Mark 7: 5-9 followers of tradition

The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?” ⁶ And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:’ THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME,
TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’

What Jesus was pointing out to them was that whatever is taken from your hand and fed to you mouth is clean, because the body disposes of anything which is vile. But when vile comes from your mouth, it shows the condition of a person's heart. Within Judaism, there is as much keeping tradition as there is keeping the word of God. And this is Jesus’ point also. The Pharisees were making themselves out to be hypocrites and enemies of God by putting themselves higher than Jesus' disciples on principles of men and not of God.

Daily Prayer: Father, let me be slow to criticize. It is all too easy to find yourself in the position of the Pharisees by thinking more of ones-self than one ought to. Instead, let me be tireless in doing your work and walking humbly before my Lord. In Jesus name I pray Amen.