Bible ReadingMark 7:1-23 “Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, 'Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?' And he said to them, 'Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.' And he said to them, 'You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, "Honor your father and your mother"; and, "Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die." But you say, "If a man tells his father or his mother, 'Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban'" (that is, given to God)— then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.' 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.'”
[19:13] [24:21] [39:20] [44:17]Isaiah 29:13 “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 taught by men,’”
[24:21]Zechariah 3:1-10 “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the LORD said to Satan, ‘The LORD rebuke you, O Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?’ Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, ‘Remove the filthy garments from him.’ And to him he said, ‘Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.’ And I said, ‘Let them put a clean turban on his head.’ So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD was standing by. And the angel of the LORD solemnly assured Joshua, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here. Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch. For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its inscription, declares the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. In that day, declares the LORD of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree.’”
[01:01:48] [01:09:00]Ezekiel 36:25-27 “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”
[01:15:33]Observation questions- In Mark 7, what were the Pharisees and scribes accusing the disciples of doing wrong, and what phrase is repeated to describe the standard they expected them to follow? [19:13]
- According to Isaiah 29:13 and Jesus’ use of it in Mark 7, what contrast is being made between a person’s lips and a person’s heart? [24:21]
- In Mark 7:20-23, what kinds of sins does Jesus say come out of the heart, and what do those sins reveal about the person? [44:17]
- In Zechariah 3, what condition was Joshua the high priest in when he stood before the Lord, and what did God say he would do for him? [01:09:00]
Interpretation questions- Jesus says the Pharisees were “making void the word of God” by their tradition. How can a religious practice that looks serious and devoted end up pushing God’s Word aside instead of helping people obey it? [25:39]
- Jesus says defilement comes from within, out of the heart. How does that change the way sin should be understood—not just as bad behavior, but as evidence of a deeper problem? [47:28]
- Jesus uses severe language about cutting off a hand or tearing out an eye. If the real source of sin is the heart, what is that strong language meant to show about the danger of sin and the limits of behavior management? [54:18]
- Zechariah 3 shows even the high priest standing filthy before God, and Ezekiel 36 promises a new heart. How do those passages help explain why forgiveness is not enough by itself if the heart remains unchanged? [01:15:33]
Application questions- Where is the temptation right now to measure spiritual health mainly by outward things—church attendance, routines, appearance, or moral comparison with others—instead of honestly dealing with the heart before God? [31:39]
- Are there any traditions, habits, or strong opinions that have started to carry more weight than Scripture in personal life, family life, or church life? How would that begin to show up in real decisions? [25:39]
- Jesus says the sins that come out of a person are smoke from a deeper fire. What repeated pattern—envy, pride, deceit, lust, anger, slander, foolishness, or something else—has been revealing what is going on in the heart lately? [47:28]
- Outside-in cleansing never works. When guilt shows up, what is the first instinct: hide, perform better, get more disciplined, compare with others, or come honestly to Christ? What does that instinct reveal? [54:18]
- Sin is like a fire in the living room, not a small issue to ignore. What is one area of sin that has been treated like “just a couch” even though it is starting to spread into the rest of life? [49:33]
- Jesus became unclean so that sinners could be made clean. What would it look like this week to stop trying to present a cleaned-up version of yourself to God and instead come to him openly with guilt, shame, and need? [01:13:45]
- God promises not only cleansing, but a new heart. Where is there a need to ask God for inward change rather than just better self-control? What would new-heart repentance look like in that area? [01:15:33]
