Mark 7

What Makes People "Unclean"?

1 The Pharisees gathered around Jesus. So did some of the teachers of the law. All of them had come from Jerusalem.

2 They saw some of his disciples eating food with "unclean" hands. That means they were not washed.

3 The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands to make them pure. That's what the elders teach.

4 When they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they wash. And they follow many other teachings. For example, they wash cups, pitchers, and kettles in a special way.

5 So the Pharisees and the teachers of the law questioned Jesus. "Why don't your disciples live by what the elders teach?" they asked. "Why do they eat their food with 'unclean' hands?"

6 He replied, "Isaiah was right. He prophesied about you people who pretend to be good. He said, " 'These people honor me by what they say. But their hearts are far away from me.

7 Their worship doesn't mean anything to me. They teach nothing but human rules.' (Isaiah 29:13)

8 You have let go of God's commands. And you are holding on to the teachings that men have made up."

9 Jesus then said to them, "You have a fine way of setting aside God's commands! You do this so you can follow your own teachings.

10 Moses said, 'Honor your father and mother.'(Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16) He also said, 'If anyone calls down a curse on his father or mother, he will be put to death.'(Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9)

11 But you allow people to say to their parents, 'Any help you might have received from us is Corban.' (Corban means 'a gift set apart for God.' )

12 So you no longer let them do anything for their parents.

13 You make the word of God useless by putting your own teachings in its place. And you do many things like that."

14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him. He said, "Listen to me, everyone. Understand this.

15 Nothing outside of you can make you 'unclean' by going into you. It is what comes out of you that makes you 'unclean.' "

17 Then he left the crowd and entered the house. His disciples asked him about this teaching.

18 "Don't you understand?" Jesus asked. "Don't you see? Nothing that enters people from the outside can make them 'unclean.'

19 It doesn't go into the heart. It goes into the stomach. Then it goes out of the body." In saying this, Jesus was calling all foods "clean."

20 He went on to say, "What comes out of people makes them 'unclean.'

21 Evil thoughts come from the inside, from people's hearts. So do sexual sins, stealing and murder. Adultery,

22 greed, hate and cheating come from people's hearts too. So do desires that are not pure, and wanting what belongs to others. And so do telling lies about others and being proud and being foolish.

23 All those evil things come from inside a person. They make him 'unclean.' "

The Faith of a Greek Woman

24 Jesus went from there to a place near Tyre. He entered a house. He did not want anyone to know where he was. But he could not keep it a secret.

25 Soon a woman heard about him. An evil spirit controlled her little daughter. The woman came to Jesus and fell at his feet.

26 She 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. "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to their dogs."

28 "Yes, Lord," she replied. "But even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."

29 Then he told her, "That was a good reply. You may go. The demon has left your daughter."

30 So she went home and found her child lying on the bed. And the demon was gone.

Jesus Heals a Man Who Could Not Hear or Speak

31 Then Jesus left the area of Tyre and went through Sidon. He went down to the Sea of Galilee and into the area known as the Ten Cities.

32 There some people brought a man to him. The man was deaf and could hardly speak. They begged Jesus to place his hand on him.

33 Jesus took the man to one side, away from the crowd. He put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue.

34 Jesus looked up to heaven. With a deep sigh, he said to the man, ""Ephphatha!"" That means "Be opened!"

35 The man's ears were opened. His tongue was freed up, and he began to speak clearly.

36 Jesus ordered the people not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it.

37 People were really amazed. "He has done everything well," they said. "He even makes deaf people able to hear. And he makes those who can't speak able to talk."

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.