Show Don't Tell: Mark 7:1-13

Instead of saying "Jesus criticized the Pharisees' traditions," watch the handwashing confrontation escalate. The Pharisees and some teachers of the law come from Jerusalem. They notice Jesus' disciples eating food with "unclean"—ceremonially unwashed—hands. Mark explains for Gentile readers: Pharisees and all Jews don't eat unless they wash their hands carefully, following tradition. They ask Jesus: "Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders?" Jesus fires back with Isaiah: "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules." Then the attack: "You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions." Example: God said honor your father and mother. But you say if someone declares their support "Corban" (devoted to God), they no longer need to help parents. "Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition." Manmade rules overriding God's commands.