The Bible Study Podcast, episode 597.

Today, the Bible Study podcast continues the study of the gospel of Mark with Chapter 7.

Welcome to the Bible Study podcast from your host, Chris Christensen.

We have three different stories in Chapter 7 of Mark.

This one is That Which Defiles.

The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed.

The Pharisees and all the Jews did not eat unless they gave their hands a ceremonial washing,

holding to the tradition of the elders.

When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash,

and they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers, and kettles.

So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus,

Why don't your disciples live according to the traditions of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?

He replied, Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites.

As it is written, these people

honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain. Their

teachings are merely human rules. You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human

traditions. And he continued, you have a fine way of setting aside the

commands of God in order to observe your own traditions. For Moses said, honor your father and mother,

anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death. But you say that if anyone declares

that what might have been used to help their father and mother is Corban that is

devoted to God, then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. Thus, you

nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down, and you do many things

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