Tradition and Truth in Mark 7:6–9, 13–23
Mark 7:6–9, 13 records a direct and searching rebuke from Jesus—one that still speaks with clarity today. His words confront the danger of outward religion that appears faithful while quietly drifting from the truth of God.
Verse 6
“He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias (Isaiah 29:13) prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”
A hypocrite was originally a stage actor. The word referred to someone portraying another person, adopting a voice, nature, or behavior that was not their own. It involved pretending, fantasy, and fiction. . It described performance rather than reality, appearance rather than substance.
Jesus often expose this condition among the religious leaders of His day. As the embodiment of Truth, He possessed both the authority and the knowledge to judge righteously. His authority to judge flowed from His perfect alignment with the Father and His complete knowledge of the human heart.
Verse 7
“Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”
God gives doctrine through those he has chosen and ordained by the Holy Spirit. There is no contradiction in what God teaches, because He is one God—the ultimate source and architect of truth. Yet human traditions, religious customs, and man-made teachings are often given greater authority than the words of the prophets, the apostles, and even Christ Himself.
Mankind has continually attempted to impose personal beliefs and systems upon God’s people. This tendency has fractured the visible church into countless denominations. Scripture, however, reminds us that there is one Body, one Spirit, one truth, one Kingdom, and one Way. This is the dwelling place of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for all who have surrendered their souls to Him. For this reason, the Apostle Paul urged believers to “to honor them which are over you in the Lord, because they watch over your soul”.
The Danger of Religious Tradition Replacing God’s Truth
Verse 8
“For laying aside the commandments of God, ye hold the traditions of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.”
People pass down traditions through generations, yet they often provide no spiritual benefit and bring no glory to the Kingdom of God. Many are taught simply because they have been heard repeatedly, not because they have been tested against Scripture. As a result, tradition replaces the Word, and spiritual life is slowly drained away.
Verse 9
“And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandments of God, that ye may keep your own traditions.”
To reject God’s commandments is to set them aside, nullify them, and treat them as irrelevant, outdated or worthless. In order to establish human doctrine, someone must diminish divine truth. This rejection often sounds like: “Paul was only a man giving his own opinion,” or “the law was suitable for Moses’ time but is outdated now,” or even “we serve a modern god who has changed.“
Such thinking reshapes God into an image more comfortable for the human mind. Those who build doctrine apart from truth often rely on fear and control to hold followers in place. Yet Scripture assures us: “Whom the Son sets free is free indeed.”
What Truly Defiles a Person According to Jesus
Verses 14–16
“And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.”
Jesus shifts the focus from external behavior to internal condition. Eating, hearing, or observing outward rituals does not defile a person. The heart, the soul and mind, produces defilement, and a person reveals it in the way they respond to life’s encounters.
Verse 19
Jesus explains that what enters the body is naturally processed and eliminated. The same principle applies spiritually. This understanding gave rise to the saying, “It goes in one ear and out the other,” meaning that no inward corruption took place.
Verses 20–23
“That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
Jesus makes it unmistakably clear: what defiles a person originates from within. Evil thoughts, pride, deceit, rebellion, and lust arise from the heart and manifest outwardly.
Fear, hatred, and selfish desire drive humanity toward destructive actions. Objects such as money, weapons, drugs, religion, and politics possess no inherent power on their own. The heart of the one who wields them determines the power these things hold.
The condition of the heart, not the presence of tradition, is what ultimately shapes a life.
Your friend in Christ,
Rodney Roberts
One Small Seed Newsletter – Edition #292, August 2025