The Gospels · Chapter 7 of 16

Mark 7

Jesus confronts the Pharisees over their tradition of handwashing, exposing how human rules can void God's command. He teaches that defilement comes from within the heart, not from outside. He then heals the daughter of a persistent Syrophenician woman and, in Decapolis, opens the ears and loosens the tongue of a deaf man with a speech impediment.

What happens in Mark 7

Pharisees and scribes fault Jesus' disciples for eating with unwashed hands. Jesus answers with Isaiah's words about lips that honor God while hearts are far, charging them with laying aside God's commandment to keep human tradition. He gives the example of Corban, where a vow is used to withhold help from father and mother. Calling the crowd, he teaches that nothing entering a person defiles, but what comes out of the heart, evil thoughts, murders, deceit, pride, and more.

Departing to Tyre and Sidon, he meets a Greek Syrophenician woman begging deliverance for her daughter. When he speaks of children's bread, she answers humbly that dogs eat the crumbs, and for her saying he heals the child from a distance. Returning through Decapolis, he takes a deaf man aside, touches his ears and tongue, sighs, and says, Ephphatha, Be opened. The man hears and speaks plainly, and the crowds are astonished.

Mark 7 in context

Mark presents a clash over the source of true purity. The oral tradition of the elders had grown around the law, and Jesus judges it against Scripture and the heart. By declaring what truly defiles, he reframes holiness inwardly.

The two healings that follow both involve Gentiles, showing the children's bread already spilling to the nations, a theme central to Mark's wider church.

Main themes of Mark 7

Mark 7 (KJV)

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: 11But 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. 12And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; 13Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. 14And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: 15There 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. 16If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. 17And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. 18And 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; 19Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? 20And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. 24And 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. 25For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: 26The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. 27But 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. 28And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs. 29And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. 30And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed. 31And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. 32And 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. 33And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; 34And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 35And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. 36And 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; 37And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.

Verses to carry from Mark 7

“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.”Mark 7:15

“And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs.”Mark 7:28

“And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.”Mark 7:37

Reflection

It is easy to keep the outside clean while the heart stays far from God. Ask honestly what comes out of your heart, and bring it to the one who makes clean. Then take courage from a Gentile mother's crumbs: no one who humbly reaches for Jesus is sent away empty.

A prayer from Mark 7