Sunday, August 29 – 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23
You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition. (Mark 7:8)
Given their strict attention to hand washing, these Pharisees and scribes would probably feel right at home in our pandemic-conscious world! Of course, they were concerned about religious purity, not personal hygiene, but we can all relate to how meticulous they were.
Still, Jesus rightly called their purity practices what they were: “human tradition” (Mark 7:8). Nowhere in Scripture does God command His people to be so rigorous in cleansing themselves or their household items. Instead, what began as ta precaution among priests gradually morphed into a litmus test for every Israelite. If you didn’t wash your hands just so, you were impure. It meant your faith was defective – or worse, you were defective.
Litmus tests can make things clear and simple, but the Pharisees were using them in the wrong way. To determine what was pure and impure, they needed to focus on what was lurking in their own hearts, not what was contaminating them from the outside. As Jesus warned them, it is “the things that come out from within” – our own sinful inclinations – that defile us (Mark 7:15).
Our rules for hand washing today are aimed toward preventing disease, but we can easily fall into the same habit as these Pharisees did. We can focus more on what’s on the “outside” – the culture or the actions of other people – rather than facing the sinful desires in our hearts. After all, it’s painful to see just how capable we are of falling into sin. It’s easier just to apply a litmus test to the sins of the people around us.
Jesus came to save us from sin, and we can count on Him to give us the grace to deal with whatever is “within” us. Today, ask the Lord to search your heart. Ask Him to help you see ways in which you are susceptible to sin – and ask Him to keep cleansing you.
“Jesus, purify my heart today!”
Deuteronomy 4: 1-2, 6-8
Psalm 15:2-5
James 1:17-18,21-22,27
Daily Reflections from “The Word Among Us”
Recorded music remains the property of the Artists/Writers.
No ownership is implied
Our Hymns:
Give It Away – Gaither Vocal Band
He Touched Me – Gaither Vocal Band
Lord I Offer My Life to You – Hillsong
Heartbreak Ridge and New Hope Road – Gaither Vocal Band
