“For
you set aside the commandment of God, and hold tightly to the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and you do many other such things.” He said to them, “Full well do you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother;’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban, that is to say, given to God”;’ then you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or his mother, making void the word of God by your tradition, which you have handed down. You do many things like this.”
Mark 7:8-13
Mark 7 [6.] He answered them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,
‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me.
But they worship me in vain,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
Mark 7 [8.] “For you set aside the commandment of God, and hold tightly to the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and you do many other such things.” He said to them, “Full well do you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother;’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban, that is to say, given to God”;’ then you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or his mother, making void the word of God by your tradition, which you have handed down. You do many things like this.”
Mark 7 [14.] He called all the multitude to himself, and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. There is nothing from outside of the man, that going into him can defile him; but the things which proceed out of the man are those that defile the man. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Meaning:
Having diagnosed empty worship with Isaiah's words, Jesus now gives a concrete example. He shows how the "tradition of men" could be used to cancel one of the plainest commands God ever gave: the duty to honor father and mother. The example is uncomfortable because it exposes how religious language can become a cover for neglecting the people God has placed in our care.
- Three Steps Away from God’s Word
Notice how Jesus' language escalates. First, "you set aside the commandment of God" (verse 8). Then, "Full well do you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition" (verse 9). Finally, they end up "making void the word of God by your tradition" (verse 13). What begins as adding human rules alongside God's word ends with emptying God's word of its force. Tradition that is not kept under Scripture will sooner or later stand over it.
- Honor Your Father and Your Mother
Jesus quotes two laws given through Moses. The first is the fifth of the Ten Commandments: "Honor your father and your mother" (Exodus 20:12), which Paul later calls "the first commandment with a promise" (Ephesians 6:1-3). The second is its solemn counterpart: "He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death" (Exodus 21:17). In Hebrew, to "honor" means to give weight to someone, while the word behind "speaks evil of" or "curses" means to treat as light or worthless.
In the ancient world there were no pensions or aged-care homes. When parents grew old, honoring them meant providing for them, sharing food, money and a roof. The command was not merely about polite words but about practical, costly care. Even on the cross, Jesus made sure his mother would be looked after (John 19:25-27).
- Corban: A Pious Loophole
"Corban" is a Hebrew word for an offering brought near to God, the same word used in Leviticus for sacrifices. By pronouncing something "Corban," a person declared it dedicated to God. The tradition allowed a son to say to his parents, in effect, "Whatever help you might have had from me is Corban," so that the property was now off limits to them. Often the son could still keep using it himself, and the elders ruled that such a vow had to be kept even when it left parents in need.
Archaeology shows how the formula was used. A stone ossuary (bone box) from a first-century tomb near Jerusalem bears an inscription declaring its contents "corban," an offering to God, in order to put them off limits to anyone else. Jesus' point is that God never wanted a religious vow to be used as an excuse for abandoning one's parents. Proverbs had long before condemned the person who "robs his father or his mother, and says, 'It’s not wrong'" (Proverbs 28:24).
- “You Do Many Things Like This”
Jesus ends by saying this was only one example among many. The Pharisees had developed a habit of using tradition to find respectable ways around God's clear will. The tragedy is that the tradition looked devout. Giving to God sounds holy; but giving to God what he has told you to give to your parents is not devotion, it is disobedience dressed in religious clothing.
The Significance of Mark 7:8-13
- Faith Shows Itself at Home
The New Testament keeps Jesus' emphasis. Paul tells children and grandchildren "to show piety towards their own family, and to repay their parents" (1 Timothy 5:4), and warns that anyone who "doesn’t provide for his own" has "denied the faith" (1 Timothy 5:8). Generous giving to church and ministry is good, but it must never become a substitute for caring for those closest to us.
- Testing Our Own Traditions
Every Christian community has habits, rules and expectations that are not written in Scripture. Jesus does not ask us to throw them all away; he asks us to test them by whether they help or hinder obedience to God's plain commands. The greatest commands are to love God and to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:31), and our nearest neighbors are often our own parents.
Cross-References:
Exodus 20:12: "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which Yahweh your God gives you." The fifth commandment, the first of the two laws Jesus quotes.
Exodus 21:17: "Anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death." The second law Jesus quotes, showing how seriously God regards contempt for parents.
Proverbs 28:24: "Whoever robs his father or his mother, and says, “It’s not wrong.” He is a partner with a destroyer." Excusing neglect of parents is itself condemned in Scripture.
1 Timothy 5:8: "But if anyone doesn’t provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever." Care for family is a practical test of genuine faith.
Conclusion: Mark 7:8-13 shows how a respectable religious tradition could be used to cancel God's command to honor father and mother. Jesus calls his hearers back to the plain word of God, which always unites love for God with practical love for people. The passage challenges us to let Scripture judge our traditions, and to honor our parents with real, generous care.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible