Jesus was declaring all foods clean

JESUS WAS DECLARING ALL FOODS CLEAN
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Mark 7:19 New International Version
For it doesn'tgo into their heart but into their
stomach, and then out of the body." (In saying this,
Jesus declared all foods clean.)
New Living Translation
Fooddoesn’t go into your heart, but only passes
through the stomachand then goes into the sewer.”
(By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is
acceptablein God’s eyes.)
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
The RealAnd The Imaginary Defilement
Mark 7:14-23
R. Green

The question of "the Pharisees,and certain of the scribes which had come
from Jerusalem," yetremains to be answered, Jesushaving turned aside to
weakenthe force of "the tradition of men." The answeris given in the ears of
"the multitude." It is simple. "There is nothing from without the man that can
defile him:" defilement is of that which proceeds "from within out of the heart
of man." The man's heart is the fountain of evil; it is his heart, not his hands,
that needs washing. No wonder that "the Pharisees were offended, whenthey
heard this saying." Then, having "enteredinto the house from the multitude,"
the disciples "askedof him" what is to them as yet "the parable;" for so are
they "without understanding also." In few words he distinguishes the true
nature and source of defilement from the untrue, leaving for all time these
lessons hidden in his words -
I. ALL POLLUTION IS MORAL POLLUTION. From this all mere
ceremonialdefilement must be distinguished. Such uncleanness is not moral
impurity, nor is ceremonialcorrectness to be regardedas the testimony of
moral purity. The stainless externalistmay harbour "within all evil things."
The perversion of a wise teaching on the necessityforpersonal cleanliness and
of instructive ceremonials had led to the foolish supposition that a touch of the
dead, or the diseased, orthe decaying matter, conveyedmoral impurity. This
is once for all contradicted. Whatsoeveris "without the man" conveys not the
defilement. It is a moral condition. The heart can defile all things. As that
which is from without the man cannot defile, so let it be known"there is
nothing from without the man that going into him can" cleanse "him."
II. THE SOURCE OF ALL IMPURITY IS NOT IN GOD'S WORKS, BUT
IN MAN'S HEART. "All these evil things proceedfrom within." Thus Jesus,
with his just judgment, traces evil to its hidden source. The heart, not the
flesh, is the seatof defilement. This is the fountain which can corrupt God's
goodand pure gifts. How marked a contrastdoes he make betweena possible
ceremonialuncleanness - a very trifle at most (as to moral uncleanness it is
nil) - and the greatness,the multiplicity, and the foulness of the "evil things
which proceedfrom within"! Materialthings cannot in themselves convey
moral impurity. Even the excess in the use of the food, which destroys life,
comes from within. That the goodthings of God may be turned into occasions
of evil all know, but it is only the heart that canso turn them. Whatsoeveris

"without the man cannotdefile him, because it goethmerely into his body, not
into his heart; "and the heart, not the body, is "the man," the true man, the
very man.
III. FROM THE THRALDOM OF A FALSE CEREMONIALISM CHRIST
REDEEMSHIS DISCIPLES, "MAKING ALL MEATS CLEAN." How
needful not only to saywhat is sin, but to say also what is not sin! From many
a yoke which the fathers were not able to bear Christ sets his people free!
From child's play to serious work he calls them. From a mere adjustment of
articles of dress and of furniture; from punctilios of ritual observance having
in themselves no moral significance, andliable to withdraw men from great
works and greattruths, he turns them aside. He exposes the true evilness in
the long catalogue of"evil things" of which the heart, not the flesh, is capable;
and be, without many words of exhortation, directs men to seek the cleansing
of their unholy hearts, that their lives, their whole man, may be cleanalso. -
G.
Biblical Illustrator

Do ye not perceive, that whatsoeverthing from without entereth into the man.
Mark 7:17-23
The true source ofdefilement
Expository Discourses.
Having rebuked the scribes and Pharisees,our Lord addressedthe people,
and laid down a greatgeneralprinciple (ver. 15), which His disciples asked
Him to explain more fully. We are taught —
I. THAT MERE EXTERNALOBSERVANCESDO NOT AFFECT OR
CHANGE THE MORAL STATE AND CHARACTER OF MAN.
1. The statement that nothing from without defileth a man, must be takenin
connectionwith what goes before, and then it becomes a principle, of which
the Jews hadmuch need to be told. All require to be told.
2. That mere outward observancescannotaffectthe moral nature, seems a
very simple truth. Reasonteachesit. The body may be affectedby them, but
not the soul; to influence the heart, means of a right class must be selected.
Experience teaches it. Observation confirms it.
3. This principle requires in our day to be loudly proclaimed.
4. The more nearly the soul cancome to God, irrespective of outward things,
the better.
II. THAT THE MORAL STATE AND CHARACTER OF A MAN, IS
AFFECTED BYTHAT WHICH COMETHOUT OF HIS HEART.
1. The fountainhead of all that enters into human history and character, is the
heart. Hence, the characterofthe moral law, the order of the Spirit's work,
the importance of the inspired precept, "Keepthine heart," etc.
2. That which naturally proceeds from the heart proves that it is wholly
depraved.
3. By these things, which proceedfrom the heart, is man defiled. Christ's
blood and spirit, alone can cleanse.

(Expository Discourses.)
Spiritual defilement
Expository Outlines.
I. THE CEREMONIALISM OF THE PHARISEES DENOUNCED.
1. The undue importance they attachedto outward observances.
2. The additions they made to the requirements of the law of Moses.
3. The Saviour's discourse on this occasionwas evidently intended to prepare
the minds of the people for the total abolition of all ceremonialrites.
II. THE IGNORANCE OF THE DISCIPLES REPROVED."And He saith
unto them, Are ye so without understanding also?"
1. To us their dulness of apprehensionappears strange and unaccountable.
2. In their ignorance we see the effect, not merely of inattention, but of
prejudice and bigotry.
III. THE DEPRAVITY OF HUMAN NATURE EXHIBITED. We are shown
—
1. The source of evil. It is in the heart.
2. The diversified streams of evil. "Adulteries, fornications, thefts, murders,
covetousness," etc.
3. The contaminating influence of evil. These are the things by which men are
defiled.
(Expository Outlines.)
Things from within
Spencer.

It is well known that rotten woodand glowworms make a glorious show in the
night, and seemto be some excellent things; but when the day appears, they
show what they are indeed — poor, despicable, and base creatures. Such is the
vanity and sinfulness of all haughty, proud, high-minded persons, who,
though now shining in the darkness of this world, through the greatness of
their power, place, and height of their honour, when the Sun of Righteousness
shall appear and manifest the secrets ofall hearts, then they will be seen in
their own proper colours.
(Spencer.)
Out of the heart
The heart determines the life
Swinnock.
The bowl runs as the bias inclines it; the ship moves as the rudder steers it;
and the mind thinks according to the predominancy of vice or virtue in it. The
heart of man is like the spring of the clock, whichcauses the wheels to move
right or wrong, wellor ill. If the heart once set forward for God, all the
members will follow after; all the parts, like dutiful handmaids, in their
places, will wait on their mistress. The heart is the greatworkhouse where all
sin is wrought before it is exposedto open view. It is the mint where evil
thoughts are coined, before they are current in our words or actions. It is the
forge where all our evil works as well as words are hammered out. There is no
sin but is dressedin the withdrawing room of the heart, before it appears on
the stage oflife. It is vain to go about an holy life till the heart be made holy.
The pulse of the hand beats well or ill, according to the state of the heart. If
the chinks of the ship are unstopped, it will be to no purpose to labour at the
pump. When the wateris foul at the bottom, no wonder that scum and filth
appear at the top. There is no wayto stop the issue of sin, but by drying up the
matter that feeds it.
(Swinnock.)

Natural corruption of the heart
Goodwin.
That which AEsop said to his master, when he came into his garden and saw
so many weeds in it, is applicable to the heart, His master askedhim what was
the reasonthat the weeds grew up so fastand the herbs thrived not? He
answered, "The ground is natural mother to the weeds, but a stepmother to
the herbs." So the heart of man is natural mother to sin and cor. ruption, but
a stepmother to grace and goodness;and further than it is wateredfrom
heaven, and followedwith a greatdeal of care and pains, it grows not.
(Goodwin.)
The heart a storehouse ofevil
C. H. Spurgeon.
Here is a piece of iron laid upon the anvil. The hammers are plied upon it
lustily. A thousand sparks are scatteredonevery side. Suppose it possible to
count eachspark as it falls from the anvil; yet, who could guess the number of
the unborn sparks that still lie latent and hidden in the mass of iron? Now,
your sinful nature may be compared to that heatedbar of iron. Temptations
are the hammers; your sins are the sparks. If you could count them (which
you cannotdo), yet who could tell the multitude of unborn iniquities — eggs of
sin that lie slumbering in your soul? You must know this before you can know
the sinfulness of your nature. Our open sins are like the farmer's little sample
which he brings to market. There are granaries full at home. The iniquities
that we see are like the weeds upon the surface soil, but I have been told, and
indeed have seenthe truth of it, that if you dig six feet into the earth and turn
up fresh soil, there will be found in that soilsix feetdeep the seeds ofthe
weeds indigenous to the land. And so we are not to think merely of the sins
that grow on the surface, but if we could turn our heart up to its core and

centre, we should find it is fully permeated with sin as every piece of putridity
is with worms and rottenness.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
An evil heart
Baptist Messenger.
A certain little boy in Kansas, only eleven years old, strove hard to be a
Christian. Once he stoodwatching Maggie paring the potatoes for dinner.
Soonshe pared an extra large one, which was very white and very nice on the
outside, but when cut into pieces it showeditself to be hollow and black inside
with dry rot. Instantly Willie exclaimed, "Why, Maggie, thatpotato isn't a
Christian." "What do you mean?" askedMaggie."Don'tyou see it has a bad
heart?" was the child's reply. This little Kansas boy had learned enoughof the
religion of Jesus to know that howeverfair the outside may be, the natural
heart is corrupt.
(Baptist Messenger.)
Evil passions whenrestrained only by custom
C. H. Spurgeon.
If men were shut up in cells, so that they could not commit that which their
nature instigatedthem to do, yet, as before the Lord, seeing they would have
been such sinners outwardly if they could have been, their hearts are judged
to be no better than the hearts of those who found opportunity to sin and used
it. A vicious horse is none the better tempered because the kicking straps
prevent his dashing the carriage to atoms; and so a man is none the better
really because the restraints of custom and Providence may prevent his
carrying out that which he would prefer. Poorfallen human nature behind the
bars of laws, and in the cage of fearof punishment, is none the less a fearful

