After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to
them, "Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside
the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed
out of the man are what defile the man. ["If anyone has ears to hear, let
him hear."] - Mark 7:14-16 NASB
When he had left the crowd and entered the house, His
disciples questioned Him about the parable. And He said to them, "Are you
so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into
the man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not go into his heart,
but into his stomach, and is eliminated?" (Thus He declared all foods
clean.) And He was saying, "That which proceeds out of the man, that is
what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the
evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and
wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and
foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the
man." Mark 7:17-23 NASB
Defile—that is kind of a wicked word. Defile. The synonyms for defile are:
corrupt, ruin, pollute, degrade, spoil, taint, despoil, contaminate, dishonor,
violate, make unclean.
So Jesus is warning the people…those who
were following Him, not the Pharisees…that it wasn’t the food that made them
unclean, but their thoughts, words and actions. Not the foods that they ate,
but the things that come out of their
mouths...and the actions that resulted from their thoughts and words. This
addresses the spiritual realm—thoughts and actions.
The Old Testament gave clear instructions
on not eating certain animals…or even touching some things, like this example
of avoiding defilement.
For I am the LORD your God. You must
consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. So do not defile
yourselves with any of these small animals that scurry along the ground. Leviticus
11:44
 |
| Is that plastic or real food? |
In the scripture recorded in Mark 7 Jesus
was liberating His followers from those Jewish dietary laws, regulations and
traditions. Like those followers we are free from such dietary restrictions,
but we need to use some common sense when it comes to eating food. Is it clean…is
it pure…is it necessary for our body’s growth or health? Just because something
looks good doesn’t mean that it will taste good or that it is good to eat it.
Think of those plastic food advertisements that are examples of the food that
particular restaurants prepare. The fake food may look good…but it is totally inedible.
Likewise we need to make sure our thoughts are clean. No evil thoughts which
will defile a person. The words Moses
wrote in Leviticus are still valid. You
must consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I (the LORD your God) am holy. You have ears. Listen.
Is
God your LORD? Do you seek to be holy because He is?
Prayer
~ Lord Jesus, I want to be holy…as You are holy. I don’t want to defile my
body…or my mind. Help me to concentrate on pure thoughts—as well as words and
actions. I fix my thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure,
and lovely, and admirable and think about things that are excellent and worthy
of praise. Philippians 4:8. I am listening and continually think about You, Jesus. You are worthy of praise.
Daily
Bible Reading: Psalms 3-4, 12-13, 28, 55
© 2018 Text and
photo by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
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