Gospel of Mark Bible Part 38: Source of True Defilement [Bible Study]

Bible Study Title: From the Heart: True Defilement and True Holiness

Scripture Focus: Mark 7:14–23

Introduction:

When the Pharisees and scribes accused Jesus because the disciples ate with unwashed hands, the Lord exposed the failure of human tradition to reach the heart. Ritual washings may touch the skin, but not the conscience. Jesus spoke publicly to the crowd and then privately to the disciples. He did not loosen the fear of God. He redirected it to the true issue, the inner person. Defilement does not begin with food that enters the stomach. Defilement rises from the springs of the heart. This lesson is not permission for carelessness. It is a summons to seek the only cleansing that reaches the source. God alone makes clean, and He does so in Christ.

Background:

Israel’s food laws taught daily holiness by training the people to make distinctions. They rehearsed a truth that only what God declares clean is clean. In the fullness of time, these categories prepared the way for the gospel’s welcome to the nations. Jesus’ teaching in Mark 7:14–23 clarifies that external foods cannot stain a heart that God has cleansed, nor can they purify a heart that remains unrepentant.

Section 1: It Is Not The Food

A. Dietary Restrictions in the Past

1. From creation, mankind received plants for food. “Behold, I have given to you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has the fruit of the tree yielding seed; it shall be food for you.” Genesis 1:29–30.

   
   

2. After the flood, God permitted the eating of animals with the life, that is, the blood, withheld. Genesis 9:3–4.

   
   

3. Under Moses, Israel learned to distinguish between clean and unclean creatures, a daily lesson in holiness that set them apart for God. Leviticus 11; Leviticus 20:26.

   
   

B. Dietary Freedoms in the Present

1. Jesus taught that food does not enter the heart, and by this He declared all foods clean. Mark 7:18–19.

   
   

2. God used those categories to unveil the welcome of the Gentiles. Peter heard, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” Acts 10:15. He applied this to people, not calling any person common or unclean.

   Acts 10:28; Acts 15:9. In Christ, Jew and Gentile become one new man. Ephesians 2:14–16.

   
   

3. The apostles warn believers not to return to ascetic rules as a pathway to favor with God. “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.” 1 Timothy 4:1–5.

   
   

4. Love governs liberty. Believers must abstain from blood and things strangled, and must refuse to use freedom in ways that wound a weaker conscience. Acts 15:28–29; Acts 21:25; Romans 14:14–21; 1 Corinthians 8:8–13. When something is known to be bound up with idolatry, what may be lawful may not be profitable. 1 Corinthians 10:19–23.

   
   

   

   
   

5. While the Law was in force, Jesus fulfilled it perfectly. Matthew 5:17–18. Mark’s note, that He declared all foods clean, addresses disciples living after the cross and resurrection. Mark 7:19.

   
   

Summary of Section 1:Food cannot bring you nearer to God. Christ does. External rules cannot cleanse a conscience. The gospel can.

Section 2: Where Does Defilement Begin? In The Heart

A. The Heart Problem

1. The heart is the wellspring of life, therefore we must guard it with all diligence. Proverbs 4:23.

2. Sin disorders the inner person. The heart becomes deceitful and wayward. Ecclesiastes 9:3; Jeremiah 17:9.

3. Jesus identifies the source. “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man.” Mark 7:20–23.

B. Evil Thoughts Lead To Defilement

1. Sin flowers first in the imagination, then in the will, then in speech and deed.

2. Believers must be renewed in the mind and take every thought captive to obey Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5.

3. We discern what rises against the knowledge of God by measuring every thought by Scripture.

C. Samples From Jesus’ List

1. Adulteries. Not only the act, but unfaithfulness of the heart. “Everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:27–28. Scripture also calls idolatry spiritual adultery, a covenant betrayal. Exodus 34:14–15; Judges 2:17; Jeremiah 3:6–10; Ezekiel 16; Ezekiel 23; Hosea 1–3; Malachi 2:11. Friendship with the world stands in enmity with God. James 4:4; Matthew 12:39; Matthew 16:4.

2. Fornications. Any sexual activity outside marriage violates God’s will. “This is the will of God, your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality.” 1 Thessalonians 4:3–5.

3. Murders. The taking of life in hatred stands condemned, and hatred itself bears the seed of murder. 1 John 3:15.

4. Greed and Envy. Coveting enthrones a rival god in the affections. Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:5.

5. Deceit, sensuality, slander, pride, and foolishness. These reveal what rules the heart before any word is spoken or deed is done. Mark 7:21–22.

Key Points:

1. External rules about food cannot cleanse an internal problem. Only the gospel reaches the heart. Mark 7:18–23.

2. God alone declares clean, and He cleanses hearts by faith in Christ. Acts 15:9.

3. Christian liberty is real, and love directs its use. Romans 14:14–21; 1 Corinthians 8:8–13.

4. True holiness grows from a renewed mind and a guarded heart. Proverbs 4:23; 2 Corinthians 10:5.

Discussion Questions:

1. What problem was Jesus correcting in Mark 7 and how did human tradition obscure the true issue of defilement.

   
   

2. How did Israel’s food laws function as daily training in holiness, and how does Jesus fulfill their purpose.

   
   

3. Where have you seen external rules substituted for heart obedience.

   
   

4. Which items in Jesus’ list in Mark 7:21–22 most reveal the battle in your own heart, and why.

   
   

5. How can our group practice liberty with love so that no brother or sister stumbles. See Romans 14:14–21.

   
   

Personal Reflection:

Sit quietly with Mark 7:20–23 before you. Ask the Lord to search the hidden places of your heart. Confess specific sins of thought and desire, and ask for fresh cleansing and renewed obedience.

Application:

1. Heart Watch. Set two short times each day to examine your thoughts and motives in light of 2 Corinthians 10:5. Confess and replace lies with Scripture.

2. Word Intake. Choose one Gospel passage each day this week and read it aloud, asking the Lord to conform your thoughts to Christ.

3. Liberty With Love. Identify one freedom you exercise that could trouble a weaker believer. Choose a concrete way to prioritize love over preference this week. See 1 Corinthians 8:8–13.

Memory Verse:

“That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man.” Mark 7:20

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