Jesus teaches that what defiles a person is not external actions or rituals, but the condition of the heart. The Pharisees were focused on ceremonial washing and outward traditions, believing these would make them pure before God. Yet Jesus points out that true defilement comes from within—our thoughts, desires, and intentions. He lists the evils that flow from the heart, reminding us that no amount of external effort can cleanse us if our hearts remain unchanged. The call is to examine our inner life, not just our outward behavior, and to seek God’s transformation from the inside out. [39:34]
Mark 7:14-23 (NIV)
Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
Reflection: What is one recurring thought or attitude in your heart that you know is not pleasing to God? How can you invite Jesus to begin transforming that area from the inside out today?
It is easy to take God’s clear commands and add our own layers of tradition, sometimes even nullifying what God intended. Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for holding onto human rules at the expense of God’s Word, using the example of neglecting parents under the guise of religious devotion. This tendency is not limited to the past; even today, we can let our preferences, routines, or cultural expectations overshadow the heart of God’s commands. The challenge is to continually return to Scripture, letting God’s Word shape our lives rather than our own traditions. [32:30]
Mark 7:6-13 (NIV)
He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘Corban’ (that is, devoted to God)—then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”
Reflection: Is there a tradition, habit, or “rule” in your life that may be overshadowing a clear command of God? What would it look like to realign your actions with God’s Word this week?
No amount of religious effort or self-improvement can remove the stain of sin from our hearts. Jesus alone, the one who was without sin, became sin for us so that we might become righteous before God. This was not an afterthought, but God’s plan from the very beginning—to send His Son as the ultimate sacrifice. When we trust in Jesus, we are given a new heart, cleansed and made right with God, not by our works but by His grace. This truth frees us from striving and fills us with gratitude for what Christ has done. [46:29]
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Reflection: In what ways have you tried to “clean yourself up” before God? How can you rest today in the finished work of Jesus, trusting that He alone makes you clean?
Because of Jesus, the stain of sin is completely removed, and we are given new, clean garments—pure and bright. This new identity is not something we earn, but a gift we receive. We are called to live in the confidence and freedom of forgiveness, not weighed down by guilt or self-doubt. When accusations or memories of past failures arise, we can remember that in Christ, we are forgiven and free, clothed in His righteousness. This changes how we approach each day, empowering us to live with joy and assurance. [48:28]
Revelation 19:7-8 (NIV)
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
Reflection: When you are tempted to dwell on past mistakes or feel unworthy, what truth from God’s Word can you speak over yourself to remind you of your new identity in Christ?
God’s intention for Sabbath is not a burdensome list of rules, but a rhythm of worship and rest that restores our souls. The heart of Sabbath is to “pray and play”—to worship with God’s people and to enjoy the good gifts He has given. When we honor the Sabbath as God intended, we are filled up and equipped for the week ahead. Rather than adding human traditions that drain life, we are invited to experience the joy and refreshment that comes from time with God and delight in His creation. [35:06]
Exodus 20:8-10 (ESV)
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.”
Reflection: What is one specific way you can set aside time this week to both worship God and do something that truly restores your soul?
Thank you, Ben. It’s always a joy to share stories of how God is at work in our community, whether it’s through a multi-sport camp that unexpectedly draws in new faces or creative ways we’re reaching out during the Christmas season. These moments remind us that God’s plans often unfold in ways we don’t expect, and that He is always drawing people to Himself.
Turning to Mark 7, we encounter a group of Pharisees deeply concerned with ritual cleanliness. Their focus was on external purity—ceremonial washings and traditions layered on top of God’s commands. But Jesus challenges them, and us, to look deeper. He points out that while the Pharisees honor God with their lips, their hearts are far from Him. They have substituted human traditions for the clear commands of God, sometimes even using those traditions to sidestep the very heart of God’s law, like caring for one’s parents.
This tendency isn’t unique to the Pharisees. Throughout history, and even today, we can fall into the trap of adding layers of rules to God’s commands, turning vibrant faith into lifeless religion. The Sabbath is a prime example—meant to be a day of worship and rest, it can become a burden when reduced to a list of prohibitions. Instead, God invites us to “pray and play,” to worship and to be restored.
But Jesus goes even further. He teaches that true defilement doesn’t come from what’s outside—what we eat or touch—but from within, from our hearts. The real problem isn’t our hands or our eyes, but the sin that resides deep inside us. No amount of external effort or religious rule-keeping can cleanse us. Sin is like a fire that, if left unchecked, will consume us from the inside out.
Yet, Jesus doesn’t just diagnose the problem—He is the solution. From before the foundation of the world, God’s plan was for Jesus, the sinless Son, to take our place, to bear our sin, and to give us His righteousness. When we trust in Him, the stain of sin is removed, and we are given new, clean hearts. We are free—not to anxiously strive for God’s approval, but to live in gratitude and confidence, clothed in Christ’s righteousness. This is the freedom and assurance we are meant to carry into every day, knowing that in Christ, the stain is truly gone.
Mark 7:1–23 (ESV) — 1 Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, 2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, 4 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.) 5 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?”
6 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; 7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ 8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”
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14 And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15 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.” ...
20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) — For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Revelation 19:7–8 (ESV) — 7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
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