QT 11/29/2023 Mark 7:14-21, We need transformed hearts

Mark 7:14–23 (ESV) —

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.” 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?” (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.”

 

NOTE: It is easier to control what goes in the mouth than what comes out of the heart. I'm sure this "parable" (more properly, riddle) was discouraging to the disciples. They still had a works-focused mentality, and Jesus had just stripped away one of the works that they could most easily accomplish. It is interesting to note that the first seven items in the list of sins from the heart are plural in the Greek, and the last six are singular, suggesting the first seven are repeated acts, while the last seven are attitudes (Brooks, James A. 1992). The battle is within us, although that is not to mean that external factors do not contribute. Also, as suggested by Brooks, the heart is a symbol of the rational, intellectual, decision-making element in the bible. I would argue that it is also a symbol of the emotional and affectionate element as well. In other words, the battle is in our heart (mind). The flesh wages war against our heart (mind). And we must go to war against our flesh in the heart (mind). What does that mean? That is a difficult question. I suppose that what we feed our hearts (minds) matter. To the extent that we let trash in, we will trash our heart. The best cure is the word of God taken daily and in copious quantities through devotional times, bible study, regular reading, and scripture memory. I think the Doctor (Jesus) would write that prescription.

 

PONDER:

1. What am I feeding my heart?
2. Do I need a new prescription?

 

PRAYER: Father, continue to change and transform my thinking. May I not give into the flesh (keep me from evil), but may I become more and more like my savior.