Trinity Baptist Church

The Book of Mark

The Inside Story on Defilement

Mark 7:14-23

 

It’s mind-boggling to consider how rapidly the morality of America and the world had deteriorated over the last 50 years. Even here in our little protected corner of the world, the crime and depravity we see is shocking.  

 

To use a biblical word, the world is full of defilement. It is full of corruption. Evil runs rampant and it is inescapable.  So where does it come from? What is the cause of evil?

 

Some say it is environmental.  It is simply the conditions in which we have to live.  Take a child out of the ghetto and get him an education and you will change the world.  But that hasn’t happened. 

 

And that is just one example of those who look to the outside for the source of corruption.  But all of that is in direct conflict with the Bible. The Bible says our problem is not outside of us, our problem is inside of us. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.” Paul follows that thought by saying, “There’s none righteous, no not one.”

 

That means we are capable, without any outside influences, of committing sin.  No one has to teach us or influence us or convince us to do it.  Sin works its way from the inside out.

 

With that in mind, listen to what Jesus says through Mark in chapter 7:14-23

Five times in this passage you find a form of the word “defile”.  It means to be dirty or unclean or impure.  Corrupt is another word that comes to mind.  The idea appears often in the New Testament, but is used even more frequently in the Old Testament.  Why is this thought so common in the Bible? I think it is because impurity and purity is such an issue with God. Throughout Scripture we are told to be able to distinguish between what is impure and what is pure. So it’s a common theme and therefore it’s a common word.

 

Now obviously, the Jews were very much aware of the ideas of impurity and purity.  We saw that last week.  They were concerned that Jesus and his followers weren’t washing their hands the proper way.  They had developed this massive set of rules and most of it applied to issues of ceremonial purity and cleanliness.  In addition to the simple law of God, that had added hundreds of man-made requirements.

 

And as a result of all of that, there had arisen this idea that defilement was the result of something outside of them. On the inside they were good and godly. After all, they were Jewish leaders.  If there was any defilement it had to have an outside source. 

 

Remember the prayer of the Pharisees in Luke 18?  “Lord, I thank You that I’m not like other men.  I tithe, I fast, I do all the right ceremonies and rituals.” That was the illusion they lived under.

 

The Apostle Paul testified of the same thing.  He said that according to the Law, he was blameless and zealous.  He was a Pharisee, a Hebrew of the Hebrews. 

He kept all the traditions and laws.  That’s the way they thought. And the result of their reasoning was since they were already good on the inside, the only thing they had to be afraid of was something on the outside. That was the illusion.

 

But listen to what Jesus says in verses 14 and 15.  There we find

 

 

So here we have this large crowd including common folk as well as the religious leaders.  Obviously they are looking for a way to discredit Jesus. His comments are primarily for the crowd in general and what He shares with them is because of the bad teaching they’ve received from their leaders. 

 

In so many words, He says, “I want to help those of you who have been under the teaching of these Pharisees and scribes to understand what real defilement is.”  

 

And the analogy He uses is very graphic.  HE says what you have to be careful about is not what kind of food you are eating, but the waste that is produced by the food you eat.  What you eat doesn’t defile you.  What comes out of you physically after you eat is defiling. You want to stay away from those unclean things that come through the elimination of waste.

 

In fact, the parallel passage in Matthew 15 in the KJV  says it comes out in the draught and the Greek word for draught means the place on which you sit. So you get the idea.

This is a simple illustration but a very obvious one.  The food that you eat is not going to defile you, but you want to stay away from the results of that.

 

Now everyone would understand that. It is a very simple truth stated in simple terms of natural life. That’s why he says what He does in

 

Verse 16

 

They heard, but they needed to understand the spiritual impact of what He’d just said.  There’s a point behind it.

 

 

Verse 17

 

What does He mean by this? That is the issue. What is He getting at?  The point is that spiritually speaking, pollution is not outside of you. The problem is inside of you. That’s the point.

 

Should they have known that? If they were familiar with the Old Testament they should have.  First Samuel 16:7, “Man looks on the outward appearance, God looks on...what?...on the heart.”

 

The heart is evil, that’s the issue, and it is what expresses the defilement inside of us.  From the heart flows the essence of who we are.  That’s what is defiling. That’s what is corrupt. Now this was a shocking, revolting idea to the scribes and Pharisees.  It is absolutely the opposite of what they thought and taught. 

 

Remember, they are all about external defilement.  Ironically, they think they are right with God while they are plotting the murder of His Son!

So this is a critical, defining moment. This is the difference in the religion of man and the ministry of Jesus Christ at its most distinct difference. 

 

And isn’t it interesting how the Lord explains the difference?  He uses this very simple, every-day, easy to understand illustration.