creature;should its master unlock the door we should soonsee what it would
be and do.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
No heart free from sin
Baily.
Well-tempered spades turn up ill savoury soils even in vineyards.
(Baily.)
The heart its own laboratory
George Dana Boardman, D. D.
We hear a greatdeal saidin our day about the doctrine of environment.
"Circumstances," we are told, "make the man;" "Life is a modification of
matter;" "Thinking is matter in motion;" "The brain secretesthoughtas the
liver secretesbile;" "The difference betweena goodman and a bad man is
mainly a difference in molecular organization;" "The affections are of an
eminently glandular nature;" "Notas a man thinketh in his heart, but as he
eateth, so is he;" "Characteris the aggregate ofsurroundings, the sum total of
parents, nurse, place, time, air, light, food, etc." Now this doctrine of
environment is in a certainsense entirely true. The mind does not more
certainly act on the body than the body on the mind. But the doctrine of
environment means, or at leasttends to mean, more than this. It tends to teach
that sin is not so much a crime as a misfortune, not so much guilt as disease.
Not so did the GalileanMasterteach. "Hearkento Me, all of you, and
understand: Nothing that goethinto a man from without can defile him; but
the things that come out of him are what defile a man." Here He is in direct
issue with the materialism of the day. For man is something more than matter,
or an organizedgroup of molecules. Behind the visible of him there is the
invisible. The heart is its own laboratory. Friend, overtakenin a sin, do not

judge yourself too charitably. Don't ascribe too much to outward
circumstances. Recallthe first Adam: he was in a garden, where every
outward circumstance was for him; yet he fell. Recallthe secondAdam: He
was in a desert, where every outward circumstance was againstHim; yet He
remained erect: the Devil failed to conquer Him, not because He was Divine,
but because He was sinless. Don'texcuse yourself then too much by your
"environment." Man is not altogetheranimbecile. True, "circumstancesdo
make the man." But they make him only in the sense and degree that he
permits them to make him. You will find the most stingy of men in the
mansions of the rich, and the most generous of men in the cabins of the poor;
the humblest of Christians in the palace, and the proudest of Phariseesin the
cottage;saints in the dungeon, and villains in the Church. It is not so much the
outward that tinges the inward as the inward that tinges the outward. It is for
the man himself to saywhether his own heart shall be a temple or a kennel.
The greatproblem then is this: How shall a man use his "circumstances"?For
just what he does with them — just what he does with his strength and time,
and skill, and money, and imagination, and reason, and affections, just what
the heart does with its opportunities — just this is the test of him. Do these
opportunities, after passing through the laboratoryof his heart, issue as
blessings on the world? Then his heart is pure, Do they issue in moral blights?
Then his heart is defiled. Not that these bad issues do of themselves defile the
heart; but the heart being itself defiled, and sending forth issues of evil
thoughts and deeds, these issues take on the impurities of the source from
which they spring, marking its defilement, and aggravating its pollution by
the very act of outflowing. These are the unclean things, which, coming out
from within, defile the man. Keep thy heart, then, with all diligence, for out of
it are the issues of life and of death. Friend, are you disheartenedby my
Master's doctrine? Don't seek to remedy your case by merely altering your
circumstances, orreforming your habits. You can't purify a fountain by
purifying its streams. Jesus Christis the most radicalof reformers. He does
not say, "Change your circumstances, andyou will change your character;"
but He does say, "Change your heart, and you will be likely to change your
circumstances."
(George Dana Boardman, D. D.)

Evil Thoughts
Source of evil thoughts
M. F. Sadler, M. A.
Notice how evil thoughts are by the Saviour said to be the first of the evil
things which coming out of the heart defile. We should not, I think, have put
evil thoughts amongstthe things which come out of the heart, because we
suppose them to be in the heart. But is not what the Saviour says true of that
which He alone knows — the very nature and substance of the soul? In its
very centre, or close to its centre, the evil has its root or fountain. The evil
suggestionarises, andthen the will or affectiontakes notice of it. If the will is
right with God, it immediately puts out the evil thing as if it were a loathsome
reptile, but if the will be not right with God, it harbours the first suggestionof
evil, it cogitates it, thinks it over and over, dwells upon it in imagination,
chews the food of the evil fancy, desires to do the evil deed, resolves to do it,
and so has already done it in the heart. So that out of the heart, out of the
unseen and unthinkable depths within, proceedthe evil thoughts which
become evil acts within before they are incarnated, as it were, in some evil
deed without.
(M. F. Sadler, M. A.)
Sinfulness of evil thoughts
Swinnock.
Some please themselves in thoughts of sinful sports, or cheats, orunclean acts,
and sit brooding on such cockatrice eggs withgreatdelight. It is their meat
and drink to roll these sugarplums under their tongues. Thoughthey cannot
sin outwardly, for want of strength of body or a fit opportunity, yet they act
sin inwardly with greatlove and complacency. As players in a comedy, they
act their parts in private, in order to a more exactperformance of them in
public.

(Swinnock.)
Thoughts usually indicate character
J. Owes.
Our thoughts are like the blossoms on a tree in the spring. You may see a tree
in the spring all coveredwith blossoms, so that nothing else ofit appears.
Multitudes of them fall off and come to nothing. Ofttimes where there are
most blossoms there is leastfruit. But yet there is no fruit, be it of what sortit
will, goodor bad, but it comes in and from some of those blossoms. The mind
of man is coveredwith thoughts as a tree with blossoms. Mostof them fall off,
vanish, and come to nothing, end in vanity; and sometimes where the mind
does most abound with them there is the leastfruit, the sap of the mind is
wastedand consumed in them. Howbeit there is no fruit which actually we
bring forth, be it good or bad, but it proceeds from some of these thoughts.
Wherefore, ordinarily, these give the best and surestmeasure of the frame of
men's minds. "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." In case of strong and
violent temptations, the real frame of a man's heart is not to be judged by the
multiplicity of thoughts about any object, for whether they are from Satan's
suggestions, orfrom inward darkness, trouble, and horror, they will impose
such a continual sense of themselves on the mind as shall engage allits
thoughts about them; as when a man is in a storm at sea, the current of his
thoughts runs quite another way than when he is in safetyabout his occasions.
But ordinarily voluntary thoughts are the best measure and indication of the
frame of our minds. As the nature of the soilis judged by the grass which it
brings forth, so may the disposition of the heart by the predominancy of
voluntary thoughts; they are the original acting of the soul, the way whereby
the heart puts forth and empties the treasure that is in it, the waters that first
rise and flow from that fountain.
(J. Owes.)
Petrifying influence of evil thoughts

American National Preacher.
Anyone who has visited limestone eaves has noticed the stalactite pillars,
sometimes large and massive, by which they were adorned and supported.
They are nature's masonry of solid rock, formed by her own slow, silent,
mysterious process. The little drop of water percolates throughthe roof of the
cave, and deposits its sediment, and another follows it, till the icicle of stone is
formed: and finally reaching to the rock beneath, it becomes a solid pillar, a
marble monument, which canonly be rent down by the most powerful forces.
But is there not going forward oftentimes in the caverns of the human heart a
process as silentand effective, yet infinitely more momentous? There in the
darkness that shrouds all from the view of the outward observer, eachthought
and feeling, as light and inconsiderate, perhaps, as the little drop of water,
sinks downward into the soul, and deposits — yet in a form almost
imperceptible — what we may call its sediment. And then another and
another follows, till the traces of all combined become more manifest, and at
length, if these thoughts and feelings are chargedwith the sediment of
worldliness and worldly passion, they have reared within the spirit permanent
and perhaps everlasting monuments of their effects. All around the walls of
this spiritual cave stand in massive proportions the pillars of sinful
inclinations and the props of iniquity, and only a convulsion like that which
rends the solid globe can rend them from their place and shake their hold.
Thus stealthily is the work done; mere fancies and desires and lusts
unsuspiciously entertained, contribute silently but surely to the result. The
heart is changedinto an impregnable fortress of sin. The roof of its iniquity is
sustainedby marble pillars, and all the weight of reasonand conscience and
the Divine threatenings are powerless to lay it low in the dust of humility.
Such is the powerof those light fancies and imaginations and desires which
enter the soul unobserved, and are slighted for their insignificance. They
attract no notice. They utter no note of alarm. We might suppose that if left to
themselves they would be absorbed in oblivion, and leave no trace behind. But
they form the pillars of character. Theysustain the soul under the pressure of
all those solemnappeals to which it ought to yield. How impressive, then, the
admonition, "Keepthy heart with all diligence"!Things which seem
powerless andharmless may prove noxious beyond expression. The powerof

inveterate sin is from the silent flow of thought. Your habitual desires or
fancies are shaping your eternal destiny.
(American NationalPreacher.)
Evil thoughts not to be harboured
Swinnock.
The best Christian's heart here is like Solomon's ships, which brought home
not only goldand silver, but also apes and peacocks;it has not only spiritual
and heavenly, but also vain and foolishthoughts. But these latter are there as
a disease orpoison in the body, the object of his grief and abhorrence, not of
his love and complacency. Thoughwe cannotkeepvain thoughts from
knocking at the door of our hearts, nor from entering in sometimes, yet we
may forbear bidding them welcome, orgiving them entertainment. "How long
shall vain thoughts lodge within thee?" It is bad to let them sit down with us,
though but for an hour, but it is worse to let them lie or lodge with us. It is
better to receive the greatestthieves into our houses than vain thoughts into
our hearts. John Huss, seeking to reclaim a very profane wretch, was told by
him, that his giving way to wicked, wanton thoughts was the original of all
those hideous births of impiety which he was guilty of in his life. Huss
answeredhim, that although he could not keepevil thoughts from courting
him, yet he might keepthem Item marrying him; "as," he added, "though I
cannot keepthe birds from flying over my head, yet I can keepthem from
building their nests in my hair."
(Swinnock.)
Importance of keeping the mind well employed
Scriver.
Man's heart is like a millstone: pour in corn, and round it goes, bruising and
grinding, and converting it into flour; whereas give it no corn, and then

indeed the stone goes round, but only grinds itself away, and becomes ever
thinner and smallerand narrower. Even as the heart of man requires to have
always something to do; and happy is he who continually occupies it with good
and holy thoughts, otherwise it may soonconsume and waste itselfby useless
anxieties or wickedand carnalsuggestions.Whenthe millstones are not nicely
adjusted, grain may indeed be poured in, but comes awayonly half ground or
not ground at all. The same often happens with our heart when our devotion
is not sufficiently earnest. On such occasionswe readthe finest texts without
knowing what we have read, and pray without hearing our own prayers. The
eye flits over the sacredpage, the mouth pours forth the words, and clappers
like a mill, but the heart meanwhile turns from one strange thought to
another; and such reading and such prayer are more a useless form than a
devotion acceptable to God.
(Scriver.)
Goodthoughts strangers
Dr. John Owen.
The thoughts of spiritual things are with many as guests that come into an inn
and not like children that dwell in the house.
(Dr. John Owen.)
Cure for evil thoughts
Dr. John Owen.
As the streams of a mighty river running into the ocean, so are the thoughts of
a natural man, and through self they run into hell. It is a fond thing to set a
dam before such a river to curb its streams. Fora little space there may be a
stop made, but it will quickly break down all obstacles,oroverflow all its
bounds. There is no way to divert its course, but only by providing other
channels for its waters, and turning them there into. The mighty stream of the

