COMMENTARY O MARK
LESSON NUMBER 79
“ Mark 7:20 And He said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth 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 the man.”
(Mark 7:20-23; Matthew 15:18-20)
WHAT DEFILES A MAN, #3
INTRODUCTION
With their traditions, the elders redefined “defilement,” pushing aside, rejecting, and voiding the commandment of God to do so. Although God had said much about being “unclean,” all of that was put aside in favor of “the elders” traditional view of becoming defiled, or unclean. The “elders” had, in fact, added to the Law, ignoring the solemn word delivered by Moses: “Ye shall not add to the word which I command you” (Deut 4:2; 12:32). The tendency to arrogate to himself Divine attributes is integral to “the natural man.” Thus, without the slightest compunctions of conscience he can impose his own ideas upon his peers, ascribing to them Divine traits, and binding them upon men just as though God Himself had given them. Under the cloak of seemingly devout religion, all of this may appear to be quite innocent – but it is not. Turning the judgment of the elders – together with their disciples, the Pharisees and scribes – upon their own heads, Jesus shows them that their own traditions had defiled them. Rather than assisting them to avoid becoming unclean, their religion had contaminated them, excluding them from Divine approval. It is particularly important that we note our Lord’s teaching on this matter. We are living in a day when self-acclaimed Christian leaders are redefining such things as worship, praise, doing good, the church, preaching, and the “needs” of people. Human traditions are being bound upon men just as though they have been issued from the Lord. Actually, however, rather than coming from the Head of the church, they have proceeded from corrupt and alienated hearts.
THAT WHICH COMES OUT OF THE MAN DEFILES
“ Mk 7:20 And He said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.”
THAT WHICH COMETH OUT OF THE MAN. Jesus directly contradicts the tradition of the elders. First He declared that anything entering a man from without “cannot defile him” (7:18). Now He states that defilement is caused by what “proceeds out of the man.” NASB Matthew reads, “But those things which proceed out of the mouth . . .” (Matt 15:18). This has particular regard to the traditions of reference, which were uttered by the mouth and bound upon men. We will find in the remainder of the text that what defiles a man is not limited to what proceeds out of the mouth. Matthew is emphasizing the defiling effects of tradition itself, which proceeds out of the mouth. In other words, the critics of Christ’s disciples were actually defiled by what they said concerning them: “Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?” (7:5).
What “cometh out of the man” includes any overt expression, whether word or deed. It can also include expressive thoughts (as compared with unwanted temptations). This has particular regard to the eruption of iniquity. James referred to it as “the superfluity of naughtiness” or “overflow of wickedness” NKJV (James 1:21). Paul refers to this as yielding our “members,” or the components of our natural makeup, “to iniquity unto iniquity,” or “lawlessness leading to more lawlessness” NKJV (Rom 6:19). Another way of looking at it is yielding ourselves to obey sin, which leads to death. As it is written, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Rom 6:16).
In a day when freedom of speech and human rights are being emphasized, it is especially important to give heed to the words of our Lord. Human expression, however cherished it may be, can be a means of becoming defiled. As approached in this text, this has respect to religious expressions. On the surface, it seems innocent enough to require the ceremonial washing of one’s hands before eating – particularly after a person had been in the marketplace. What possible harm could come from that? That is something like a “This is what our church believes” approach to duty.
In the matter of imposing personal views on another individual who is seeking to serve God, it is good to remember a word Paul delivered to those who were prone to judge others through the filter of personal opinion. “Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand” (Rom 14:4). In the case before us, the Pharisees and certain of the scribes were judging Christ’s servants – whom they recognized as being His disciples.
DEFILETH THE MAN. A man who is “defiled” is desecrated, unclean, unhallow, and profane. Theologically, that means polluted and offensive in God’s sight. There is an approach to spiritual life that does not take into account the possibility of being “defiled.” Some feel as though nothing can change the attitude of the Lord toward an individual. However, the very concept of defilement throws that imagination to the ground.
Is defilement possible? The Spirit testifies of the defiling of the church, the dwelling place of God: “If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Cor 3:17). A believer’s conscience can be defiled (1 Cor 8:7). Immoral actions cause people to “defile themselves” (1 Tim 1:10). Personal defilement voids any religious expression: “unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled” (Titus 1:15). A “root of bitterness” can cause many to “be defiled” (Heb 12:15). The tongue can “defile the whole body” (James 3:6). Those who remain faithful to the Lord are described as those “which have not defiled their garments” (Rev 3:4). One of the traits of glory is nothing can gain entrance “that defileth” (Rev 21:27).
“Uncleanness” is something to which we are not to “yield” our capacities of expression (Rom 6:19). Solemnly we are admonished “touch not the unclean thing” (2 Cor 6:17). “Uncleanness” is a work of the flesh which excludes one from the Kingdom of God (Gal 5:19-21). “Uncleanness” is not to be named among believers a single time – not “once” (Eph 5:3). No “unclean person . . . hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God” (Eph 5:5). All “uncleanness” is to be “mortified,” or put to death, in our “members” (Col 3:5). God has not called us “to uncleanness, but unto holiness” (1 Thess 4:7).
There is, then, a condition that makes a person unacceptable to God, and unfit to enter His kingdom. There is such a thing as defilement, contamination, and being caused to be “unclean.” This is not something concerning which men are to philosophize or speculate!
To be “defiled” is equivalent to being “an abomination unto the Lord” (Deut 18:12; 25:16). The defilement of which He speaks is not ceremonial. It is not an observable or external situation. This is a condition that exists primarily between the individual and God, and secondarily between the individual and the people of God. As confirmed in the following verses, it is most serious.
DEFILING EXPRESSIONS
“ 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.”
Jesus had already said that something entering into a person from without cannot defile him “because it entereth not into his heart” (Mk 7:19). Now the Lord will affirm that defilement originates within – “out of the heart.”
Jeremiah said of the heart of unregenerate men, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer 17:9). Following the fall of man, and before the flood, God said of humanity as a whole, “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen 6:5). After the flood He said, “the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth” (Gen 8:21). David said man was “shapen in iniquity,” or was “sinful at birth,” NIV (Psa 51:5). This is what requires that men receive a “new heart” (Ezek 36:26). However, even when a “new heart” is received, the people of God are warned, “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God” (Heb 3:12).
Jesus lists certain things that issue forth from the heart – things that involve desire and will, determination and preference. By saying they come from the heart, He is saying they are not inadvertent or accidental, but are expressions of the real person.
For those who are in Christ Jesus, the Spirit will lead them in mortifying these things, so that they are not given a way to express themselves (Rom 8:13; Col 3:5). However, if they are granted the right to express themselves, they must be acknowledged for that they are – confessed to be sin. The person must also be purged of the defilement that they have caused by confessing them to the Lord (1 John 1:9). These are very real transgressions, and the defilement that they cause is also a reality.
EVIL THOUGHTS. “Evil” speaks of corrupt, flawed, harmful, and worthless. “Thoughts” include considerations, purposes, imaginations, reasoning, deliberating, diagnosing, and judging. These all contaminate, defile, and render the individual offensive to God and unfit for to Him. Only the “fiery darts” of the devil are excluded(Eph 6:16).
ADULTERIES. This is the intimate involvement of married persons with someone other than their spouses. Such activity defiles individuals, excluding them from the Lord.
FORNICATIONS. This includes intimacy between the unmarried, harlotry, incest, bestiality, sodomy, and other forms of fleshly gratification. They make a person abominable.
MURDERS. This is willfully taking the life of another. It includes the normal concept of murder, abortion, euthanasia, and even the hatred of the brethren.
THEFTS. This includes stealing, extortion, robbery, and taking to oneself something that does not belong to the individual. This too defiles the individual, making him unclean before God.
COVETOUSNESS. This expression includes greed, avarice, a desire to have more than is suitable, wanting what belongs to someone else, a love for and service of money, and giving grudgingly. This sin also excludes one from the kingdom of God.
WICKEDNESS. This sin includes malice, evil purposes and desires, self-centeredness, and intentionally practiced ill-will and evil. It too is contaminating and defiling.
DECEIT. This sin includes guile, craft, pretension, subtilty, trickery, deception, treachery, and fraud. It defiles all who express it.
LASCIVIOUSNESS. This is unbridled lust, wantonness, shameless indulgence, sensuality, indecency, debauchery, and flagrant immorality. It always defiles.
AN EVIL EYE. This refers to “the lust of the eye” – seeking unlawful gratification by means of the eye. It includes looking at a woman to lust after her, seeking for an opportunity to do evil to someone, and watching for someone to make a mistake. Such an “eye” defiles, soils, and contaminates the individual who has it.
BLASPHEMY. This is derisive speech and includes slander, injurious speech, speaking reproachfully, reviling, defaming, and insulting. It makes the person unclean.
PRIDE. This refers to the lifting up of oneself, and includes haughtiness, arrogance, looking down on others, contempt for others, and a conscious effort to appear above others. This is a sin that causes a person to be hated by God (Prov 6:16-17).
FOOLISHNESS. This includes folly, thoughtlessness, recklessness lack of good sense, and not using one’s ability to understand. Such expressions are never innocent, and always cause the person to become defiled.
Matthew adds FALSE WITNESS (Matt 15:19). This sin includes a false testimony, perjury, lying, deliberately misrepresenting something, distorting the facts in order to make oneself appear better, and encouraging a false judgment. Such a person is unclean before God.
