Mark 7:5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?”
6 He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.
7 And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”
If the Pharisees knew who they were talking to, they not only would shut up, but they would have been on their faces, ashamed of their pride and arrogance. But they had no clue as to who it was that they were addressing so rudely and without respect.
And we, who call ourselves after His name, Christian’s, do no better than these Pharisees, who follow traditions but do no recognize the Son of YHWH God even when He stands before you and offers testimony.
How is it that we worship the most-high God, and do not know Him? We call upon His Holy name but turn away from Him when it comes to love and obedience. When will we come to understand what it means to be His bride?
He said, “‘This people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” (Vs 6)
We need to consider what kind of message we are sending to Him who is our Savior and King when we teach others things that are simply not in the Bible.
He says, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15) and then to that He adds, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” (John 14:21)
But we not only ignore His Words, but we claim that He abolished the very same Commandments He asks that we keep. This tells me that we do not know Him, if we live according to this doctrine.
If He had done away with the ordinances of God, why in our selfish way of thinking would we think such a thing. And why would he have spoken contrary to that.
Did He not say, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17)
He came to fulfill the Law, not to abandon it. If we want to know Him, we need to understand what He says, and not impose idiotic doctrine on His own words. And if you want to verify what I am telling you simply look at the word in Greek to see what Fulfill means. The Word in the Greek is “Pleroo” meaning to fully explore or teach.
But how are you to know these things, when those who are instructing you do not value the truth, and you have no inclination to test what they tell you according to the scriptures. If that doesn’t resonate in your heart, I don’t know what will get your attention and cause you to walk as he walked.
Here is the whole reason for His visitation, to call us back to the scriptural Commandments of God and to give us the grace we need to set us on His path.
All we have to do is read a few more verses beyond Matthew 5:17 to understand clearly what He is conveying to us in words.
He goes on to say, “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” (Vs 18)
Has heaven or the Earth been done away with? No! Then the Law has not been abolished!
“Whoever therefore, breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Vs 19)
So now, He shames those of us who do not teach or practice the commandments, by saying that we are not seen as great in heaven, but instead we will be found lacking. However, those who keep and preach the Commandments as they were given by God the Father, they will be seen as great by heaven.
“For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Vs 20)
When we began this Message for today, let me remind you that Yahshua /Jesus told the Pharisees that they had fallen short of the mark, and He was not very nice about it. If they continue to do what they have been doing according to the Messiah, they will not be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Just as He says here!
But if we continue to follow a path that is less than the same path as the Pharisees, we will also be fuel for the furnaces of Hell. Because we are lacking in righteousness.
Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. (1st John 3:7)
Without the commandments how is it that we can claim to be righteous? And don’t say that Jesus is your righteousness, that’s just another lie! You must have a righteousness of your own. Why else would he ask us to keep His Commandments?
The Apostle John clears it all up, for those of us who are wrestling with the questions that have arisen from this teaching, when He says, “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
He who says, “I know Him, “and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.
He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”
The Commandments we are to keep are the same ones He kept as an example to us, so that we would know how to walk according to the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Now is the time to repent and return to the living Word of God. Before He comes, be restored to Him and His ways.
Shalom my friends,
Chuck Greever