Pharisees

The Hidden Heart Condition

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14 And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15 There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” 17 And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” – Mark 7:14-23 ESV

A small contingent of scribes and Pharisees had confronted Jesus with an accusation presented in the form of a question. They were demanding that Jesus explain the “shocking” behavior of His disciples.

“Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” – Mark 7:5 ESV

What shocked these pious religious leaders was seeing Jesus’ disciples eat without first properly cleansing their hands.  The word “defiled” translates the Greek word aniptos, meaning “unwashed.”  Mark gives a clue as to what motivated the religious leaders.

For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders… – Mark 7:3 ESV

According to these men, the disciples had violated established protocol. The “tradition of the elders,” or oral law, required all Jews to ceremonially cleanse their hands before eating. Jews were required to wash their hands and say a blessing before any meal that included bread. The ritual, known as netilat yadayim, involved using a cup to pour water onto the hands and letting it flow down to the elbows. The ritual had nothing to do with personal hygiene; it was done for ritual purposes.

According to the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, this ceremony had little practical value.

“When, therefore, some of the Pharisees remarked that our Lord’s disciples ate with ‘unwashen hands,’ it is not to be understood literally that they did not at all wash their hands, but that they did not wash them ceremonially according to their own practice. And this was expected of them only as the disciples of a religious teacher; for these refinements were not practised by the class of people from which the disciples were chiefly drawn.” – Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Jesus was well aware of his accusers’ intentions; these men tried to label Him and His disciples as lawbreakers. But Jesus took the opportunity to teach His followers a valuable lesson on hygiene and holiness.

While the Pharisees focused on the outward practice of hand-washing, Jesus took the conversation deeper. In other words, He went to the “heart” of the matter. Gathering the people around Him, Jesus said, “All of you listen…and try to understand. It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart” (Mark 7:14-15 NLT). And that was all He said.

As usual, Jesus’ reply was short and succinct, but not exactly clear. Mark indicates that even the 12 disciples struggled to understand the meaning behind Jesus’ abbreviated lesson. When they were alone with Jesus, they asked Him to explain what they understood to be another of His parables. But this was less a parable than it was a moral object lesson. Jesus’ comment was prompted by the scribes’ and Pharisees’ emphasis on ritualistic cleansing. These men cared about appearances and used their lengthy list of man-made rules to promote and prove their own righteousness. Their behavior was a badge of honor. Rule-keeping became their primary measure of righteousness. But Jesus cared more about the inside than the outside. On another occasion, He leveled a stinging accusation against the Pharisees, exposing the farcical nature of their religious rule-keeping.

“You are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence!” – Matthew 23:25 NLT

These attacks on the well-respected religious leaders always left the disciples scratching their heads. Weren’t the scribes and Pharisees meant to be revered for their obvious displays of righteousness? How could Jesus get away with calling them hypocrites and blind guides? Why did He feel the constant need to anger them?

But Jesus was trying to teach His disciples that mankind’s problem was not physical but spiritual. It all had to do with the condition of the heart. No amount of outward cleansing or ritual purification could produce a holy heart. So, He reiterated His original statement one more time, but with further clarification.

“Can’t you see that the food you put into your body cannot defile you? Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.” – Mark 7:18 NLT

Food was little more than fuel, taken into the body for energy, then discarded as waste. Washing hands, pots, pans, and the food itself, while beneficial for personal hygiene, had no value for a person’s spiritual condition. Food can give energy to the human heart, but it can do nothing to influence the moral state of the human soul, either positively or negatively. Drinking from a ritually cleansed cup may make one feel purer, but it is nothing more than a facade, an exercise in self-deception.

Mark adds another important parenthetical statement to further clarification.

By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes. – Mark 7:19 NLT

This expanded explanation most likely escaped the disciples. But it became clearer to them when Jesus ascended into heaven after His resurrection. In the days after Jesus departed and the Holy Spirit descended, the disciples obeyed His commission and took the gospel to Jerusalem, Judea, and the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Even Gentiles accepted the free gift of God’s grace made possible through faith in Jesus Christ. As a result, they received the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God. The addition of Gentile converts to the early church produced an important debate among the disciples about the role of the Mosaic law in the lives of these former pagans.

There were those, like Peter, who believed that any Gentiles who came to faith should be required to keep the Jewish religious laws, just as they did. But Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, pushed back against this unnecessary requirement. In doing so, he did not denigrate or dismiss God’s law, but simply denied that salvation came by faith alone in Christ alone, with no additional requirements. Paul argued vehemently that the law had no place in these Gentile converts’ lives. The Jewish dietary laws no longer applied, and even the Jewish rite of circumcision was to be set aside.

For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. – Romans 2:28-29 NLT

It was all about the heart, and that was the very point Jesus was trying to make with His disciples. Knowing their hardened hearts (Mark 6:52 made it difficult for them to grasp the meaning behind His teaching, Jesus spoke plainly and simply.

“It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.” – Mark 7:20-23 NLT

This less-than-flattering list resembles one in Paul’s letter to the believers in Galatia.

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. – Galatians 5:19-21 NLT

These ungodly, unholy, and unrighteous actions do not result from unwashed hands but from an unregenerate heart. Man’s heart is wicked and controlled by his sinful nature. It is not the result of poor living conditions, improper hygiene, insufficient education, or failing to keep a list of religious rules.

James reminds us, “Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death” (James 1:14-16 NLT). The prophet Jeremiah adds, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9 NLT).

So Jesus was trying to communicate a deep, abiding truth about the nature of man’s sinful state. No amount of ritual cleansing would solve the problem. The Pharisees cleansed the outside of “the cup,” but missed the real problem. Like all men, they suffered from a serious heart condition that was untreatable by human means. Even their strict adherence to the laws of Moses and their faithful keeping of the traditions of the fathers could do nothing to render their hearts holy and acceptable to God.

As Paul told the Galatian believers, “It is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, ‘It is through faith that a righteous person has life’” (Galatians 3:11 NLT).

This was news to the disciples, and it contradicted everything they had been taught as young boys in the local synagogue. Jesus was letting them know that the problem of sin was far greater and more pervasive than they realized. Man’s defilement and condemnation before God was an internal problem, not an external one, and there was only one solution. And He was standing right in front of them.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

You Missed the Point

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53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. 54 And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him 55 and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well. 

2 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! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 11 But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)— 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, 13 thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.” – Mark 6:53-7:13 ESV

One can only imagine the conversations that took place in the boat as the disciples made their way to the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Just minutes earlier, they had been fighting the winds and waves of a ferocious storm when Jesus suddenly appeared to them, walking on the water. Not recognizing their friend and teacher, they thought He was some kind of ghostly apparition. But Jesus spoke to them, entered the boat, and calmed the storm around them. The rest of their trip to the region of Gennesaret must have been filled with whispered discussions about what they had just witnessed.

These men, desperately trying to take in everything that had happened over the last few days, struggled to reconcile their experiences with their expectations. They wanted to believe Jesus was the Messiah, and He had given ample evidence to convince them, but they were still doubtful. Mark indicates that “they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in” (Mark 6:52 NLT).

Arriving in Gennesaret, they disembarked and were immediately engulfed by crowds trying to reach Jesus. News of their arrival spread quickly, and before long they found themselves immersed in the circus-like atmosphere that followed Jesus.

Wherever he went—in villages, cities, or the countryside—they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed. – Mark 6:56 NLT

It seems the people of Gennesaret had heard rumors about the woman who had touched the edge of Jesus’ robe and was healed. This news emboldened people to take matters into their own hands, resulting in Jesus being swarmed as they tried to touch Him to be healed. And Jesus graciously allowed them to invade His personal space so that “all who touched him were healed” (Mark 6:56 NLT).

But others wanted to lay their hands on Jesus, not to be healed but so that they might arrest Him. A contingent of Pharisees and scribes arrived from Jerusalem solely to find evidence to convict Jesus of breaking the law and justify His arrest. As experts in the Mosaic Law, the scribes and Pharisees were well equipped for the task the high priest had given them. Their extensive knowledge of Israel’s written and oral laws gave them a virtual treasure trove of potential rule violations with which to convict Jesus. Surely He was breaking some obscure law they could use as evidence against Him. If nothing else, they hoped to discredit Jesus by portraying Him as ignorant of God’s laws or guilty of willfully ignoring them.

So it is no surprise that they approached Jesus and demanded that He explain his disciples’ questionable behavior.

“Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” – Mark 7:6 ESV

To help his readers understand, Mark provides a parenthetical explanation of Jewish purification rites.

