Re:Verse reading – Mark 7:1-23 (day two) After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man.” Vs. 14-15
Have you ever considered that the law is good? Most of us just think of it as a necessary nuisance. In the spiritual sense it serves to point out that we are all flawed sinners. But the Jews observe several ceremonial laws that served them well. The need for hygiene in the ancient world was not widely understood. The idea of cleaning your body, your cookware, and your utensils likely did more to help the general health of the population that was ever clearly understood in the ancient world. These laws served a purpose, but like most things after time people have a way of focusing on the minutiae and they forget the intent. If, as we follow the law it beocomes only about following orders and it does nothing to bring glory to God, then our motivation should be re-examined. We don’t follow the ceremonial laws of ancient Israel, but there are areas of our lives that could stand some scrutiny. Why do you pray the way you do? How do you treat your family, strangers, the lost?