evil thoughts of men will admit of no bounds or dams to pug a stop unto them.
There are but two ways of relief from them; the one respecting their moral
evil, the other their natural abundance. The first by throwing salt into the
spring, as Elisha cured the waters of Jericho;that is, to get the heart and mind
seasonedwith grace;for the tree must be made goodbefore the fruit will be
so;the other is, to turn their streams into new channels, putting new aims and
ends upon them, fixing them on new objects;so shall we abound in spiritual
thoughts; for abound in thought we shall, whether we will or no.
(Dr. John Owen.)
Evil thoughts not trifles
C. H. Spurgeon.
Notice this evil catalogue,this horrible list of words. It begins with what is
very lightly regarded among men — evil thoughts. Instead of evil thoughts
being less simple than evil acts, it may sometimes happen that in the thought
the man may be worse than in the act. Thoughts are the heads of words and
actions, and within the thoughts lie condensedall the villany and iniquity that
can be seenin the words or in the acts. If men did more carefully watchtheir
thoughts, they would not so readily fall into evil ways. Insteadof fancying that
evil thoughts are mere trifles, let us imitate the Saviour, and put them first in
the catalogueofthings to be condemned. Let us make a conscienceofour
thoughts. In the words of the text the first point mentioned is evil thoughts,
but the last is foolishness. This is the way of sin, to begin with a proud conceit
of our own thoughts, ending with folly and stupidity. What a range there is
betweenthese two points, what a variety of sin thus enumerated! Sin is a
contradictory thing: it takes men this way and that, but never in the right
way. Virtue is one, as truth is one; holiness is one, but sin is ten thousand
things conglomeratedinto a dread confusion. When we look upon any man
and only regardhim with malignity, we sin in all that — it is the sin of envy.
There stands pride. One would have thought that a man who commits these
sins would not have been proud. When a man is filled with a proud conceitof
himself he is justifying his own iniquity.

(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Human depravity seenin the thoughts of man
H. Bushnell, D. D.
Considerthe wild mixtures of thought displayed both in the waking life and
the dreams of mankind. How grand! how mean! how sudden the leap from
one to the other! how inscrutable the succession!how defiant of orderly
control! It is as if the soul were a thinking ruin, which it very likely is. The
angeland the demon life appearto be contending in it. The imagination revels
in beauty exceeding all the beauty of things, wails in images dire and
monstrous, wallows in murderous and base suggestionsthat shame our
inward dignity.
(H. Bushnell, D. D.)
Covetousness
Covetousness -- its spirit
DeanRamsay.
The spirit of covetousnesswhichleads to an over value and over love of
money, is independent of amount. A poor man may make an idol of his little,
just as much as the rich man makes an idol of his much. We know our Lord
showedhow the poorestperson may exceedin charity and liberality the
richest — by giving more than the wealthy in proportion to the whole amount
of his possessions. So in like manner, a poor man may be more covetous than a
wealthy man, because he may keepback from the treasury of God more in
proper. tion to his all than the rich man keeps back from his all. If the
Christian characteris debased, and heaven is lost by such indulgence of
covetousness as to make a man an idolater of mammon, it is of little
consequence whetherthe heart be set on an idol of gold, or an idol of clay.
(DeanRamsay.)

Covetousnessexchangestrue riches for the false
T. Adams.
As the dog in AEsop's fable lost the real flesh for the shadow of it, so the
covetous man casts awaythe true riches for the love of the shadowy.
(T. Adams.)
Covetousnesspines in plenty
T. Adams.
The covetous man pines in plenty, like Tantalus up to the chin in water, and
yet thirsty.
(T. Adams.)
Degradationofthe covetous
Dr. Jeffers.
A young man once pickedup a sovereignlying in the road. Ever afterwards,
in walking along, he kept his eye fixed steadily upon the ground in the hope of
finding another. And in the course of a long life he did pick up a goodmany
gold and silver coins at different times. But all these years, while he was
looking for them, he saw not that the heavens were bright above him, and
nature beautiful around. He never once allowedhis eyes to look up from the
mud and filth in which he soughthis treasure;and when he died — a rich old
man — he only knew this fair earth as a dirty road to pick up money as you
walk along.
(Dr. Jeffers.)

Delusionof the covetous
Anon.
Some of us may remember a fable of a covetous man, who chancedto find his
way one moonlight night into a fairy's palace. There he saw bars, apparently
of solid gold, strewedon every side; and he was permitted to take awayas
many as he could carry. In the morning, when the sun rose on his imaginary
treasure, borne home with so much toil, behold! there was only a bundle of
sticks, and invisible beings filled the air around him with scornful laughter.
Such will be the confusionof many a man who died in this world with his
thousands, and woke up in the next world not only miserable, and poor, and
naked, but in presence ofa heap of fuel stored up againstthe greatDay of
burning.
(Anon.)
Covetousnessmentalgluttony
Chamfort.
Covetousnessis a sortof mental gluttony, not confined to money, but craving
honour and feeding on selfishness.
(Chamfort.)
Covetousnessmanifestedin insufficient expenditure
George Herbert.
Whosoever, whena just occasioncalls, eitherspends not at all, or not in some
proportion to God's blessing upon him, is covetous. The reasonof the ground
is manifest, because wealthis given to that end to supply our occasions.Now,
if I do not give everything its end, I abuse the creature;I am false to my
reason, which should guide me; I offend the Supreme Judge, in perverting
that order which He hath setboth to those things and to reason. The

application of the ground would be infinite. But, in brief, a poor man is an
occasion;nay friend is an occasion;my country; my table; my apparel. If in
all these, and those more which concernme, I either do nothing, or pinch and
scrape and squeeze blood, indecently to the stationwherein God hath placed
me, I am covetous. More particularly, and to give one instance of all: if God
have given me servants, and I either provide too little for them, or that which
is unwholesome, and so not competent nourishment, I am covetous. Men
usually think that servants for their money are as other things that they buy,
even as a piece of wood, which they may cut, or hack, or throw into the fire;
and so that they pay them their wages, allis well. Nay, to descendyet more
particularly: if a man hath wherewithal to buy a spade, and yet he chooseth
rather to use his neighbour's, and wearout that, he is covetous. Nevertheless,
few bring covetousness thus low or considerit so narrowly, which yet ought to
be done, since there is a justice in the leastthings, and for the leastthere shall
be a judgment.
(George Herbert.)
Pride.
Pride
Diogenes being at Olympia, saw at the celebratedfestival some young men of
Rhodes, arrayedmost magnificently. Smiling scornfully, he exclaimed, "This
is pride." Afterwards, meeting with some Lacedaemonians in a mean and
sordid dress, he said, "This is also pride." Pride is found at the same opposite
extremes of dress at the present day.
The folly of pride
W. Gurnall.
Of all sins, pride is such a one as we may well wonder how it should grow, for
it hath no other root to sustainit, than what is found in man's dreaming fancy.

It grows, as sometimes we see a mushroom, or moss among stones, where
there is little soil or none for its root to take hold of.
(W. Gurnall.)
The testof purity
A gentleman was once extolling loudly the virtue of honesty, saying what a
dignity it imparted to our nature, and how it recommended us to the favour of
God. "Sir," replied his friend, "howeverexcellentthe virtue of honestymay
be, I fear there are very few men in the world who really possessit." "You
surprise me," saida stranger. "Ignorant as I am of your character," wasthe
reply, "I fancy it would be no difficult matter to prove even you to be a
dishonestman." "I defy you." "Will you give me leave, then, to ask you a
question or two, and promise not to be offended?" "Certainly." "Have you
never met with an opportunity of getting gain by unfair means? I don't say,
have you takenadvantage of it; but, have you ever met with such an
opportunity? I, for my part, have; and I believe every. body else has." "Very
probably I may." "How did you feel your mind affectedon such an occasion?
Had you no secretdesire, not the leastinclination, to seize the advantage
which offered? Tell me without any evasion, and consistentlywith the
characteryou admire." "I must acknowledge, Ihave not always been
absolutely free from every irregular inclination; but — ." "Hold! sir, none of
your salvos;you have confessedenough. If you had the desire, though you
never proceededto the act, you were dishonestin heart. This is what the
Scriptures callconcupiscence. It defiles the soul; it is a breach of that law
which requireth truth in the inward parts, and, unless you are pardoned
through the Bloodof Christ, it will be a just ground for your condemnation,
when God shall judge the secrets ofmen.
COMMENTARIES

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(19) It entereth not into his heart.—The words are not in St. Matthew, and
emphasise the contrastwith what follows. The “heart” is, after the common
Hebrew idiom, the symbol of the mind as well as the affections. (Comp.
Proverbs 7:7; Proverbs 9:4; Proverbs 9:16; Proverbs 10:13, in all of which
“understanding” stands for the Hebrew of “heart.”)
Purging all meats.—This also is peculiar to St. Mark, and presents some
difficulties. In the commonly receivedtext, the participle is in the neuter
nominative, agreeing with the nominative to the verb “goethout.” But in this
constructionit is difficult to see in what sense that which goethinto the
mouth—itself an article of food, with no specialcharacter—canbe said to
purge or cleanse allother forms of food. The better MSS., however, give the
participle in the masculine. This has been explained by many as a
grammaticalanomaly, and the participle being treated as if it agreed(though
in a different case)with the word “draught” or “cesspool,”the latter is said to
cleanse allmeats, as removing the excreta, or impure parts, from them, and
leaving only that which nourishes the body. A far better construction, both as
to grammar and meaning, is found by making the word “purging,” or better,
cleansing, agree withthe subjectof the verb “He saith,” in Mark 7:18—“He
saith this . . . and in so saying, cleansethall meats.” So taken, the words
anticipate, in almost the same terms, the truth of Acts 10:15, “WhatGod hath
cleansed, that callnot thou common.” The constructionis tenable
grammatically, has the support of high authority both ancient and modern,
and obviously gives a much better sense. It is a possible conjecture that the
words “cleansing all meats” may have been, at first, a marginal note (like the
addition in Mark 7:16), attached to “He saith,” and have afterwards found
their way into the text.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

7:14-23 Our wickedthoughts and affections, words and actions, defile us, and
these only. As a corrupt fountain sends forth corrupt streams, so does a
corrupt heart send forth corrupt reasonings, corruptappetites and passions,
and all the wickedwords and actions that come from them. A spiritual
understanding of the law of God, and a sense ofthe evil of sin, will cause a
man to seek for the grace of the Holy Spirit, to keepdown the evil thoughts
and affections that work within.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
Entereth not into his heart - Does not reachor affect the "mind," the "soul,"
and consequentlycannot pollute it. Even if it should affectthe "body," yet it
cannot the "soul," and consequently cannotneed to be cleansedby a religious
ordinance. The notions of the Pharisees, therefore, are not founded in reason,
but are mere "superstition."
The draught - The sink, the vault. "Purging all meats." The word "purging,"
here, means to purify, to cleanse.Whatis thrown out of the body is the
innutritious part of the food takeninto the stomach, and leaving only that
which is proper for the support of life; and it cannot, therefore, defile the soul.
All meals - All food; all that is takeninto the body to support life. The
meaning is, that the economy or process by which life is supported "purifies"
or "renders nutritious" all kinds of food. The unwholesome or innutritious
parts are separated, and the wholesome only are takeninto the system. This
agrees withall that has since been discoveredof the process ofdigestionand
of the support of life. The food takeninto the stomachis by the gastric juice
convertedinto a thick pulp called chyme. The nutritious part of this is
conveyedinto small vessels, andchangedinto a milky substance called
"chyle." This is poured by the thoracic duct into the left subclavian vein and
mingles with the blood, and conveys nutriment and support to all parts of the
system. The useless parts of the food are thrown off.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
CHAPTER 7
Mr 7:1-23. Discourse onCeremonialPollution. ( = Mt 15:1-20).