The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands, as required by their ancient traditions. Similarly, they don’t eat anything from the market until they immerse their hands in water. This is but one of many traditions they have clung to—such as their ceremonial washing of cups, pitchers, and kettles. – Mark 7:3-4 NLT

These “ancient traditions” were not part of the Mosaic Law but had been created and passed down by men. Essentially, they were man-made add-ons to God’s law, unrelated to physical cleanliness or hygiene. People followed these rules and rituals to demonstrate and declare their righteousness; it was all about appearances. Jesus would later say of them, “They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. Everything they do is for show” (Matthew 23:4-5 NLT).

He goes on to level serious accusations against these self-ascribed icons of righteousness.

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.” – Matthew 23:25-28 NLT

Their righteousness was a facade, a carefully crafted image meant to obscure the true condition of their hearts. And when these men confronted Jesus about the unacceptable habits of His disciples, He responded by quoting Scripture.

“You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,

‘These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship is a farce,
    for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’

For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.” – Mark 7:6-8 NLT

Jesus used the Old Testament Scriptures against them. Using the writings of one of their revered prophets, Jesus exposed their self-righteous indignation for what it was: nothing more than prideful pretense. They were hypocrites and pretenders. In fact, the Greek word hypokritēs referred to an actor in a play, someone who assumed another’s character.

These men had fooled everyone into believing that they were holy and righteous. But they made their own man-made rules more important than God’s commands. They gave precedence to their “traditions,” even creating loopholes that let them violate God’s laws.

“You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition.” – Mark 7:9 NLT

Jesus gave specific examples of how they treated God’s laws unfairly.

“For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’ But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’” – Mark 7:10-11 NLT

Jesus was referring to their law of corban. This man-made law allowed someone to dedicate something as an offering to God without requiring them to relinquish possession of it. As Jesus reveals, it was nothing more than a convenient way to tie up assets so they wouldn’t have to share them with others. This directly violated God’s law. The Ten Commandments made it clear that the Jews were to honor their parents, and in a society that lacked any kind of welfare system, this would have included the provision of financial support. But corban provided a convenient loophole. By dedicating their resources to God, a Jew could avoid providing assistance to their needy parents. But because they weren’t required to turn their dedicated assets over to God immediately, they could use them for their own benefit. Jesus exposed the law of corban for what it was: Lawlessness.

“In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents. And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition.” – Mark 7:12-13 NLT

These men had no right to question Jesus about His disciples’ behavior. In his estimation, they were like whitewashed tombs, clean and pristine on the outside, but full of spiritual decay. Their sanctimonious self-righteousness was little more than a poorly veiled display of moral pretense and hypocrisy.

By trying to judge Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees left themselves open to judgment, and Jesus did not hold back. He wanted His disciples to understand that God’s laws always took precedence over men’s rules and regulations. Jesus came to fulfill every one of the laws given by His Heavenly Father. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus declared His God-ordained mission: to fulfill every one of God’s laws.

“Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.” – Matthew 5:17-19 NLT

The scribes and Pharisees ignored God’s law and replaced it with their own. This fateful decision made them the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. Their desire to appear righteous before men rendered them unrighteous before God. These men cared more about their reputations than about honoring God. Obsessed with making and keeping their own set of religious standards, they lost sight of God’s will for their lives. Centuries earlier, the prophet Micah had accused the people of Israel of succumbing to the same self-righteous, short-sighted mindset.

What can we bring to the Lord?
    Should we bring him burnt offerings?
Should we bow before God Most High
    with offerings of yearling calves?
Should we offer him thousands of rams
    and ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Should we sacrifice our firstborn children
    to pay for our sins?

No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
    and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
    and to walk humbly with your God. – Micah 6:6-8 NLT

They had missed the forest for the trees. In their vain attempt to appear righteous, they worked diligently to keep God’s laws, but failed to understand God’s heart. Jesus summed up the whole intent of God’s law when He said, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40 NLT).

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Healing Faith

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21 And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. 22 Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet 23 and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” 24 And he went with him.

And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. 25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” 29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 And he looked around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” – Mark 5:21-34 ESV

The disciples sailed back to the opposite shore with their minds filled with the images of the herd of demon-possessed swine plummeting over the cliff into the sea and the former demoniac sitting calmly at the feet of Jesus. It had been a whirlwind 24 hours. They had witnessed Jesus calm a violent storm and restore a demon-possessed man to sanity. In addition, they had heard those demons refer to their master as the “Jesus, Son of the Most High God” (Mark 5:7 ESV). With the demons’ testimony still ringing in their ears, they had unknowingly received the answer to the question they had posed earlier. After witnessing the miracle of Jesus calming the storm, they asked, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:41 ESV).

They had their answer, but Jesus was not done revealing His true identity. More God-ordained encounters in the days ahead would provide further proof that Jesus was who He claimed to be and who the demons confessed Him to be.

After their brief but eventful trip to the region of Decapolis, Jesus and His disciples found themselves immediately surrounded by a large crowd. Mark gives the impression that, before Jesus could even disembark from the boat, the masses had lined the shoreline. Luke supports that idea by adding, “they were all waiting for him” (Luke 8:40 ESV).

Still standing by the sea and surrounded by a crowd, Jesus was approached by a man named Jairus, a ruler in the local synagogue. This man was not a professional priest, but a layman responsible for conducting Sabbath services and overseeing the synagogue’s ongoing care. His role would have made him a recognized and well-respected member of the local community. His high-visibility position likely gave him familiarity with the Pharisees and other religious rulers of Israel. So, when he kneeled at the feet of Jesus before a large gathering of his own neighbors and friends, he was taking a great risk, not only personally but professionally.

We know from John’s gospel that the religious leaders of Israel were intensifying their efforts to discredit Jesus and prevent the people from following Him. John records an occasion when Jesus healed a man who had been blind from birth. The Pharisees interrogated the man’s parents, questioning whether their son had really been blind at all. Racked with fear, they responded, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself” (John 9:20-21 ESV). John provides color commentary that explains their cautious response.

His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. – John 9:22 ESV

The religious leaders refused to believe that Jesus was the Christ, yet Jairus, a ruler in the local synagogue, knelt before Jesus and begged Him to heal His daughter.

“My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” – Mark 5:23 ESV

Mark conveys the intensity of the man’s desperation when he writes, “he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly” (Mark 5:22-23 ESV). Mark uses the Greek word parakaleō, the same one he used to describe how the demons begged Jesus not to torment them, but to cast them into the swine. He used the same word to describe the fearful townspeople begging Jesus to leave their community. It is an emotionally intense word that conveys earnest begging or beseeching.  

This man was emotionally distraught and willing to do anything to save the life of his dying daughter. She meant far more to him than his career or reputation. If expressing faith in Jesus could preserve her life, the loss of his job was a price he was willing to pay. To his relief, Jesus agreed to go with him, but they didn’t go alone. Mark reports that “a great crowd followed him and thronged about him” (Mark 5:24 ESV). The crowd moved en masse, pressing in on Jesus and the anxious father as they made their way to the man’s home. But before they reached their destination, something else happened.

Another individual was in the crowd that day. But unlike the ruler of the synagogue, this person held no high position in the community. She was an obscure, unnamed woman who had made her way to the seashore that day, hoping to be healed by a man named Jesus. But she was just one among many, struggling through the crowd to get close enough to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment.

This woman had what appears to be an incurable medical condition that Mark describes as “a discharge of blood” (Mark 5:25 ESV). She had suffered with it for 12 long years. Not only that, she had exhausted all her resources seeking a cure through traditional medical treatments, but nothing had worked. In fact, her condition had grown worse, leaving her in a state of desperation. But unlike Jairus, the crowd would not part and let her to Jesus. She had to fight and claw her way through the sea of humanity to get close enough to see Jesus. But what stands out is the woman’s faith. She fully believed that if she touched Jesus’ robe, she would be healed.

“If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” – Mark 5:28 ESV

Jairus was convinced that if Jesus would only touch his daughter, she would be made well. This woman believed that if she could just touch Jesus, she would be made whole. Both believed that Jesus was the solution.

Somehow, this frail and physically weakened woman forced her way through the crowd and touched the edge of Jesus’ robe. Mark describes that “Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.” (Mark 5:29 NLT). Her healing was immediate, and she knew it. But no one else in the crowd even noticed her or realized a miracle had taken place. Yet, Jesus knew.

Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?” – Mark 5:30 NLT

Luke reports that Jesus informed His disciples, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me” (Luke 8:46 ESV). Jesus likely knew the woman’s identity. He could have said nothing and simply let the woman walk away unnoticed, rejoicing in her renewed health. But He wanted His disciples to know what had happened, and He was willing to postpone his trip to Jairus’ house to reveal the miracle that had just taken place.

