Today's Reflections

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.”

WELL DID ISAIAH PROPHESY ABOUT YOU. Isaiah describes true religion as “releasing those bound unjustly; setting free the oppressed… sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the… homeless; clothing the naked…” (Is 58:6-7).

The scribes and the Pharisees, however, have reduced religion to the external observance of regulations and prescriptions. Rituals, like the cleaning of cups and washing of hands, have become more important than dispositions of the heart, like compassion and love.

Jesus emphasizes that true religion involves one’s inner disposition to keep God’s word. He makes a strict connection between religion and action, faith and love, external commandment and internal obligation.

“Love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom 13:10).

Do you hide behind legalities to excuse yourself

from the obligations of love?