Day 7 ~ Mark 7

When reading about how the Pharisees, a person of this time might look at them and see something that is holy. I mean they do all the right things, they say all the right things, they do all the right rituals and keep them in the right order. Man, they even go as far as not eating unless they do a ceremonial wash to make sure that they are “clean”. Boy I tell you, to someone watching these people, they must be holy. The thought process that they must go through for some of these people is “man these guys have set the bar so high as to what is holy and righteous, I don't stand a chance!” One day Jesus and his disciples are eating and the Pharisees asked Jesus, “hey why don’t you make your disciples do the washing before they eat, like the rest of us do, as is tradition?” I would have hated to be in the room right then, because this is when Jesus literally smacks them in the face with the word. He tells them its not about tradition, being clean and unclean. Whatever you do to make yourself look good and all high and mighty is wrong, and that you are no better then a common sinner. The only thing that matters, that makes you holy and righteous, is the condition of your heart. You can look right and say and do the right things, but if your heart is not in the correct condition, it is all pointless and useless. Out of the heart comes repentance, and sanctification, and also out of the condition of the heart comes sin.

To me, if I heard this I would be rejoicing, because that would tell me that ‘hey, these holy rollers are no different then me, I can be just as redeemed and viewed at with the same likeness by God as these guys, if my heart is in the condition that says, what I am, and what I do, is for the glory of God only, and to him I give my all’. Praise God that he views our hearts and not our deeds.

Tanner Butkay