 

And yet, the disciples, those closest to Him, ask Him about the meaning of His story.  I think they probably understood what He was trying to say but it was so contrary to what they had always been taught, they couldn’t get their brains wrapped around it. 

 

Their whole life had been lived trying to avoid contamination and defilement and now here stands Jesus telling people that’s not important.  This is all new. This is all new. And so they ask Him about the parable.

 

Now I think it important to hear the whole story of their conversation so let’s look at some of the details given to us by Matthew. 

 

Matthew 15:12

 

I have an idea He did!  And that immediately tells us they understood what He’d said.  They got it.  Remember, they threw the first punch in this confrontation by condemning Jesus and His followers for eating with unwashed hands. 

 

So when Jesus said, “You don’t need to be afraid of what’s outside of you, you need to be afraid of what’s inside of you because that is what corrupts you”, they understood this is His jab back at them. 

 

They got it and they were offended when they heard the statement. Notice how He responds.

 

Verse 13

 

What’s He saying?  They’re fakes.  They are not the real deal.  To borrow from another illustration, they are the tares planted among the wheat.  And when He speaks of them being uprooted, He’s pronouncing God’s judgment upon them. 

 

Verse 14

 

Boy, that’s something you never want to hear God say about you, isn’t it?  You’re past the point of grace.  You are beyond the point of hope.

 

Let them alone. They’re headed for judgment. They are blind, all the people they lead are blind and if a man is blind, guiding blind man, both will fall into a pit. They’re all headed for disaster and all the people they influence are headed for disaster and that disaster is an eternal hell.

 

Of course they’re offended.  They have a completely different approach to religion. They think they’re good on the inside and they have to avoid bad influence on the outside. The truth is they’re bad on the inside and they poison the environment wherever they are.

The Pharisees were offended but Jesus says, “But they’re under judgment, let them alone. Everybody who follows them along with them will end up in hell.

 

verse 15

 

So now we can go back to Mark and understand what got us to that place.  Through Peter, the disciples ask Jesus to explain the parable.

 

Mark 7:18

 

I guess they were without understanding because they were a part of the blind being led by the blind guides.

 

By the way, that is in large part why most Jews do not accept Jesus as Messiah.  Accepting Jesus as Messiah would mean the destruction of the Jewish religion and way of life because Jesus was opposed to Jewish teaching.

 

Being right with God has never been about doing the right things on the outside.  So the Lord states the truth, then acknowledges that the truth is not understood and violated and then

 

 

verses 18-19

 

Here He makes the spiritual application.  Here is what those who had ears to hear would hear if they listened. 

 

 

He’s already used the analogy of food not going to the heart and instead going into the stomach and making its way through the intestines and becoming waste.  

 

Then He says, “Now let’s talk about the spiritual.”

 

Verse 20

 

Once again He repeats the premise.  All food is good to eat.  There are no restrictions or dietary laws you have to observe.  So food comes in undefiled and it goes out defiled. And remember this is an analogy, a physical story intended to teach a spiritual truth and he’s talking to people who are sincere, but confused about what they’ve been taught.  

 

Verses 21-22

 

Here He gets very specific. The spiritual lesson is now made crystal clear.

 

The real problem is the human heart, the inner self, the mind, the source of thought, attitude, motive, desire, the source of all we do and say.  Left in its natural condition, it pumps out impurity and filth and defilement.

 

And it’s quite a list!  The Pharisees and the scribes and the rabbis love to give lists of things to be avoided. They had all their external lists. Jesus here gives them an internal list.

 

And there’s really no need to go into explanations of all of them.  Suffice it to say their hands were washed, but their hearts were filthy and that is a  description of every person who’s ever lived.

Verse 23

 

It’s just like in the physical world.  All that defilement comes from inside and no ritual, no rite, no ceremony, no sacrament, no attempt at morality , no attempt at religion can alter that defilement at all.

 

So what do we do about it?  We need a new heart and that is the promise of God in Ezekiel 36 in that glorious wonderful passage regarding the New Covenant.

 

Listen to verse 25, “I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new Spirit within in. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and you’ll be careful to observe My ordinances.”

 

That’s the promise of salvation. God says, “I have to change you on the inside.”  Is that not what Jesus said to Nicodemus?  “You need to be born again.” And you need a new life and that begins with a new heart. This is a change at the very core.

 

It’s sad that so many people are trying so hard to be right with God through externals when what they really need is a change on the inside.  And once you’re changed on the inside, you won’t need any lists and rules to make you live right.  God comes to live in you and guide your life and He makes an eternal change. 

 

And if you have a new heart and if you’ve been washed, and if you’ve been given the Holy Spirit, then all is well between you and God.