Mark 7:17-23

Rachel Workman: ¹⁷ After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. ¹⁸ “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? ¹⁹ For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)

²⁰ He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. ²¹ For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, ²² adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. ²³ All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” There is no confusion or hidden words here. I love the word folly here. It defines as a lack of good sense. Those who reject Christ certainly fall under that category. The word can even be defined as a lack of understanding. However, there no way to read these words and not understand what Christ is saying. The thoughts come first and then the action. The thoughts them-self, even though private, defile us. I need to work on getting my thoughts straight. Maybe then my actions would follow.

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Allen Michaels:  ¹⁷ After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. ¹⁸ “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? ¹⁹ For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) It’s funny how we often worry more about what we eat and drink than what is in our hearts and minds. Jesus pointed out that our sins actually begin in the intentions and attitudes of our inner person. We are not pure because of outward acts—we become pure on the inside as Christ renews our minds and transforms us into his image.

²⁰ He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. ²¹ For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, ²² adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. ²³ All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” All of our evil actions begin with just a single thought. When we allow our minds to dwell on lust, envy, hatred, anger, or revenge we will sin.  We only defile ourselves when we focus on evil. I don’t know what’s harder for me to control; my thoughts or my tongue. Usually the tongue isn’t far behind my thoughts. Just ask the guy from Texas who took my parking space this morning. We should really be focusing on Paul’s advice in Philippians 4:8, Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

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Tomorrow's reading for Mark 7:24-30

²⁴ Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre.^[g] He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. ²⁵ In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. ²⁶ The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
²⁷ “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
²⁸ “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
²⁹ Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”
³⁰ She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.