Lenten Tour of the Gospels

Mark 7: Poles Apart

"Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'?"

Although the crowds sometimes have difficulty accepting Jesus' message, as long as he keeps healing people they tag along. On the other hand, the religious, political and intellectual establishments all strongly oppose Jesus but cannot manage to loosen his grip on the common people. The Pharisees, in particular, keep trying to trap him in a major blunder that might turn the people- or the government- against him.

In many ways, the Pharisees make an odd set of enemies for Jesus, for most people would rank them as strict and religious. Although the Pharisees work hard to follow the Old Testament law, Jesus can see right through their pious behavior. He blasts them for focusing on the outside while neglecting far greater dangers from within.

The Pharisees are strict legalists, and Jesus reacts with surprising harshness to such seemingly petty matters. By concentrating on all the rules, the Pharisees risk missing the whole point of the Gospel. Showy forms of legalism do not move anyone closer to God; in fact, they tend to make people proud, cliquish and self-righteous.

One way Jesus exposes the hypocricy in the Pharisees' attitude is by publicly healing people on the sacred Sabbath. Fully aware that such acts will scandalize strict Pharisees, he goes ahead anyway, insisting that compassion for needy people must take precedence over tradition. Sure enough, they care more about keeping the rules than healing the sick.