See on [1450]Mt15:1-20.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
See Poole on"Mark 7:18"
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Becauseit entereth not into his heart,.... Which is the seatand fountain of all
moral pollution; and if that is not defiled, no other part can be; and that that
is not defiled by eating and drinking, unless in case ofintemperance, is clear;
because foodand drink do not go into it:
but into the belly; it is takenin at the mouth, goes downthe throat, and is
receivedinto the stomach, and from thence it passesthrough the bowels:
and goethinto the draught; , "the private house", as the Jews callit, without
going into the heart at all:
purging all meats; that which it leaves behind, is pure and nourishing; and
whateveris gross and impure, is carried with it into the draught, so that
nothing remains in the man that is defiling.
Geneva Study Bible
Becauseit entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the
draught, {h} purging all meats?
(h) For that which goes into the draught purges all meats.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Expositor's Greek Testament
Mark 7:19. ὅτι οὐκ … εἰς τὴν καρδίαν:this negative statementis not in Mt.
The contrastmakes the point clearer. The idea throughout is that ethical
defilement is alone of importance, all other defilement, whether the subject of
Mosaic ceremoniallegislationorof scribe tradition, a trivial affair. Jesus here
is a critic of Moses as wellas of the scribes, and introduces a religious
revolution.—καθαρίζων(not -ον) is acceptedgenerallyas the true reading, but
how is it to be construed? as the nominative absolute referring to ἀφεδρῶνα,

giving the sense:evacuationpurges the body from all matter it cannot
assimilate? So mostrecent commentators. Or ought we not to terminate the
words of Jesus atἐκπορεύεται with a mark of interrogation, and take what
follows as a comment of the evangelist? = ἐκπορεύεται;—καθαρίζων, etc.:this
He said, purging all meats; making all meats clean, abolishing the ceremonial
distinctions of the Levitical law. This view was adopted by Origen and
Chrysostom, and is vigorouslydefended by Field, Otium Nor., ad loc., and
favoured by the Spk., Commentary. Weizsäckeradopts it in his translation:
“So spracher alle Speisenrein”.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
19. into the draught] Comp. 2 Kings 10:27, “And they.… brake down the
house of Baal, and made it a draughthouse unto this day.” Draught = latrina,
cloaca,from Icel. draf, dregs, dirt, connectedwith A.S. drabbe, dréfe. Comp.
Shakespeare,Tim. of Ath. v. i. 105, “Hang them, or stab them, drown them in
a draught.” “There was a godde of idlenesse, a goddesse ofthe draught or
jakes.” Burton, Anat. of Mel.
Bengel's Gnomen
Mark 7:19. Καθάριζον)not polluting, but purging, whilst the wholesome
nutriment remains, and the mere refuse so purged awaygoes out.
Vincent's Word Studies
Draught (ἀφεδρῶνα)
Liddell and Scottgive only one definition - a privy, cloaca;and derive from
ἕδρα, seat, breech, fundament. Compare English stool. The word does not
refer to a part of the body.
Purging all meats (καθαρίζωνπάντα τὰ βρώματα)
According to the A. V. these words are in apposition with draught: the
draught which makes pure the whole of the food, since it is the place designed
for receiving the impure excrements.

Christ was enforcing the truth that all defilement comes from within. This was
in the face of the Rabbinic distinctions betweencleanand unclean meats.
Christ assertsthat Levitical uncleanness, suchas eating with unwashedhands,
is of small importance comparedwith moral uncleanness. Peter, still under
the influence of the old ideas, cannot understand the saying and asks an
explanation (Matthew 15:15), which Christ gives in Mark 7:18-23. The words
purging all meats (Rev., making all meats clean)are not Christ's, but the
Evangelist's, explaining the bearing of Christ's words; and therefore the Rev.
properly renders, this he said (italics), making all meats clean. This was the
interpretation of Chrysostom, who says in his homily on Matthew: "But Mark
says that he said these things making all meats pure." Canon Farrarrefers to
a passagecitedfrom GregoryThaumaturgus: "And the Saviour, who purifies
all meats, says." This rendering is significant in the light of Peter's vision of
the greatsheet, and of the words, "What God hath cleansed" (ἐκαθάρισε), in
which Peter probably realized for the first time the import of the Lord's
words on this occasion. CanonFarrarremarks:"It is doubtless due to the fact
that St. Peter, the informant of St. Mark, in writing his Gospel, and as the sole
ultimate authority for this vision in the Acts, is the source of both narratives, -
that we owe the hitherto unnoticed circumstance that the two verbs, cleanse
and profane (or defile), both in a peculiarly pregnant sense, are the two most
prominent words in the narrative of both events" ("Life and Work of Paul,"
i., 276-7).
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
DANIEL AKIN
The DeadlyLure of Legalism

Mark 7:1-23
Introduction: 1) Let me introduce you to a prospective church member. I am
certain you will
be thrilled to see him join our fellowship. He will attend every service we have
including special
events. He will go on mission trips with a passionto convertthe heathen. He
will tithe, sing in
the choir, read his Bible daily and memorize Scripture. He will be happy to
pray when we gather
for corporate worship. He is thoroughly orthodox in his theology. He is an
inerrantist,
monotheist and believes in heavenand hell. He never gets drunk, is not
addicted to porn, never
uses profanity, is a family man, loves his country feverently, weeps on July 4th
and also votes the
right way. His reputation in the community is stellar, and people who know
him admire him for
all that he does. If any man ever earnedthe right to go to heavenit is this
man. His religion is
certainly something to admire.
2) I have just introduced you, sadly, to a man headed for hell. I have just
introduced you to a 21st
century Pharisee! That word, that person, in the 1stcentury, was not scorned
as a legalist. No, he

was lookedup to as a model citizen and a person of piety and religion.
Unfortunately like so
many then, and now, they had, as Paul says, “a zeal for God, but not
according to knowledge.”
(Rom 10:2). Amazingly we can have a passionfor God and yet not know God.
We canbe
deceived, captured and enslavedby the deadly lure of legalism. Tragically,
those who have been
raisedin the church all their lives are the most susceptible to this deception.
Our pride in our
religious rituals, church practices and cultural traditions blind us to 1) our
greatsinfulness and 2)
the greatSaviorwho alone can rescue us from our sin.
3) In Mere Christianity C. S. Lewis writes,
There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which everyone in the
world loathes when he sees itin someone else;and of which hardly any
2
people, except Christians, ever imagine that they are guilty themselves. I have
heard people admit that they are bad-tempered, or that they cannot keeptheir
heads about girls or drink, or even that they are cowards. I do not think I
have ever heard anyone who was not a Christian accuse himselfof this vice.
And at the same time I have very seldommet anyone, who was not a
Christian, who showedthe slightestmercy to it in others. There is no fault
which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more
unconscious ofin ourselves. And the more we have it ourselves, the more we
dislike it in others…. The vice I am talking of is Pride or Self-Conceit…. Pride
leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind. (108-109).

And, the Scriptures contain harsh language to convey the Lord’s disdain for
pride. For instance:
The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in
pride (Ps. 31:23).
When pride comes, then comes disgrace(Prov. 11:2).
The LORD tears down the house of the proud (Prov. 15:25).
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (Prov. 16:18).
Before destructiona man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor
(Prov. 18:12).
One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor
(Prov. 29:23).
I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant (Isa. 13:11).
The horror you inspire has deceivedyou, and the pride of your heart, you
who live in the clefts of the rock, who hold the height of the hill. Though you
make your nest as high as the eagle’s, Iwill bring you down from there,
declares the LORD (Jer. 49:16).

Foreveryone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles
himself will be exalted (Luke 14:11).
God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).
3
These verses are just a sampling of the numerous passagesin the Scriptures
that condemn pride.
But why is God so opposedto pride? It is because human pride is in
opposition to God. It thinks
more of itself than it should. It thinks more of itself than Goddoes!
And amazingly, such pride may be lurking in unsuspecting locations like
religion and legalistic
bondage to the traditions of men.
Transition: What, then, does the deadly lure of legalismlook like?
I. Legalisthonor God with their lips resulting in false worship. 7:1-8
Phariseesand scribes, teachers ofthe Torah(Law), come again(cf. 3:22)
from
Jerusalemamidst the growing popularity of Jesus (v. 1). By now we know
they are
up to no goodwhen it comes to the Galileanprophet from Nazareth. They are
certain
they know who He is, and they are determined to take him down.

Too often we have our minds made up in advance as to the characterof a
person.
With our opinions firmly formed, we look only for evidence that will confirm
our
judgments and settle the case as far as we are concerned. Facts willnot getin
the
way of our opinions.
And, if we cannotfind a fault that will stick to them, then we will go after
their
friends, associatesand followers. “Guiltby association” is always a good
tactic in
taking someone down. This is the strategythey pursue (v. 2, 5).
Religious legalistsand Phariseesare expert at this game. Too often we play
the game
as well.
1) They love to compare themselves to others. 7:1-5
The religious and spiritual elites surround Jesus looking for anything to
accuse him
of. His disciples provide the perfectopportunity: they ate with “defiled” (6X),
that is
4
ceremonially, unwashed hands. Foryou “hand sanitizing freaks” this had
nothing to
do with hygiene. It was all about ritual purity and religious traditions that
went

beyond scriptural command but establishedspiritual superiority, their
spiritual
superiority, in the minds of the Phariseesand scribes. Writing to a Gentile,
Roman
audience, Mark provides something of a parenthetical explanation in vs. 3-4
(read).
- You might have touched something unclean so you must wash.
- You might have touched a Gentile person so you must wash.
- Cups must be washed;pots must be washed, and so on (v. 4).
- Disregardthe “traditions of the elders” (v. 3), and your sin.
Religious ritual and legalistic traditions had takenover their lives enslaving
them
rather than freeing them. However, they were blind to their own self-imposed
bondage and challenge Jesus withan air of spiritual superiority and self-
righteousness
(v. 5 read). Note:even they cannotcite a scriptural justification for their
practice.
That, however, does not matter. We are in the “religious right!” You and your
disciples are not.
Now, do keepthis in mind. All this religious washing had a good intent: to
remind
Jews that they were unclean before God. That was a goodthing. However,
they were
completely off base on the true source of their impurity. Their problem was
not
outside but inside. It wasn’t their hands but their hearts.

