And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Comment: Words must be understood in their context! Yesterday we had the Pharisees ‘knotted up inside’ because Jesus’ disciples ate without washing their hands! This obviously led on to a discussion on how what you put in your mouth affects your relationship with God! Mark makes the comment, putting it in brackets in our translation, “(Thus he declared all foods clean.). I think the brackets are there because it took a while for this message to sink in see Acts 10! Obviously Jesus isn’t talking about poisons, or decaying food etc but eating in an attempt to get right with God. Food goes in the mouth and out the other end after nutrition has been absorbed! But changing from the alimentary tract, Jesus talks about the core of a person. Here the ‘heart’ is used to mean the real person ‘the core’ – one’s feelings, one’s emotions, one’s thinking. Our living out our faith, believing His Word and reacting appropriately is the real ‘gutz’ of religion! Mark Twain said an interesting thing, “What a wee little part of a person’s life are his acts and his words! His real life is led in his head, and is known to none but himself. All day long, the mill of his brain is grinding, and his thoughts, not those other things, are his history.” This isn’t the whole picture but is very significant! The word ‘defile’ is also a spiritual word as used here. Meaning both one’s appearance in the sight of God and of our neighbours!
Proverbs 16: 8-9 Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice. The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.
Prayer: I would be pure of heart and a good, caring, righteous man, my Lord.
As I read it! 