“The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were ‘unclean,’ that is, unwashed.” (Mark 7:1-2)
This week, we’re going to try to learn some things from a quick conversation between Jesus and some Pharisees. The Pharisees were starting to get tired of everyone talking about how great this new rabbi Jesus was. But after the miracles people had seen him do, how could they not talk?
You would think the Jewish religious leaders would be excited about a rabbi that could do such powerful things, right? I mean, people were saying that Jesus could heal anyone of anything, that he could cast out demons without even breaking a sweat, that he could feed a stadium full of people with a sack lunch.
Instead, the Pharisees seem to have felt threatened. They did what some of your friends do when they feel insecure; they started to look for things about Jesus to criticize, to show that he was not that big of a deal
But Jesus pulled the curtain and showed everyone what was in their hearts.
Think: Have you ever heard someone mock Jesus or the idea of Jesus? Do you think sometimes people do that because they’re a little worried he might really be God?
Pray: Ask God to help you to learn this week both from Jesus’ words and the Pharisee’s negative example.
Do: Read Mark 5 to hear some of the reasons Jesus was becoming so well known.