It is pretty hard to compare hearts, something only God can see. So let’s
draw up a
religious list of external activities and see who comes out on top. That is much
easier.
5
Interestingly Exodus 30:19 informs us that the priest had to washtheir hands
and feet
before they entered the tabernacle. The Pharisees, evenout did the priest! No
comparison:we are the religious champions!
2) They actually play the hypocrite with a distant heart. 7:6-8
One thing Jesus consistentlydid was callout hypocrites and exposes them for
who
they truly are. In verses 6-8 Jesus makes no reference to the conduct of His
disciples.
He ignores that all together. He doesn’teven get into a debate about washings.
Instead, He exposes the true source of spiritual authority: is it “man made
traditions”
or is it the “Word of God?” What will determine how you think and live your
life?
Jesus begins with a scathing indictment calling out the Pharisees andscribes
as
“hypocrites,” mask-araters!This is the only use of this word in all of Mark.
They
were nothing more than religious actors and pretenders. They were not real!

Further, the prophet Isaiah(29:13) also condemns their hypocritical religion:
in
essencethey honor God with their lips but their heart is nowhere near to be
found. It
is all words and show (v. 6).
The result: vain, purposeless worship;worship God does not welcome or
receive. The
evidence:1) they teach as doctrines the commandments of men (v. 7); 2) they
leave
or abandon the commandment of God and hold to the traditions of man (v. 8).
Forthem the ultimate authority for spiritual life was Scripture and tradition,
but if
there was a conflict tradition won out and it did so every time. If the Bible is
acknowledgedatall it is only in passing. Sometimes it isn’t even considered.
We
have our traditions. That is all we need.
6
Example: church business meetings;deacons meetings;church discipline;
religious
practices (name of the church, times we meet, suit or no suit, choir or no
choir, public
invitation or no invitation and the list goes on!) Lists are so easyto check off!
Examining our heart isn’t!
Can you provide a scriptural basis for what you believe and do? Are you a
text

driven or tradition-driven Christian? The difference is crucial.
II. Legalistmake void the word of God resulting in spiritual disobedience.
7:9-13
Notall traditions are bad. However, they do become bad when we put them
on the
same level as/orin the place of Scripture.
It is possible to take a goodthing, turn it into a God thing, thereby making it
a bad
thing. It is a “Bible plus” kind of religion. Adding to the Bible, you in
practice make
void the Bible and nullify its truth and power in your life (v. 13).
Jesus makes this crystal clearas He moves into round 2 with the Pharisees. It
is no
contest. The “beatdown” is ugly! The exposure of sinful hearts painful.
1) They reject the commandments of God and establish their own. 7:9
The great scholarA.T. Robertsonnoted “the strong contrasthere between
the
commandment of God and the traditions of men” (Word Pictures, 322).
They think that they are establishing the commandment of God, protecting it.
However, in actuality they are rejecting God’s commandments and in the
process
establishtheir traditions as if they were God’s commandments.
They setaside what is the revealedWord of God and replace it with “made
up”
traditions of men. How ludicrous! How insane!How human.

7
Man made rules and regulations became the objectof obedience while God’s
commandments get setaside, left behind, “kickedto the curb.”
We don’t need the Bible, the constitution and bylaws have the final word in
this
church. I have seenit. I have heard it with my own ears. I like the wisdom of
Warren
Wiersbe, “we must constantlybeware lest tradition take the place of truth. It
does us
goodto examine our church traditions in the light of God’s Word and to be
courageousenoughto make changes” (p. 71).
How often we foolishly push away the only reliable, trustworthy and infallible
source
of authority we have. It is an act of pure spiritual suicide. Have you seenthe
sad
progressionunfolding before our eyes:1) teachthe commandments of men
(v.7); 2)
leave the commandments of God (v.8); 3) rejectthe commandments of God
(v.9); 4)
make void the Word of God (v.13). And the tragedy of it all, we fail to see our
hypocrisy in it. Oh, we know it is possible to be a hypocrite. We see it so
clearly in
others. It is when it is in us that we go spiritually deaf, dumb and blind.
2) They manipulate God’s Word to their own advantage. 7:10-13

Jesus now gives His ownexample that settles the issue. The verdict will not
please
the religious elites.
He goes to the Scriptures and the writings of Moses (v. 10) pointing out what
they
clearly teachabout how children are to treat their parents.
- Exodus 20:12;Deut 5:16 (5th commandment); “Honor your father and
mother.”
- Exodus 21:17;Lev. 20:9: “Whoeverreviles (NIV; NKJV, “curses”)fatheror
mother must surely die.”
The principle is clear:God calls children to honor and respecttheir parents.
8
However, the Pharisees createda theologicalloophole that allowedthem to
circumvent, to getaround, the clearcommand of God (vs. 11-12). They
simply
declaredwhat they would have given to their parents “Corban” actuallya
Hebrew
term referring to “a gift dedicated to God” (v. 11).
Such a declaration, sucha vow (Num 30:2), had to be honored and it allowed
them to
dis their parents, neglecttheir needs, and feelgoodabout it because it was
done, after
all, in service to God. I serve God by disobeying his expressedcommand to
honor

my parents? What kind of logic is that?!
Jesus tells them (v. 13)it is the kind of reasoning that 1) makes void the word
of God,
2) sets up man-made traditions over God’s commands and 3) opens the door
for many
more such actions that reveals the hardness of our hearts, the hypocrisy of our
worship, and the disobedience of our actions, all in the name of religion! These
are
not atheistand secularist. These are the religious and supposedly spiritual.
Bottomline: they have placedtheir traditions in the place of Scripture and
themselves
in the place of God! The heart truly is an idol factory, and religious traditions
are
some of its best tools. This truth should concernus all. I may be as guilty as
the
Pharisees ofJesus’day and not even see it.
III. Legalists are confusedconcerning the source ofdefilement resulting in a
lack of
true understanding. 7:14-23
The fruit of sin has its root in every human heart!
Every human heart has the root of every human sin in it!
You see, it is entirely possible to look nice on the outside while being dead on
the
inside.
9

The most deadly contamination is not what I touch.
The most deadly contamination is what I think!
Proverbs 23:7: “As a man thinks in his heart so is he!”
1) Defilement has its root on the inside. 7:14-20
Jesus summons all who are listening in on the theologicaldebate and charges
them (v.
14): “hearme” (imp), “all of you, and understand” (imp).
He then delivers a little parable in v. 15 with an explanation in response to a
question
as to its meaning by his disciples (v. 17). Once again(cf. 6:52; 8:17-18)they
are
chided for their lack of understanding (v. 18). Also note, only the 12 are with
him at
this point (v. 17).
What follows (vs. 18-20)is one of the most critically important spiritual
lessons in all
of the Word of God. We must not miss it.
- Defilement (impurity) is not external but internal (v. 15, 18).
- Defilement is not gastro-intestinalbut cardial (v. 19).
- Defilement is not a matter of the stomach, it is a matter of the heart.
- Defilement is not what goes in but what comes out (v. 20).
Jesus’words are spiritually revolutionary! Religiouslythey are shocking.
The real

issues of religious and spiritual faith are internal not external. The focus is on
the
inside not the outside. Sin always proceeds,has its genesis from within. Food
ends
up in the stomach, but sin begins in the heart. Foodis eaten, digestedin the
stomach
and expelled (v. 19;lit. “Goes outinto the drain or latrine”). Sin, however,
remains in
the heart, and then produces all manner of defilement and death.
Basic problem: not what we do but who we are!
10
Realfilth, impurity, defilement is inside and unseen, but it is there, and
eventually it
will show itself as vs. 21-23 make clear.
By the way, note Mark’s editorial comment in v. 19: “Thus he declaredall
foods
clean.” I believe the study note in the ESV Study Bible captures succinctly
what Mark
the evangelistis saying,
Mark notes that Jesus’teaching, in essence,declaredallfoods clean. The
Mosaic ceremoniallaws distinguishedbetween“clean” and “unclean” foods
(see Lev. 11:1-47). Their purpose was to instill an awareness ofGod’s holiness
and of the reality of sin as a barrier to fellowship with God. But once
defilement of the heart is thoroughly removed and full fellowship with God
becomes a reality (through the atoning death of Jesus;see Mark 10:45; Rom.
14:14;Heb. 8:6-13; 9:10, 14), the ceremoniallaws have fulfilled their purpose
and are no longerrequired.

The point is quite simple: it was always about the heart.
2) Defilement reveals its fruit on the outside. 7:21-23
My friend Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington,
D.C.
calls vs. 21-23 “the fingers of sin.”
Sadly, but inevitably, sin’s rootwill produce sin’s fruit. And, it is an ugly ,
destructive crop to behold.
Jesus provides a selective, notexhaustive, list of sin’s fruit. He highlights no
less
than 13 characteristicsofthe evil actions that flow naturally from a sinful
heart,
actions that always resultin sorrow, destructive behavior and death. The list
has a
strong Old Testamentgrounding.
1) Evil thoughts – evil devising and schemes. Theysetthe stage for what
follows.
11
2) Sexual immorality – (porneia). Generalword identifying any and all sexual
sins
contrary to God’s will. It includes pre-marital, extra-marital and unnatural
sexual
behavior.

3) Theft – stealing. Taking from anotherwhat is not yours. The 8th
commandment
(Ex. 20:15; Deut. 5:19).
4) Murder – taking an innocent life in disobedience to the 6th commandment
(Ex.
20:13;Deut 5:17).
5) Adultery – violating the marriage covenantby engaging in sexualbehavior
mentally (Matt 5:28) or physically with someone you are not married to. The
7th
commandment (Ex. 20:14; Deut. 5:18).
6) Coveting – greed, a desire for more at the expense or exploitation of
another . A
violation of the 10th commandment (Ex. 20:17; Deut 5:21).
7) Wickedness – behavior that is bad, evil; deliberate malice.
8) Deceit– deception, dishonesty, cunning treachery.
9) Sensuality – unbridled, shameless living that is completely lacking in moral
discernment or restraint.
10) Envy – lit. “An evil eye,” figure of speechfor stinginess, jealously, rooted
in
unbelief. It believes God is withholding His best from you. A heart ailment
that
has the seeds of its own destruction sownwithin. It is never satisfied! It
always
wants more.
11) Slander– blasphemy; defaming; speaking evil of man or God.

