Mark 7:9-13 9And he said to them, “You impressively reject the commandment of God in order that you might uphold your tradition. 10For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever insults father or mother must be put to death.’ 11But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban” ’ (which is a gift)— 12then you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or mother, 13voiding the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many such similar things.”
Jesus next gives an example to support his accusation against the Pharisees and scribes. Their primary problem was that they replaced their traditions and all their efforts to keep these for God’s will as revealed in Scripture. This problem still plagues many people today who claim to be religious and perform pious activities developed over centuries in the church. Their rejection was “impressive” (calōs, an adverb that can mean something done well) to other people who heaped praise on them for their religiosity. They had twisted the words God spoke through Moses and came up with their own interpretation that fit their purposes. Over generations, interpretations like this become sacred and as important–or more important–than the Bible itself.
The examples Jesus cites come from 1) Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16, and 2) Exodus 21:17 and Leviticus 20:9. God expects children to honor their parents. The stability of a society is built on the parent/child relationship. Sadly, many social problems result from children not honoring their parents. The Jews of Jesus’ day interpreted this honoring in narrow terms and missed the whole purpose of these commandments.
Jesus’ statement in verse 11 shows how the Jews broke the commandments they thought they were fulfilling. Mark translates the Aramaic/Hebrew word Corban into Greek for his readers as “gift.” This gift was something dedicated to God and became the property of God. It was never to be used for secular purposes. This gift could become misused and become a social and spiritual problem. For example, creditors could give their debt to God, and thus be freed from paying it because the debt belonged to God and they were free from its obligation. The same was true for children who could dedicate to God the help they should give to their parents and thus not help their parents. It became a way of getting out of helping parents who were in need. Corban could become a tool for keeping assistance away from unliked people or enemies. Thus, it was a tool for anger or rebellion. Some of the Jews were putting rules and regulations above human need, especially of old parents who needed it. The Pharisees and scribes were doing many similars empty and distorted religious practices.
Jesus was convicting them at the very heart of their religious self-understanding. Their human traditions and interpretations had replaced Spirit-filled and Spirit-guided obedience. At one point, there may have been a reason for the particular “tradition of the elders,” but over time, these traditions take on a life of their own. We must always test our traditions and practices against Scripture, which must be our ultimate guide.
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