All of these, coming from within, make the one who commits them unclean, unsuitable, and an abomination in the eyes of the Lord. That is a most serious situation!
EVIL THINGS COME FROM WITHIN
“ 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
EVIL THINGS. Other versions read “evils,” NIV “wicked things,” DARBY “vile things,” NLT and ”evil [purposes and desires.”AMPLIFIED
Jesus classifies all of these expressions as “these evil things.” That is, they are expressions of “evil.” These are the eruptions of a poisoned well, and the springing forth of a contaminated fountain. If men are going to be successful in dealing with sin, they must first learn to call it what it is – “evil.”
The expression “evil things” comes from, a single word that means, “disadvantageous, bad, harmful, painful, unprofitable and unserviceable” THAYER That means it is intrinsically “bad” – like a rotten fruit. It means it is “harmful” – like poison. It is “unprofitable” – like a cancer. It is “unserviceable” – like a book that has been burned to ashes. Something that is “evil” cannot be made good. There is no good use for it. Nothing good can come from it.
This is why the devil is called “the evil one” NKJV (Matt 6:13; John 17:15; 2 Thess 3:3). He is the incarnation of “evil,” and is the promoter and sustainer of it. When a person does these “evil things,” he has been motivated and enslaved by the devil, for “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin” (John 8:34). These are “things” that serve Satan’s purpose and promote his cause. They provide an arena in which he can work without obstruction or hindrance.
Men may refer to the mistakes they have made. Jesus refers to “these evil things.” Those with no understanding may search their past to see how they have inherited such dreadful tendencies. Jesus will remind them they are “evil things.” The imagined expert in human behavior may speak of chemical imbalance, overactive hormones, and congenital defects. Jesus will say we are dealing with “evil things.” The sociologist may testify to us of the impact of culture, and the unavoidable affect of it upon those caught in it. The Lord Jesus will testify that such expressions are “evil things.”
COME FROM WITHIN. Matthew says, “Those things . . . come forth from the heart” (Matt 15:18). They are not involuntary expressions, but deliberate and voluntary ones. Those who commit these “evil things” are not victims, but transgressors. The manifestations of them are not mistakes but wickedness. Such people have not been disadvantaged by their parents, their physiological makeup, or their environment. Their flaw is in their character, their heart, and within their essential being. The issue here is not really what they do, but what they are, because it is what they ARE that makes them do what they do. They have not been forced to commit “evil things,” but have done so willingly. They thought about these “evil things,” and then did them. They wanted to do them, and so they did.
When we are addressing the matter of professing “Christians” doing these things, they are still “evil things.” Being a “Christian” does not make them any less evil, or any more tolerable to the Lord. They have come “from within” these people just as surely as they did with the scribes and Pharisees, Judas, Herod, and Pilate.
Doctrinally, the Spirit provides some explanations for the eruption of “evil things” within those who profess to have faith. Their minds have been “corrupted” by the devil (2 Cor 11:3). Satan had taken them “captive,” to do his will (2 Tim 2:26). An “evil heart of unbelief” has been found in them (Heb 3:12). They have “drawn back” from the Lord rather than living “by faith” (Heb 10:38-39). They have been “overtaken in a fault” (Gal 6:1). They have not used the “way of escape” that is provided with every temptation (1 Cor 10:13). They have been “unbelieving” (Tit 1:15). They have made a place for the devil (Eph 4:27). They have “hardness” and an “impenitent heart” (Rom 2:5). They have not only been “drawn away” by their “own lust,” but that lust has conceived and brought “forth sin” (James 1:14-15).
Sin – “these evil things” – is always a most serious matter! When it is committed, it is because a major flaw exists within, and that flaw must be addressed.
DEFILE THE MAN. Matthew reads, “These are the things which defile a man” (Matt 15:20). Other versions read, “they “make a man unclean.” NIV “make you unacceptable to God,” NLT “make you unfit for God,” LIVING “make a person unholy,” IE “make him foul,” WILLIAMS and “make the man unclean and render him unhallowed.” AMPLIFIED
Who cannot see the seriousness of the condition? Here are transgressions that some have attempted to dignify, while others have labored to provide convenient explanations for their presence. However, for those with an “honest and good heart” (Lk 8:15), these things call for an instant and earnest confession to the Lord, and the appropriation of the promised cleansing (1 John 1:9). The unfit condition that they induce will not eventually wear off. It must be cleansed, and the defiled conscience purged, by the blood of Christ. If men fail to acquire the required remedy, they will remain in a “defiled” condition, excluded from heaven, into which it is not possible for anything that defileth to enter (Rev 21:27). It is no wonder that believers are exhorted, “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor 7:1).