A Journey Through the Bible: Mark 7 and 8

Mark 7:3—“For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.” The washing was to be of the hands and wrists; there is a rabbinic tradition to that effect. This kind of washing is apparently still practiced in certain eastern countries; the Islamic Qur’an commands it: “O believers, when ye wish to pray, wash your faces, and your hands up to the elbows—and your feet up to the ankles” (Surat 5:7). They probably borrowed that from the Jews, with whom early Muslims had much contact. The Jewish doctrine was “If a man neglect the washing, he shall be eradicated from the world.” For the Hindus, bathing is a prerequisite before the first meal, and washing of the hands and feet before the evening meal. Jesus certainly wasn’t defending filthiness in this section of Mark, but washing before a meal was not a command of the Law of Moses. The Pharisees made it such, and condemned Christ on the basis of their interpretations of the law, not on what it actually said. Jesus wasn’t about to be bound by their traditions.

Mark 8:36-37—“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Here are two of the most piercing, thought-provoking questions in all the Bible. They teach us, so clearly, the value of our souls. Let’s just suppose for a moment, that you or I owned the whole world, or, more rationally, had the resources to buy anything we wanted, go anywhere we wanted, do anything we wanted. There are, of course, many people on earth in that position. But then, supposing we could do that, we die and are lost eternally. What will we have in hell to compensate us? Are a few short years of earthly pleasure worth an eternity of damnation? The Lord is trying to get us to focus on our priorities, on what is truly important—the eternal destiny of our eternal soul. The second question, “what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” is equally haunting. What is it that we love so much that we simply won’t give it up, even if it costs us a home in heaven? The Lord Jesus will brook no higher allegiance than to Himself (Luke 14:26). When you think of it, that is an awfully arrogant demand—if Jesus were only a man. Only God can insist upon that level of loyalty.

Gentle reader, is there anything you are more loyal to, anything you won’t give up, for the Lord Jesus Christ?