Mark 7

1 The Pharisees, along with some religion scholars who had come from Jerusalem, gathered around him.

2 They noticed that some of his disciples weren't being careful with ritual washings before meals.

3 The Pharisees - Jews in general, in fact - would never eat a meal without going through the motions of a ritual hand-washing,

4 with an especially vigorous scrubbing if they had just come from the market (to say nothing of the scourings they'd give jugs and pots and pans).

5 The Pharisees and religion scholars asked, "Why do your disciples flout the rules, showing up at meals without washing their hands?"

6 Jesus answered, "Isaiah was right about frauds like you, hit the bull's-eye in fact: These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn't in it.

7 They act like they are worshiping me, but they don't mean it. They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their fancy,

8 Ditching God's command and taking up the latest fads."

9 He went on, "Well, good for you. You get rid of God's command so you won't be inconvenienced in following the religious fashions!

10 Moses said, 'Respect your father and mother,' and, 'Anyone denouncing father or mother should be killed.'

11 But you weasel out of that by saying that it's perfectly acceptable to say to father or mother, 'Gift! What I owed you I've given as a gift to God,'

12 thus relieving yourselves of obligation to father or mother.

13 You scratch out God's Word and scrawl a whim in its place. You do a lot of things like this."

14 Jesus called the crowd together again and said, "Listen now, all of you - take this to heart.

15 It's not what you swallow that pollutes your life; it's what you vomit - that's the real pollution."

17 When he was back home after being with the crowd, his disciples said, "We don't get it. Put it in plain language."

18 Jesus said, "Are you being willfully stupid? Don't you see that what you swallow can't contaminate you?

19 It doesn't enter your heart but your stomach, works its way through the intestines, and is finally flushed." (That took care of dietary quibbling; Jesus was saying that all foods are fit to eat.)

20 He went on: "It's what comes out of a person that pollutes:

21 obscenities, lusts, thefts, murders, adulteries,

22 greed, depravity, deceptive dealings, carousing, mean looks, slander, arrogance, foolishness -

23 all these are vomit from the heart. There is the source of your pollution."

24 From there Jesus set out for the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house there where he didn't think he would be found, but he couldn't escape notice.

25 He was barely inside when a woman who had a disturbed daughter heard where he was. She came and knelt at his feet,

26 begging for help. The woman was Greek, Syro-Phoenician by birth. She asked him to cure her daughter.

27 He said, "Stand in line and take your turn. The children get fed first. If there's any left over, the dogs get it."

28 She said, "Of course, Master. But don't dogs under the table get scraps dropped by the children?"

29 Jesus was impressed. "You're right! On your way! Your daughter is no longer disturbed. The demonic affliction is gone."

30 She went home and found her daughter relaxed on the bed, the torment gone for good.

31 Then he left the region of Tyre, went through Sidon back to Galilee Lake and over to the district of the Ten Towns.

32 Some people brought a man who could neither hear nor speak and asked Jesus to lay a healing hand on him.

33 He took the man off by himself, put his fingers in the man's ears and some spit on the man's tongue.

34 Then Jesus looked up in prayer, groaned mightily, and commanded, "Ephphatha! - Open up!"

35 And it happened. The man's hearing was clear and his speech plain - just like that.

36 Jesus urged them to keep it quiet, but they talked it up all the more,

37 beside themselves with excitement. "He's done it all and done it well. He gives hearing to the deaf, speech to the speechless."

Mark 7 Commentary

Chapter 7

The traditions of the elders. (1-13) What defiles the man. (14-23) The woman of Canaan's daughter cured. (24-30) Christ restores a man to hearing and speech. (31-37)

Verses 1-13 One great design of Christ's coming was, to set aside the ceremonial law; and to make way for this, he rejects the ceremonies men added to the law of God's making. Those clean hands and that pure heart which Christ bestows on his disciples, and requires of them, are very different from the outward and superstitious forms of Pharisees of every age. Jesus reproves them for rejecting the commandment of God. It is clear that it is the duty of children, if their parents are poor, to relieve them as far as they are able; and if children deserve to die that curse their parents, much more those that starve them. But if a man conformed to the traditions of the Pharisees, they found a device to free him from the claim of this duty.

Verses 14-23 Our wicked thoughts 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, corrupt appetites and passions, and all the wicked words and actions that come from them. A spiritual understanding of the law of God, and a sense of the evil of sin, will cause a man to seek for the grace of the Holy Spirit, to keep down the evil thoughts and affections that work within.

Verses 24-30 Christ never put any from him that fell at his feet, which a poor trembling soul may do. As she was a good woman, so a good mother. This sent her to Christ. His saying, Let the children first be filled, shows that there was mercy for the Gentiles, and not far off. She spoke, not as making light of the mercy, but magnifying the abundance of miraculous cures among the Jews, in comparison with which a single cure was but as a crumb. Thus, while proud Pharisees are left by the blessed Saviour, he manifests his compassion to poor humbled sinners, who look to him for children's bread. He still goes about to seek and save the lost.

Verses 31-37 Here is a cure of one that was deaf and dumb. Those who brought this poor man to Christ, besought him to observe the case, and put forth his power. Our Lord used more outward actions in the doing of this cure than usual. These were only signs of Christ's power to cure the man, to encourage his faith, and theirs that brought him. Though we find great variety in the cases and manner of relief of those who applied to Christ, yet all obtained the relief they sought. Thus it still is in the great concerns of our souls.