Bible Study - Mk. 7:14-23 The Heart of Man

Mark 7:14-23 : 

Mark 7:14-23 The Heart of Man

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14 And he called the people to Him again, and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him.” 17 And when he had entered the house, and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a man from outside cannot defile him, The Holy Bible : Revised Standard Version Second Catholic edition (2006), with the ecclesiastical approval of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Thomas Nelson Publishing for Ignatius Press.

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19 since it enters, not his heart but his stomach, and so passes on?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20 And he said, “What comes out of a man is what defiles a man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man.” The Holy Bible : Revised Standard Version Second Catholic edition (2006), with the ecclesiastical approval of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Thomas Nelson Publishing for Ignatius Press.

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In these verses we see the issue of moral purity compared with the dietary traditions. Again these verses beg the question of which is more important, strict adherence to man-made dietary laws or strict adherence to the laws of God. Let’s go back to Isaiah 29 to see that Lip service to God is not enough, it is the internalization, the focus of bringing into your heart God’s law that is important not the wisdom of men. 13 And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men learned by rote;

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14 therefore, behold, I will again do marvelous things with this people, wonderful and marvelous; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”  15 Woe to those who hide deep from the Lord their counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?” 16 You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay; that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?

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As we can see from Jeremiah 17:9-10 what comes out of the heart is most important. 9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it? 10 “I the Lord search the mind and try the heart, to give to every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.” The Pharisees are hypocrites for two reasons. Their actions are merely external, a show of piety rather than coming from the heart. Their teaching of traditions are not God’s law and thus not of equal value.

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Verse 18 . . Do you not see that whatever goes into a man from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters, not his heart but his stomach, and so passes on?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.) The pig is considered an unclean animal as food, in Seventh-Day Adventism, Judaism and Islam (cf. Lev. 11:1-47) In the ancient world people did not know how to safely preserve and prepare some foods.

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If pork is not preserved correctly it will potentially kill those who eat the meat and the same is true for some sea foods. In the Old Testament, the Old Covenant, God told the people that pork is unclean and forbidden for consumption that statement saved many lives (Lev. 11:7). As you can see the dietary laws began for a good purpose. But now Jesus has arrived and with Him a New Covenant and declared all foods clean. In verse 23 Jesus gives a summary of this teaching. He lists sinful thoughts and action that are characteristic of a defiled heart, a heart focuses on the world, not God.