Suddenly exposed and unable to extricate herself from the crowd, the woman timidly and guiltily stepped forward. She “came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth” (Mark 5:33 ESV). Her confession was not for Jesus’ benefit; He already knew what had happened. This woman’s remarkable testimony was meant to encourage the disciples and provide them with further proof of who Jesus was. It also illustrated the kind of faith they were supposed to have. In response to her confession, Jesus said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease” (Mark 5:34 ESV).

Jesus had not spoken a word or touched the woman, yet she stood before Him completely whole. Her faith brought about her remarkable transformation, but Jesus wanted to correct a dangerous misconception in her thinking. She had reasoned that Jesus was a powerful healer whose power was transferable. But Jesus insisted her healing resulted from faith, not superstition or some kind of supernatural force field.

As incredible as it may sound, the moment the woman touched the edge of His robe, Jesus knew she was there and why she had come, and He willingly released His power to heal her. This was not some automatic outflow of energy outside Jesus’ control or volition. Countless people touched Him that day, many of whom longed to receive healing, but only this woman received what she hoped for. Jesus described her action as an example of faith.

The author of Hebrews describes faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 ESV). This woman hoped to be healed and was fully assured it would happen if she could only get close enough to touch the edge of Jesus’ robe. She didn’t need to talk to Him; she believed His power was so great that a simple touch of His garment could do what countless physicians had been unable to do. And her faith was rewarded.

When Jesus said, “Be healed of your disease,” He confirmed the truth of her testimony and the source of her healing; it had been Him. His words conveyed the reality and permanence of her healing. Her faith in Jesus had made her whole.

But before the crowds could take in what had happened or the disciples could ask any questions, the mood would take a dramatically dark turn. The focus would shift from healing to death, from joy to sorrow, and from hope to despair. But Jesus was far from done.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Fruit of Faith

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1 Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2 And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” 9 And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” 

10 And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12 so that

“‘they may indeed see but not perceive,
    and may indeed hear but not understand,
lest they should turn and be forgiven.’”

13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” – Mark 4:1-20 ESV

For some reason, Luke records this event as taking place before Jesus’ mother and brothers showed up to see Him. Yet, Matthew and Mark place this parable after their arrival. This is not a contradiction in the Bible so much as the gospel authors arranging the events of Jesus’ life to drive home their point. Each places a different emphasis on various aspects of Jesus’ life and ministry because they are chronicling the story from their own perspective and with a specific audience in mind. But all three authors of the Synoptic Gospels include this parable.

Over the centuries, it has been referred to by many names, including the parable of the seeds, the parable of the sower, and the parable of the soils. Whatever you call it, this parable is a classic example of a teaching style common in Jesus’ day. Parables were extended metaphors that communicated difficult truths through comparison. Jesus utilized this teaching method frequently, especially when addressing large crowds. But as this passage shows, Jesus often took time to explain the parable’s meaning to His 12 disciples.

Matthew records that Jesus told this parable the same day His mother and brothers came to see Him.

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables… – Matthew 13:1-3 ESV

Remember what Jesus said earlier that same day.

And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” – Matthew 12:49-50 ESV

The next scene reveals Jesus sitting in a boat just off the shore of the Sea of Galilee, as a large crowd gathers on the shoreline to hear what He has to say. Mark indicates that Jesus began “teaching them many things in parables.” As usual, His audience included all types of people, including His faithful followers, the curious, those seeking healing, and the ever-present Pharisees and scribes. It is likely that HIs mother, Mary, and his half-brothers were also in attendance that day. The diversity of His audience becomes increasingly important as the parable unfolds.

Jesus told a story about a farmer who went out to sow seed. This imagery would have been very familiar to His audience because they lived in an agrarian culture where this scene was commonplace and uneventful. But in His story, Jesus describes the farmer’s valuable seeds falling onto four different surfaces: A well-worn path, rocky ground, a thorn-infested patch of land, and finally, a field that had been properly prepared for sowing.

The mostly rural audience Jesus addressed would have immediately guessed the outcome. You didn’t have to be a farmer to understand that many of the seeds would have been wasted because they were scattered in inhospitable, unfruitful places. And Jesus confirms this conclusion by describing the seeds as being eaten by birds, scorched by the sun, and choked out by thorns. In a few cases, the seeds took root but failed to produce fruit.

This story would have resonated with people heavily taxed by the Romans and who saw poverty and deprivation all around them. For many, making ends meet was a daily struggle, and the thought of valuable seeds sown so carelessly would have caught their attention. It’s likely they began to draw their own conclusions about the story’s meaning. They were familiar with parables, and knew there was a hidden lesson to be learned. Some probably assumed Jesus was pointing out the farmer’s carelessness. His haphazard scattering of the seeds illustrated the need for good stewardship. Others focused on the seeds themselves, noting that some were quickly consumed, while others sprouted but failed to produce fruit. Maybe Jesus was illustrating the need for good works. The farmer had intended for all the seeds to produce fruit, but most did not. In Judaism’s works-based environment, it would have been easy to assume Jesus was promoting faithful observance of the law.

Jesus makes no effort to explain His story, but simply concludes, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Mark 4:9 ESV). The NET Bible provides a bit more forceful rendering of Jesus’ words: “Whoever has ears to hear had better listen!”

This wasn’t just a story; it was an important lesson that had real-life implications. So, Jesus warned them that hearing what He had to say would not be enough. He expected them to listen and learn. The lesson behind His story was meant to be apprehended and applied. But the people were confused. Mark indicates that some of Jesus’ followers approached Him asking for an explanation.

…those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. – Mark 4:10 ESV

Matthew adds that the 12 disciples had a more specific question for Jesus.

“Why do you speak to them in parables?” – Matthew 13:10 ESV

And Jesus revealed to His closest followers the purpose behind His use of parables.

“To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables…” – Mark 4:11 ESV

Jesus revealed that God had set apart the 12 disciples to receive knowledge that was unavailable and inaccessible to everyone else. They had been given the privilege of knowing divine truths about the kingdom of God that the scribes and Pharisees did not know. Israel’s religious leaders were famous for their knowledge of the Mosaic Law and their encyclopedic understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures, but they were ignorant of what God was doing. Jesus later accused these men of letting their knowledge blind them to the reality of His identity.

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” – John 5:39-40 ESV

Even these learned men could not grasp the parable’s meaning because Jesus said it was hidden from them. He quotes the prophet Isaiah, explaining that God chooses to reveal hidden truths and, according to His sovereign will, sometimes blinds the eyes and deafens the ears of some so they might not turn and be forgiven.

“Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
Make the heart of this people dull,
    and their ears heavy,
    and blind their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
    and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts,
    and turn and be healed.” – Isaiah 6:9-10 ESV

Jesus was saying that God must provide the ability to hear and understand the deep truths about the kingdom of God. He alone can open the eyes and ears of the spiritually blind and deaf so they can see and hear the truth. The scribes and Pharisees spent years studying Scripture but remained oblivious to the truths it revealed. Despite their knowledge, they were ignorant of what God was doing among them. Unless God opened their eyes, they would remain blind to the truth about Jesus. Unless God opened their ears, they would hear but never understand the gospel message.

John’s gospel records Jesus’ powerful words about men’s inability to understand the ways of God.

“The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But some of you do not believe me.” – John 6:63-64 NLT

Jesus went on to reveal man’s complete reliance upon God for salvation.

“That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me.” – John 6:65 NLT

Which brings us back to the parable. Jesus knew His disciples hadn’t grasped its meaning, so He explained it to them. The seed represented the word or the message He had come to proclaim. Mark described that message this way:

Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God’s Good News. “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” – Mark 1:14-15 NLT

The message was the good news concerning the King and His Kingdom. The Messiah had come. But while John the Baptist and Jesus proclaimed that message near and far, it fell on deaf ears. Many had heard it and begun to believe Jesus might be the long-awaited Messiah, but they began to doubt. Their initial faith was choked out by the cares and concerns of this world. Others heard the word and refused to believe at all. The scribes and Pharisees were in this camp. Others heard the word but feared being excommunicated by the religious leaders, so they walked away.

But Jesus described a fourth group “who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted” (Mark 4:20 NLT). Like the 12 disciples, God chose them to understand the truth about the King and His Kingdom. The message concerning the Son of God fell on them, took root, and, in time, produced much fruit. Their ability to hear and accept the message resulted from the Spirit of God because “the Spirit alone gives eternal life” (John 6:63 NLT).