12) Pride – arrogance,haughtiness.
13) Foolishness – senseless;spiritually insensitive.
12
Vs. 23 simply concludes:“All these evil things come from within, and they
defile (5
times in vs. 15-23)a person.”
Conclusion:1) There are basically only 2 approaches to religion, eachof
which can be summed
up in a single word: do or done. The world says the problem is out there and
the answeris what
I can do. The Bible says the problem is in here and the answeris what Christ
has done!
2) You see in legalismwe think better of ourselves than Jesus does. But in
salvation, we think of
ourselves as Jesus does:hopeless, helpless sinners in desperate needof a
Savior.
3) 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “Forthe Lord sees not as man sees;man looks on the
outward
appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” When the Lord examines your
heart, what does He
see? A self-righteous legalisttrusting in what I do, or a humble sinner
trusting only in what
Jesus has done. The difference is of eternal significance.

WILLIAM BARCLAY
THE REAL DEFILEMENT(Mark 7:14-23)
7:14-23 He called the crowd to him againand said, "Listen to me, all of you
and understand. There is nothing which goes into a man from outside which
can render him unclean; but it is the things which come out of a man which
render the man unclean." When he came into the house, away from the
crowd, his disciples askedhim about this hard saying. He said to them, "So,
then, are you too unable to grasp things? Do you not understand that
everything that goes into a man from outside cannot render him unclean,
because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and it is then
evacuatedfrom him by natural bodily processes?" (The effectof this saying is
to render all foods clean.)But he went on to say, "Whatcomes out of a man,
that is what renders the man unclean. it is from within, from the heart, that
there come evil designs, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, covetous
deeds, evil deeds, guile, wanton wickedness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All
these evil things come from within, and they render a man unclean."
Although it may not seemso now, this passage, whenit was first spoken, was
well-nigh the most revolutionary passage in the New Testament. Jesus has
been arguing with the legalexperts about. different aspects ofthe traditional
law. He has shown the irrelevance of the elaborate handwashings. He has
shown how rigid adherence to the traditional law can actually mean
disobedience to the law of God. But here he says something more startling yet.
He declares that nothing that goes into a man can possibly defile him, for it is
receivedonly into his body which rids itself of it in the normal, physical way.
No Jew ever believed that and no orthodox Jew believes it yet. Leviticus 11:1-
47 has a long list of animals that are unclean and may not be used for food.
How very seriouslythis was takencan be seenfrom many an incident in
Maccabeantimes. At that time the Syrian king, Antiochus Epiphanes, was
determined to root out the Jewishfaith. One of the things he demanded was
that the Jews should eat pork, swine's flesh but they died in their hundreds
rather than do so. "Howbeitmany in Israelwere fully resolvedand confirmed

in themselves not to eatany unclean thing. Wherefore they chose ratherto die,
that they might not be defiled with meats, and that they might not profane the
holy covenant;so then they died." (1 Maccabees1:62-63.)Fourth Maccabees
(chapter 7) tells the story of a widow and her sevensons. It was demanded
that they should eat swine's flesh. They refused. The first had his tongue cut
out, the ends of his limbs cut off; and he was then roastedalive in a pan; the
secondhad his hair and the skin of his skull torn off; one by one they were
tortured to death while their agedmother lookedon and cheeredthem on;
they died rather than eat meat which to them was unclean.
It is in face of this that Jesus made his revolutionary statementthat nothing
that goes into a man can make him unclean. He was wiping out at one stroke
the laws for which Jews had suffered and died. No wonder the disciples were
amazed.
In effect Jesus was saying that things cannot be either unclean or cleanin any
real religious sense ofthe term. Only persons canbe really defiled; and what
defiles a personis his own actions, whichare the product of his own heart.
This was new doctrine and shatteringly new doctrine. The Jew had, and still
has, a whole systemof things which are cleanand unclean. With one sweeping
pronouncement Jesus declaredthe whole thing irrelevant and that
uncleanness has nothing to do with what a man takes into his body but
everything to do with what comes out of his heart.
Let us look at the things Jesus lists as coming from the heart and making a
man unclean.
He begins with evil designs (dialogismoi, Greek #1261). Everyoutward act of
sin is precededby an inward act of choice;therefore Jesus begins with the evil
thought from which the evil actioncomes. Nextcome fornications (porneiai,
Greek #4202);later he is to list acts of adultery (moicheiai, Greek #3430);but
this first word is a wide word--it means every kind of traffic in sexualvice.
There follow thefts (klopai, Greek #2829).In Greek there are two words for a
robber--kleptes (Greek #2812)and lestes (Greek #3027). Lestes(Greek #3027)
is a brigand; Barabbas was a lestes (Greek #3027)(John18:40) and a brigand
may be a very brave man although an outlaw. Kleptes (Greek #2812)is a

thief; Judas was a kleptes (Greek #2812)when he pilfered from the box (John
12:6). A kleptes (Greek #2812)is a mean, deceitful, dishonourable pilferer,
without even the redeeming quality of a certain audacious gallantry that a
brigand must have. Murders (phonoi, Greek #5408)andadulteries come next
in the list and their meaning is clear.
Then comes covetous deeds (pleonexiai, Greek #4124). Pleonexia comesfrom
two Greek words meaning to have more. It has been defined as the accursed
love of having. It has been defined as "the spirit which snatches atthat which
it is not right to take," "the baneful appetite for that which belongs to others."
It is the spirit which snatches at things, not to hoard them like a miser, but to
spend them in lust and luxury. Cowleydefined it as, "Rapacious appetite for
gain, not for its own sake, but for the pleasure of refunding it immediately
through all the channels of pride and luxury." It is not the desire for money
and things; it includes the desire for power, the insatiable lust of the flesh.
Plato said, "The desire of man is like a sieve or piercedvesselwhich he ever
tries to, and cannever fill." Pleonexia (Greek #4124)is that lust for having
which is in the heart of the man who sees happiness in things instead of in
God.
There follows evil deeds. In Greek there are two words for evil--kakos (Greek
#2560), whichdescribes a thing which in itself is evil, and poneros (Greek
#4190), whichdescribes a person or a thing which is activelyevil. Poneriai
(Greek #4189)is the word used here. The man who is poneros (Greek #4190)
is the man in whose heart there is the desire to harm. He is, as Bengelsaid,
"trained in every crime and completelyequipped to inflict evil on any man."
Jeremy Taylordefined this poneria (Greek #4189)as "aptness to do shrewd
turns, to delight in mischiefs and tragedies;loving to trouble our neighbour,
and to do him ill offices;crossness,perversenessandpeevishness ofaction in
our intercourse." Poneria (Greek #4189)notonly corrupts the man who has
it; it corrupts others too. Poneros (Greek #4190)--the Evil One--is the title of
Satan. The worstof men, the man who is doing Satan's work, is the man who,
being bad himself, makes others as bad as himself.
Next comes dolos (Greek #1388);translated guile. It comes from a word which
means bait; it is used for trickery and deceit. It is used for instance of a

mousetrap. When the Greeks were besieging Troyand could not gain entry,
they sent the Trojans the present of a greatwoodenhorse, as if it was a token
of goodwill. The Trojans opened their gates and took it in. But the horse was
filled with Greeks who in the night broke out and dealt death and devastation
to Troy. That exactly is dolos (Greek #1388). It is crafty, cunning, deceitful,
clevertreachery.
Next on the list is wantonwickedness (aselgeia,Greek #766). The Greeks
defined aselgeia(Greek #766)as "a dispositionof soul that resents all
discipline," as "a spirit that acknowledgesno restraints, dares whatsoeverits
caprice and wantoninsolence may suggest." The greatcharacteristic ofthe
man who is guilty of aselgeia (Greek#766)is that he is lostto decencyand to
shame. An evil man may hide his sin, but the man who has aselgeia (Greek
#766)sins without a qualm and never hesitates to shock his fellow-men.
Jezebelwas the classic instance ofaselgeia(Greek #766)whenshe build a
heathen shrine in Jerusalemthe Holy City.
Envy is literally the evil eye, the eye that looks onthe successandhappiness of
another in such a way that it would castan evil spell upon it if it could. The
next word is blasphemia (Greek #988). Whenthis is used of words against
man, it means slander; when it is used of words againstGod, it means
blasphemy. It means insulting man or God.
There follows pride (huperephania, Greek #5243). The Greek wordliterally
means "showing oneselfabove."It describes the attitude of the man "who has
a certain contempt for everyone excepthimself." The interesting thing about
this word, as the Greeks usedit, is that it describes an attitude that may never
become public. It may be that in his heart of hearts a man is always secretly
comparing himself with others. He might even ape humility and yet in his
heart be proud. Sometimes, ofcourse, the pride is evident. The Greeks hada
legend of this pride. They saidthat the Giants, the sons of Tartarus and Ge, in
their pride sought to storm heaven and were castdown by Hercules. That is
huperephania (Greek #5243). It is setting oneselfup againstGod;it is
"invading God's prerogatives." Thatis why it has been called"the peak of all
the vices," andwhy "God opposes the proud." (James 4:6.)

Lastly comes folly (aphrosune, Greek #877). This does not mean the
foolishness that is due to weaknessofintellect and lack of brains; it means
moral folly. It describes, not the man who is a brainless fool, but the man who
choosesto play the fool.
It is a truly terrible list which Jesus cites ofthe things that come from the
human heart. When we examine it a shudder surely passes overus.
Nonethelessit is a summons, not to a fastidious shrinking from such things,
but to an honest self-examinationof our own hearts.
BRIAN BELL
Mark 7:1-23 3-19-13 Cleanlinessis next to GodlessnessI.
Slide#1 Announce: A. Slide#2 Haiti Fundraiser: Christian Audio. A portion of
proceeds will go to Teachers Conf. B. Slide#3 Children at Risk:3pm, New
Rm. 45min DVD on Human Trafficking in San Bernardino. 1. S.B. District
Attorney’s office put together, espdealing w/Teenage Sexfor Sale. 2. Did you
know they have the Players Ball? It’s an annual gathering/awards ofpimps. a)
Just held the 38th annual on Dec 8, 2012 atthe Key Club, Hollywood, Ca. 3.
Also filling dignity bags for OperationSafehouse. II. Slide#4 Intro: A. Story:
So I was placed on a case this week forjury duty. The D.A. questionedme.
“Mr. Bell, being a religious man, it says somewhere in the Scriptures, I don’t
know where, but it says that there must be 2 witnesses to convict, but if we
have 1 & its a sure thing, would you have a problem w/that?” I said no. He
turned & walkedaway. I still had the mic. I said “wouldyou like me to
explain the Mosaic Law, & what Moses meantby that in Deuteronomy?” We
all laughed. He said, “maybe afterwardMr.Bell.” I said, “wellyou askeda
preacher!” 1. This was found in the bible, but often people quote things from
the bible, when that isn't its source. People oftenthink Cleanliness is next to
Godliness is in Scripture. It’s not. And I think I found a place that says the
opposite, so I chose for my Title: Cleanliness is next to Godlessness.

