🐂 Mark – Chapters 7 and 8

🙏 Heavenly Father, we draw near to You to fill us again with Your Spirit and Your Wisdom. It is through our time together with You and Your Word, that we find life. Show us something new today that is preventing us from being closer to You so that we can repent and get back on the narrow path.  We long for the peace that surpasses all understanding that we feel only in Your presence, made possible only through Your Son, Our Savior. It is in His name that we pray this and draw near to you today. Amen.

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That Which Defiles

7 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus ² and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. ³ (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. ⁴ When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)

⁵ So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”

⁶ He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:

“‘These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
⁷ They worship me in vain;
    their teachings are merely human rules.’

⁸ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”

⁹ And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! ¹⁰ For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ ¹¹ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— ¹² then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. ¹³ Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”

¹⁴ Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. ¹⁵ Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” [¹⁶ If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”]

¹⁷ After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. ¹⁸ “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? ¹⁹ For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)

²⁰ He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. ²¹ For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, ²² adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. ²³ All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

Points to Ponder: An entire book could be written about this section, in fact, it has.  Scripture is one continuing story about our defilement by sin and the only righteousness we can have is that righteousness we receive by His grace – the washing away of our sin by His blood.  (I so want to stop right here, but I can’t… because history shows we just don’t get it… but I think we do!) 

The Pharisees of Jesus’ day, as well as the self-righteous religious people throughout history, up until and including today’s religious hypocrite, believe themselves to be clean by their own human ceremonial cleansing traditions. And they believe themselves to be better than others.  Their sanctimonious beliefs are apparent in the looks on their faces, the tone of the words they speak; even their body language projects loudly across a room. 

Jesus is clearly calling these practices out as hypocritical.  Human traditions and practices that claim to sanctify anyone are worthless.  They may make you feel better about yourself, but they have nothing to do with trusting and being obedient to God.  They do not honor Him, they give false honor to you – these practices are offensive to God

When Jesus speaks about what comes out of a man is that which defiles him, He speaks of our heart.  Our thoughts, our words, our actions, and our motivations. They reveal the true condition of our heart.  They reveal if we love God and love others.  Nothing is hidden from God, we are wise to remember that. The disciples didn’t quite get it and Jesus responds with one of my favorite lines… ARE YOU SO DULL?

I struggle when I get to this because I don’t think we’re dull, I think we just arrogantly pretend sometimes that we can fool others.  Or more sadly, we’ve lied to others so many times and have ‘gotten away with it’, that we are now just fooling ourselves.  

On the human scale of perceived righteousness, many think about measuring themselves against others as if there were some extreme ‘unrighteous’ behavior like Jesus mentions here… sexual immorality, theft, murder, etc. but Jesus is talking to everyone here in response to the Pharisee’s judgment of His disciples.  The Pharisees judged themselves to be better and more worthy of approval because of their set of human rules and traditions.  Why would Jesus choose a tax-collector over a Pharisee to follow Him?

All extreme beliefs can fall into this trap whether they are God-focused or not.  This is not just for religious extremists, but extremist beliefs in animal rights, environmental protection, climate change, political parties, social justice causes, nationalism, health care, education…  Pick any one of these areas and you can probably identify someone who speaks out about how much better they are than someone else who does not agree with their priorities or beliefs in these areas. 

And note – all these areas are GOOD, they are just not GOD – be careful making them a priority over  God. 

Jesus uses examples of sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly as obvious unrighteous behavior and calls the self-righteousness of the Pharisees as being just as bad.  

It is odd that today, in our contemporary Western culture of self-governing freedom, most of these examples have a set of followers with rules that would justify these behaviors as righteous or at least good or necessary or excusable, but never sin or unrighteous.  Sometimes, it appears as if today, we have very little common ground to define what would be considered unrighteous behavior.  This concerns me since Mark’s gospel set out to tell us to ‘Repent and Believe’ in order to be saved.  But we live in a culture that tells us we don’t have to repent, we’ve done nothing ‘wrong’. (Mark 1:15)

Jesus Honors a Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith

²⁴ Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. ²⁵ In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. ²⁶ The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

²⁷ “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

²⁸ “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

²⁹ Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”

³⁰ She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Points to Ponder: Yes, it appears that Jesus is calling this woman a dog, but there is so much more to this.  If our offenses are so easily raised by this story, we should check our scales and see if we are more prideful than humble.  Because one perspective is that He could call us ALL dogs!  In fact, if Jesus told me that I was fine just the way I was, I would be heartbroken.  Before Jesus came into my life, I knew I was broken, I knew I was living like a dog!  If the Lord of all creation told me that I was fine, I couldn’t trust Him.  But when He tells me I’m beaten, broken, and dirty, I appreciate His honesty.  And when He says He’ll clean me and give me new life, if I let Him, then I try to put my life in His hands.

