Overview of Chapter: Mark 7 confronts the danger of substituting human religious traditions for God’s command, teaches that true defilement arises from the human heart rather than external food or ritual, and then displays Jesus’ mercy and authority beyond Israel through deliverance and healing. The chapter holds together the call to sincere worship, the need for inner cleansing, and the wide reach of Christ’s compassionate power, inviting believers to hear, understand, and respond in faith.
Verses 1-13: Tradition Tested by God’s Command
1 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered together to him, having come from Jerusalem. 2 Now when they saw some of his disciples eating bread with defiled, that is unwashed, hands, they found fault. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews don’t eat unless they wash their hands and forearms, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4 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.) 5 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?” 6 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. 7 But they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ 8 “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.” 9 He said to them, “Full well do 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 speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 11 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, 12 “then you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or his mother, 13 making void the word of God by your tradition, which you have handed down. You do many things like this.”
- God’s command judges every tradition:
Jesus treats the “tradition of the elders” as accountable to the “commandment of God,” exposing how religious practices—even widely received ones—can become spiritually harmful when they “set aside the commandment of God” or “making void the word of God.” The theological point is not that all tradition is evil, but that no tradition may function as a rival authority that cancels God’s revealed will.
- Worship can be outwardly correct yet inwardly empty:
The citation, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me,” diagnoses hypocrisy as a heart-problem that expresses itself in religious speech and performance. Jesus teaches that God evaluates worship by the heart’s nearness to him, not merely by external conformity, and that “teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” empties worship of its true purpose.
- Misusing devotion to neglect love is a serious distortion:
By highlighting how “Corban” can be used to avoid honoring father and mother, Jesus reveals that a veneer of spiritual dedication can be weaponized to evade ordinary obedience and mercy. The command to “Honor your father and your mother” shows that love of God and love expressed in concrete responsibility belong together; piety that cancels moral duty is not elevated spirituality but disobedience.
- Human accountability is real in religious corruption:
Jesus speaks in moral terms: “you reject,” “you set aside,” “you do many things like this.” The passage teaches that people can become responsible agents in hardening patterns—choosing religious systems that protect pride or convenience—while still remaining under God’s rightful claim and correction through his word.
Verses 14-23: The Heart as the Source of Defilement
14 He called all the multitude to himself, and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. 15 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. 16 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” 17 When he had entered into a house away from the multitude, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 He said to them, “Are you also without understanding? Don’t you perceive that whatever goes into the man from outside can’t defile him, 19 because it doesn’t go into his heart, but into his stomach, then into the latrine, making all foods clean?” 20 He said, “That which proceeds out of the man, that defiles the man. 21 For from within, out of the hearts of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, sexual sins, murders, thefts, 22 covetings, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
- Sin is deeper than ritual: it flows from the heart:
Jesus relocates the discussion from ceremonial categories (“unwashed hands”) to the moral and spiritual center: “from within, out of the hearts of men.” Defilement is not primarily an external contamination but an internal corruption that expresses itself in thoughts, desires, words, and deeds. This underscores humanity’s need for inner cleansing and transformation, not merely external regulation.
- Jesus demands hearing that becomes understanding:
“Hear me, all of you, and understand,” and “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” present a theological call to responsive listening. The issue is not access to information but openness to divine truth; genuine discipleship involves receiving Christ’s teaching with humility so that misunderstanding gives way to discernment.
- Moral impurity is comprehensive and personal:
The list—“evil thoughts, adulteries, sexual sins, murders, thefts… pride, and foolishness”—shows sin’s breadth, ranging from inner dispositions to outward acts. By naming both internal and external evils, Jesus teaches that holiness is not selective; it addresses the whole person, including hidden motives and socially respectable sins like “pride.”
- God’s purity is not achieved by dietary control but by inward renewal:
Jesus distinguishes what enters the body (“stomach… latrine”) from what shapes the person (“heart”), and the statement “making all foods clean?” points to a decisive shift: food does not defile in the way the Pharisees feared. The theological thrust is not carelessness about embodied life, but the prioritizing of inner righteousness and the liberation from treating external things as the decisive measure of spiritual standing.
- Both divine truth and human responsibility meet in the call to repentance:
Because defiling evils “come from within,” no one can finally blame environment, culture, or opponents as the root. Yet Jesus’ public call implies hope: what is exposed can be confessed, resisted, and healed under God’s mercy. The passage invites sober honesty about sin and earnest turning toward God for the heart’s restoration.
Verses 24-30: Persistent Faith Beyond Israel’s Borders
24 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. 25 For a woman, whose little daughter had an unclean spirit, having heard of him, came and fell down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by race. She begged him that he would cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 But Jesus 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.” 28 But she answered him, “Yes, Lord. Yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 He said to her, “For this saying, go your way. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” 30 She went away to her house, and found the child having been laid on the bed, with the demon gone out.
- Jesus’ mission has an ordered priority with an expansive mercy:
“Let the children be filled first” indicates a purposeful sequence in Jesus’ ministry, honoring God’s historical dealings and promises, while not denying mercy to the outsider who comes in need. The woman’s account shows that God’s saving compassion is not confined by ethnicity or geography; the borders of Tyre and Sidon become a stage for grace.
- Humility and perseverance mark authentic faith:
The woman “fell down at his feet” and “begged,” then responds with trusting persistence: “Yes, Lord. Yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Her posture is not entitlement but dependence, receiving Jesus as Lord while appealing to the abundance of his goodness. This teaches believers to pray with reverent boldness—submitting to God’s wisdom while persevering in request.
