Proper 17 Year B

Proper 17

Song of Solomon 2.8-13
James 1.17-27
Mark 7.1-8, 14-15, 21-23

The main bit missing from Mark 7 is about nullifying God’s word through human tradition. Hmmm.

Granted, there are two different issues at stake here: cleanness and uncleanness (with a further subdivision: clean hands and clean food), and tradition versus Scripture. But even supposing we highlight the first, omitting verses 9–13, we cannot understand Mark’s point without the transition in verse 17, and his own comment in verse 19. Let’s put this right before we too end up making a tradition of misreading Scripture...

Taken from Twelve Months of Sundays Year B by N T Wright