In this story we see that the priority of Jesus’ ministry on earth was to preach to the Jews and train His disciples to carry on His ministry after His death, resurrection, and ascension.  But this woman had heard about Jesus, she knew He could heal her daughter, and she would gladly be called a dog if it mean receiving just a crumb of His blessings. 

What great faith!  💕 The conversation shows brilliant dialogue between the Lord and a humble servant.  Jesus blessed this great display of faith by healing this woman’s daughter.  💖

Jesus Heals a Deaf and Mute Man

³¹ Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. ³² There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.

³³ After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. ³⁴ He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). ³⁵ At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.

³⁶ Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. ³⁷ People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Points to Ponder: We are back.  The Decapolis, the same area where a legion of demons were cast out of a man, into a bunch of pigs, and the people begged Jesus to leave their area.  Now ‘some people bring a man’… just like Mark 2:3, when some men brought Jesus a paralytic. Both are great stories of ‘some people’ bringing another to Jesus.  Scripture doesn’t record their names for us, but God knows these good and faithful servants. 

Jesus takes the man away from the crowd and ministers to him privately. The man can’t hear, so the language Jesus uses is visual and physical – he touches the man’s ears and his tongue and sighs deeply.  A deep sigh which would be visible to this man.  The man would see Jesus looking up to heaven seeking help from God just before he was miraculously healed.  The Aramaic word, ‘Ephphatha’ survives all the translations for a reason.  We must slow down to sound this word out. (And I’m still unsure if I’m reading it right!)  We realize that for people who read lips, this word would still be a challenge.  Here this man might be seeing the word on Jesus’ lips as He looks to heaven and his ears are opened and perhaps this man is both seeing this word being spoken and hearing Jesus speak this word at the same time.

Jesus commands them not to tell anyone… again.  Perhaps this story is a reminder for us to be quick to listen and slow to speak.  (James 1:19)  Our ears must be opened first to hear the Word of God before we have anything of any value to say.  

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

8 During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ² “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. ³ If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”

⁴ His disciples answered, “But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?”

⁵ “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied.

⁶ He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so. ⁷ They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. ⁸ The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ⁹ About four thousand were present. After he had sent them away, ¹⁰ he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.

¹¹ The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. ¹² He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” ¹³ Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.

Points to Ponder: This chapter began with familiar stories of how compassionate Jesus is with the people around Him. But we see the disciples and the Pharisees still responding with a lack of understanding or disbelief.  I am tempted to ask these characters for Jesus… Are you still so dull?  But I guess that is the point that scripture is asking me?  Do I still wonder where in this remote place can I find enough?  Do I still hope that He gives me a sign?  Mark’s gospel records the miracles of Jesus weren’t just a one-off action.  He repeated them.  He visited the same locations.  There is repetition throughout His ministry on purpose – to give His followers the testimony and witness they need to soften their hearts, repent, and believe.  (John 20:30-31) 

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod

¹⁴ The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. ¹⁵ “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”

¹⁶ They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”

¹⁷ Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? ¹⁸ Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? ¹⁹ When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

“Twelve,” they replied.

²⁰ “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

They answered, “Seven.”

²¹ He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

Points to Ponder: If the previous story didn’t cause you to question the integrity of your faith, we get another not-so-subtle nudge here.  We get those Kingdom paradoxes, puzzles, and riddles here… if you have working eyes and ears, can you still be spiritually blind and deaf? Or, as Jesus asks, Do you still not understand? 

I know someone who is terrified of losing their physical sight, but I wonder if they check themselves just as regularly about the integrity of their faith – their spiritual sight.  Christian faith is not blind faith.  Sometimes Christian faith expands your mind to see things beyond the physical world we live in.  Jesus forced His disciples to reckon with what they knew and experienced while they were with Him, even if those experiences included what had previously seemed impossible.  He warns them specifically to ‘watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod’ i.e., the seeds that are planted by religious or political leaders. Similarly, we discipline ourselves to exercise and strengthen our faith – repetition brings familiarity. In culture today, with instant communication available, it is easy to receive the seeds of false teachers, political leaders, or the new generation of marketers… Influencers. (They’re called that for a reason! 🤣) Only you can choose to invest your limited time with the Word of God and check the condition of your heart.

Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida

²² They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. ²³ He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”

²⁴ He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”

²⁵ Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. ²⁶ Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.”

