Mark 7:1-5 - They do not eat unless they wash

7:1-4

We now come to another encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees. As happened on a number of occasions, Jesus uses the clash as an opportunity to bring some very important teaching. The incident started with the Pharisees seeking to find fault with the disciples. The Pharisees and the Jews (“Jews” here seeming to mean religious people, rather than the Israelites) observed strict rules regarding washing. Before they ate. This was not done from hygiene concerns, but wanting to ensure they were not defiled in any way, as could happen if they came from the marketplace, an uncontrolled environment. They had a whole host of rules and regulations, designed to supposedly maintain their religious purity.

7:5

Having observed that the disciples seemed to have little concern for observing these rules, the Pharisees approached Jesus. Why did they approach Jesus, rather than going directly to the disciples? Because they were disciples of Jesus, and therefore, in the eyes of the Pharisees, Jesus was responsible for the disciples’ behaviour. If Jesus was a truly godly man, surely He should have been ensuring that the disciples followed the “tradition of the elders”?