1. Locate the real problem
The Way to Life
Lesson 5
Locate the real problem
Hyeran Lee
6th October, 2017

2. Introduction on Jesus’ parable in Mark 7: 1–23
What defiles us?
- from a Pharisee perspective
- from Jesus’ perspective

3. Read Mark 7:1–23 in English and in Chinese, in the bi-lingual bibles, turn to page 1532
7:1 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus 2 and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 
3 The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.
5 So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”

4. “Pharisees” (7:1) were a very strict Jewish religious sect
“Pharisees” (7:1) were a very strict Jewish religious sect. They tried to follow their religious rules exactly and condemned people who did not. Many of them were proud of their superior record of religious performance. They thought they were good people who earned God’s favor.

5. “Teachers of the Law” (7:1) were priests and professional scholars of the “Old Testament” (the first part of the Bible that was written before the time of Jesus Christ). They, also called scribes, produced accurate copies of the Bible and other Jewish religious laws and writings. They taught and defended the authority of the Old Testament and their traditions. Their books of the Old Testament came from God and were truly the Law of God. At that time these “Scriptures” were the only written information and instructions given to the world by God’s full authority and supervision

6. “Disciples” (7:2) were the twelve men selected by Jesus to travel with him for special training. After Jesus returned to God, His Father in Heaven, these disciples would carry on His work and establish the worldwide community of Christians. These special men saw Jesus’ life. Therefore, they could report to the world about Jesus’ teachings and power to save the world. Some of them wrote parts of the New Testament of the Bible.

7. How Pharisees and teachers of the law worship God
- Which question they asked to Jesus? (7:5)
7:5 “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”
- Why they ask this question to Jesus?
The disciples eat their food with ritually defiled hands
It is because they saw disciples are not following the tradition of the elders. 
Having ritually ‘unclean’ hands (7:5) meant they had not performed the traditional religious ceremonial washing by rinsing two times up to the wrist. Those religious leaders thought it was necessary to wash in that special way before eating food with the hands. They thought such washing cleansed them from any religious pollution they got from touching objects touched by sinners or people who were not Jews.

8. How Pharisees and teachers of the law worship God
-Ceremonial washing (video)
Jewish law today prescribes several kinds of hand washing
Washing hands before eating bread Washing hands when we get up in the morning
Washing hands before prayer
Washing hands when one touches his privy parts
Washing hands after eating a meal
Etc..

10. How Pharisees and teachers of the law worship God
- Who made those traditions?
Their ancestor made those tradition
- Why do they follow those rules? Who is the most important authority in their life?
Their behavior is to be worship God but their attention is not focused on God.
They are be proud of themselves as they are admired by people by abiding the tricky rules they made.
- Do we have traditions or rules we follow? Why we abide those tradition? Who is the most important authority in our life?
Jesa: a ceremony commonly practiced in Korea. Jesa functions as a memorial to the ancestors of the participants. Jesa are usually held on the anniversary of the ancestor's death.

14. 6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
“‘These people honor me with their lips,     but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain;     their teachings are merely human rules.’
8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
9 And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! 
10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’
11 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— 
12 then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. 
13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”

15. Who is Isaiah
“Isaiah” (7:6) was one of God’s prophets who wrote part of the Old Testament. He called people to change their bad thoughts and practices and to return to God.
What is Corban? “Corban” (7:11) means a gift to God. It is a person’s property that is dedicated to God yet kept during one’s lifetime. The property could not be sold. God gave a command through Moses that people should honor their parents. So when parents are too old to work, their children should support their parents. Many times they had to sell some of their property (personal items or land) to fulfill that obligation. But, if children were angry with their parents, or just selfish, they could withhold their property by dedicating it to God. They would promise that the property would belong to God when they die. That way, the Jewish tradition would not allow them to sell the property. Then they could keep it for their own use as long as they lived.

