Defiled

Mark 7: 14 After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand:  15 there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man.  16 [“If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”]
      17 When he had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable.  18 And He said to them, “Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.) 20 And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man.  21 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness.  23 “All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”

(Observation) In verses 14-16 Jesus answers the charge of the Pharisees and scribes that the disciples were violating the traditions of the elders by eating without washing.  The explanation of the parable decries the wickedness of those who keep their traditions while sinning against their fellows.

(Interpretation) A man is not defiled by what goes into his belly, but by what comes out of his heart.  The words and actions of a man reveal what is in his heart; whether good or evil.

(Cross-reference) Matthew 12: 33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.  34 “You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.  35 “The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil.  36 “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.  37 “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Ephesians 4:29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.  30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

(Application) God sees all that is in the heart of a man. We mortals see the evidence of it by the man’s words or actions. I suggest to you that the most urgent application of such observation is for our own selves. An “unwholesome” utterance, even a careless one, should be a warning to us that our heart is not right with God.

What do you think? Do your own words, even thoughts, reveal to you the need for repentance and confession before God?

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