While the Word of God is powerful, it requires a receptive heart to be effective. A seed contains everything necessary to produce new life, but it must be sown in soil where it can germinate and grow. A farmer must till and prepare the soil so that it is ready to receive the seed. In the same way, God must prepare men’s hearts to receive the gospel message. Hardened hearts must be softened before the Word can take root. God prepares the human heart by removing the stones of resistance, weeding out the thorns of distraction, and cultivating spiritual readiness so that His truth can take root and bear fruit. The parable of the soils illustrates that establishing the kingdom is ultimately God’s work, not the result of human effort or planning. 

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

A Family of Faith

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31 And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” – Mark 3:31-35 ESV

An examination of the gospel accounts in Matthew and Luke reveals that Mark took some liberties with the timeline of this event. Both of the other two gospel writers indicate that Jesus had other things to say after His response to the accusation that He was demon-possessed. According to Matthew, Jesus had some very direct and condemning words for the scribes who had been so quick to dismiss His miracles as the work of Satan. Jesus used the metaphor of a tree. If a tree is good, it will produce good fruit. If it is bad, it will produce bad fruit. So, you can know the state of the tree by examining its fruit. Then, Jesus drove home His point.

“You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.” – Matthew 12:34-37 NLT

 Matthew adds that these very same scribes, accompanied by some Pharisees, would later approach Jesus and demand, “Show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority” (Matthew 12:38 NLT). These are the same men who accused Jesus of being demon-possessed. They had flatly stated, “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons” (Mark 3:22 ESV). Now, they demand that He perform a sign to validate His authority. But Jesus called them out, exposing the true nature of their hearts.

“Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign…” – Matthew 12:39 NLT

Nothing Jesus could do would convince these men of His God-given authority. He even alludes to His pending death and resurrection by recounting the familiar story of Jonah.

“…as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.” – Matthew 12:40 NLT

Even His death, burial, and resurrection would not convince these men. They would never accept His claim to be the Son of God.

“…you refuse to repent.” – Matthew 12:41 NLT

“…you refuse to listen.” – Matthew 12:42 NLT

And Matthew records that Jesus wrapped up His condemnation of the religious leaders by comparing them to someone who had been freed of a demon. With the coming of Jesus, they had been exposed to the truth and offered freedom from their captivity to sin and death. But even after hearing the truth, they refused to accept it. So, Jesus indicates that their rejection of Him will have dire consequences. Their “demon” will return, bringing his companions with him, and leaving them in a worse state than before.

“…the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation.” – Matthew 12:45 NLT

In his gospel account, Luke includes a series of parables that Jesus told the crowds. One was the parable of the soils, in which He explained, “The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity” (Luke 8:14 NLT). And Luke adds another insightful message from Jesus.

“So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them.” – Luke 8:18 NLT

So, what does all this have to do with today’s passage? Everything, because it provides context. The way Mark describes the arrival of Jesus’ family could leave the impression that they just showed up right after His confrontation with the scribes. But as we have seen, Jesus had delivered a few other salient messages before their arrival. What He had to say is crucial to understanding His response to the news that His mother and brothers wanted to see Him.

John reveals that Jesus’ own family members struggled to accept that He was the Son of God. John flatly states, “…not even his brothers believed in him” (John 7:5 ESV). According to Mark, their disbelief led them to conclude that Jesus had lost His mind (Mark 3:21).

None of the gospel writers tell us why Mary and her other sons showed up. According to Matthew, Jesus was given the message: “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and they want to speak to you” (Matthew 12:47 NLT). Mark indicates that they stood outside the place where Jesus was teaching and “called him.”

Had Jesus’ brothers convinced Mary that her oldest son was crazy? Had they come to take Jesus away? Even though Mary had been given divine insight into her Son’s identity and mission, she likely struggled with His strange behavior. His actions would not have validated the message the angel Gabriel had given her more than 30 years earlier.

“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” – Luke 1:31-33 NLT

Since leaving their home in Nazareth, Jesus had traveled throughout Judea and Galilee, preaching, teaching, and performing miracles. Mary had kept up with His whereabouts and heard the rumors about Him healing and casting out demons. But she had also heard about the episode in Jerusalem when He had thrown out the money changers and overturned the merchants’ tables in the temple. She knew the religious leaders had made Him a target. And it is likely that she had heard all the rumors about her Son, including that He was demon-possessed. So she showed up with her other sons to talk to Jesus. As a loving and concerned mother, she wanted to see how He was doing. But when He heard that His mother and brothers were outside, Jesus responded, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” (Mark 3:33 ESV).

At first blush, this statement seems surprisingly harsh and uncaring, but we must consider the context. Jesus had been speaking about hearing and believing, and emphasized the tendency for some to reject His ministry and message. Luke records that Jesus quoted from the prophet Isaiah.

“When they look, they won’t really see.
    When they hear, they won’t understand.” – Luke 8:10 NLT

John reports that Jesus “came to his own people, and even they rejected him” (John 1:11 NLT).

Jesus had been teaching, preaching, and healing. He called the people of Israel to “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4;17 ESV). Yet some still refused to believe, including His own brothers. So when Jesus asked, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” He pointed to a relationship far more critical than mother to son or brother to brother. Being born into the same family as Jesus had not helped His brothers believe. Having a sibling relationship with Jesus was not enough to secure a faith relationship with Him. Even Mary and her sons had to believe who Jesus claimed to be.

This brings to mind a statement John the Baptist made to the Pharisees and Sadducees who had come to the Judean wilderness to watch him baptize. When John saw them, he called them a “brood of snakes” (Matthew 3:7 NLT). Then he exposed the fallacy behind their assumption that, because they were blood descendants of Abraham, they were guaranteed a right relationship with God.

“Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.” – Matthew 3:9-10 NLT

Notice his emphasis on the bad tree that produces bad fruit. He tells these men that being a blood-born relative of Abraham does not guarantee acceptance by God. John demanded that they repent and turn to God.

That was the very same message Jesus preached, and it applied to all, including His own family. They too would have to hear, receive, and believe. And Jesus turned and motioned to His disciples, saying, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:34-35 NLT).

According to John’s gospel, Jesus gave the only “work,” or requirement, God has placed on mankind.

“This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.” – John 6:29 NLT

Everyone, regardless of their social status, religious affiliation, economic standing, or educational achievements, was required to believe in Him as the one sent from God. Being born a half-brother of Jesus did not provide you with immunity or absolve you from having to believe in His identity as the Son of God. The disciples were struggling, but continued to express their belief in Jesus. Mary and her sons were likely wrestling with the disconnect between Jesus’ behavior and their expectations. He wasn’t acting like a king and, if He was the long-awaited Messiah, His behavior wasn’t what they expected. The religious leaders flatly denied that Jesus was who He claimed to be.

But Jesus made it clear. To have a relationship with Him, everyone had to believe that He was the Son of God and the Savior of the world. As Jesus told Martha at the graveside of her brother Lazarus, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26 ESV).

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Danger of Denial

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23 And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.

28 “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.” – Mark 3:13-30 ESV

“He’s an amazing miracle worker.”

“He’s crazy!”

“He’s demon-possessed.”

The opinions about Jesus were all over the proverbial map. Some people loved Him, while others, like the Pharisees, harbored intense, growing hatred for Him. But despite the diversity of opinions, everyone agreed that this man from Nazareth was impossible to ignore. They couldn’t explain Him, but they couldn’t dismiss Him either.

Mark indicates that a group of scribes had traveled all the way from Jerusalem to Galilee just to investigate this rural Rabbi who was causing such a stir. These men were likely sent by the high priest and the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, with the responsibility of finding legal evidence to use against Jesus. As experts in the Mosaic Law, as well as the oral and traditional regulations of the Jews, these men would have been well-qualified for their task.

Yet, their initial assessment of Jesus was far from legal in nature; they simply dismissed Him as demon-possessed.

“He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” – Mark 3:22 ESV

Their use of the term Beelzebul was intended to demean Jesus’ ministry and reputation. This Greek epithet was a term of scorn adopted by the Jewish religious leaders to refer to Satan. It derived from the name of the Philistine god Baal-zebub, “the lord of the flies” (2 Kings 1:2). The Jews, sworn enemies of the Philistines, sarcastically changed the name to “Beelzeboul,” meaning “lord of dung.” The Pharisees eventually borrowed the term and applied it to Satan, “the prince of demons.” So, when the scribes declared Jesus to be possessed by Beelzebul, they were writing Him off as a pawn of Satan.

