Thursday, August
3, 2023
DIRTY HANDS OR DIRTY HEARTS?
Mark 7:14-23
14 And when he had called all the people unto
him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:
15 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.
16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
17 And when he was entered into the house from
the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable.
18 And 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;
19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but
into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging
all meats?
20 And he said, That which cometh out of the
man, that defileth the man.
21 For from within, out of the heart of men,
proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness,
an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and
defile the man.
The last words
recorded in chapter six were: “as many as touched him were made whole!” Chapter seven begins by explaining that the
Pharisees were following Jesus and his disciples and had observed them eating
with unwashed hands. Now, as a kid, Mom would tell me to wash up for dinner. We
had been outside playing and it was uncertain what vile thing we had picked up
to play with. Dirt was the common playground and Mom did not want us to eat
with dirty hands because we might become sick. The Pharisees, however, took
hand washing to a different level as can be seen in the first five verses of chapter
seven.
Jesus turned things around and explained to the Pharisees that whatever the
body took in it also passed out. The cleansing system of the human body could
easily dispose of most of what went in. However, the Pharisees had dirty
hearts. This the body could not cleanse. Out of the heart proceeded
evil thoughts and the actions that those thoughts prompted. Verses 21 and 22 provide
a long list of dirty things that come from within. The Pharisees had clean
hands but dirty hearts.
James 4:7-8
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist
the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to
you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double
minded.
Dear Lord, wash my heart of all the things that
would defile me. Let my heart be completely dedicated to you. AMEN