16. Jesus’s answer on the question of Pharisees and teachers of the law
- How did Jesus describe their tradition?

17. 6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
“‘These people honor me with their lips,     but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain;     their teachings are merely human rules.’
8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
9 And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! 
10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’
11 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— 
12 then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. 
13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”

18. Jesus’s answer on the question of Pharisees and teachers of the law
- How did Jesus describe their tradition?
Jesus call them hypocrites
People honor me with their lips
Their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain
observe your own traditions / human rules
Setting aside the commands of God
Nullify the word of God
You do many things like that
- Why do you think Jesus didn’t like the Pharisees’ behavior? Do you agree on Jesus’s response to them?
Jesus didn’t like their hypocritical behavior although that behavior looks nice and is admired by other people.

19. - God’s command is mentioned twice.
Jesus’s answer on the question of the Pharisees and teachers of the law
- God’s command is mentioned twice.
what we can assume which is not God’s command through this passage?
what is God’s command?
Having physically cleaned hand (not God’s command)
Vain behavior, human rules, tradition (not God’s command)

20. Jesus’s answer on the question of the Pharisees and teachers of the law
In the bible, the most important god’s command is in
“Mark 12:28-31”
28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. ’There is no commandment greater than these.”
Can you find any behavior / ritual / traditional things we should follow to keep God’s command?

21. - Which characteristics of God you can find through this parable
- Which characteristics of God you can find through this parable? 1 Samuel 16:7
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Mark 12:28-31
30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.
He sees our heart
He wants us to love him (build a relationship) with our hearts not by lots of rules.
He didn’t like empty hypocritical behavior without our heart

22. 14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 
15 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” 
17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 
18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them?19 For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)
20 He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. 
21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 
22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 
23 All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

23. - What defiles us according to the answer from Jesus (7:15)?
15 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” 
not defiles us
defiles us
something that enters a person from the outside
→ food, dirty hands etc.
what comes out of a person
→ evil thoughts
→ sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly

24. - What do we think what defiles us?
- When do we feel shame or guilt?
Do we feel shame only when our behavior is bad ? Or Do we also feel guilty even when our thought is not honest?
- Do you think our evil thought also can defile us and even good behavior from our defiled heart?
- Who is a sinner?
Romans 3:23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
We are all sinners according to God’s standard; God who create the world.

25. Accept God’s solution to your problem
This lesson revealed bad news about us because we must first admit that we have a problem. Only then will we want to look for a solution. Then God offers us good news of hope and help. Jesus promised, “Happy are those who, more than anything else, desire a life that is right in God’s sight. God will give them that fully” (Matthew 5:6 paraphrased).
And God promises us in the Bible: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9).
To receive God’s forgiveness, we must first be honest with ourselves and with God about our spiritual need. If we want God to make our hearts clean, then He will! If we want God to accept us into a loving, everlasting friendship with Himself, He will! In our next lessons we will learn more about how to receive that.

26. Questions 1-17 for discussion in smaller groups, while keeping the next page projected and handed out to the students.

27. “Elders” (7:3) are older men who are leaders of their society
“Elders” (7:3) are older men who are leaders of their society. These elders had set up their own religious and social rules and practices for the Jews to follow.
“Unclean” (7:15), as Jesus used the term, is the moral condition of a person having bad character and guilt. That makes the person unacceptable to God.
“Evils” (7:23) in this context are sins. That is, bad attitudes and acts which break God’s laws for right living.

28. “Prophesied” (7:6) means that a special representative chosen by God spoke or wrote a message from God exactly as God gave it to him or her. The prophecy in 7:6, 7 was written 800 years before Jesus. The word, “me,” refers to God. God was speaking about what the nation of Israel was doing to God 800 years before. Most of the Jews were still doing the same at the time of Jesus.
“Worship” (7:7) means to give God the respect, recognition and praise that He deserves to have.
“Moses” (7:10) was given laws by God. Moses commanded the Jewish nation to obey those laws. So those were God’s laws, not Moses’ ideas. God spoke to people through Moses.

29. According to the brief list in 7:21–23, are you unclean in God’s judgment? Have you ever thought evil? Ever been greedy? Ever lied to anyone?
Isaiah said hypocrites try to appear good outwardly but are not good in their hearts. Have you tried to make people (and yourself) think that you are morally good in what you do and think—better than what you really are?
But what does God see in us and know about us?
What is your greatest need as God sees it?
Are you willing to turn to God honestly in your heart? Do you want to love God with all your heart? Do you want to obey God instead of following your selfish desires or following what people want you to do, which conflicts with God’s commands?