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Read Mark Chapter 7

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

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

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

4And 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.

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

6He 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.

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

8For 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.

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

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

11And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;

12Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

13And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:

14There 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.

15If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

16And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable.

17And 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;

18Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?

19And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.

20For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

21Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

22All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

23And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid.

24For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:

25The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.

26But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.

27And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs.

28And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.

29And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.

30And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.

31And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him.

32And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue;

33And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.

34And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.

35And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it;

36And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.

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Explanation

Mark 7

In short

Religious leaders criticize Jesus' disciples for eating without washing their hands. Jesus responds that true defilement comes from a person's inner thoughts and actions, not from outside things. Later, he heals a non-Jewish woman's daughter and a deaf man, showing his power extends beyond Israel.

What the text says

Verses 1-5 describe Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem finding fault because the disciples eat bread without washing their hands first. The Pharisees follow traditions requiring hand washing before eating and purification of dishes and pots.

In verses 6-12, Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah, saying these leaders "honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me" and teach "commandments of men" instead of God's commandment. He accuses them of rejecting God's law to keep their own tradition, giving the example of the command to honor father and mother, which their tradition allows them to bypass.

Verses 13-22 present Jesus teaching that nothing from outside a person "can defile him" but "the things which come out of him" do. He lists evils that come from within the heart: evil thoughts, adulteries, murders, thefts, and others, all of which "defile the man."

Verses 23-29 tell of a Greek woman from Phoenicia whose daughter has an unclean spirit. She asks Jesus to heal her daughter. Jesus first says "it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs," but she replies the dogs eat crumbs under the table. Jesus then grants her request, and her daughter is healed.

Verses 30-36 describe Jesus healing a deaf man with a speech problem. Using the Aramaic word "Ephphatha," meaning "Be opened," Jesus opens his ears and loosens his tongue. He orders secrecy, but the healed man's acquaintances speak about it widely and say "He hath done all things well."

Takeaways

  • Jesus teaches that what matters morally comes from inside a person's heart, not from external rules or practices.
  • Religious rules and traditions can actually work against God's commands when they become more important than obedience to God.
  • Jesus heals a foreigner and shows her faith is heard, suggesting his power and concern extend beyond the Jewish people.

Explanation written with the help of AI. The Bible text above is not changed. Context and interpretation are flagged as such; always come back to the text itself.