Lesson 89

LESSON 89 Mark 7:10-23

10For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: 11But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. 12And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; 13Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

14And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: 15There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. 16If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. 17And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. 18And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; 19Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? 20And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Jesus continues the teaching to the Pharisees and scribes by using an example of an Old  Testament statute concerning care of elderly parents. God established honoring of parents and taking care of them. If you think about it, God instituted a perfect design in family. Parents take care of babies. They provide what children cannot provide for themselves. Then when grown, the adult children take care of the elderly parents who may be unable to provide care for themselves. This is still God's design for the family today.

The Pharisees allowed a man to promise his money to the temple, (although he might never actually give it), thereby technically leaving no money available to take care of his needy parents. This was a scheme to free him from his obligation. Jesus said that this kind of scam made the Word of God of no effect. It negated the principle that God had instituted. The shame was that the religious leaders of the day were the ones endorsing such a scam. Their hearts were sinful, their desires were wrong. They tried to circumvent God's Word, not obey it. They showed by their actions what their hearts' condition was.

Jesus called all the people together and taught them a principle concerning what really defiles a person. You won't be defiled if you don't wash hands ceremonially before a meal or even if you eat something unclean (see Acts 10). The things that defile you come from the heart (spirit and soul), not the body. Note verse 21-22, in which Jesus listed the types of sins that come forth from the defiled heart: 21For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

When you receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, He gives you a new spirit within, which, with the Word and the Holy Spirit, will change what your soul (mind, will, and emotions) desires to do, to say and to be. You will be transformed by Him into the person God wants you to be. A child of God desires to please his Father, to honor Him, to bless Him. Don't you want to bring a smile to God's face? Let the Holy Spirit show you how to do that each day by turning yourself over to Him, His leadership. Tell Him you give yourself and your day to Him. Then watch how He directs you. It will be an adventure of faith!