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In Mark 7, we find some of the most revolutionary teachings in the New Testament. With prophetic insight, Jesus spoke out against the external practices that had been adopted and endorsed as the essence of religious worship.
By word and example, Jesus nullified the system of cultic purity which was based on a concept of what was “clean and unclean.”
Tragically, the people had lost sight of the hope and freedom which the Mosaic covenant offered to them. Subject to the oppressive leadership of the scribes and Pharisees, they labored under an intolerable weight of rules and regulations.
The essential difference between the teachings of Jesus and the mentality of the Pharisees is made clear in this passage. The Pharisees were a lay group who, historically, stood in opposition to the Jewish priestly class. The name “Pharisee” means “separate”; by their fanaticism for ritual and law, the Pharisees had set themselves apart from the rest of society. For many, in their isolation, their attitude became one of comparison and inflated superiority.
Adherence to the law and tradition…
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