SCRIPTURE: Mark 7
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’ by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him ‘unclean.’” [Mark 7:15]
By ‘unclean’, Jesus is not talking about visibly dirty, but spiritually dirty, and therefore unacceptable to God.
His point in this passage is that God is concerned about spiritual and moral purity, not physical or ritual purity.
The Pharisees would have acknowledged that their ritual hand-washing was symbolic of spiritual and moral cleansing, but they had become so focused on these external practices that they were ignoring the deeper issues and concerns.
They remained spiritually and morally unclean, but prided themselves on their ritualistic perfection.
If nothing on the outside makes a person ‘unclean’ or unacceptable, then this was also true for this non-Jewish woman pleading with Jesus to help her daughter.
Jesus refers to the religious separation between Jews and Gentiles, but uses her faith to show the Jews what sincere faith was.
On this and other occasions, Jesus is more impressed by the non-Jews than the Jews [see Matthew 8:8-10].
I suspect that putting His fingers in the deaf-mute’s ears, and touching his tongue with His spit would also be an unclean act.
This miracle occurred in Gentile territory, the Decapolis, and so he was probably also a Gentile.
Once again Jesus is redefining the Jews’ religious boundaries, showing them that the heart of a person is more important than the race of a person.
In this passage, I hear the concern of God for our character, as well as the truth that our real problem is in our heart.
For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’ [Mark 7:21-23]
For the Pharisees, the disciples, the Gentile woman and the deaf-mute man, the deepest concern is for our spiritual heart condition.
Religious rituals (external behaviours) cannot appease God’s concern for evil thoughts, sexual immorality, etc.
God sees my heart.
He knows whether I truly love Him, honour Him, and do what is right from the heart.
He sees my secret thoughts and sins, He knows everything about me.
Better to be honest and seek His help, than pretend I am OK and cover my sin with religious charades.
PRAYER:
Lord, touch my spiritual ears, spit on my spiritual tongue, heal my spiritual center, and make me clean on the inside.
It is what’s on the inside what counts or as Mark states “it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.”
The church leaders at this time had many man made rules to make people right in their own eyes such as hand washing, traveling distance on a Sunday, work on a Sunday, etc and these rules became more important than what God desired. The leaders live by the letter of their own laws rather than the spirit of God’s law – love. God’s commands were love God and love man. The people made their own practices more important than following God’s way.
And so it is still today . people putting rituals first before the Lord. And yet the heart of the matter is the heart. Love the Lord your God with your ALL – heart soul mind and strength. Your loving God must come to expression through your doing.
Help me Lord to be the tree planted by the river of living water and so produce living fruit.
Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory,
Rise and shine and Give God the glory, glory
Rise and shine and (clap) give God the glory, glory
Children of the Lord.