Mark 7:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, "‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;

NIV: He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: " ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

NASB: But He said to them, 'Rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.

CSB: He answered them, "Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

NLT: Jesus replied, 'You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

KJV: He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

NKJV: He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.

When the Pharisees and scribes push Jesus' disciples to follow manmade tradition, Jesus responds with Scripture. Mark 7:6–7 include a paraphrase of Isaiah 29:13 which reads "And the Lord said: 'Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men…" Isaiah preached this warning to Judah through Jerusalem, its capital. About one hundred years later, Judah was taken into exile in Babylon for those crimes.

The great irony is that while the "traditions of the elders" that the Pharisees and scribes so carefully follow (Mark 7:5) were designed to prevent Israel from again falling into catastrophic spiritual failure, the hearts of those who obey the traditions are no better than the idol worshipers in Isaiah's day. An idol is an idol, be it an image of Baal in a temple or belief that adherence to a manmade law can save you from the wrath of God.

Since the day Jesus healed the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath, the Pharisees had been searching for a way to destroy Him (Mark 3:1–6). Here, they try to publicly shame Him, condemning the smallest of His disciple's actions in an attempt to cast doubt on Him, His ministry, and His teaching. Instead of debating, Jesus exposes that their holiness is all talk.

Mark 7:1–13 argues that the traditions of Jewish elders are twisted interpretations of the Mosaic Law that hide the purpose of that law. Washing is a particular requirement of priests and has nothing to do with ensuring the ceremonial cleanness of a meal. And keeping a rash oath does not relieve a child from the commandment to care for his parents. In their attempt to add to the ceremonial law, the elders subtract from the moral law. They find that anyone who attempts to find salvation through works will end up stumbling on Christ (Romans 9:30–33). This story is also found in Matthew 15:1–9.

Jesus counters another traditional error from the scribes and Pharisees, explaining that food in and of itself does not make a person unclean. Rather, it is the intent of the heart that matters to God. He specifically condemns traditions which effectively undo the original intent of God's commands. Jesus heals the daughter of a persistent Gentile woman, and a man suffering from deafness and a speech impediment.

After showing His authority over demons, death, and physics, Jesus asserts His superiority over manmade traditions. For generations, Jewish religious leaders have added to the Law in an attempt to keep the nation holy. Such traditions, however, serve to make the leaders look good but unnecessarily burden the people. Jesus argues in word and action that any law that dismisses love is either misinterpreted or manmade.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.