Mark

By Joyce Webb 2022

Chapter 7    Vs. 14-23

After the Jewish leaders question Jesus as to why his disciples do not do the hand washing ritual—–
Verse 14 Jesus calls the people to come hear him, and understand.

Verse 15 Jesus said, There is nothing from outside of man that when it goes into him–he eats it—that will defile (dirty) him or make him unholy.

The things that come out of a man are the things that defile or (dirty) him and show that he is unholy.

Verse 16 Jesus said, If any man has ears to hear—then let him hear —meaning—give attention to what I say.

Verse 17 Later, when Jesus left the people and came into the house—-the disciples asked him what he meant.

Verse 18 Jesus asked them—You do not understand?
You do not understand that what goes into a man –does not defile (make him unholy)?

Verse 19 It does not defile him (make him unholy) because it does not go into his heart. What he eats—go into his stomach—then the waste goes into the toilet.

Verse 20 It is was comes out of a man that makes him defiled or shows that he is unholy.

Verse 21 From within, out of the heart—man has evil thoughts, does adultery, does fornication (sexual sins)

He does murders, steals, jealous, deceitful (fools people)

Lascivious (much pleasure in sexual pictures, sex acts, etc.)

Has a evil eye, blasphemes (speaks evil of God and things related to God)

Has pride, is foolish—-all these things come from within a man.

These are the things that defile a man—show that he is unholy and sinful.

———————-

In Bible times, people did not understand about “germs”.

They did not have microscopes to see germs.

They did not understand that germs can make you sick.

The reason we wash our hand with soap nowadays, is to kill the germs before we eat, so we do not put the germs in our mouth.

The Jewish leaders ritual of hand washing was not about germs being washed away.

It was something they did to make them feel holy.

In the Old Testament, God did tell them to wash themselves before they went into the tabernacle or temple. He also told them to wash certain things when they made sacrifices.

Washing in water —helped the people remember that they were sinful, unholy, “dirty” from sin. When they went before a holy God they needed to remember how holy He was—and that they were sinful.

The washing was to remind them. It did not wash away their sin.

When they brought the lamb to be killed for their sin—God accepted the lamb’s death—in place of the person’s death—for the person’s sin.

Remember, God told Adam if he disobeyed (sinned) he would die.
The Bible says “the soul that sinneth, it shall die” Ezekiel 18:20

They used water only, so it did not kill germs.

What Jesus was trying to tell the people and the disciples was—-
The “washing of hands” that the Jewish leaders did before they ate —– so they did not “defile” themselves. (So they did not make themselves “unholy” in God’s eyes.)

Washing of hands in water their way—-does not help you be “holy” in God’s eyes.

And—what you eat—even if it is eaten with dirty hands—-does not make you “defiled” in God’s eyes.

Defied—dirty, unholy—-is something that comes from your heart and mind. If your heart is unholy, what you think and what you do will be unholy.

Unholy is from your heart —–because—you have sin in your heart.

Washing with water will not wash away sin.

Only God/Jesus can forgive sin. It is something you pray to God about if you want to be clean.

The Jewish people and the Jewish leaders were still thinking about the Old Testament rules and laws about things.

Jesus was telling them—-that now that He–Jesus was here—rules were different. Jesus’ coming to earth was going to change all the religious things. The Old Testament rules were no more.

The 10 Commandments were still obeyed because as Jesus said—If you love God with all your heart, mind, and soul
—you will keep all the commandments about worshipping God.

And if you love your neighbor as yourself—-you will keep all the commandments about how you should act toward others.

Jesus’ coming—brought a new understanding of religious things about God, forgiveness, and how to live.

Jesus tried to teach them to think in new ways about God and Jesus—-for the people it was hard to understand and change their way of thinking.

Jesus’ dying on the cross for people’s sin—so that people did not have to pay their own eternal death punishment—-was going to change the way people came to God.

Jesus said, “No man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.”
John 14:6

This was a new way of thinking for the Jewish people.