Points to Ponder: Similar to the previous healing of the deaf and mute man, now Jesus heals a physically blind man.  What a great contrast to the previous sections where sometimes, people that can see, are revealed to be spiritually blind.  Perhaps the two-stage healing of this man is meant to remind us that ‘seeing clearly’ may not be instantaneous. 

Once we are saved, there are many things we don’t understand.  We come as children and usually with a bit of baggage!    But if we stay close to Jesus, He will stay close to us, heal and restore us.  And we may have to separate ourselves from the village if we want our clear vision to remain clear or our cloudy vision to become clear.

Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah

²⁷ Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

²⁸ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”

²⁹ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

³⁰ Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

Points to Ponder: The highpoint of Jesus’ ministry is when His disciples recognize Him for who He is.  Peter is seeing clearly; Peter finally understands… for now.

Jesus Predicts His Death

³¹ He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. ³² He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

³³ But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

Points to Ponder: Ah, Peter.  😣 Maybe this is why Jesus told the man to avoid the village after He saved Him!  How quickly we can revert to our old comfortable ways of seeing and doing things – even when Jesus is speaking plainly to us.   It is easy to explain Peter’s attitude, but when we think that way, it is our pride that leads our thinking.  Our pride always wants to define what is good… we deceive ourselves into thinking we can ‘help’ God.  Jesus calls our pride for what it is… we are letting Satan lead us around like a dog!

The Way of the Cross

³⁴ Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ³⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. ³⁶ What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? ³⁷ Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ³⁸ If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

Points to Ponder: After Peter makes the claim of who Jesus is, Jesus is relentless as to what it means to be His disciple.  After seeing Peter’s rise and quick fall, I see the need for being relentless. Jesus was compassionate with people as they were like lost sheep without a shepherd.  But for His disciples, there is no compromise here, no negotiations, no bargaining for some of your thoughts to go along with His.  (Isaiah 55:8-9) Jesus is very clear here; He is speaking plainly.  We are to deny ourselves and lay our lives down for Him. 

This has been grossly misunderstood by religious fanatics and selfish false teachers.  Jesus tells us to follow HIM, no one else.  Losing your life for Him and for the gospel, saves it. No one else gets this position of honor – only Jesus.

If we have read the rest of scripture, then by now we know that life in this world leads to death because of the original sin committed by Adam and Eve in the garden.  But since then, in Genesis, to King David, and through the prophets, a messiah has been promised and Peter has boldly proclaimed Jesus as this Messiah.  Jesus now tells them some of the rules of the new kingdom, namely, it is ruled by the Messiah.  We want in?  We follow Him.  This will be different from what we are familiar with now.  This kingdom will allow none of the old sinful, death-tainted life to enter.  He calls our old lives sinful and adulterous and if we are ashamed of Him, He will be ashamed of us when He returns for His people.

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Summary: Mark’s Gospel reaches the turning point with the announcement of Jesus being the Messiah.  We see the disciples getting taught about unholiness and unrighteousness in a way that was different from the religious leaders’ teachings.  But Jesus has the authority and the divine power to back it up!  We want to pay attention, but what He says and shows us is so incredible that we are sometimes unable to believe or hold onto our faith.  

Then there are the desperate and broken people who go all-in with their faith and are blessed with miraculous healings. 💖

Mark simplifies the Christian life to submitting ourselves to God, repent and believe.  (Mark 1:15) But choosing to move from one kingdom to another is not easy.  This is movement of spiritual allegiance while still living in a physical world where Satan has been allowed limited authority… and that devil knows just what buttons to push to get us off the narrow path. Mark’s Gospel hinges on that simple question that Jesus asks His disciples… But what about you? Who do you say that I am? This is intentional and the question is directed at us. We’re not just reading a story, we’re invited into history… His Story… His Kingdom.

Jesus calls us to check our hearts.  (Mark 7:15) Are we putting God first?  Are we loving Him and loving others?  Are we trusting Him and obeying Him?  Are we growing closer to Him each day? As Christian believers and followers of Jesus, we should all examine ourselves in light of this passage and ask if we are not drawing closer to Him then are we being lured away into self-righteous attitudes or some other religious-sounding human tradition that is contrary to the revealed will of God in Scripture? (Psalm 14:1-3, Romans 3:11, Luke 18:8)

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🙏 Heavenly Father, we thank You for your Word. As lost sheep, we love Your compassion that invites, even us, into Your kingdom. You give us the opportunity to join You in Your holiness – in fact, You tell us that we belong there with You – but not as we are. Help us to submit to You for the cleansing that purifies us. Help us grow Lord – stronger in our faith. Help us to let go of the things of this world. And as we mature, let us move forward – stronger and unshakable, leading others to You.  Amen.