In Mark 7:1–13, Jesus confronts the Pharisees and scribes who have traveled from Jerusalem to investigate Him. Their concern wasn’t curiosity—it was opposition. They accused Jesus’ disciples of eating with “defiled hands,” not because of hygiene, but because they didn’t follow the “tradition of the elders,” an elaborate system of rules developed to safeguard ritual purity. These traditions went beyond God’s Word, taking commands originally given to priests and applying them broadly, turning good intentions into rigid regulations.

Jesus responds by quoting Isaiah: “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” The Pharisees’ problem wasn’t outward behavior—they were meticulous in keeping their rules—but their hearts weren’t aligned with God. Their devotion was empty because it sought the approval of man, not the glo ...