(chapter 8 will follow in the next issue)
Observe the Text to understand the author’s meaning:
Read 7:1-13. What is the problem in vs 1-2 that the Pharisees and scribes, “saw” (at this point they are not accusing). Notice where the Pharisees and scribes are from.
What is the “law” that the Pharisees observe according to vs 3-4? In vs 5-6 what is the question or challenge that these Pharisees confront Jesus with? According to the Pharisees who wrote the law that they want obeyed?
What is Jesus’ response in vs 6-7? Does he deny it? What does he accuse the Pharisees of?
Does Jesus say “doctrine” or teaching about God’s law is wrong? What is wrong? Read Is 29:13-16.
In vs 8 Jesus describes the heart of the problem which is a focus throughout Scripture. What is the problem?
Does this mean that we are to ignore God’s laws? How are our religious, civil and cultural laws to relate to God’s laws?
Jesus then gives an example in vs 9-13 of how pharisitical laws supersede God’s laws. Both laws cannot be obeyed and the Pharisees want their laws obeyed. What happens to God’s law? Do you see this as the Pharisees claiming to be a higher authority than God?
Read Ex 20:12, Deu 5:16, Ex 21:17, Lev 20:9. What was the punishment for not honoring parents?
What would the response of the Pharisees be toward Jesus who openly despised and condemned their law?
Read 7:14-15. Jesus then explains further to the multitude who were listening to his exchange with the Pharisees. What does he tell them?
For those who were not ready to reject the Pharisees’ law and obey God’s laws, how does this help them understand the Pharisees’ hand washing law?
The Pharisees’ law was not for physical cleanliness but spiritual holiness. What is Jesus saying?
How does one become holy or clean before God?
Read 7:16-23. What laws does Jesus now reject? Were these part of the OT?
Can you relate vs 21-22 to the 10 Commandments—the moral law. Jesus rejects the Pharisees’ law and the cultic-jewishness laws but not the moral laws.
Read 7:24-30. This whole chapter deals with the Law and authority. God has authority to give us commands. Human beings do not have greater authority than God to create laws which contradict God’s laws.
Contrast the two narratives. 7:1-13 and 7:24-30. Who comes to Jesus? Where from? What is their heritage? What if any is their relationship through the covenant? Who is privileged? Who should have recognized Jesus as the Son of God? Who bows before Jesus? Don’t the Pharisees want Jesus to “bow” to them by obeying their law? Who is humble before Jesus, deserving nothing, yet asking for healing? Who receives healing? who is condemned?
Now, who are the “children” in vs 27? What does Jesus mean when he says it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs?
Read 7:31-37. The Decapolis is the same area as Geresenes in chapter 5. The Decapolis identifies ten Greek cities all but one east of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus is staying in the northern part of Israel and in Gentile territory.
Notice Jesus’ reference to ears and hearing in 7:16 in relation to the Pharisees and Jews. Those with ears don’t hear but here a man who is deaf “hears.” Explain.
Read Isaiah 35:2b-6, Is 29:18-24(notice 29:13 was quoted earlier in this chapter), Is 42:5-7. In light of Isaiah, what is Mark 7:37 saying about who Jesus is?
Jesus could have just spoken and the man would have been healed. Yet, what effect would the visible acts have on the multitude?
Why do you think Jesus told the people to tell no one?
Interpret the Text
1. What is the response of the official “church” leadership to Jesus? Why? What is the response of the disciples? What is the response of the Gentiles? Do you see this as a caution for us?
2. What is Jesus’ understanding of God’s Law? What is his understanding of the Pharisees’ law?
Are people saved(or healed) by the law? In other words is obedience a requirement for Christ to heal and act? Nevertheless, does he demand obedience from those who know the law?
3. What is this chapter saying about who Jesus is? As the fulfillment of the OT? As the Messiah? We have seen where Jesus was identified with the Kingdom of God as God, as King, now as Messiah.
Bible Study Notes
(Compare these notes to your thoughts after you have looked at the passages and answered the questions yourself)
Mark 7:1-13. The Pharisees and scribes who were entrusted with teaching people the law so they might have life, are the ones who force people to break God’s law in order to obey their man-made laws.
Often we misinterpret that the NT is grace and the OT is law and what we really mean by that is situational ethics. We place “love” above the law and declare that we are free to do anything which we evaluate as loving. Look at how the Larger and Smaller Catechism define the first and second great commandments as the summary of the Law. Jesus continually pointed to the right understanding of the moral law and the deep meaning of it. He rejected human laws that superseded God’s laws. He rejected human claims to have more authority than God.
The Confessions of the Church do not distinguish between the OT and NT as law and grace. For example, the Westminster confession says there are two covenants, the old which is works and the new which is grace. The old ended with Adam and his disobedience. The new is from Adam on.
God’s law was never seen as curse by the Hebrews. It was a delight. See Ps 119. The laws that Jesus objected to were the man made tradition, the laws of the Pharisees. He objected to these because they caused people to neglect the commandments of God.
Mark 7:16-23. Now Jesus teaches the disciples in more depth. Notice again the disciples lack of understanding. “Defiled” means common or ceremonially unclean.
“Holy” is set aside for God’s use. Now Jesus is not just talking about clean hands but the type of food one eats. Jesus deepened the original teaching to include rejecting food laws which were part of the OT law. These were given by God. These laws that dealt with identifying Jews as a separate people—the kosher laws—were superseded by Christ. These “cultic” laws also included temple rituals.
Mark 7:24-30. Tyre and Sidon are in northern most Palestine. The people who lived there were Canaanites. In Matt 15:22, the woman is referred to as a Canaanite. Here the emphasis is that she is a Gentile. She is a non-Jew who is a descendent of the Canaanites who were enemies of the Hebrews in the OT.
Calvin suggests the bread referred to is, “the blessing which was to be hoped for in Christ.”
Jesus’ questions challenge her—will she go to any one, any god, any magician to see if they will heal her daughter or does she have faith in him as the Jewish Messiah. Is she coming to him as the Redeemer of Israel or is she coming because she will try anything and anyone? Her answer shows that she knows who he is and is responding to him.
Jesus did come to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel”. The Gospel of Matthew is very clear about this. It is only after the resurrection when the Jews have rejected Jesus that the way is opened for Gentiles. Paul speaks of this in Romans 11:1, 28ff.
This narrative stresses one of the important themes found throughout Scripture. The Jews, especially the Pharisees in Jerusalem, who should have recognized and worshiped the One who fulfilled the OT laws and prophecies, instead reject Jesus out of their sinful arrogance and pride. The one who has no standing, in humility recognizes Jesus and receives healing.
The miracle of the covenant is that those who were formerly dogs become children. We are offended at this text because we do not want to admit we were all dogs before becoming children of the covenant. Calvin says, “The pride of the flesh needs to be humbled to the ground when we hear that by origin we are dogs….Although in the beginning the image of God shone in human nature by the sin of Adam all became degenerate-”(in other words-dogs.)
Mark 7:31-37. Calvin offers that Jesus touched the man’s ears and put spittle on his tongue to show that we receive speech and hearing from Christ. When we hear Christ’s words then we have something to say. Notice that after Christ healed the man, in vs 36, the people “proclaim it.” Their message was to announce the fulfillment of the prophecy.
Jesus’ touching, healing, sighing, speaking, shows that we are individuals. Christ doesn’t heal the multitude from a distance but touches, sighs, speaks to us as individuals.
This study first appeared in Theology Matters, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Jan/Feb 1996).
