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    Mark 7:1-23
    Lesson 76

    Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

     In this lesson: 
      
    Follow God's commandments, not mans.  (7:8-9) 
    ​
    What is clean and unclean. 
     
    "Honour thy father and thy mother." (7:10)
     
    All food is kosher. (7:15-19)     
    Study Tip:
     
    Remember, click on the links and read the margin notes.
    Who was -
     
    Esaias -
    The Greek name for the Old Testament prophet Isaiah (meaning Jehovah is salvation) who died in 681 B.C.  Considered by many as the greatest Jewish prophet, Isaiah wrote "The Book of the Prophet Isaiah" which spoke out against 
    hypocrisy (Isaiah 29:13) and prophesized the coming of the Messiah (Isaiah 6:15)     seven hundred years before the birth of Christ.  He is quoted over fifty times in the New Testament.

    The Gospel According to St. Mark

    The King James Bible    ​

    Mark: 7:1-23
    Inner purity

    1 Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.

    2 And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.

    3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.

    4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.

    5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?

    6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

    7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

    8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

    9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

    10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:

    11 But 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.

    12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;

    13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

    14 And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:

    15 There 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.

    16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

    17 And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable.

    18 And 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;

    19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?

    20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.

    21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

    22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

    23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
     
    Not all original manuscripts have verse 16.
    ​Margin notes: 
     
    "Then came together unto him the Pharisees." (7:1) - The Pharisees heard about Jesus, His miracles, and the excited crowds He was drawing (Mark 6:54-56), so they sent a team of religious scholars from Jerusalem to check Him out.
     
    "Unwashen, hands." (7:2) - To the Pharisees and scribes, if you didn't ceremonially wash your hands, they were defiled.  Ritual washing was decreed by men, not God.  
     
    "For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not." (7:3) - Mark is explaining the Jewish ritual of ceremonial washing (7:2-4) to his Gentile audience.  Many Jews made washing themselves and their tableware a formal procedure.  Their hands, arms, dishes, and cookware were cleaned in a very deliberative, almost robotic way.  They believed if they were clean on the outside than they were more acceptable to God.  Jesus said it is the cleanliness of the heart that counts.  Additional note: The Pharisees walked ninety miles from Jerusalem to Capernaum to see Jesus and learn more about His miracles, and the first thing they do is complain that His disciples don't ritually wash themselves and their utensils (7:5).  
     
    "Holding the tradition of the elders." (7:3) - Means, "obeying the old tradition."   
     
    "Brazen vessels." (7:4) - "Copper pots."
     
    "Hypocrites." (7:6) - People who pretend to be something they're not and aren't trying to be.
     
    "This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." (7:6) - A prophecy from Isaiah 29:13, written around 700 B.C.
     
    "Ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition." (7:9) - "You reject God's commandments so you can keep your own rules."
     
    "Honour thy father and thy mother." (7:10) - One of the Ten Commandments, quoted from Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16.
     
    "Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death." (7:10) - From Exodus 21:17 and Leviticus 20:9.   
     
    "Corban" (7:11) - Corban is a Hebrew word meaning "gift to God."  Pharisees encouraged their congregations to pledge a Corban gift to the Temple.  It was similar to willing money.  Once money, property, or any object of value were promised to the Temple, it couldn't be given to anyone else.  Some people pledged their wealth to the Temple so they could ignore their needy parents.  In an era before Social Security or safety nets, aging parents were often left destitute.  Since the pledge didn't have to be fulfilled until the donor died, they could simply declare their fortunes as Corban, keep the money, and neglect their parents.  Any money left when the donor died went to the Temple.  In essence, the man-made law of Corban voided God's commandment to "honor thy father and thy mother."
     
    "Ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother." (7:12) - "You allow him to do nothing for his father and mother."
     
    "Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition." (7:13) - "Voiding the word of God by your rules."
     
    "Hearken unto me every one of you." (7:14) - "Hear me, all of you."
     
    "There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him." (7:15) - "There is nothing outside a man, that can defile him."
     
    "Whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him." (7:18) - "It's not what people put in their bodies that defiles them."  For a list of Jewish dietary laws see Leviticus 11:1-47.  These laws were rescinded with the New Covenant (1 Corinthians 8:8; 1 Timothy 4:3-5.
     
    "Goeth out into the draught." (7:19) - "Is eliminated."  The old Mosaic rule that some foods were to be avoided was abolished.
     
    "Out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts." (7:21) - Perhaps Jesus was thinking of Genesis 6:5 and 8:21 when He said these words.  
     
    "Lasciviousness." (7:22) - "Lewdness."
     
    "Evil eye" (7:22) - A common Hebrew expression.  A person with an evil eye was envious or jealous. ​
    See Matthew 15:1-20 (lesson 30) for more on self defilement.


                                                  New Living Translation 
     

    Mark: 7:1-23
    Jesus Teaches about Inner Purity
     
    1 One day some Pharisees and teachers of religious law arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus.

    2 They noticed that some of his disciples failed to follow the Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating.

    3 (The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands, as required by their ancient traditions.

    4 Similarly, they don't eat anything from the market until they immerse their hands in water. This is but one of many traditions they have clung to-such as their ceremonial washing of cups, pitchers, and kettles.)
     
    5 So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, "Why don't your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony."
     
    6 Jesus replied, "You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,
     
      'These people honor me with their lips,
        but their hearts are far from me.
    7 Their worship is a farce,
        for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.'
     
    8 For you ignore God's law and substitute your own tradition."
     
    9 Then he said, "You skillfully sidestep God's law in order to hold on to your own tradition.

    10 For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: 'Honor your father and mother,' and 'Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.'

    11 But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, 'Sorry, I can't help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.'

    12 In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents.

    13 And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others."
     
    14 Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. "All of you listen," he said, "and try to understand.

    15 It's not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart."
     
    17 Then Jesus went into a house to get away from the crowd, and his disciples asked him what he meant by the parable he had just used.

    18 "Don't you understand either?" he asked. "Can't you see that the food you put into your body cannot defile you?

    19 Food doesn't go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer." (By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God's eyes.)
     
    20 And then he added, "It is what comes from inside that defiles you.

    21 For from within, out of a person's heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder,

    22 adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.

    ​23 All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you."
    ​​
    This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible.  However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
    Today's Question:
     
    1. How do we defile ourselves? (7:18-23)




    You can receive these lessons up to five times per week.      ​
    Answer: (Do you agree?) 
    ​​
    1. We defile (dishonor, desecrate, sully, violate, debase) ourselves by what we think or say.  Since our very thoughts and words "defile" us, and "evil things come from within" us (7:23), how can we ever find salvation without God's grace?  The guilt of Adam's sin in the Garden of Eden was passed down to all mankind (Romans 5:19) and put us all in need of redemption.  But, Jesus gave the world a new spiritual insight.  He taught that it is our faith that saves us and not our earthly deeds.  This was such a revolutionary idea that even the disciples had a hard time understanding it (7:18).




    ​    Application thought for the day:  
     
    Sin comes from the heart, the inner person.  An evil act begins with an evil thought.  Pride, revenge, blasphemy, ​theft, adultery, lies, even murder begins inside the person who fixes on evil.  In Philippians 4:8, Paul advises us to concentrate on what is "honest," "just," "pure," "whatsoever things are lovely," and of "good report."  "If there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
    Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; "The Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies"; "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible".  All were critical in putting these lessons together.
    ​     © 2020 evolke