Jesus has yet another encounter with the scribes and Pharisees, who were the so-called religious people of His day. They were more concerned about the external actions of a person rather than the true condition of the heart. These groups added their own man-made traditions to Scripture and in many cases their rules took precedence over God’s word. In this particular showdown, the scribes and Pharisees “saw some of His [Jesus'] disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, [and] they found fault. For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders” (7:2-3). The “tradition of the elders” was a source outside of Scripture which men had created and used as the highest authority in Judaism. Oftentimes it took priority over God’s revealed commandments. The problem lies in the fact that God had not commanded these practices of the scribes and Pharisees, yet they were holding Jesus’ disciples accountable for following them. These people began to question Jesus about His disciples failure to obey the ritual (7:5) to which He responded with the words of Isaiah the prophet, “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (7:6). They believed adhering to their list of rules gained them favor with God when in reality it only drove them further from the truth. Jesus goes on to reveal that the scribes and Pharisees “reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition” (7:9). He then exposes their failure to obey God’s commands and replacing it with their own interpretation (7:9-13). The root problem of the scribes and Pharisees was that they depended on obedience to their made up rules in order to “worship” God. Jesus came to expose the impossibility of finding forgiveness through good works. He taught that a man must recognize his inability to find God on his own and therefore humble himself asking for grace. Although the scribes and Pharisees may have appeared “spiritual” on the outside, their hearts were still evil and defiled (7:17-23).
A relationship with God does not come through following a list of rules or regulations, but is granted when a person truly recognizes the sinfulness of their heart and turns to Him for mercy. Mercy and grace are always granted to those who admit their need. All of us must be careful about finding security in a man-made list of rules, even after we receive the forgiveness of God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I believe that God’s word is very clear about what He expects from us, so we should spend our time obeying what He has already revealed, not what we think He is saying. Quit making up rules so that you can find comfort in a system which may be contrary to what God is requiring.
Dear God, help me to obey Your word first and foremost. May I not allow my own interpretations to cloud my relationship with You.
