Mark 7:6-9
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; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!Lately I've been struggling with a fine line between being in the world and of the world and how that applies to my Christian faith. How far is too far? How far is not far enough? The bible says to be in the world sharing Christ, being a witness through our testimony as well as in our actions. The verse above seems to make this line even thinner. We are called to hold to the commandments of God and to stay away from the tradition of men.
In the "Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary" by Robert B. Hughes, Ph.D and J. Carl Laney, Th.D the commentary focuses on the Pharisees and how they had began to take Jewish rituals and commandments too far, making the washing of hands about hygiene instead of as a sign for spiritual cleanliness to God. The pharisees began to focus so much on the ritual itself and putting greatest importance on it that they had forgotten the true reason for the requirements by God. All of the requirements set forth by God were about obedience, but the pharisees were more concerned about the ritual itself and that it was done properly rather than the true purpose and meaning behind the ritual.
Looking at this verse in context to the rest of Chapter 7 in Mark, the pharisees judge Jesus' disciples because they did not wash their hands before eating bread. The pharisees and Jewish people had rituals that had to be followed when washing their hands, among other ritualistic requirements. Jesus continued in verse 14-16 saying, "When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand: There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. If anyone has earns to hear, let him!".
So again, this is looking more at what we are putting forth to the world. Does my heart match what comes out of my mouth? Or, does my mouth show the truth of my heart? Do I do things like prayer, going to church, etc because of ritual or practice? Or, am doing these things to be edified, filled up and renewed to serve the living God? When I do do these things is it with a true heart or out of obligation?
I'm in a place right now where I am seeking clarity. Is my heart wrong or is the spirit telling me that things just aren't right? Without going into detail about the burdens of my heart, I do know for a fact that I am not handling my feelings in a Godly manner. I have found myself sharing my burdens, but when it comes out, I feel that it sounds more like gossip. I don't mean it to come out this way. What I truly need is God's guidance in how to lay my burdens out and allow God to answer my prayers.
That sentence reminded me of a few lines from a song, "Lay down your burdens, I will carry you, I will carry you My child My child". I find myself seeking consultation from others when the one I truly need to seek is the Lord. I do not want to burden others with my burden nor do I want them to jump onto my bandwagon, I just want someone to share with. I'm finding that I cannot share this burden with others as it only brings them down and makes me look like a gossip and troublemaker.
So, I am going to turn to my Lord and Savior to help me carry this burden and I will call upon the guidance of my husband in the decisions to follow.
For those reading this, please pray for us as we ask God to give us clarity as well as open eyes to see truth.
Thank you Lord for your love and guidance. I'm so thankful that when I feel lost I know that I'm never alone, but that you are waiting for me to call on You for guidance. Lord, help me to turn to you in times of uncertainty instead of others, so that I do not burden them. During this trying and difficult spiritual time for me, Lord help me to still be a light to those around me and to share you good and gracious love with others. Help me to be a light in this world and not a shadow. I know God that You will guide me if only I would open my heart, eyes and ears to your voice. ~Amen
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