain law schools in the East. And as a result, our legal system, our political system is in a mess today in this country. And that is why it happened to religion in our Lord's day. Then there were the Herodians. They were strictly a party to try to keep the Herods on the throne. Now we find here as we come to this chapter with that background, let me read.

Then came together under him the Pharisees and certain of the scribes which came from Jerusalem. Now you'll notice that the impression that our Lord is made on Jerusalem is brought these men out of Jerusalem to the place where he was ministering in Galilee. And also it will take them across the Jordan River into the area of Decapolis, that is where there were 10 cities. We'll see that in a moment. Now verse two. And when they saw some of the disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say with unwashed hands, they found fault for the Pharisees and all Jews except they washed their hands off eat not holding the tradition of the elders.

And when they were come from the market except they washed they eat not and many other things there be which they have received the whole is the washing of cups and pots and brazen vessels and of tables. Now let's look at that for just a moment because this is quite interesting, I think here, that a crisis is arising about the person of Christ or the person of Jesus. The opening statement here reveals then came together under him the Pharisees, certain of the scribes. And back in chapter 6 at verse 30 we saw that the apostles gathered together under Jesus and told him all things that they had done.

You see it's coming to a crisis now. He has sent them out. They've come back and reported and now there's coming out to him and there's bound to be here a confrontation between the Lord Jesus and his followers and the Pharisees and their followers. And they were two groups therefore coming together around him. The first group was made up of his friends, his followers, and those who loved him. And the second group comprised his enemies who sought to destroy him. It has ever been this way. There are two groups, those who trust him and those who reject him.

And that's true today and very personally, what group are you in? Makes all the difference in the world. It's not whether you're a member of a church, you've been through a ceremony, what's your relationship to Jesus Christ? That's the thing that's all important. Now this obviously was a special delegation from Jerusalem and they were sent to Galilee to spy up on Jesus. Now they were the intellectual opponents sent to trap the Lord Jesus. And believe me, the way that our Lord defended himself is to me another proof of his deity. Never man spake as he spake.

That's the testimony of his enemies. Now it wasn't difficult for them to find some fault, of course, for Jesus entirely ignored their tradition. Now what was their tradition? They were actually not criticizing the disciples here for a breach of etiquette. It wasn't Emily Post that was bothering them, but the fact that the Lord was not having them keep their traditions, which was an interpretation of the Old Testament. And this was ceremonial cleansing and hadn't anything to do with a sanitary measure. And Mark explains for the benefit of the Romans that this custom of ceremonial cleansing was peculiar to Israel and it was.

God gave them a great deal about cleansing. When we go back, when we finish Mark, we'll go back to Leviticus. And Leviticus is to my judgment one of the most important books in the Bible. Now when we go back there, we're going to find out that cleansing was very important. We'll see why that God was teaching them a great lesson in that. Now they have built tradition on that at this time. They had built up a tradition that was supposed to be an interpretation of the Mosaic law. And actually some of them contended that Moses had given these traditions when he gave the law.

And in time these traditions became interpretations of the interpretations of the law. And of course, eventually there was a wide departure from the intent of the law. Now they had here something that is much in detail. Let's look at it. Verse four. When they come from the market except they wash they eat not and many other things there be which they have received to hold is the washing of cups and pots, brazen vessels and of tables. All of this and it was a burdensome sort of thing entirely outward. And the word by the way for washing is baptism.

They baptized cups, pots, religious objects, even beds. Now this is a religion with a vengeance, friends, and you see you get involved in going through a ritual of religion and you forget that the whole purpose is that a human being might be made right with God and there should be a relationship established. So many people will argue points of religion when it's the person of Jesus Christ that we should be concerned with. Now will you notice here in verse five, then the Pharisees and scribes ask him, why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?

Now this accusation that they lodge against his disciples was of course really an accusation against him personally because these were his followers. Now will you notice how our Lord deals with them and he doesn't deal with them tenderly at all. He answered and said under them, well hath Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites. Now that's not gentle, I would say. As it is written, this people honoreth me with their lips, but their hearts far from me. Now friend, that's a very important statement that he gives. They were just hypocrites mean they were acting apart, playing apart.

It was the word used for actors on the stage. They were going through a religious ritual without experiencing any reality at all. The lips and the heart might as well belong to two separate persons and they had no more heart experience than a wooden dummy upon the knee of a ventriloquist. My friend, there are a lot of people that are just going through a ritual in church today. The heart must be involved if it's genuine that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. People get involved today in creeds and church confessions and public worship and dress and even our separation and all of it can become a matter of tradition and not a direct and personal dealing with the Lord Jesus Christ. And notice as he goes on here, howbeit in vain do they worship me teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Worship is empty when the rules of men are substituted for the word of God. Now we come to the very heart of the matter for laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of man as the washing of pots and cups and many other such like things ye do.

That was the whole thing. They were substituting their traditions of man for the word of God. Now actually a tradition could be good. He said under them, full well you reject the commandment of God that you may keep your own tradition. Now a tradition may be excellent when it's first given, but it becomes evil if it's a substitute for the word of God in later generations and that 's what it happened for these people here. And I think that's the reason that so many denominations today have departed from the word of God. They first substituted a creed for the word of God, then they began to substitute the word of man and the thinking of man and their little ritual and their little denomination.