They couldn’t deny that Jesus did supernatural wonders and signs; it was obvious He had powers and abilities not of this world. But rather than admit that Jesus was the Son of God, they accused Him of being in league with Satan. By declaring that Jesus was “possessed by Beelzebul,” they were linking Jesus to the demonic realm. This accusation would have been well understood by all those who heard it, and it would have shocked and surprised them.

Matthew and Luke provide additional context for this scene. The scribes’ pronouncement didn’t come out of the blue; it was based on their assessment of a miracle Jesus had just performed.

Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” – Matthew 12:22-23 ESV

The people were so impressed by what Jesus had done that they questioned whether He might be the Messiah, the long-awaited descendant of David, and the heir to his throne. But Matthew records the religious leaders’ quick, calculated rebuttal.

“It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” – Matthew 12:24 ESV

They hoped to dispel any thought that this man, Jesus, had been sent by God. By linking His activities to Satan, they hoped to tarnish His reputation and turn the people against Him.

So, rather than wasting time gathering forensic evidence proving that Jesus had violated their written and oral laws, the scribes simply accused Him of being under the influence of Satan. In doing so, they put their argument against Jesus in terms the common people could understand. The scribes and Pharisees had little respect for the average Jew because they viewed them as being ignorant of the law. John records a blunt assessment these same religious leaders made of their own people.

“…this rabble who do not know the law are accursed!” – John 7:49 NLT

But if there was one thing these uneducated and superstitious people could understand, it was the difference between good and evil. By associating Jesus with Satan, the scribes explained His power and, at the same time, maligned His character. Yet rather than responding in anger, Jesus answered their accusation with a parable. He offered a well-reasoned response that quickly exposed its absurdity and their lack of judgment.

“How can Satan cast out Satan?” he asked. “A kingdom divided by civil war will collapse. Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart. And if Satan is divided and fights against himself, how can he stand? He would never survive.”  – Mark 3:23-26 NLT

With simple reasoning, Jesus dismantled the foundation of their argument, and He did so in terms the people could understand. You can almost see them looking at one another as Jesus spoke, nodding their heads in approval. What He said made sense. But Jesus was not done; He kept pointing out the flawed logic behind their accusation.

“Who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.” – Mark 3:27 NLT

It would be counter-productive for Satan to cast out one of his own demons. And how could anyone cast out a demon unless he had power greater than the demon?

Whether the religious leaders realized it or not, Jesus was taking them to school. He was teaching them a lesson about divine power and authority. Jesus subtly shifted the emphasis from casting out demons to plundering the home of “a strong man.” Jesus focused on the religious leaders and the power they held over the nation of Israel. This helps to explain what happened when Jesus entered the temple in Jerusalem and saw how the priests of God had transformed His Father’s house into a carnival-like atmosphere.

He found in the temple courts those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers sitting at tables. So he made a whip of cords and drove them all out of the temple courts, with the sheep and the oxen. He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold the doves he said, “Take these things away from here! Do not make my Father’s house a marketplace!” – John 2:14-16 NLT

Jesus came to do the will of His Father, and He operated under the power of the Holy Spirit. He had God-given authority and Spirit-enabled power to do what He did. But when these pride-filled men accused Jesus of operating under the influence and power of Satan, they had crossed the line, and He clearly warned them that they were walking on thin ice.

“I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a sin with eternal consequences.” – Mark 3:28-29 NLT

Their flippant, poorly reasoned accusation against Him was a dangerous mistake. Whether they realized it or not, He was the Son of God, and they had just accused Him of fraternizing with the enemy. They had also attributed the work of the Spirit of God to Satan. In doing so, they rejected the will of God. In essence, they offended all three members of the Holy Trinity, and Jesus calls it exactly what it is: blasphemy.

While blasphemy was normally a forgivable sin, in this case, Jesus described a condition in which men willingly and repeatedly reject the will of God, the claims of His Son, and the power of His Spirit. These men had been given ample evidence of who Jesus was. In a sense, the entire Godhead testified that Jesus was who He claimed to be: the Son of God. But these men refused to believe, and their stubborn rejection of the divine testimony was the unpardonable sin.

Blasphemy is nothing more than speaking of God in terms that are disrespectful and derogatory. It is dismissing the word of God and rejecting the will of God. In denying Jesus as the Son of God, the religious leaders were snubbing their noses at God Almighty and rejecting the truth of His Word. By attributing the power of the Spirit of God to Satan, they were robbing God of glory.

Blasphemy is a sin, and all sin is forgivable by God. But one who repeatedly rejects God’s testimony about His Son risks committing the unpardonable and unforgivable sin. The apostle John put it in rather stark but understandable terms.

There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.
 – John 3:18 NLT

The religious leaders stood condemned because they refused to believe God’s testimony about His Son. At Jesus’ baptism, God had declared, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17 ESV). But the Pharisees and scribes refused to believe God’s word. Not only that, they dismissed the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s power displayed through the Son’s life, falsely attributing it to the enemy.

By accusing Jesus of being possessed, they were able to dismiss His miraculous power as demonic. They were trying to portray Jesus as a man who was under Satanic control. When He was in His right mind, Jesus was nothing more than a simple Rabbi and moral teacher. But when the demon took over, Jesus had the power to perform miracles. But their assessment was meant to deny Jesus’ deity and identity. They denied Him to be the Son of God.

Today, there are those who deny that Jesus ever existed at all. Over the centuries, His virgin birth, sinless life, death, resurrection, and atoning work have all been rejected by men. In doing so, they have committed blasphemy. And all those who persist in rejecting the Son of God as the Savior sent by God will be “guilty of an eternal sin.” Their refusal to “believe in the Lord Jesus” (Acts 16:31 ESV) will result in condemnation rather than salvation. But as Jesus told a crowd one day, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent” (John 6:29 NLT). You can deny or accept Him, but your choice will have eternal consequences.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Great Physician

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13 He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

15 And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” – Mark 2:13-17 ESV

Jesus had just displayed His power and authority over the physical realm by healing the paralyzed man. But more importantly, His astonishing ability to restore the man’s health demonstrated His God-given authority to forgive sin. As the Son of God, Jesus came to earth to set men free from slavery to sin and the death sentence that accompanied it. The formerly paralyzed man, while now physically whole and forgiven, would still commit sins and face the ultimate penalty for doing so: physical death and eternal separation from God.

But Jesus became a man so He could serve as the substitutionary atonement, the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of mankind. His death on behalf of sinful humanity would satisfy the just and righteous wrath of God, and provide all those who placed their faith in His atoning work with a way to be restored to a right relationship with His Father. As a result of Jesus’ selfless sacrifice, they would enjoy forgiveness of all their sins, past, present, and future. The author of Hebrews describes it this way:

…he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. – Hebrews 9:26 ESV

The psalmist gives a powerful reminder of the Son of God’s sin-forgiving power.

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
 – Psalm 103:12 BSB

Mark transitions his narrative from the crowded confines of Simon and Andrew’s home to the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee. But he maintains his emphasis on Jesus’ power and authority to forgive sin, and continues to reveal the growing divide between Jesus and the religious authorities.

While walking along the seashore, Jesus taught the crowds that continued to follow Him wherever He went. As they made their way along the roadway from Capernaum to Damascus and onto the shore of the Sea of Galilee, they came across the tax booth of a man named Levi. This was not some chance encounter but a divinely scheduled appointment. When Levi woke up that morning, he had no idea that his day would include a one-on-one meeting with the Messiah of Israel. Matthew’s account of the same scene reveals that he was the man whom Jesus called.

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. – Matthew 9:9 ESV

Luke describes Levi (Matthew) as a “tax collector” (Luke 5:27), whose chosen profession made him highly unpopular with his fellow Jews. As an employee of Herod Antipas, the Roman-appointed puppet king of Israel, Levi’s job was to collect all taxes related to trade and customs. Because Capernaum sat on a major trade route from Damascus, Levi would have collected export and import fees, sales and customs taxes, and tolls. But what made men like Levi particularly unpopular was their tendency to extort additional fees and surcharges from the fellow Jews. People saw tax collectors as social pariahs who worked for the enemy and took advantage of their own people to line their pockets.

So, when Jesus issued Levi an invitation to follow Him, the Jews would have been shocked and appalled. In their minds, Levi was a traitor to his people and the epitome of a godless sinner. To make matters worse, Mark reveals that Jesus chose to share a meal with this social outcast. Luke records that Levi threw a party in Jesus’ honor and invited many guests.

Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. – Luke 5:29 ESV

Mark clarifies that the “others” reclining at the table were sinners.

…many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. – Mark 2:15 ESV

It seems Levi invited his friends, who, like him, were considered the dregs of the community. Yet, Jesus accepted Levi’s invitation to dine at his house and willingly chose to associate with those whom the Jews considered as unclean and unacceptable. And Jesus’ actions did not go unnoticed.

But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?” – Mark 2:16 NLT

They were shocked and disgusted by this shameless display of poor judgment on Jesus’ part; He should have known better. By entering Levi’s home and sharing a meal with this motley collection of sinners, Jesus and His disciples contaminated themselves and became ceremonially unclean.

A clear us-versus-them vibe is at play. The Pharisees viewed themselves as righteous because of their meticulous adherence to both the written and oral laws of the Jews. They were the law-keepers and the law-enforcers, and, as far as they were concerned, Jesus had chosen to associate with the scum of the earth. By entering Levi’s home, Jesus had done the unthinkable and unforgivable.

The Pharisees had no compassion for people like Levi and no desire to reach out to those whom they considered sinners. They felt no responsibility for the spiritual well-being of the less fortunate, whom they considered unworthy of mercy. In the minds of the Pharisees, the sin-prone common people held back the nation of Israel and kept it from enjoying the full favor of God. To the self-righteous Pharisees, it was the sorry likes of Levi and his friends that kept Israel from being all that it could be. These “sinners” were a blight on the nation. Yet Jesus revealed His love for the undeserving and irredeemable.

Jesus was fully aware of the disgust and distaste His actions had caused, and He chose to address the issue head-on.

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” – Mark 2:17 ESV

With this simple statement, Jesus exposed the glaring difference between Himself and His accusers. They considered themselves spiritually healthy and whole and had no need of a Savior. But what they failed to understand was that their good deeds were of no value to God. As the prophet Isaiah wrote hundreds of years earlier: “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6 NLT).

Jesus was not impressed by the Pharisees and their outward displays of righteousness. He would later call them out for their hypocrisy and lack of compassion.

“…they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.” – Matthew 23:3-4 NLT

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.” – Matthew 23:13 NLT

These men considered themselves to be the cream of the crop, the religious elite of Israel whose unblemished behavior guaranteed them a place in God’s kingdom. But Jesus let them know that their self-confidence was misplaced and mistaken. He had come to minister to the sick, those who recognized their spiritual malady and sought help. Like the paralyzed man, the tax collectors and sinners gathered in Levi’s home needed assistance. They knew they were sinners and were fully aware that they lacked what was necessary to “heal” themselves.

The apostle John wrote, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 ESV). The sinners reclining around the table with Jesus were just the kind of people Jesus came to save. They were sinners who needed a Savior, and if they would only confess their sin, they would know the joy of having their sins forgiven and their spiritual illness healed.

But the Pharisees, riddled with pride and a misplaced sense of self-righteousness, could not see their need and were unwilling to confess their sins. But their self-confidence would ultimately result in their own self-destruction. Their stubborn insistence that they were spiritually whole would be their downfall. The apostle Paul describes the dangerous path they had chosen and its deadly destination.

Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. – Romans 1:21-22 NLT

They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. – Romans 1:30-32 NLT

Paul also seemed to have men like the Pharisees in mind when he warned Timothy to avoid those who “act religious” but whose lives are marked by lovelessness, cruelty, slander, pride, and a love of pleasure.

For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! – 2 Timothy 3:2-5 NLT

While the Pharisees were well-respected, even revered, by the common people, Jesus was unrelenting in His criticism of them. At one point, He accused them of using their religious authority to do harm, rather than good.

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are!” – Matthew 23:15 NLT

Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). His mission was to reach those in need of spiritual healing, and He was willing to risk “contamination” to see the sick made whole. When Jesus encountered the leper in need of healing, “he stretched out his hand and touched him…and immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean” (Mark 1:41-42 ESV). The Pharisees would have avoided this man like the plague. They would have banned him from entering the temple or synagogue. But in their arrogant display of self-righteousness, they were the unclean ones, passing their impurity on to everyone around them. This led Jesus to say of them, “You are like hidden graves in a field. People walk over them without knowing the corruption they are stepping on” (Luke 11:44 NLT).

They were sick and in need of healing, but their pride blinded them to their true spiritual condition and Jesus’ role as the Great Physician. He came to offer hope and healing to the spiritually sick, so He took his message of restoration and reconciliation to those desperate enough to hear and receive it. Levi knew he was an outcast and a sinner, condemned and unclean. But he followed the doctor’s orders that day and received healing and forgiveness. And his admission of need led to a lifetime of service to the Son of God and the hope of eternal life.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Holy One of God

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21 And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. 22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.

29 And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

32 That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. – Mark 1:21-34 ESV

In his gospel account, Luke reports that after Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, He “returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone” (Luke 4:14-15 ESV). And Mark provides a glimpse into one such occasion.

After calling Andrew, Simon, James, and John to be His disciples, Jesus and His new recruits made their way to the town of Capernaum on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. On the Sabbath, Jesus and His disciples visited the local synagogue. The synagogue was the building in each community where the Jews gathered for worship, prayer, and instruction. The Hebrew word is beit k’nesset (literally, “House of Assembly”). Jews typically referred to this building as a synagogue, the Greek translation of beit k’nesset.

The synagogue emerged during Israel’s Babylonian captivity. After the Babylonians defeated Judah in 597 B.C., they took tens of thousands of Israelites captive and transported them to Babylon. With no access to the temple, the Jews were forced to come up with an alternative place of worship. Even after the Jews returned to Judah and rebuilt the temple the Babylonians had destroyed, they continued to build synagogues in their local communities.

The synagogue was a place of prayer and instruction. When the Jews gathered on the Sabbath, they read from the Torah, the five books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). After the Torah reading, there was a time of teaching or instruction.

Mark indicates that Jesus was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. Because Jesus was recognized as a Rabbi, it would have been normal for the synagogue leadership to extend Him this honor. Mark emphasizes the people’s reaction to what Jesus taught, but provides no details concerning the content of His message. He simply states, “they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes” (Mark 1:22 ESV). The Greek word Mark uses conveys that they were “blown away” by the force of Jesus’ words. But they were amazed, not so much by what Jesus said as by how He said it. Jesus spoke with authority. Mark chose the Greek word exousia to describe the “power, right, and authority” behind Jesus’ words. Those in the synagogue that day had never heard anything like it before. It was as if Jesus spoke like He knew what He was talking about.

Mark deliberately contrasts Jesus’ instruction with that of the scribes. These men were considered experts in the Law of Moses. Their job was to study the Law, transcribe it, and write commentaries on it. But Mark infers that these well-educated men lacked the authority and power that Jesus possessed. This is the first of many contrasts Mark establishes between Jesus and Israel’s religious leaders.

As if to show that Jesus didn’t just have a way with words, Mark describes an encounter between Jesus and a man with an “unclean spirit.” Mark indicates that when Jesus had finished speaking, this demon-possessed man interrupted the service, crying out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God” (Mark 1:24 ESV).

Evidently, this man had been in the room the entire time. But Jesus’ authoritative teaching caused the demon(s) within the man to react in fear and anger. They had literally been struck by the power of Jesus’ words. The demon’s use of the plural pronoun “us” may indicate that the man had more than one demon or that other demons were present in the synagogue that day. Either way, the demon immediately recognized Jesus, calling Him “the Holy One of God.” This demonic being clearly knew who Jesus was and why He had come. He even asked if Jesus planned to destroy him and his fellow demons.

Through this description of the encounter, Mark establishes another point of conflict that will characterize Jesus’ earthly ministry. Jesus will not only find Himself at odds with the Jewish religious leaders, but also engage in a battle with what Paul describes as “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

But these spiritual forces were not relegated to the invisible world; they had infiltrated the realm of men and were wreaking havoc among God’s chosen people. This will not be the last of Jesus’ encounters with demons. However, these otherworldly invaders would prove no match for the Holy One of God.

Jesus refused to answer or even acknowledge the demon’s question, choosing instead to silence it by casting it out. The Greek word translated as “rebuke” can actually mean “to censure or silence.” Rather than verbally castigate the demon, Jesus simply removed his ability to speak by forcing him to vacate the man’s body. Jesus spoke with authority, commanding the demon, “Be silent, and come out of him!” (Mark 1:25 ESV), and the demon immediately obeyed.

And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. – Mark 1;26 ESV

With no host to occupy, the demon lost its means of communication. This strange and disturbing scene left those who witnessed it even more astonished. But they quickly connected what they saw to Jesus’ authority.

