Re:Verse passage – Mark 7:1-23 (day three)
“You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition.”
Jesus and the Pharisees agreed on at least one thing: their standing as experts. They touted their expertise in the law; Jesus pointed out their expertise in setting aside the law. It seems that often within the spiritual and moral realm there exists a drive for assurance that one is properly spiritual and moral. Assurance-seeking will always involve self-policing and then expand to the policing of others. Righteousness-policing becomes the touchstone of assurance rather than, you know, actual righteousness. Jesus declared that his disciples were experiencing an immersion in the pursuit of righteousness, while the Pharisees were immersed in the pursuit of assurance of righteousness. The former flows from a state of wonder at God’s goodness, the latter from a state of fear of God’s rejection.
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