Mark 7

The Tradition of the Elders

1 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, ¹

2 and they saw some of His disciples eating with hands that were defiled—that is, unwashed.

3 Now in holding to the tradition of the elders, the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat until they wash their hands ceremonially. ^[a]

4 And on returning from the market, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions for them to observe, including the washing of cups, pitchers, kettles, and couches for dining. ^[b]

5 So the Pharisees and scribes questioned Jesus: “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders? Instead, they eat with defiled hands.”

6 Jesus answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.

7 They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’ ^[c]

8 You have disregarded the commandment of God to keep the tradition of men. ^[d]”

9 He went on to say, “You neatly set aside the command of God to maintain ^[e] your own tradition.

10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ ^[f] and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ ^[g]

11 But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God),

12 he is no longer permitted to do anything for his father or mother.

13 Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters.”

What Defiles a Man

14 Once again Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “All of you, listen to Me and understand: ²

15 Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him; but the things that come out of a man, these are what defile him.” ^[h]

17 After Jesus had left the crowd and gone into the house, His disciples inquired about the parable.

18 “Are you still so dull?” He asked. “Do you not understand? Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him,

19 because it does not enter his heart, but it goes into the stomach and then is eliminated.” (Thus all foods are clean.) ^[i]

20 He continued: “What comes out of a man, that is what defiles him.

21 For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, ^[j]

22 greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness.

23 All these evils come from within, and these are what defile a man.”

The Faith of the Gentile Woman

24 Jesus left that place and went to the region of Tyre. ^[k] Not wanting anyone to know He was there, He entered a house, but was unable to escape their notice. ³

25 Instead, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit soon heard about Jesus, and she came and fell at His feet.

26 Now she was a Greek woman of Syrophoenician origin, and she kept asking Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

27 “First let the children have their fill,” He said. “For it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

28 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs ^[l] under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

29 Then Jesus told her, “Because of this answer, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.”

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

The Deaf and Mute Man

31 Then Jesus left the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. ^{[m] 4}

32 Some people brought to Him a man who was deaf and hardly able to speak, and they begged Jesus to place His hand on him.

33 So Jesus took him aside privately, away from the crowd, and put His fingers into the man’s ears. Then He spit and touched the man’s tongue.

34 And looking up to heaven, He sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”).

35 Immediately ^[n] the man’s ears were opened and his tongue was released, and he began to speak plainly.

36 Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more He ordered them, the more widely they proclaimed it.

37 The people were utterly astonished and said, “He has done all things well! He makes even the deaf hear and the mute speak!”

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.

Cross References

• 1. (Matthew 15:1–9)
• 2. (Matthew 15:10–20)
• 3. (Matthew 15:21–28)
• 4. (Matthew 9:27–34)

Footnotes

• [a] Literally until they have washed their hands to the fist
• [b] NE and WH cups, pitchers, and kettles.
• [c] Isaiah 29:13 (see also LXX)
• [d] BYZ and TR include—washings of pots and cups and many such things like these.
• [e] NA establish
• [f] Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16
• [g] Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9
• [h] BYZ and TR include 16 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.
• [i] Or and then is eliminated, thereby expelling all foods.”
• [j] Many texts move adultery to verse 22.
• [k] WH, BYZ, and TR include and Sidon; see Matthew 15:21.
• [l] Or puppies
• [m] That is, the Ten Cities
• [n] ECM, WH, and SBL do not include Immediately.