Hello everyone, my name is Elise Brooklyn and this is Scattering Flowers, a podcast where we scatter flowers of faith.
I’m so happy to be with you reading the daily gospels together.
Let’s get started! Today is Tuesday, February 11th, and we’ll be reading Mark 7, 1-13.
Follow along in your Bible if you have one.
Now let’s read Mark 7, 1-13.
They do not eat unless they purify themselves, and there are many other traditions which they observe the washing of cups and pots and vessels of bronze.
And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with hands defiled?
And he said to 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.
In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines and precepts of men.
You leave the commandment of God and hold fast the tradition of men.
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 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 from God.
Then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the work of God through your tradition, which you hand on, and many such things you do.
Today’s reading makes me think of something my mom always says to me and my brother.
Most times I get annoyed when she says it, but today made me think about it, so maybe it’s sticking.
So if one of us tattles and we have to tell each other sorry, we often say it super quick and may not truly mean it.
She says we can’t apologize until we really mean it from our hearts and take the time to think about why we are sorry.
She teaches us this because like in today’s scripture, Jesus teaches what matters in this condition of the heart, not the outside.
Let’s pray.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, dear God, help me to judge myself and not others, and help me to make you a room in my heart.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Thank you so much for listening.
I’ll be back tomorrow scattering more flowers.
See ya!