March 9th, 2024

This Sunday is typically called the Fourth Sunday in Lent, and we are now more than midway to Holy Week. The Gospel reading for this Sunday in the three-year series may be a bit surprising, since it is not from the Gospel according to Mark. But people have been prepared for such a thing; last Sunday the Gospel reading was also from the Gospel according to John. That Sunday it was from the second chapter. This time it is from the third chapter, a very popular text (John 3:14-21).
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Last week’s reading was Jesus cleansing the temple, the place where God and man came together. This week’s reading is about Jesus being lifted up on a cross. Now it may be said that both of those texts have to do with a midway point, where God and man come together. And the season of Lent helps us to appreciate such a wonderful thing.

The writings of this website are currently progressing through the Gospel according to Mark, from beginning to end, in the order in which the words were written. And we are currently starting what is typically called the seventh chapter. And that is getting very near the midway point of that gospel account. One could also say that we are close to the midpoint of the three similar (synoptic) accounts when taken together (the Gospel according to Matthew, Mark, and Luke).

Although the tension between Jesus and his enemies was already quite high, it could be said that ‘the next generations’ have some significant tension as well. In the previous chapter (6:30), after ‘the apostles’ are assembled (using the historical present—when the verb is in the present rather than the past), Jesus recommends that they all go off together to a wilderness place and rest. Now, at the start of the section below, the enemies of Jesus also assemble (also using the historical present), and they ask Jesus why the disciples do not follow the traditions of washing, and Jesus takes them to task for focusing on the traditions of man rather than the commandments of God.

Much earlier in this account (3:22), the scribes from Jerusalem came down and accused Jesus of being possessed by the devil. In the text below the Pharisees also come down with the scribes. And the Pharisees were the ones who were already working with the Herodians to destroy Jesus (3:6). Hopefully you can see how the tension is increasing.

What follows could be called a somewhat-literal translation of Mark 7:1-23 (you may note that verse sixteen will not be included in the text, since it does not appear in the earliest manuscripts; if you are unfamiliar with the Greek language, it may be helpful to look at other translations or a study bible; it should also be noted that the historical presents are given in bold print):

And they are assembled toward him, the Pharisees and some of the scribes, having come from Jerusalem. And having seen some of the disciples of him, that with common hands, that is, unwashed, they eat the bread. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews, if not, with a fist, they wash the hands, not they eat, holding the tradition of the presbyters, and from agoras, if not they baptize, not they eat, and other things, many, there are, which they received, to hold, baptisms of cups, and of pots, and of copper vessels, and of couches.) And they question him, the Pharisees and the scribes: “Because of what, not they walk, the disciples of you, according to the tradition of the presbyters, but on the contrary, with common hands they eat the bread?”

Now the one said to them, “Well he prophesied, Isaiah, about you, the hypocrites, as it has been written, ‘This, the people, with the lips, me, they honor, now the heart of them, far, is away from me; now in vain, they worship me, teaching teachings, commandments of men.’ Having left the commandment of the God, you hold the tradition of the men.”

And he was saying to them, “Well you set aside the commandment of the God, that the tradition of you, you may stand. For Moses said, ‘Honor the father of you and the mother of you,’ and, ‘The one speaking evil of father or mother, by death, let him come to an end.’ Now, you, yourselves, say, ‘If he says, a man, to the father or to the mother, Korban—which is a gift—whatever from me you might have a benefit,’ no longer you allow him, nothing, to do for the father or the mother, annulling the word of the God with the tradition of you, which you gave over; and similar things, such, many, you do.”

And calling to, again, the crowd, he was saying to them, “Hear me, all, and understand. Nothing there is, outside of the man, entering into him, which is able to make him common; but on the contrary, the things out of the man, coming out, are the ones making common the man.

And when he came into, into a house from the crowd, they were questioning him, the disciples of him, the parable. And he says to them, “Thus also, you yourselves, without understanding are? You do understand, do you not, that all, the from outside, entering into the man, not is able, him to make common, because not it enters, of him, into the heart, but on the contrary, into the stomach, and into the drain it goes out (cleansing all the foods)?”

Now he was saying, “The thing out of the man, having gone out, that makes common the man. For from within, out of the heart of the man, the thoughts, the evil, they go out—fornication, thefts, murders, adulteries, greedinesses, evils, deceit, unrestrained, eye—evil, blasphemy, arrogance, foolishness—all these, the evil things, from within, it goes out, and it makes common the man.”