Mark7

Jesus confronts the Pharisees and scribes for prioritizing human traditions over God's commandments, particularly regarding ritual washing and the Corban vow. He then teaches the multitude that true defilement comes from the evil within a man's heart, not from external things. Following this, Jesus travels to Tyre and Sidon, where he heals a Syrophoenician woman's daughter, and later, in Decapolis, he miraculously restores hearing and speech to a deaf man.

Debate Over Tradition and Defilement

Then the Pharisees, and some of the scribes gathered together to him, having come from Jerusalem.

Now when they saw some of his disciples eating bread with defiled, that is, unwashed, hands, they found fault.

(For the Pharisees, and all the Judeans, don’t eat unless they wash their hands and forearms, holding to the tradition of the elders.

They don’t eat when they come from the marketplace, unless they bathe themselves, and there are many other things, which they have received to hold to: washings of cups, pitchers, bronze vessels, and couches.)

The Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why don’t your disciples walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with unwashed hands?”

He answered 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.

But in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

“For you set aside the commandment of God, and hold tightly to the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and you do many other such things.”

He said to them, “Full well do you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.

For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother;’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’

But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban, that is to say, given to God”;’

then you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or his mother,

making void the word of God by your tradition, which you have handed down. You do many things like this.”

What Truly Defiles a Person

He called all the multitude to himself, and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand.

There is nothing from outside of the man, that going into him can defile him; but the things which proceed out of the man are those that defile the man.

If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”

When he had entered into a house away from the multitude, his disciples asked him about the parable.

He said to them, “Are you thus without understanding also? Don’t you perceive that whatever goes into the man from outside can’t defile him,

because it doesn’t go into his heart, but into his stomach, then into the latrine, thus purifying all foods?”

He said, “That which proceeds out of the man, that defiles the man.

For from within, out of the hearts of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, sexual sins, murders, thefts,

covetings, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness.

All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”

The Syrophoenician Woman's Faith

From there he arose, and went away into the borders of Tyre and Sidon. He entered into a house, and didn’t want anyone to know it, but he couldn’t escape notice.

For a woman, whose little daughter had an unclean spirit, having heard of him, came and fell down at his feet.

Now the woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by race. She begged him that he would cast the demon out of her daughter.

But Yeshua said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

But she answered him, “Yes, Lord. Yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

He said to her, “For this saying, go your way. The demon has gone out of your daughter.”

She went away to her house, and found the child having been laid on the bed, with the demon gone out.

Healing the Deaf and Mute Man

Again he departed from the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and came to the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the region of Decapolis.

They brought to him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech. They begged him to lay his hand on him.

He took him aside from the multitude, privately, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat, and touched his tongue.

Looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!”

Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was released, and he spoke clearly.

He commanded them that they should tell no one, but the more he commanded them, so much the more widely they proclaimed it.

They were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He makes even the deaf hear, and the mute speak!”

Study Notes for Mark 7

Verse 1

The arrival of Pharisees and scribes specifically from Jerusalem indicates that this is an official, high-level challenge to Jesus’ authority and teaching methods.

Verse 3

Mark, writing primarily for a Gentile audience, pauses to explain the Jewish custom of ritual washing (not hygiene), which was based on the 'tradition of the elders' rather than the Mosaic Law itself.

Verse 6

Jesus quotes Isaiah 29:13, using prophetic Scripture to indict his accusers for their hypocrisy. They prioritize external, visible piety over genuine, internal devotion to God.

Verse 8

This verse summarizes Jesus' critique: by elevating human tradition to the level of divine command, they had effectively sidelined God’s true will.

Verse 11

Corban means 'a dedicated gift' or 'offering.' This tradition allowed a person to dedicate money to the Temple, thereby making it unavailable to support aging parents, violating the Fifth Commandment (Exodus 20:12).

Verse 13

Jesus demonstrates how religious rules, when based on human authority, can become instruments that actively undermine the clear moral obligations of God’s written Law.

Verse 14

Jesus shifts his address from the religious elite (the scribes) to the general public, teaching a profound principle accessible to all who would listen.

Verse 15

This statement is revolutionary, shifting the source of defilement from external ritual and diet (Mosaic Law) to internal moral condition (the heart). This paved the way for the later abolition of the Jewish food laws.

Verse 17

The disciples, still bound by traditional understanding, struggled with this radical teaching and needed private explanation from Jesus.

Verse 19

Mark adds a parenthetical explanation here, clarifying that Jesus' teaching rendered all foods clean. This is a crucial theological point for the early church’s mission to the Gentiles.

Verse 21

Jesus provides a comprehensive list of sins, identifying the 'heart' (the inner life and will) as the true factory of moral corruption and evil.

Verse 24

Jesus moves into Gentile territory (Tyre and Sidon), signaling the expansion of his ministry beyond the strict borders of Israel. His desire for privacy suggests a period of rest or focused teaching for the disciples.

Verse 26

The woman is identified as a Greek (culturally) and Syrophoenician (nationally), explicitly marking her as a Gentile outside the covenant promises of Israel.

Verse 27

Jesus affirms the priority of his mission to Israel ('the children'). The term 'dogs' (kynaria) is a diminutive, likely meaning 'house pets,' softening the analogy compared to a wild dog, but still indicating the Gentiles' secondary place at that time.

Verse 28

The woman’s response shows extraordinary humility and deep faith. She accepts the analogy but argues for the overflowing abundance of God’s grace, which extends even to the 'crumbs' meant for Gentiles.

Verse 29

Jesus commends her bold and persistent faith. This interaction serves as an early sign that the benefits of the kingdom would soon be extended fully to the Gentiles.

Verse 31

Jesus travels back toward Galilee, moving through the Decapolis, a region largely populated by Gentiles. This geography confirms his ongoing ministry to non-Jewish people.

Verse 33

Jesus often used physical actions (touching, spitting, isolating the man) in his healings. These actions were likely intended to communicate compassion and power to a man who could not hear verbal instructions.

Verse 34

Jesus looks up to heaven, acknowledging the source of his power, and speaks the Aramaic word 'Ephphatha' ('Be opened'). Mark includes the original Aramaic to emphasize the specific, immediate, and authoritative command of Christ.

Verse 36

Jesus frequently commanded silence (the 'Messianic Secret') to manage expectations about his role and to prevent premature conflict with authorities, though this command was often ignored.

Verse 37

The crowd’s astonishment reflects the fulfillment of Messianic prophecy found in Isaiah 35:5-6, where the Messiah is expected to open the ears of the deaf and loosen the tongue of the mute.

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Mark7

Debate Over Tradition and Defilement

What Truly Defiles a Person

The Syrophoenician Woman's Faith

Healing the Deaf and Mute Man

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