B. Slide#5 Illustration: Once when I was in Sophia, Bulgaria I found a
wonderful deal on an antique pocketwatch. It lookedold/rustic/cool…but, it
only ran for a few days…if that! 1. No matter how often I wound it or how
many times I changedthe hands…it just didn’t help. [it did have correcttime
twice a day!] 2. The most important thing about a watchis to tell time. So,
what I learned that day, when it comes to watches...what’smostimportant
is...whatis inside! * Slide#6 * a) This morning, Jesus challengesthe religious
leaders with what’s most important. Inside or outside? - Mouth or heart? -
Washing hands or washing hearts? 3. Keep in the back of your minds a few
questions: What is holiness any ways? Does Jesus everditch church, & if so
when? C. Slide#7 Outline: The Delegation;The Degradation;The Defilement.
III. Slide#8 THE DELEGATION (1-5)Pharisees & Scribes from JerusalemA.
(1) A delegationofreligious leaders from Jerusalemtravel about 100 miles to
check Jesus out. 1. Jesus ministry is front page news & has reachedall the
way down to Jerusalem.
1
2. These men didn’t come to see if Jesus was the Messiah…butinsteadto find
“a fly in the ointment”…& to this end, they were masters. a)Slide#9 They
could be straining their water& find the smallestgnat, but somehow miss the
camel. b) They were majoring on minors, straining out a gnat, while minoring
on majors, swallowing a camel. And being so busy with small details, they
never dealt with the important matters. (Lev.11:4,23 both were forbidden as
food) B. This was not a matter of personalhygiene but of religious ritual. 1.
They ate w/their hands so of course they’d washup before a meal, but this
was dealing with their prescribedceremonialwashing!C. (3) In a specialway
– literally means w/the fist. (Exactmeaning unknown) Some think up to the
elbow. (Like a doctor, nurse, surgeon scrubs in/up)
D. Slide#10 Traditions of the elders – The Mishna at the end of the 2nd
century said, “Tradition is the fence around the law.” 1. I think the Law
needed protecting about as much as a lion in a field needs protectionaround
him. E. During the late 2nd century AD, these oral teachings (traditions) were
written down in what was calledthe Mishnah (a book w/6 divisions:

agriculture, festivals, marriage, civil life, crime, & ceremonies)1. To this was
added a commentary calledthe Gemara. 2. Togetherthe Mishnah & the
Gemara formed the Talmud. 3. These contained248 commandments (thou
shalt’s); & 365 prohibitions (thou shalt not’s) 4. As one Rabbi put it, “The
Scriptures are water, the Mishnah is wine; the Gemara spicedwine.”1 F. The
JewishMishnah containedno less than 30 ch.’s on the cleansing of vessels. 1.
This Hand washing ritual came from the command for priests to washtheir
hands (Ex.30:19; 40:12). It was a reminder to come to Godclean (i.e. w/clean
hearts) 2. All pious Jews starteddoing this about 200 yrs before Christ. 3. So,
by Jesus day, it was firmly entrenched as a requirement for those who wanted
to be clean. a) They completely lostthe original idea of cleanhearts.
IV. Slide#11 THE DEGRADATION (6-13)When Lips supersede Heart A. (6)
Honor w/lips, but not heart – Jesus says, I’ll tell you why My disciples don’t
keepyour traditions – Look what Isaiahsaid would happen when tradition
takes the place of truth.
2
1 David Hewitt, Mark, pg.106.
1. There is a big difference betweentradition & truth. a) Tradition is
outward; Truth is inward. Tradition has to do w/ritual; Truth has to do
w/reality. Tradition is something you keep;Truth is something that keeps you.
2. What a tragedy that religious people would ignorantly practice their
religion & become worse for doing it! a) Jesus doesn’tsay, “wellas long as
you’re sincere!” B. (6b) Heart is far from me – You can’t think your way into
the kingdom of God. 1. Slide#12,13“Christianityis a rational faith, a
reasonable faith, but you do not getinto the kingdom head 1st. You get into
the kingdom heart 1st.”2 C. (7) Hypocrites – You folks have turned religion
into play-acting. 1. We are hypocritical when we talk about love but never
love; Talk about forgiving but never forgive; Talk about witnessing but never
witness. D. I believe there are a great# of services that Jesus Christwould
never attend. 1. Worship Music - some would think of Him not attending
because of“style, the volume, or lack of hymns”. - I’m thinking, no, more like
when a bunch of folks that have gottentogetherand are “singing” because,

“thats what we do every week.”I think Jesus dismisses Himself. Do you think
He sticks around to be polite? “You honor Me with singing on the outside, but
you plan out your week on the inside.” a) Do you think He sticks around for
your worship if in fact you hold unconfessedsin& bitterness inside? 2. How
about Sermons? What if the sermon is a mini self-help seminar on becoming a
better you? That’s moralism & its not helpful. - Any gospelwhich says only
what you must do & never announce what Christ has done...is no gospelat all!
E. (11) But you say… – 1. Illustration: You’ve seenmany moms place a very
thin blanket over their babies in their strollers (keep the sun off). But what
would happen if they just kept placing blanket after blanket. It doesn’t matter
how thin these blankets are…the baby would suffocate. a)Over the years the
Pharisees hadoverlaid the biblical teaching w/vastamounts of spoken
teaching blankets & oral tradition blankets. b) Though admirable, the
original aim of protecting the baby, became its demise.
F. (10-13)Now Jesus gives anillustration of the point He just made.
3
2 Jerry Vines, pg.130.
1. First Jesus quoted from Isaiah& now He’ll pull from Moses…Howcanthe
Pharisees argue with the Law & Prophets? G. Slide#14 Corban – Mark
explains to his Roman audience this Hebrew word a gift to God; devoted to
God. 1. If a son wanted to avoid his responsibility, of caring for his parents in
later life, he simply needed to declare his money Corban…dedicatedto God.
2. So, by observing what man allowedthey could avoid what God required. a)
Oh, Jesus is concernedabout us taking care of our parents! 3. And this was
just 1 example of many, claimed Jesus (13). H. Note the digressionhere: 4
layers of thin blankets that smother: 1. Replacing (7)(heart for lips);
Neglecting (8)(God’s commandments); Then, Rejecting (9)(God’s
commandments); Invalidating (13)(no effectregarding the Word of God). 2.
Aren’t these the steps of most “Cults”? – Teachings thatare built around a
prophet or prophetess whose writings eventually replace the Word of God. 3.
What a false confidence man’s traditions have given to so many sincere
people. a) As if what you do on the outside, will somehow change the inside.

I. So what is the balance or safe place with tradition? 1. Slide#15 Learnfrom
what other Christian communities have learned over the years (i.e. traditions
of old) 2. Neverput it on the same level as the bible. 3. We must constantly
differentiate betweenwhat is Scriptural & authoritative & traditions, which
may or may not be relevant or helpful at any given time. a) (eg. Scriptural -
the church meets weeklyon the 1st day of the week. But tradition dictates
time & location, & what we do when we meet) 4. Scripture is God-breathed;
Tradition is man-made! 5. Scripture is from God & is Authoritative &
Primary; Tradition is from man & is secondary& must remain flexible. 6.
Traditions must always be subordinate to God’s Word. 7. We must constantly
assess ourtraditions in the light of Scripture.
J. Slide#16blank Whattraditions will we hand down to the next generation,
yet considerthem doctrine? 1. Will we at Calvary require the next generation
to wearHawaiian shirts? Lead worship w/an acoustic guitar? Use aluminum
communion trays? Have male worship leaders? Have a Dove as their logo? a)
None of these are bad (maybe Hawaiianshirts) but will it be required of the
next Calvary gen?
4
2. One generation, Your hair’s too long. The next generation, Your hairs to
short, it makes you look mean, like a white supremacist. 3. We shouldn’t pass
on Non-Essentials;we must pass on Jesus.
V. Slide#17 THE DEFILEMENT (14-23)Think Internal not external; Think
Potentialb4 Actual A. The issue? – Outward religious traditions vs. Inward
living faith. 1. Slide#18 Imagine the disciples requesting of Jesus, “Lord, teach
us to wash!” B. (15) William Barclaycalls this “well-nigh the most
revolutionary passagein the N.T.” 1. Dr. Vincent Taylor said, “[Jesus’
pronouncement]…was destinedto free Christianity from the bondage of
legalism.” C. Sin is Internal before it is External (17-19)D. Slide#19a (19)It is
the heart that must be changed. - External rituals cannot do that. 1. The
capacityfor fellowshipw/God is not spoilt by outward things like unclean
hands but by personal sin. 2. Prov.4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For
out of it spring the issues of life. a) NLT Guard your heart above all else, for it

determines the course of your life. E. Slide#19bSin is Potential before it is
Actual (20-23)F. (21,22)Here Jesus gives us a catalogue of13 ugly sins. It is
an X-ray of the human heart. 1. All of these sins lurk as a potential inside of
all of us. 2. So Jesus calls for purity, holiness, on the inside, from a changed
heart from God. a) Slide#20 In the forests of northern Europe & Asia lives
little animal calledthe ermine, known for his snow-white fur in winter. He
instinctively protects his white coatagainstanything that would soil it. Fur
hunters take advantage of this unusual trait of the ermine. They don’t seta
snare to catch him, but instead they find his home, which is usually a cleft in a
rock or a hollow in an old tree. They smearthe entrance and interior with
grime. Then the hunters settheir dogs loose to find and chase the ermine. The
frightened animal flees toward home but doesn’t enter because ofthe filth.
Rather than soilhis white coat, he is trapped by the dogs and captured while
preserving his purity. For the ermine, purity is more precious than life.3
G. Slide#21blank (23)Some, like the Phariseesofold, have a very defective
theologyof man & sin and think that man is intrinsically/inherently good???
1. And because ofthis they treated symptoms w/their legalism, rather than
dealing w/ the root problem! 2. Yes the bible deals with the fruit of sin; but
better…it deals w/the root of sin. It doesn’t only deal w/the flow of sin; but the
very fountain of sin!
5
3 Our Daily Bread, April 21, 1997
3. The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately(incurably) wicked;
Who can know it? - For the wagesofsin(not sins) is death. a) “We are not
sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners!” H. (Spurgeon) “If sin
had not been in you, it could not have come out. All the trouble in the world
does not put sin in the Christian. It brings it out.” 1. You might think, “My
wife makes me so angry!” – No, anger was alreadythere in your heart & this
just gave it opportunity to come out! I. So, what’s the remedy? 1. It’s not
education, culture change, socialreform, nor revolution, but regeneration. 2.
The heart can be purified only by faith. J. Slide#22,23 Wrapup: Your choice:

Keep polishing your brokenwatch; or receive a new mainspring, from The
Watch-Maker, foryour heart today. 1. Ezek.36:26I will give you a new heart
and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh
and give you a heart of flesh.
CHRIS BENFIELD
CleanHands and DefiledHearts Mark 7: 1-23
It has been a while since we’ve heard from the scribes and Pharisees,but they
were a continual nuisance to the Lord as He ministered among the people. It
appears they followedJesus as often as they could, seeking anymeans to
accuse Him and discredit His ministry.
As we have discussedbefore, there will always be those who seek to hinder the
work of the Lord. Jesus dealtwith them; the disciples dealt with them; Paul
dealt with them, and so shall we if we are committed to honoring the Lord.
The Pharisees were knownfortheir adherence to the Law and legalistic
traditions, but in reality they were hypocrites. As the criticized their perceived
faults in the Lord and His work, they completely ignored their lack of
obedience to those aspects ofthe faith that genuinely pleasedthe Lord.
Outwardly they lookedgood, but within they were defiled and corrupt.
These truths have not changed. Like the Phariseesofold, our lives are
measuredby what is in our hearts, instead of the life we portray before men.
It is possible to have a form of righteousness,but actually have a defiled heart.
As we examine the lessons in the text, I want to consider:CleanHands and
Defiled Hearts.

