Mark 6:45-7:23
The storm is raging: ‘they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them’(48). Jesus draws near, and there is peace: ‘the wind ceased’(51). Another ‘storm’ continues to rage: ‘Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders...?’(5). How did Jesus respond to this ‘storm’ of criticism? - He exposed the hypocrisy of those who made the tradition of men more important than the Word of God (7-9,13). He invited ‘the people’ to come ‘to Him’, to ‘hear’, to ‘understand’. His Word was addressed to ‘all’ of them (14). Jesus emphasizes this point: ‘man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart’(1 Samuel 16:7). The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart. Which will it be? - ‘Their hearts were hardened’(52) or ‘Loving the Lord your God with all your heart’(12:30).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
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