The Tradition of the Elders

Today's Reflections

The Tradition of the Elders

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Mk 7:1-13

¹Now when the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around [Jesus], ²they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. ³(For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders. ⁴And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles [and beds].) ⁵So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” ⁶He responded, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:/ ‘This people honors me with their lips,/ but their hearts are far from me;/ ⁷In vain do they worship me,/ teaching as doctrines human precepts.’/ ⁸You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” ⁹He went on to say, “How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition! ¹⁰For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘Whoever curses father or mother shall die.’ ¹¹Yet you say, ‘If a person says to father or mother, “Any support you might have had from me is qorban” ’ (meaning, dedicated to God), ¹²you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother. ¹³You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many such things.”

Is your heart in the right place

with regard to God and people?

Reflection:

You disregard God’s commandment. A priest who was very careful with the rubrics of the Mass was irritated one day when the Mass servers committed a mistake. He said to them aloud, “Stupid! Don’t do that again!” He was more preoccupied with following the ritual exactly than with observing charity in his dealings with the servers.

Jesus reproaches the Pharisees and scribes, reminding them of Isaiah’s words, “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me…”

First things first: let us make sure that our hearts are right with God and desire the honor of God and the good of people. All things are for God’s honor and for the salvation of people. When we have set our hearts on this, we can go about the external rituals of our religion, and we will be pleasing to God.