Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:
(Mark 7:1) Then came together to Him the Pharisees and certain of the scribes, who came from Jerusalem.
At the end of the last chapter, Jesus had come into the land of Gennesaret. It seems that the Pharisees and some scribes heard He was there and decided to go from Jerusalem to see Him there.
(2) And when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashed hands, they found fault.
When the scribes and Pharisees saw some of Jesus's disciples eating bread with unwashed hands, they immediately found fault, for which they were probably looking when they decided to come to Gennesaret to observe Jesus.
(3) For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands scrubbing, holding the tradition of the elders. (4) And when they come from the market, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received to hold, the washing of cups, pots, copper vessels, and tables.
It was a tradition handed down by the elders that the Jews must scrub their hands well before eating. When they came from the marketplace perhaps having bought food, they were not to eat it until they had washed. There were many other things that the Jews held as tradition that had been passed down from the elders, like the washing of utensils and tables, etc.
(5) 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?"
Having seen some of the disciples eating with unwashed hands against their tradition, the scribes and Pharisees came to Jesus and asked Him why they did not walk according to those traditions and ate with unwashed hands.
(6) He answered and said to them, "Well has Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.'"
Jesus answered the scribes and Pharisees, first by saying that Isaiah had pegged them well when he prophesied of such hypocrites, and then He quoted Isaiah 29:13 which spoke of the people honoring the Lord with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him.
(7) "'How in vain they do worship Me teaching doctrines the commandments of men.'"
Jesus continued quoting Isaiah in a paraphrase of Isaiah 29:13 that spoke of the people teaching as doctrine the precepts of men.
(8) "For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, the washing of pots and cups, and many other such things you do."
Jesus accused them of setting aside the commandments of God, and holding to their own traditions of men, such as the washing of utensils, the ritual washing of hands, and many other such things.
(9) And He said to them, "Full well you reject the commandment of God that you may keep your tradition. (10) For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him die the death.'"
Jesus reiterated how the scribes and Pharisees rejected the commandment of God in order to keep their own traditions. He went on to quote Moses on the commandment to honor father and mother (Exodus 20:12), and the law's penalty for cursing father or mother, death (Exodus 21:17).
(11) "But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "It is Corban," that is to say, a gift, "by whatever you might have received from me."' (12) And you allow him to do no more for his father or his mother."
Rather than obeying Moses's commandment of God, Jesus said that the Pharisees had made their own law of man that said a man was allowed to call whatever gift he would have supposedly given to his father and mother "Corban," meaning a gift offered to God. Then he was released from doing any more for his parents. It's as if he said that he had given an offering to the synagogue in their name, rather than giving them the offering to help in their need. It was an offering that he should have given the synagogue anyway, and also he should have supported his parents. However, by telling his parents that he had devoted their portion to God, he got away with not supporting them, thus not honoring them as the commandment instructed.
(13) "Making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have delivered; and many such like things you do."
With the tradition in Jesus's example to the scribes and Pharisees, He told them they had subverted the word of God and had made it of no effect through their tradition of men. That was one example of how they did it, but He said they did it with many other things in that manner.
(14) And when He had called all the people to Him, He said to them, "Hearken to Me, everyone, and understand."
Jesus then called all the people to Him to hear Him continue with the teaching He had begun in His answer to the scribes and Pharisees. He urged them all to listen to Him and to understand.
(15) There is nothing from outside a man that entering into him can defile him, but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.
By saying that nothing from outside a man going into him could defile him, Jesus was further answering the question about why the disciples ate with unwashed hands. Eating food with dirty hands, suggesting that dirty food went into a man, did not defile a man. It's the things that came out of him that defiled him. As Jesus had said in Matthew 12:34, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." It's those things from his heart that he spoke that defiled him.
(16) "If any man has ears to hear, let him hear."
Jesus had called the people to Him, urging them to listen and understand. He now reiterated that sentiment by adding that anyone who had ears to hear Him, let him truly hear, inferring his understanding.
(17) And when He had entered into the house from the people, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.
When Jesus had gone into a house away from the crowd of people, His disciples asked Him about what He had previously said. It seems to me it hardly qualified as a parable, but the disciples hadn't been able to understand Jesus's meaning, so it seemed a parable with hidden meaning to them.
(18) And He said to them, "Are you so without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever thing from outside enters into the man cannot defile him? (19) Because it does not enter into his heart, but into the belly and goes out into the privy, purging all foods."
Jesus seemed a bit exasperated with His disciples. He asked if they were also with no understanding as the people He had spoken to outside. After all, they had been with Him all this time, being taught by Him, and it had been given them to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 13:11). Jesus asked His disciples if they could not understand that what entered into a man could not defile him, because what went in went to the belly and not the heart, and it further went out into the toilet, purifying all foods. The body took what was nutritious and used it, and eliminated the rest as waste; therefore it had been purified by the body and could not defile him.
(20) And He said, "That which comes out of the man, that defiles the man. (21) For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, (22) Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. (23) All these evil things come from within and defile a man."
Jesus went on to explain the rest of the "parable." It's what came out of the man that defiled him, for those things came from his heart. All evil thoughts and plans for evil deeds start with feelings embedded in the heart. Jesus then went on to name a long list of evil intentions that came from the heart of man, coming from within and defiling the man.
