Mark 7:1-9

1 Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem,

2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed.

3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders,

4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.)

5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?”

6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,

“ ‘This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me;

7 in vain do they worship me,

teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!

Main Theme:

God is honored by the right heart, not by lip service detached from obedience.

I. Misguided Worship

Mark 7:1-5

1 Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem,

2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed.

3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders,

4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.)

5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?”

Supporting Scriptures:

Isaiah 29:13 

13 And the Lord said: 

   “Because this people draw near with their mouth 

   and honor me with their lips, 

   while their hearts are far from me, 

Micah 6:6–8

6 “With what shall I come before the LORD, 

   and bow myself before God on high? 

   Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, 

   with calves a year old? 

7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, 

   with ten thousands of rivers of oil? 

   Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, 

   the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” 

8 He has told you, O man, what is good; 

   and what does the LORD require of you 

   but to do justice, and to love kindness, 

   and to walk humbly with your God? 

Matthew 23:23–24

23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 

24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! 

Important Thought:

Worship becomes misguided whenever human traditions become more important than God’s Presence and Voice.

II. To Be Defiled or Undefiled

Mark 7:2-8

2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed.

3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders,

4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.)

5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?”

6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,

“ ‘This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me;

7 in vain do they worship me,

teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

Supporting Scriptures:

1 Samuel 16:7

7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” 

Psalm 51:16–17

16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; 

you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; 

a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 

Jeremiah 17:9–10

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, 

and desperately sick; 

who can understand it? 

10 “I the LORD search the heart 

and test the mind, 

to give every man according to his ways, 

according to the fruit of his deeds.” 

Important Thoughts:

• The religious leaders magnified the writings of the Mishnah and oral traditions above the voice of God.
• Rituals without surrender become hollow worship.

III. Worship Is Much Deeper Than Traditions

Mark 7:6-9

6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,

“ ‘This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me;

7 in vain do they worship me,

teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!

Supporting Scriptures:

John 14:15

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 

Romans 12:1

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 

Deuteronomy 6:4–6

4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 

5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 

6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 

Ezekiel 36:26–27

26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 

27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 

Galatians 5:6

6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. 

1 John 5:2–3

2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 

Important Thoughts:

• The moment the tradition becomes the relationship itself, it loses its purpose.
• God desires transformed hearts that produce obedient lives, not religious performances that hide spiritual distance.
• Obedience is a matter of the heart before it becomes a matter of habit.
• Love is the root; obedience is the fruit; tradition is the trellis—not the tree.

Reflection Questions

1. Do my traditions lead me into a deeper relationship with God, or have they become substitutes for that relationship?
2. Am I more concerned with appearing spiritual before people than being surrendered before God?
3. Do my actions bear witness to a transformed heart, or are my lips and hands moving merely so I can be seen by others?
4. What traditions in my life help me pursue God—and which ones may have become empty routines?
5. If someone examined my life, would they see evidence of love for Christ or merely evidence of religious activity?