And before long the word of God went out the window. That's happened again and again. Now he goes on in verse 10 here and he says, for Moses said, honor thy father and thy mother and whoso curse the father or mother, let him die the death. Now he gives them an example of what they were doing. Now that was what Moses said, that honor their father and mother. Now here's the tradition. But ye say if a man shall say to his father or mother, it's Corban, that is to say a gift, but whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me, he shall be free.

And ye suffer him no more to do aught for his father or his mother, making the word of God of none effect through your tradition which you have delivered and many such like things ye do. Now notice what he's saying here. It is a tremendous thing because their tradition permitted them to escape the responsibility to their parents. And if a man did not want to help his father and mother when they became old and needy, he would dedicate his possessions to the priests in the temple and it was called Corban. That means a gift. And at the man's death his estate went to the temple and he was relieved of his responsibility to his parents.

This tradition, my friend, was pernicious and it contradicted the intent of the law of God, that is to honor their father and their mother. There is today a great danger of folk giving to that which they've just been appealed to by someone personally. And there are literally thousands of Christian organizations today that have men out in the field. They're just combing the highways and byways finding people to give to an organization. Well, may I say to you that there is a grave danger in that. There's certain personal responsibilities that people have and I want to be very frank and we have a radio program here and we depend on folk.

Well, we haven't anybody out in the field. There'll be nobody coming from this program into the community or the area where there is a pastor and a good church and interview his people. His people will have to give because they want to give, not because they have been appealed to. I think we're in grave danger today. I feel that folk's first responsibility is to a good church that they belong to. And that's the only kind of church they ought to belong to. Now you can see this is tremendous that he's talking about here. Now I want to move on down because he goes into a great deal of detail here, which is, I think, very important.

It all has to do with that which is external and that which is internal, that which is real. And he shows here that religion is not something that you can rub on as you do a salve. It's not something that you eat or refrain from eating. Now you'll notice when he entered into the house, they came to him, verse 18. He saith under them, are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive that whatsoever thing from without entereth in to the man, it cannot defile him because it entereth not into his heart, but into his belly and goeth out into the draught purging all meats?

And he said, that which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man far from within, out of the heart of man proceed evil thoughts. Now this is what comes out of man, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile the man. And I'll guarantee you that if you'll buy your morning paper wherever you live and will read the paper, you'll find out this is what came out of man during the last 24 hours in the world, adulteries, fornications, murders, and angers murder, you know.

Thefts loafing on the job is stealing, covetousness, my grasping and greediness for material things and positions today. That's covetousness and that's what comes out of man, wickedness, all that acts that are intended to hurt people, deceit. That's the pretense that people put up. Lasciviousness is sensuality. Evil eye, that's envy. And slander against God or man is blasphemy and pride. God hates this above all else, he says. And foolishness, acts done without any respect of God or man. These are the things that come out of the heart of man and that's the reason the Lord Jesus said, you must be born again.

Now we have this incident of the Syrophoenician woman. We've had this before. You'll recall that our Lord went into this country, stepped out of his own land. This woman was a Greek. She was a citizen of Tyre and she came to Jesus in faith. And the word daughter means it's the diminutive, which means she's just a little girl. And our Lord's treatment of her may appear brutal at first, but you'll remember that in the Gospel of Matthew, you have there the dispensational interpretation, which I think reveals here something that is tremendous, the accuracy of the four Gospels.

Now this is another conspicuous example of the faith of one on the outside. And our Lord answered her petition and the question arises, did he really come to that area for the specific purpose of answering the faith of this woman? Now in verse 31 and again departing from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, you see he's been out of the country now. He came under the Sea of Galilee through the midst of the coast of Decapolis. Now Decapolis is really translated 10 cities. And they're in the area near the Sea of Galilee. Now the list includes the following, Scythopolis, Hippos, Gadara, Pella, Philadelphia, Gerasa, Dion, Canatha, Raphana, Damascus.

I was at the ruins of Gerasa, of Jerish as it's called today. And I thought my this is one of the places my Lord came and he taught and the crowds came in those cities. He had a tremendous ministry in this area. And we're told and they bring under him one that was deaf and had an impediment in his speech. And they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude, put his fingers into his ears and he spat and touched his tongue. And may I say all these were aids to faith.

And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said under him, Ephphatha. That is, be open. And straightway his ears were open and the string of his tongue was loosed and he spake plain. He charged them that they should tell no man. But the more he charged them so much, the more a great deal they published it and were beyond measure astonished saying, he hath done all things well. He maketh both the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak. And the whole thought here reveals the fact that this was the condition of the man, I think, caused Jesus to use this method.

His ears were first open so that he could hear. And it was apparently useless to try to get the crowd to remain silent now. And this is the miracle that brought a great impetus in enlarging the ministry of the Lord Jesus, which had already broken all bounds. And at this time pressure upon Jesus was humanly unbearable. And in spite of the pressure put upon him, the burdens of the multitudes, the tension of the times, the long busy days, the weariness of the body, the crowd could say, he hath done all things well. And we just add our word to it and say, we agree with it.

He does today all things well. A glorious chapter, friends. We move on to chapter eight next time. So until next time, may God richly bless you, my beloved.

Steve Schwetz: Go deeper in God's word by checking out the resources at ttb.org or call 1-800-65 Bible for help finding what you're looking for. I'm Steve Schwetz, grateful for your company on the Bible Bus.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Through the Bible exists to take God's whole word to the whole world and we invite you to stand with us with your faithful prayer and financial support. Where will God's word go today?