“What sort of new teaching is this?” they asked excitedly. “It has such authority! Even evil spirits obey his orders!” – Mark 1:27 NLT

Jesus’ words carried power. He could not be accused of being “all talk, no action.” The scribes could probably give a lecture about the Scriptural existence of demons, but Jesus could control them because He had power over them. His words had authority, and this distinction did not go unnoticed. Mark indicates that “the news about Jesus spread quickly throughout the entire region of Galilee” (Mark 1:28 NLT). Soon, news of what Jesus had done reached the religious leaders in Jerusalem. As Jesus’ fame spread, so did His infamy. Before long, Jesus found Himself fighting on multiple fronts.

But Jesus was not done demonstrating His power. After exorcising the demon in the synagogue, Jesus made His way to the home of Andrew and Simon. Mark indicates that Simon’s mother-in-law was ill. Simon (Peter) likely told this story to Mark, which is why it appears in his gospel account. When Jesus learned of the woman’s illness, He visited her home, took her by the hand, and she was immediately healed. At a touch from Jesus, she went from suffering to serving.

The order of these events is vital. In the synagogue scene, the emphasis was on Jesus’ words; He spoke with authority. But on this occasion, Jesus said nothing. He took the woman by the hand, and her body was made whole. Jesus demonstrated His power and authority, but without words.

This latest episode increased Jesus’ notoriety and further inflamed the people’s curiosity. Mark reveals that by the end of the day, the crowds had gathered outside the home of Simon and Andrew. News spread, and soon “all who were sick or oppressed by demons” came to Jesus. Mark indicates that “the whole city was gathered together at the door” (Mark 1:33 ESV).

Jesus’ demonstrations of power and authority drew a crowd, but rather than lock the doors and seek refuge, He “healed many people who were sick with various diseases, and he cast out many demons” (Mark 1:34 ESV). He continued to exercise His power and authority over disease and demons, proving that what the demon had said was true. He was truly the Holy One of God, and His authority and power were divine, not human. He could do what He did because of who He was; His identity gave Him His authority.

But while the people were impressed by what they saw, they were not yet convinced of His divinity. He clearly possessed authority and power and could perform supernatural miracles, but His identity remained a mystery. Who was this man? How could this unknown Rabbi from Nazareth do what He did? Curiosity and the hope of healing drove many to seek out this miracle-working Rabbi, but they remained ignorant of His identity. And Jesus chose to keep it that way. Mark records. “Jesus healed many people who were sick with various diseases, and he cast out many demons. But because the demons knew who he was, he did not allow them to speak” (Mark 1:34 NLT). The first demon that Jesus cast out had identified Him as “the Holy One of God!” (Mark 1:24 NLT). But Jesus was not yet ready for the crowds to know who He was. If they discovered He was the long-awaited Messiah, they would try to force Him to serve as their King. John records in his gospel how another group of Jews responded when they saw Jesus perform a miracle.

When the people saw him do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!” When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself. – John 6:14-15 NLT

So, at this stage in His earthly ministry, Jesus left the people guessing because His time had not yet come. He continued to speak and act with authority, performing miracles and teaching new truths to all who would listen. But for the time being, His divinity remained a mystery.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Subtle Snare of Self-Made Religion

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16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. – Colossians 2:16-23 ESV

Far too often, well-meaning but misguided individuals attempt to turn faith in Christ into a lengthy list of dos and don’ts intended to regulate behavior. They take James’ simple premise that a faith without works is a dead faith (James 2:17) and twist it into a legalistic and guilt-inducing set of rules and regulations designed to measure righteousness. Unable or unwilling to accept that a believer’s right standing with God is based on grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, these purveyors of self-righteousness attempt to earn favor with God through rituals, rites, and fervent religious rule-keeping.

Entire denominations have been formed based on doctrines that teach that righteousness must be achieved the old-fashioned way: through hard work and merit. Essentially, their teaching is based on the old maxim, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Some seem to have founded their works-based concept of salvation on the often quoted but unbiblical statement, “God helps those who help themselves.”

Humanity’s pervasive pride problem lies at the core of this brand of false teaching and has been around since the fall. Ever since Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the forbidden tree, mankind has been attempting to assuage its guilt and amend its broken relationship with God through human effort. Over the centuries, countless religions have sprung up, each promoting its own unique set of rules and rituals for keeping its particular deity pleased and in a generous mood. While diverse in their doctrines and dogma, each of these religions shares one thing in common: a works-based form of righteousness. The adherents to these religions live under the repressive pressure of a performance-based system that demands constant and unwavering compliance to a set of rigid and unrelenting standards.

Paul and his fellow apostles had to constantly deal with the problem of legalism infiltrating the churches they helped to found. It was only natural for those who converted to Christianity from pagan religions to carry the baggage of their former faith system into their relationship with Christ. They were used to practicing a religion based on rule-keeping and rife with prohibitions of all kinds. So, they were attracted to any form of teaching that gave them a list of rules to follow and activities to avoid. This propensity made them particularly susceptible to the teachings of a group that later became known as the Judaizers.

The word Judaizer first appeared in Paul’s letter to the believers in Galatia, where Paul describes an encounter with one of his fellow apostles. Peter had been visiting Paul and the church in Antioch, where he freely associated with the predominantly Gentile congregation. Everything was going well until a group of Jewish believers from the church in Jerusalem showed up.

Paul states that “when they came he [Peter] drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party” (Galatians 2:12 ESV). His reference to “the circumcision party” was meant to explain that these were Jews who believed that all Gentiles had to convert to Judaism and practice all the rites and rules associated with it before they could be fully saved.  In their minds, salvation was reserved for God’s chosen people, the Jews. One of the primary ordinances they demanded the Gentile men to obey was that of circumcision.

The presence of these Jewish Christians from Jerusalem caused Peter to avoid the Gentile converts because they were uncircumcised and, therefore, ceremonially unclean. These Jewish believers were demanding that all converts to Christianity submit to the requirements of the Mosaic Law. Essentially, they were teaching that the Gentiles were not truly saved because they were living in violation of the law. But Paul, a Jew and a former Pharisee, would have none of it.

…when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?” – Galatians 2:14 ESV

The Greek word translated as “to live like Jews” is ioudaikōs, meaning “after the manner of the Jews.” Paul was appalled that Peter was demanding that Gentile Christians be required to “Judaize” or live according to Jewish commands and customs. The doctrine of the Judaizers was a mixture of grace (through Christ) and works (through the keeping of the Law). The Jews who had shown up in Antioch were teaching, “unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.” (Acts 15:1 NLT).

Paul’s confrontation with Peter and the Judaizers forced Paul to make a trip to visit the leaders of the church in Jerusalem. Once there, Paul and his co-worker, Barnabas, debated the teaching of the Judaizers with James and the other apostles of Jesus. Paul pulled no punches in confronting this dangerous heresy.

“Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe. God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith. So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.” – Acts 15:7-11 NLT

According to verse 16 of Colossians 2, this was the same teaching that had infiltrated the church in Colossae. Paul lists a variety of topics that have a decidedly Jewish feel to them: Teachings about the consumption of food and drink, rules concerning feasts and new moon celebrations, and the keeping of the Sabbath.

Someone had obviously been teaching the Gentile members of the local congregation that there was more to their newfound faith than simply belief in Jesus. They were being told that they would have to alter their behavior and accommodate a litany of prescribed religious rules and rituals. But Paul strongly refuted the idea of adding anything to their faith in Christ alone.

…these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. – Colossians 2:17 NLT

As a Jew, Paul knew that God had designed these things to serve a vital but temporary purpose. Paul assured the believers in Galatia that the law had been given by God but that it had fulfilled its primary purpose. Now that Jesus had come, adherence to the law was no longer required to pursue a right standing with God.

Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed.

Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. – Galatians 3:23-25 NLT

Paul wanted the believers in Colossae to understand that they were not subject to anyone’s teaching regarding additional requirements or rules concerning salvation.

Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. – Colossians 2:18 NLT

Their right standing with God was not based on what they did or didn’t do; it was based on the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. Upon placing their faith in Christ, they had been imputed His righteousness. What was true for Paul was also true for them.

I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. – Philippians 3:9 NLT

Paul was a staunch defender of the faith who was willing to hold accountable all those who taught a different gospel or a different Jesus. He declared that those who attempted to mislead the believers in Colossae were “puffed up without reason” (Colossians 2:18 ESV). He accused them of allowing their “sensuous” minds to determine their theology. These men were obsessed with the physical rather than the spiritual, which led Paul to assert, “They are not connected to Christ, the head of the body” (Colossians 2:19 NLT).

