Mark 7:3The traditions of the Jews had confused dirt with sin. The Jewish teachers had traditionally taught a preponderance of washing, intimating that clean hands would make for a holy heart. They thought this teaching was just as binding as the law. 2 Chronicles 29:1-31:21 James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world…

Mark 7:2   This hand-washing was not necessarily for the purpose of cleanliness. They could have had quite clean hands, but would still have needed to wash their hands according to the traditions of the Jewish teachers. Thus, the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem saw a disregard for tradition, not a flaunting of the law of…

Mark 7:1   Jesus got the attention of the Jewish leaders at Jerusalem early on. Their desire to maintain their religious oppression caused them to check these things out. They had a show of genuineness, but it was only a show. It was quite a trip for them to come, but they felt it worth the…

Mark 6:56   This helped with the workload. It took less time to have them touch Jesus, than for him to touch and speak to each of them individually. However, it seems this was their idea. Jesus would not impose this on people, but would spend time with individuals if required. 2 Chronicles 18:1-20:37 James 3:3…

Mark 6:55The crowd of interested parties had grown so large as to cause a large contingent of the population to make resoritng to Christ their regular activity. Spending great amounts of time on this was accepted well in that region because of his popularity. They searched out sick folk to take to him, knowing his…

Mark 6:54   Once again the crowd assembles quickly, recognizing Jesus right away. 2 Chronicles 9:1-12:16 James 3:1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us! Knowing that you care for us makes a real difference to us. We know you are God, but…

Mark 6:53   As you will remember, the disciples had not yet made it across the lake. So, here they finish the journey to Genesaret. 2 Chronicles 6:1-8:18 James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. Heavenly Father, we must make time with you our most important activity.…

Mark 6:52   We have a tendency in our sinfulness not to be very observant. Now, it is not that these men were overly sinful, but that they were as we, imperfect. Humans have that propensity for complacency. It causes us, by our yielding to it, to be very dull, to act like the beasts, to…

Mark 6:51Jesus had revealed his glorious power to these men in a very obvious way, and yet they failed to recognize his deity in its fullness. They were slow to understand what they were seeing. This water walking miracle really got their attention. 1 Chronicles 27:1-29:30 James 2:24 Ye see then how that by works…

Mark 6:50   Make sure you don’t miss the attitude of Christ. His words here may seem to be just passing talk. But, in reality they reflect the overall tone of the Christ. We are told by him not to fear. We are told by the apostles not to fear. We are told by good ministers…