Mark 7 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Mark 7

Traditions and Commandments

7:1 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,¹ holding to the tradition of the elders, 4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.² And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.³) 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.”

9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 11 But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)⁴—12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, 13 thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

What Defiles a Person

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.”⁵ 17 And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?”⁶ (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 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.”

The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith

24 And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon.⁷ And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. 25 But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” 30 And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

Jesus Heals a Deaf Man

31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 And Jesus⁸ charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Footnotes

[1] 7:3 Greek unless they wash the hands with a fist, probably indicating a kind of ceremonial washing
[2] 7:4 Greek unless they baptize; some manuscripts unless they purify themselves
[3] 7:4 Some manuscripts omit and dining couches
[4] 7:11 Or an offering
[5] 7:15 Some manuscripts add verse 16: If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear
[6] 7:19 Greek goes out into the latrine
[7] 7:24 Some manuscripts omit and Sidon
[8] 7:36 Greek he

Commentary

v1-5: Another conflict with the Pharisees; this was the first conflict with them since 3.1-6.

v1: The Pharisees in Jerusalem had heard about Jesus, and sent a delegation to the region of Galilee (doubtless avoiding Samaria) to check Jesus' teaching. This meeting may have taken place in Gennesaret, as many people had been healed there. Jesus journeyed later to Tyre and Sidon (v24), and back to Decapolis (v31), leaving the actual venue unclear.

v2: The Pharisees came with the attitude to criticise, so they therefore found fault; someone looking for faults with invariably find them; the Pharisees found fault with the disciples, which implied criticism of Christ Himself. The reference to "unclean" hands was serious, it meant 'defiled', i.e: to be cut off from the congregation of Israel.

v3-4: The Pharisees' standard was the tradition of the elders, a ceremonial outward washing, being one of many such rules (v8, 13). A lot of water was required for all this ceremony (see John 2.6). Their emphasis on physical things brought a neglect of spiritual things, and therefore disobedience before God (v13).

v5: The Pharisees put their question directly to Jesus, as He was responsible for the behaviour of the Twelve.

v6-13: It is significant that the Lord's response was full of Scripture; God has said these things, and He meant what He said. The implication was clear, that the Pharisees were not following what God had laid down.

v6-7: Scripture was fulfilled in these legalistic people; human standards were strictly upheld, but the laws of God were neglected. Such legalism gave an appearance of holiness, but God was not deceived. Legalism was prevalent in first century Judaism, and it influenced some in the early church; see Acts 10-11, 15; Gal 2.10.

Jesus reserved His harshest words for hypocrites and legalists; he came to change their attitudes as well as their behaviour.

v8-9: God's commandments were effectively laid aside, rejected in favour of man-made rules.

v10-13: Jesus picked an example of their disobedience; they had justified the dishonouring of parents; their deliberate practice avoided obedience to God's law.

v14-16: The Lord took the opportunity to explain to the crowd, who had observed the clash, about being "unclean". Uncleanness comes from unholy attitudes, not from eating or drinking with unwashed hands.

v17: Jesus took opportunity to explain to the Twelve the meaning of His teaching.

v18-19: Although the idea of physical defilement was important to the Pharisees, the Lord made it clear that a person was not made "unclean" merely by failing to observe a ritual.

v20-23: In contrast, there is the greater matter of 'spiritual defilement'; it is what comes from within that defiles us. The teaching that things from outside us make us impure can imply that we are not responsible for our sins; we may blame our background, education, the media, etc. Jesus taught that evil things came from within, and we are responsible for them; James 1.14; the real problem is our own sinful desires. Things from outside us may appear to feed such desires, but in reality our desires feed on them, and grow stronger. The Lord Jesus also gives us permission to apply O.T. teaching about clean and unclean things to spiritual matters.

v24: Jesus went to the region of Tyre and Sidon, some distance from the area of Galilee. He went in secret, not publicly, yet the woman found Him; He could not be hidden, certainly from one who genuinely sought Him.

v25-26: The woman was a Gentile, with no claim on the Messiah of the Jews. However, her daughter had an unclean spirit; her defilement came from within. The woman was persistent in her prayer, carrying a deep burden and a real concern for her daughter.

This girl, like the deaf mute (v32), was brought to Jesus by another. This is a theme in the gospels, and is an encouragement for us to bring others to Him, in prayer and through testimony.

v27-28: The Lord Jesus referred to the children (i.e: of Israel); His mission was primarily to the lost sheep of the house of Israel; see Matt 10.5-6. The woman referred to herself as a "dog", a Gentile, unworthy; yet she clung to a merciful Saviour, who had food left over for others. The woman was not disappointed (v29-30). It is striking that Matthew also records this incident (Matt 15.21-28), as he writes specifically for the Jews.

v29-30: A simple healing, simply declared, “the demon has left your daughter.” Here is power without limit, and compassion without measure.

v31: Jesus journeyed to Decapolis, some 80 miles away.

v32: Some people brought a deaf mute, and "begged" Jesus to heal him; here again was a deep concern on the part of the people.

v33-34: What Jesus said and did was significant; He spat, which was easily seen by the man, and He said, "Ephphatha", which was easily lip-read. The man knew exactly what was going on.

v35: As elsewhere, the healing was total and immediate; the man could not stop speaking of Christ.

v36: The Lord repeatedly commanded silence from those He had healed. The miracles were a demonstration of His deity, not the main reason for His coming to earth; John 7.31 indicate that the Jews expected the Christ to perform miracles; see also 1 Cor 1.22.