I. The Accusationof the Jews (1-5)– Our opening verses revealanother
controversybrought about by the unjust accusationofthe Pharisees. Notice:
A. The Examination (1-2) – As we have learned, the Pharisees kepta close
watchon Jesus and the disciples, seeking any means to accuse them. At this
particular moment, they had witnessedthe disciples eating bread without
washing their hands. (The enemy will see to it that our motives and actions
will be calledinto question by those outside the faith. He knows he is defeated,
and our Lord is eternally victorious. While he can’t defeatChrist, he can
work to bring accusationto those who desire to serve the Lord and proclaim
the Gospel.)
B. The Tradition (3-4) – Mark revealedthat the Pharisees held strict
traditions, passeddown through generations. Theywere forbidden to eat
unless they washedtheir hands. There were many traditions regarding the
washing of cups, pots, brass vessels,and the tables upon which the food was
served. While there is absolutelynothing wrong with cleanliness, these
traditions were keptwhile they ignoredthe greateraspects ofthe faith. They
exercisedgreatcare for outward cleanliness andyet neglectedthe needs
within their hearts.
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P a s t o r C h r i s B e n f i e l d – F e l l o w s h i p M i s s i o n a r y B a p t i s t
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 Traditions are fine in a proper context. There is nothing wrong with
washing one’s hands or properly cleaning cups and pots, but these and other
traditions must not be held in higher regard than the fundamentals of our
faith. Tradition cannot replace or exceedbiblical mandates. The modern
church is often willing to ignore biblical mandates if it goes againstlong held
traditions.
C. The Confrontation(5) – Having stoodon the sideline as long as they could,
the PhariseesconfrontedJesus aboutthe disciples disregardfor long held
traditions. They were appalled that these men would dare to eat without first
washing their hands.
 The enemy and those who promote his agenda are never afraid of
confrontation. Some within the church are even quick to confront those who
fail to honor certain traditions and rituals that are held in high regard. If you
are committed to serving the Lord, you might as well prepare to deal with
confrontation. Someone will eventually take issue with your practices.
II. The ProclamationofJesus (6-13)– As He had done in the past, Jesus
immediately responded to the accusationof the Pharisees. However,rather
than chastising the disciples for failing to honor tradition, He questioned the
motives of the Phariseesand rebuked their agenda. We find that:

A. He Condemned their Hypocrisy (6-9) – I don’t think the Pharisees were
necessarilyshockedby Jesus’response, but He challengedthem publicly
regarding their continued hypocrisy. Jesus quoted a prophecy from Isaiah
that was being fulfilled at that very moment. These soughtto honor God with
their lips and their actions, but their hearts were not right with the Lord.
These held to traditions that were passeddown and demanded, but they
ignored the commandments of God. Their righteousness wasall an outward
show, a front that lackedrealsubstance. In essence Jesus rebukedthe
hypocrisy of the Pharisees. According to Warren Weirsbe, “Rabbi Eleazer
said, ‘He who expounds the Scriptures in opposition to the tradition has no
share in the world to come.’The Mishna, a collectionof Jewishtraditions in
the Talmud, records, ‘It is a greateroffense to teachanything contrary to the
voice of the Rabbis than to contradictScripture itself.’” i
 Unfortunately such practices continue today. Our world is filled with those
who hold to religious traditions and certain practices, but their hearts are not
right with the Lord. They give great attention to performing that which is
expectedby the religious establishment and yet fail to honor the Lord by
living according to the dictates of Scripture.
October18, 2017
C h u r c h

B. He Condemned their Delinquency (10-13)– Here Jesus addressedanother
grievous error many committed all while seeking to justify it according to the
faith. In that culture, and in most today, one was expectedto care for their
aging parents. Jesus reminded them of the commandment to honor their
father and mother. However, the Jews had devised a way to avoid their
responsibilities and justify their neglect. When their parents made a request,
the rebellious son would declare that his available monies were “Corban.”
This is a term that meant the money was dedicatedto God and could be spent
for no other purpose than the needs of the Temple or sacredduties. These
neglectedtheir responsibilities through false pretense and were bold enough
to declare the money was reservedfor the Lord.
 Such activity remains today in some form or another. Folks may not tell
their parents their money is reservedfor the Lord, but they seek to justify
their actions through a mandate or expectationof the church. They are willing
to neglectthe needs of those closestto them in order to continue their efforts
of self-righteousness. Manychildren have been turned from the faith because
of the legalistic demands of their parents, all while seeing the utter hypocrisy
in it.
III. The Clarificationof Jesus (14-23)– Following His encounterwith the
Pharisees,Jesus offeredclarityto the disciples and those gathered around
Him. Consider:
A. The Admonition (14-16)– Jesus calledthem to listen closelyand
understand the truth He shared. While the Pharisees worriedso much about
dirt and uncleanness from without, Jesus declaredthose things cannot defile a

man. It isn’t about what we take in by mouth that defiles us, but what comes
out of our mouths and the actions of our lives that defile. These are both
prompted from within. Our heart will dictate our words and our behavior.
We should be much more worried about the condition of our hearts than the
dirt and filth without.
B. The Explanation (17-19)– After coming togetherwith the disciples in a
private setting, they desired further clarification. Jesus declaredthat those
things consumed by us cannotdefile us. They are taken in through the mouth
and soonenough pass through the body. The Phariseeshad placedall this
effort and concernabout what was takenin, and yet failed to comprehend the
condition of the heart. (Jesus does not imply that we are to be foolishor
carelesswith our eating habits. Improperly prepared food can make us sick,
and even cause death. He is emphasizing a greaterspiritual truth. Ratherthan
focusing solelyon the physical aspects oflife, and making provision for them
alone, we need to ensure our hearts are healthy spiritually!)
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C. The Illustration (20-23)– Again Jesus emphasizedthe great truth of that
which comes out of the man defiles, (his words and behavior,) not that which

is takenin through the mouth. He goes onto provide a list of evil behaviors
that are prompted by a defiled heart. He speaks of:
 Evil Thoughts — This is the root of all that follows. When an evil heart
conjures up evil intentions, the evil personwill carry them out.  Adulteries
— Illicit sexualactivity by married persons.  Fornications — This word
translates the Greek word “porneia” and it refers to any illicit sexual activity.
The origin of sexual sin in not in the body, it is the result of a defiled heart! 
Murders — The taking of another's life. By the way, you are guilty of murder
if you have hatred in your heart toward another person, 1 John 3:15. 
Thefts — Taking that which belongs to another for your own use. This covers
a lot of territory, even the tithe, Mal. 3:8-9.  Covetousness — An insatiable
craving for that which belongs to another.  Wickedness — This word means
“malice” and it refers to all the ways that evil thought manifest themselves in
a person's life. It is deliberate acts of meanness!  Deceit— This word refers
to cunning maneuvers designedto ensnare someone for one's personal
advantage. It is the idea of someone trying to work undercover to bring
someone else down. Sneaky, deceptive people fall into this category. 
Lasciviousness — This word refers to unrestrained, shameless behavior. It is
an attitude that says, “I will do as I please and I do not care what anyone
thinks about it!”  An Evil Eye — This is a Hebrew expressionthat speaks of
envy and jealousy. It looks atthe blessings ofanother and desires them for
itself. It is envious when others prosper.  Blasphemy — injurious or
defaming speechdirected at either Godor man. Gossipand curing fall into
this category.  Pride — The boastful exalting of oneself. It's the attitude that
says, “Look atme, see what I have done. No one is a goodor as greatas I am.”
This is an overbearing attitude that is the opposite of humility.  Foolishness
— This word refers to those who are morally and spiritually desensitized.
They cannot see their sins; neither can they sense the Lord working in and
around them. With this kind of person, there is no spiritual illumination.
There is no spiritual discernment. They do not know God and there is no
desire to know Him. ii

 Surely we all would agree that such behaviors are much more defiling than
eating with unwashed hands. We must ensure our hearts are right with the
Lord and we are living in a way that honors Him above all else.
Conclusion:The Pharisees spentmuch time on tradition and little time on the
condition of the heart. The heart of man’s problem is always a problem within
the heart. We can put on a religious
October18, 2017
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front, honoring the Lord with our lips, and even pretend through our actions,
but our hearts revealthe truth of the matter. Are there needs in your life
today? Have you respondedto the call for salvationthrough repentance and
faith? Whatever the need is within the heart, Jesus canprovide the help and
solution you need.
BRIAN BILL
Mark 7:14-23
Where BadStuff Comes From

Haddon Robinson, who arguably has written the best book on preaching
called, Biblical Preaching, once told a group of young preachers, “Whenyou
stand up to preach, people are bored…and they expect you to make it worse.”
I don’t ever want to bore people when I’m preaching but I’m sure I’ve
delivered more than a few snoozersermons. That reminds me of some bulletin
bloopers I’ve collectedoverthe years. Thankfully these didn’t appear in our
bulletins but as far as I know they are realannouncements.
• The Rev. Merriwether spoke briefly, much to the delight of the congregation.
• Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors. She is also having
trouble sleeping and requests tapes of PastorNelson’s sermons.
• During the absence ofour pastor, we enjoyed the rare privilege of hearing a
goodsermon when J.F. Stubbs supplied our pulpit.
This morning we getthe privilege of hearing a greatsermon delivered by
Jesus himself. When I first studied Mark 7:14-23 I struggledto find the keyto
unlock it. I did my exegeticalwork and tried outlining it to no avail. I read
about 25 commentaries and listened to severalsermons on this sectionof
Scripture and I still couldn’t figure it out. I then decidedto wake up real early
on Thursday morning so I could meditate and marinate on the verses. I kept
poring over the passageuntil finally it clickedthat this is a brief sermon
preachedby Jesus.
I wrote down 8 elements that Jesus included in His sermon. If you get bored, it
will be your own fault and you’ll have to take it up with Him.
1. Jesus uses anattention-getting introduction.
As we learned lastweek, Jesus condemnedand correctedthe religious leaders
for focusing on outward hypocrisy insteadof inward holiness. The religious

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