Mark 7:14-23
And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. – Mark 7:20
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Jesus makes a startling declaration in verse 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” For His hearers, this cut against centuries of tradition rooted in the law of Moses.
In our recent Leviticus sermon series, we learnt that God gave Israel detailed instructions on the clean and unclean (Leviticus 11-15)—covering childbirth, skin diseases, bodily discharges, and food laws. These regulations shaped Israel’s daily life and worship. They were a constant reminder that God is holy, and His people must be holy, set apart to dwell in His presence. The distinctions between clean and unclean taught them that access to God requires purity. But these laws were external. They pointed to something deeper but did not provide the ultimate solution.
It is against this backdrop that Jesus’ words come alive. The Pharisees clung tightly to the external markers of purity, believing holiness was maintained through ritual observance. But Jesus reveals that the real issue is not contamination from the outside—it is corruption on the inside. “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts…All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (vv. 21–22).
The law of clean and unclean is meant to expose the human condition: sin separates us from God, who is Holy. It was always God’s intention to address the heart. Jesus presses further, highlighting that the heart of the problem is the problem of the heart. The heart is the true source of defilement. As Jeremiah 17:9 declares, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.” Paul echoes the same truth in Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The law made uncleanness visible; Jesus exposes that uncleanness lives in every heart.
This is the doctrine of sin, or what theologians call total depravity. Our most significant problem is not what touches us from outside, but what flows out from within. No ritual washings, no sacrifices, no outward religiosity can cleanse a defiled heart. As Paul writes in Titus 3:5, “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
An illustration may help. Picture an air conditioner. The outer casing looks pristine, the vents are dusted, and everything appears fine. But the filter inside is clogged and filthy. No matter how good the outside looks, the system cannot function until the inside is cleaned. So it is with us: outward observance cannot fix a polluted heart.
This is why the gospel is so necessary and so beautiful. The old system in Leviticus pointed forward to the One who could truly cleanse. On the cross, Jesus bore our defilement. In His resurrection, He opened the way for new life. And by the Spirit, God performs the ultimate heart surgery, removing the heart of stone and giving a heart of flesh (Ezek. 36:26).
This brings us a sobering reminder: we must not reduce ministry to behaviour modification. The call is not merely “be clean” but “be born again.” Only Christ can make the unclean clean, from the inside out. Let us run to the only One who not only redefines purity but also provides it—Jesus, who makes us truly clean.
Reflection:
What is flowing out of my heart today? Do I only focus on outward codes of conduct, or do I continually examine myself before God?
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, we confess that our greatest problem is not what surrounds us but what flows from within us. Our hearts are deceitful and defiled, and no ritual or effort of our own can make us clean. Thank You for bearing our uncleanness on the cross and giving us new hearts through Your Spirit. Create in us a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within us, that our lives may reflect Your holiness and saving grace. In Jesus’s Name we pray, Amen.
Click to read
Jesus makes a startling declaration in verse 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” For His hearers, this cut against centuries of tradition rooted in the law of Moses.
In our recent Leviticus sermon series, we learnt that God gave Israel detailed instructions on the clean and unclean (Leviticus 11-15)—covering childbirth, skin diseases, bodily discharges, and food laws. These regulations shaped Israel’s daily life and worship. They were a constant reminder that God is holy, and His people must be holy, set apart to dwell in His presence. The distinctions between clean and unclean taught them that access to God requires purity. But these laws were external. They pointed to something deeper but did not provide the ultimate solution.
It is against this backdrop that Jesus’ words come alive. The Pharisees clung tightly to the external markers of purity, believing holiness was maintained through ritual observance. But Jesus reveals that the real issue is not contamination from the outside—it is corruption on the inside. “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts…All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (vv. 21–22).
The law of clean and unclean is meant to expose the human condition: sin separates us from God, who is Holy. It was always God’s intention to address the heart. Jesus presses further, highlighting that the heart of the problem is the problem of the heart. The heart is the true source of defilement. As Jeremiah 17:9 declares, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.” Paul echoes the same truth in Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The law made uncleanness visible; Jesus exposes that uncleanness lives in every heart.
This is the doctrine of sin, or what theologians call total depravity. Our most significant problem is not what touches us from outside, but what flows out from within. No ritual washings, no sacrifices, no outward religiosity can cleanse a defiled heart. As Paul writes in Titus 3:5, “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
An illustration may help. Picture an air conditioner. The outer casing looks pristine, the vents are dusted, and everything appears fine. But the filter inside is clogged and filthy. No matter how good the outside looks, the system cannot function until the inside is cleaned. So it is with us: outward observance cannot fix a polluted heart.
This is why the gospel is so necessary and so beautiful. The old system in Leviticus pointed forward to the One who could truly cleanse. On the cross, Jesus bore our defilement. In His resurrection, He opened the way for new life. And by the Spirit, God performs the ultimate heart surgery, removing the heart of stone and giving a heart of flesh (Ezek. 36:26).
This brings us a sobering reminder: we must not reduce ministry to behaviour modification. The call is not merely “be clean” but “be born again.” Only Christ can make the unclean clean, from the inside out. Let us run to the only One who not only redefines purity but also provides it—Jesus, who makes us truly clean.
Reflection:
What is flowing out of my heart today? Do I only focus on outward codes of conduct, or do I continually examine myself before God?
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, we confess that our greatest problem is not what surrounds us but what flows from within us. Our hearts are deceitful and defiled, and no ritual or effort of our own can make us clean. Thank You for bearing our uncleanness on the cross and giving us new hearts through Your Spirit. Create in us a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within us, that our lives may reflect Your holiness and saving grace. In Jesus’s Name we pray, Amen.