This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me

 

 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.  For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.  When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"  He answered and 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.

And in vain they worship Me, 

Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'

"For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."  He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.  For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" --  (that is, a gift to God), "then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down  And many such things you do."

When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand:  There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"  When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.  So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also?  Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."  

 

- Mark 7:1–23 

 

Yesterday we read that, after sending the disciples across the sea and going Himself to the mountain to pray, when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and Jesus was alone on the land.  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.  And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened. When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well. 

 

 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.  For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.  When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"  He answered and 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.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'  For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."  He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.  For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" --  (that is, a gift to God), "then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down  And many such things you do."  My study Bible comments here that the issue Christ addresses is not the observation of Jewish customs or traditions, which He most certainly does not prohibit (Matthew 5:17-19; 23:23).  The issue, rather, is setting human tradition which is contrary to the tradition of God.  The tradition of the elders to which Jesus refers is a body of interpretations of the Law, which for the Pharisees and the scribes was as authoritative as the Law, and often superseded it.  According to this tradition, my study Bible explains, offerings (called Corban) could be promised to God in a way that property or earnings could still be used for oneself, but not for others -- including parents.  Secondary traditions like this one obscure the primary tradition of the Law, contained in God's commandments.

When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand:  There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"  When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.  So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also?  Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."   My study Bible explains that food cannot defile a person because it is created by God and is therefore pure. Evil things, it says, are not from God, and these are what defile a person.

Jesus tells His disciples, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."  Jesus speaks of the heart, referring to it as the interior of a person.  This is the place where the reality of a person is found, the place where judgment would look at a person and discern the truth of what is there.  In the book of Samuel, we read that "the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).  This is what is "within" in Christ's phrase here.  And apparently, it is what we hang onto within ourselves that can defile us, the things that come from the heart.  The heart must be quite a busy place, indeed, as it is also the place of beauty.  In Matthew 12, Jesus speaks of the words that come out of our mouths as a kind of fruit of a tree.  For "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" (see Matthew 12:33-37).  When we look at these sayings, as well as today's reading, we have to notice how the heart is linked with judgment, for good or for bad.  This is the place the Lord knows.  Indeed, another name for the Lord is the "heart-knower" (καρδιογνώστης/cardiognostes in Greek).  This is the word that is translated "who knows the heart" in Acts 1:24; 15:8.  Jesus is not implying that we control every single aspect of every thought we encounter.  But He is implying something quite important about the thoughts we nurture and harbor, and even cherish as treasure within ourselves.  If we look closely at His words in today's reading, He's speaking of character traits -- and once again we have to look at the things which we nurture, treasure, and develop within ourselves.  These are the things that become "treasure," for good or for evil.  When I was a child I would marvel at how dirty I could get playing outside, or possibly helping out at my grandmother's farm in the high summer heat.  As an adult there have been times I would marvel over the scrapes or difficult problems I found myself involved in, when I displeased the wrong person or made a mistake.  It's always a surprise, like a new morning, to discover that things we once thought were so difficult could be wiped clean and disappear -- we can find ourselves in a completely different place than we once felt pegged us in the eyes of others.  But it is the truth of Christ's statements here that are borne out through such experiences:  it's the things that we nurture within that stay with us and defile or beautify.  We can help someone in need and produce the fruits of beauty.  We can harm someone out of spite or our own short-comings and stain the heart with something we need to repent.  These are the things that stay with us, the things that go into making us the persons we are, the kind of fruit we bear in the eyes of Christ, the heart the Lord knows.  Where do we go to clean it and remove the stains, the things that hurt?  How do we know its beauty when it shines like gold in the kingdom of God?