Mark 7:6-8 Jesus saying rituals are bad?

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I posted a quote from bishop Robert Barron that said

"“there are a lot of New Age people today who want spirituality without religion. And there are evangilical Christians who want Jesus. Without religion. The problem is both those views end up with an abstraction.”

A fellow catholic commented with

“New agers assuming they aren’t ex-Christians, have an excuse, Christians of any denomination don’t since they know full well what’s in the bible assuming they do read it, that Jesus instituted the bible etc there is definitely a shared (dis) value here”

My Baptist brother has now chimed in stating

“Jesus says it himself in Mark 7:6-8 that rituals and religion are a doctrine of man: “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.’ Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” This was after the Pharisees and scribes asked Jesus why his disciples did not go through the ritualistic hand washing that the Pharisees’ traditions prescribed.”

What is Mark 7:6-8 really saying. What’s the context of this. Is he really saying that any ritual is tradition of men?
 
Shaolen said:
I posted a quote from bishop Robert Barron that said

"“there are a lot of New Age people today who want spirituality without religion. And there are evangilical Christians who want Jesus. Without religion. The problem is both those views end up with an abstraction.”

A fellow catholic commented with

“New agers assuming they aren’t ex-Christians, have an excuse, Christians of any denomination don’t since they know full well what’s in the bible assuming they do read it, that Jesus instituted the bible etc there is definitely a shared (dis) value here”
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Well, Jesus didn’t “institute the Bible”, so this interpretation is off-balance, but the intention was good.
My Baptist brother has now chimed in stating
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“Jesus says it himself in Mark 7:6-8 that rituals and religion are a doctrine of man: “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.’ Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” This was after the Pharisees and scribes asked Jesus why his disciples did not go through the ritualistic hand washing that the Pharisees’ traditions prescribed.”
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What is Mark 7:6-8 really saying. What’s the context of this. Is he really saying that any ritual is tradition of men?
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I’m afraid he’s reading into this passage what he wants it to say. Jesus no where condemns the lawful rituals of the temple or the commandments/precepts God gave to Moses. What he is denouncing is hypocrisy of doing the rituals without keeping the spirit of the law, which is love of God and others before oneself. The “traditions of men” are the ones the Pharisees added to the precepts given to Moses in order that they might appear holier than others–thus it was done for mere show.
 
Shaolen said:
What is Mark 7:6-8 really saying. What’s the context of this. Is he really saying that any ritual is tradition of men?
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When Jesus took bread and said it was His body and when He took wine and said it was now His blood and when He said “Do this in remembrance of me” He was instituting a ritual

Jesus instituted the ritual of water baptism when He said one must be born of water and Spirit to enter His kingdom.( John 3:5)

Jesus re-confirmed that ritual when He said whoever believes and is baptized will be saved ( Mark 16:16)

The scriptures speak of many rituals. One of them is in James 5 where we are told to call the presbyters of the Church and they will anoint, with oil, a person who is sick.

Clearly Jesus is not against the rituals that He instituted and were to be performed by the ministers of His Church.
 
Jesus is condemning meaningless rituals that take the place what the Law of Moses actually intended.

Specifically he speaks about the tradition of Corban, which was dedicating money to the Temple so that it could not be use to support elderly parents and then withdrawing the money later for personal use.

And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God, in order to keep your tradition! For Moses said, Honor your father and your mother'; and, He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die’; but you say, `If a man tells his father or his mother, What you would have gained from me is Corban’ (that is, given to God) – then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God through your tradition which you hand on. And many such things you do.” (Mark 7:9-13)

Corban was selfish and a violation of the fourth commandment to honor mother and father. It was a meaningless tradition with no basis in the Law of Moses.

Jesus himself engaged in many rituals including the Passover and circumcision. His baptism was a Jewish ritual purification bath known as the mikveh. He “Rose early to pray” - this was the Jewish liturgical morning prayers and he went to the synagogue “as was his custom”.

-Tim-
 
Hi Len,

Della is right, I meant Jesus instituted the Eucharist of course, don’t know how ‘bible’ came out predicative thing on my iPad probably sorry, have corrected it.

God bless tony
 
123me said:
Hi Len,

Della is right, I meant Jesus instituted the Eucharist of course, don’t know how ‘bible’ came out predicative thing on my iPad probably sorry, have corrected it.

God bless tony
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Oh hey Tony! Glad to see you on here.
 
Yes my favourite place for finding out about all things Catholic.
 
Thank you everyone who responded. I knew that he wasn’t condemning religion or rituals in general in that verse but was confused by it. Thanks for showing it was particular ones and hypocrisy. God bless everyone
 
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