Sometimes I am struck by the slowness of the disciples to grasp what seems so obvious. However, I have had the benefit of much more learning than they had had at that point. We have the entire Biblical manual, including the New Testament, with all the mistakes of human beings, including the disciples, from which to learn. It should give us great hope and inspiration to know that such flawed and seemingly intellectually dull people could do such great things with God. After all, God used even a donkey (Numbers 22:28)!
(24) And from there He arose and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into a house, and wanted no man to know but He could not be hidden.
Jesus then went from Gennesaret to the borders of Tyre and Sidon, two cities in Phoenicia. It seems He did not go into those cities but was on the outskirts in those areas of Galilee that bordered on Phoenicia. He went into a house there desiring no one to know He was there, but Jesus had become too famous to be hidden.
(25) For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard of Him and came and fell at His feet.
A woman who had a daughter with an unclean spirit indeed heard Jesus was there and came to Him and fell down at His feet.
(26) The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by nation; and she begged Him to cast the devil out of her daughter.
The woman was Greek, a Gentile, not a Jew. She was a Syro-Phoenician or a Canaanite, as it seems Canaan was sometimes called Syro-Phoenicia as it lay between Syria and Phoenicia. She came to Jesus and begged Him to cast the devil out of her daughter. According to the account in Matthew, she repeatedly begged, having received no answer at first.
(27) But Jesus said to her, "Let the children first be filled, for it is not good to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs."
Jesus finally did answer her and told her that the children of Israel were to be filled first, for He had come to save the lost sheep of Israel. He said it was not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs, meaning it was not the time and not proper to give the Gentiles what was meant for the Jews.
(28) And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, but the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs."
The woman did not deny that what Jesus said was true. She agreed but pointed out that even the dogs under the table were able to eat the crumbs that the children dropped. I am struck by the ability of this woman to understand Jesus's analogy when even His disciples did not understand some of the simplest analogies.
(29) And He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the devil is gone out of your daughter."
Jesus was evidently also struck by her understanding and faith in Him that even the crumbs of His greatness could cure her daughter. He told her that because she had said what she did, her daughter was healed and she should go her way.
(30) And when she had come to her house, she found the devil gone out and her daughter lying on the bed.
Indeed, when the woman went to her house, she found her daughter lying peacefully on the bed and the devil was gone out of her.
(31) And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, He came to the Sea of Galilee through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.
Jesus then went back from the borders of Tyre and Sidon and headed back to the Sea of Galilee through the midst of the region of Decapolis. The verse said He came to the Sea of Galilee, but I believe the point is that He probably neared it but was still on the edge of the borders of Decapolis.
(32) And they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they beseeched Him to put His hand upon him.
While in this region, some people brought to Jesus a man who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech. They begged Him to lay His hand upon him, obviously knowing that would heal the man.
(33) And He took him aside from the multitude and put His fingers into his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.
Jesus took the man aside away from the multitude. He put His fingers into the man's ears, then spat probably on His finger and then touched the man's tongue with it.
(34) And looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."
Jesus then looked up to heaven and sighed, pitying the sufferings of the man before Him, and then said, "Ephphatha," which literally meant "be opened." It was an emphatic statement; He was not asking His Father God in heaven to open the ears of the man, for He had all the power to do that Himself. I believe in this action He demonstrated that healing came from God in heaven above. I also believe that in the way He healed the man in this situation, He sought to teach that there was no magic formula to receive healing. Jesus had power over all and could heal with just His word, but the people who brought the man to Jesus asked that He put His hand on him. I believe Jesus wanted to demonstrate that the healing came from God in heaven above and took a few more steps this time to prove that. After all, Jesus would not always be there with the people to lay His hands on them; they needed to understand just where His power came from.
(35) And immediately his ears were opened, and the bond of his tongue was loosed and he spoke plainly.
Immediately the man's ears were opened and he could hear, and his tongue was freed so that he could speak plainly. I love the double meaning of the original word used for "bond," that is, "desmos." It meant "band" as in the ligament in the man's tongue that was loosened, and it also meant "bond" as in shackled or bound, as the man surely was in bondage to his disability.
(36) And He charged them that they should tell no man, but the more He charged them, so much the more they published a great deal.
Once again Jesus commanded that the man and the people who witnessed his healing not to tell anyone about it. Once again He was desirous to keep the scribes and Pharisees from adding fuel to their fire, so to speak, as it was not yet time. And once again the people just could not contain their joy and awe at the healing. Mark went as far to say that the more Jesus charged people not to tell of their healing, the more they proclaimed it. I'm sure it wasn't that they wanted to disobey; it was just too good to keep to themselves.
(37) And were beyond measure astonished, saying, "He has done all things well; He makes both the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak."
The deaf man, the people who witnessed the healing, and perhaps also meaning the people who were told of the miraculous healing, were amazed beyond measure at all the ways Jesus healed completely and perfectly. They referred to the healings they could see, but Jesus also perfectly and completely redeemed men's souls, saving the entire lost world if its inhabitants just accept His offering.
In this chapter, we saw Jesus teaching the heart of the law, not the legalistic tradition of man it had become. You could also see the heart of the law in His healing of the Syro-Phoenician woman's daughter. Although He had come to save His own people, the heart in the law was to save all people who would have faith in Him. His heart was demonstrated in the healing of the deaf man when He sighed and looked up to heaven to show all where their hope and healing came from. Truly God loves all His creation and meets us where we are to give us just what we need to receive His mercy and grace.
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