Their errant teaching separated them from Christ and His church, and their false doctrines concerning salvation made them enemies of the gospel. Their false teaching was doing more harm than good and was diminishing the unity of the body that Christ’s death made possible.

Paul reminded his brothers and sisters in Christ, “You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world?” (Colossians 2:20 NLT). They were becoming distracted by rules that declared, “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!” (Colossians 2:21 NLT). But these kinds of prohibitions were man-made and destined to fail. Laws can regulate human behavior but are incapable of changing the heart.

These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires. – Colossians 2:23 NLT

For Paul, the law was never about behavior modification. He revealed its true purpose to the believers in Galatia.

Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. – Galatians 3:19 NLT

Paul also pointed out that the law was never meant to provide salvation. It simply declared the kind of righteousness God required and revealed mankind’s incapacity to live up to God’s holy standards. Paul makes it painfully clear that rule-keeping was never intended to bring salvation.

If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ. – Galatians 3:21-22 NLT

Self-denial and forced compliance with a list of moral codes may promote a semblance of sanctification, but it can never change the heart.

Jesus had addressed this issue with His disciples. When answering a question about which foods defile the body, Jesus responded, “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you” (Matthew 15:17-20 NLT).

Jesus came to bring about heart transformation, not behavior modification. Yes, He expects our behavior to change, but that change must come from the inside out. Only a transformed heart can produce a changed life. So, Paul warned the Galatians that a law-based and flesh-focused religion would produce the wrong kind of fruit. Only a heart submissive to the leading of the Holy Spirit can produce life-altering, behavior-modifying fruit that made the law unnecessary.

The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. – Galatians 5:17-18 NLT

Adherence to a list of rules, rites, and religious rituals might make us feel more spiritual, but they are powerless to transform the human heart. Man’s penchant for pursuing holiness through self-effort is an ongoing problem and one that Jesus confronted the Pharisees about. He described these self-righteous Jewish religious leaders in unflattering terms, calling them “hypocrites” and declaring, “you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matthew 23:27-28 NLT).

Having refused to recognize Jesus as their Messiah and Savior, their hearts remained unchanged despite their vain attempts to purify their actions. Man-made religions and self-help holiness never work. Salvation is a gift from God that is based on faith alone in Christ alone and nothing else.

Father, we like rules and get a perverse sense of self-satisfaction in being able to measure our holiness based on our performance. But You look at the heart and You determine our righteousness based on our reliance upon the death, burial, and resurrection of Your Son. It is our reliance upon Him that makes possible our relationship with You. We stand in Your presence, not because of anything we have done, but because of what Jesus has done for us. Never let us forget that life-changing and freedom-producing truth. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

God Doesn’t Need Your Help

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10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written,

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
    and every tongue shall confess to God.”

12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. – Romans 14:10-12 ESV

Don’t despise. Don’t judge.

To judge is to assume that you know what is right and wrong for everybody else. To despise is to treat with contempt those who, by your estimation, are “weaker” in their faith. In either case, Paul warns against treating your Christian brothers or sisters this way. When you do, you set yourself up as God, taking on a role that does not belong to you. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned against judging others.

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” – Matthew 7:1-3 ESV

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.” – Luke 6:37 NLT

It is presumptuous and dangerous for us to play God in the life of another believer. But that is what we are doing when we judge them. We are neither omniscient nor omnipresent, so it is impossible for us to accurately discern the heart of another human being. Because we are finite creatures, we are limited to the external evidence we can see. But Jesus disclosed that the day is coming when we each have to account for our actions, but not those of others.

Paul reminded the believers in Corinth, “For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body” (2 Corinthians 5:10 NLT). God will be our judge. He will determine whether what we have done was right or wrong, and determine the quality of the works we have done since coming to know Christ.

This will all take place at the Bema Seat of Christ. This judgment has nothing to do with our salvation, but will determine the rewards we receive in the eternal Kingdom. Paul talked about this event in his letter to the believers in Corinth.

Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames. – 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 NLT

But it is interesting to note that, on another occasion, Paul wrote the following words to the same church:

It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.” – 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 NLT

Here, Paul is telling believers to judge one another. But notice the difference. This concerns sin in the life of the believer and has nothing to do with grey areas, personal preferences, or the opinions of men. If the Word of God condemns their action as sinful, then we must deal with it accordingly. In this case, Paul was addressing an issue in the church in Corinth that had become intolerable, and he painted a clear picture of the problem.

I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you—something that even pagans don’t do. I am told that a man in your church is living in sin with his stepmother. You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you should remove this man from your fellowship. – 1 Corinthians 5:1-2 NLT

Rather than condemn this man’s behavior as unacceptable, they were approving of it by gladly tolerating it in their midst. In fact, they were evidently bragging about their progressive tolerance. So Paul let them have it.

Your boasting about this is terrible. Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old “yeast” by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. – 1 Corinthians 5:6-7 NLT

Earlier in his letter to the Romans, Paul encouraged them to draw clear distinctions between good and evil in their midst. 

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. – Romans 12:9 NLT

It is not loving to tolerate and to overlook sin in the life of a brother or sister in Christ. And it does not make you more “spiritual” to refuse to judge someone in the body of Christ who is blatantly and consistently sinning. Paul expected believers to take a strong stand against sin within the camp and provided clear directions for dealing with sin within the body of Christ.

Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. – Galatians 6:1 NLT

James echoed this sentiment when he wrote, “My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins” (James 5:19-20 NLT).

It is important to remember that the context of Romans 14 is judging and despising one another based on personal opinions, not the Word of God. Paul warns against determining right and wrong based on one’s own criteria rather than God’s. It is similar to what the Pharisees and religious leaders of Jesus’ day were guilty of doing. They had developed their own set of rules and regulations that had nothing to do with God’s Word or will. They judged others for their inability to live up to the self-imposed standards they had established, but that was not their job.

These men had a God-ordained responsibility to help the people interpret and apply the Mosaic Law, a fact Jesus pointed out.

“The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you…”  – Matthew 23:2-3 NLT

However, Jesus also warned against emulating the behavior of the Jewish religious leaders.

“…but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.” – Matthew 23:2-4 NLT

God had not appointed them to be the arbiters of truth. It was not up to them to determine right and wrong because God had clearly delineated the boundaries of righteousness and wickedness. Yet, these men had developed their own set of “unbearable religious demands” that they used to judge others as unworthy and unacceptable to God. And Jesus had strong words for these hypocritical self-appointed judges.

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.” – Matthew 23:13 NLT

In their pride and arrogance, they refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah and did everything in their power to keep others from doing so as well. They judged others using a set of standards that God neither ordained nor approved, leaving sinners without hope of forgiveness and atonement. But judgment is God’s responsibility, and His Law was designed to show people their sin and their need for a Savior.

For Paul, judgment wasn’t completely off limits; it was a matter of where that judgment was applied. He wants us to know that, as believers, we have no business judging sin among the lost. But we do have a responsibility to judge and deal with sin in the body of Christ because it can be infectious and deadly. But even when judging the sin in our midst, we must do so with love, desiring to see our brother or sister restored in their relationship with God.

We play God when we condemn what God has condoned and approve of what God has forbidden. The prophet Isaiah warned those who did such things.

What sorrow for those who say
    that evil is good and good is evil,
that dark is light and light is dark,
    that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter.
What sorrow for those who are wise in their own eyes
    and think themselves so clever. – Isaiah 5:20-21 NLT

Solomon wrote, “Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—both are detestable to the Lord” (Proverbs 17:15 NLT). We must constantly control our desire to judge and despise others based on nothing more than our own opinions. But we must also be careful not to play God by ignoring His Word and tolerating what He has clearly forbidden.

Father, Paul paints a fine line between judgment and judgmentalism. He is calling us to judge the sin in our midst, in the body of Christ, but to refrain from judging others based on our own set of standards. Yet, how easy it is to judge and despise others based on nothing more than our personal opinions and preferences. We look down on others because their manner of dress doesn’t meet our approval. We judge others based on lifestyle preferences we find offensive or off-putting. But, in most cases, we have little or no Scriptural support for our strongly-held opinions. They are little more than man-made rules that we determined and use to judge the spiritual worthiness of others. Forgive us for our arrogance and audacity to act as judges with evil motives. When we do, we are no different than the self-righteous religious leaders of Jesus’ day. Open our eyes to the sin in our own lives so that we can effectively and lovingly address the sin in others. But let it always be based on Your Word and not our will. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22