- Christ’s authority over unclean spirits is effective at a distance:
Jesus declares, “The demon has gone out of your daughter,” and the narrative confirms it: “with the demon gone out.” The passage teaches that Jesus’ deliverance is not limited by proximity, ritual, or intermediaries; his word carries decisive authority over spiritual oppression.
- God’s grace elicits real human response without making it a meritorious wage:
Jesus responds, “For this saying, go your way,” highlighting the significance of her reply. Her words do not purchase the miracle as a transaction; rather, her trusting, humble confession is the fitting posture that receives mercy. The story holds together divine initiative (Jesus’ power and decision) and genuine human responsiveness (her coming, asking, and trusting).
Verses 31-37: The Messiah Opens Ears and Looses Tongues
31 Again he departed from the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and came to the sea of Galilee, through the middle of the region of Decapolis. 32 They brought to him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech. They begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 He took him aside from the multitude, privately, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat, and touched his tongue. 34 Looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!” 35 Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was released, and he spoke clearly. 36 He commanded them that they should tell no one, but the more he commanded them, so much the more widely they proclaimed it. 37 They were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He makes even the deaf hear, and the mute speak!”
- Jesus heals with personal compassion and prayerful dependence:
Jesus “took him aside… privately,” then “Looking up to heaven, he sighed,” showing attentive compassion to the individual and a Godward orientation in ministry. The healing is not a display of technique but a merciful act proceeding from divine power, with Jesus’ posture modeling that God’s work is done in communion with the Father.
- Christ’s word brings immediate restoration:
“Ephphatha!… ‘Be opened!’” and “Immediately his ears were opened” show the authority and effectiveness of Jesus’ command. Theologically, this points to the Creator’s power at work in the Messiah: restoration is not gradual persuasion but decisive action that overcomes what is broken.
- Physical healing points to spiritual themes of hearing and confessing:
The chapter earlier commands, “Hear me… and understand,” and here Jesus literally opens ears and frees speech. Together, these scenes teach that human beings need God to open what is closed—so that we truly hear his word and rightly speak in witness. The miracle becomes a sign that God can address both bodily suffering and the deeper inability to perceive and confess divine truth.
- Wonder spreads even when publicity is restrained:
Jesus “commanded them that they should tell no one,” yet “the more he commanded them, so much the more widely they proclaimed it.” The passage shows that awe at God’s work naturally overflows; it also hints that timing and understanding matter, since Jesus can restrain premature or distorted enthusiasm even while his deeds inevitably provoke testimony.
- Jesus is praised as the one who does all things well:
The crowd’s confession—“He has done all things well. He makes even the deaf hear, and the mute speak!”—is a theological recognition of Jesus’ beneficent power. Their words summarize his ministry as a pattern of restorative goodness, inviting believers to trust his character even when his ways challenge human expectations.
Conclusion: Mark 7 teaches that true holiness cannot be secured by external tradition or ritual alone, because defilement arises from the heart and must be addressed at the level of inner renewal. At the same time, Jesus’ mercy reaches beyond boundaries and his authority over demons and disease reveals God’s restoring reign. The chapter calls the church to submit every practice to God’s word, seek heart-level purity, and approach Christ with humble, persistent faith—confident that he “has done all things well.”
Overview of Chapter: Mark 7 shows that God cares most about what is happening inside our hearts, not just what we do on the outside. Jesus warns that human rules can sometimes replace God’s Word. He teaches that sin comes from within us, and then he shows mercy by helping people in need—driving out a demon and healing a man who couldn’t hear or speak well.
Verses 1-13: God’s Word Comes First
1 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered together to him, having come from Jerusalem. 2 Now when they saw some of his disciples eating bread with defiled, that is unwashed, hands, they found fault. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews don’t eat unless they wash their hands and forearms, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4 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.) 5 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?” 6 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. 7 But they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ 8 “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.” 9 He said to them, “Full well do 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 speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 11 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, 12 “then you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or his mother, 13 making void the word of God by your tradition, which you have handed down. You do many things like this.”
- God’s commands are the highest authority:
Jesus shows that religious traditions must never take the place of what God clearly commands. Traditions can be helpful tools, but they cannot be a higher authority than God’s Word, and they must never lead us to disobey what God says.
- You can talk about God but still be far from him:
Jesus quotes Isaiah to show that worship can look right on the outside while the heart is not close to God. God wants real love and faith, not just the right words.
- “Religious” excuses can hide disobedience:
Jesus points out how “Corban” was used as a reason to not help parents. God does not want us to use spiritual-sounding reasons to avoid doing what is loving and right.
- We are responsible for what we choose to follow:
Jesus speaks directly: “you reject,” “you set aside.” This reminds us that we must be honest about our choices, repent when we’re wrong, and come back to God’s ways.
Verses 14-23: What Makes Us Unclean Comes From Inside
14 He called all the multitude to himself, and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. 15 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. 16 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” 17 When he had entered into a house away from the multitude, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 He said to them, “Are you also without understanding? Don’t you perceive that whatever goes into the man from outside can’t defile him, 19 because it doesn’t go into his heart, but into his stomach, then into the latrine, making all foods clean?” 20 He said, “That which proceeds out of the man, that defiles the man. 21 For from within, out of the hearts of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, sexual sins, murders, thefts, 22 covetings, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
- Sin starts in the heart, not on the hands:
Jesus says the biggest problem is not what we touch or eat. The real problem is what comes from inside us—our thoughts, desires, words, and actions.
- Jesus wants us to truly listen and understand:
He says, “Hear me… and understand,” and “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” This means we should not just hear Bible teaching—we should listen with our hearts so it changes how we live. Real followers of Jesus listen with humility and openness.
- Jesus names sin clearly so we can face it:
The list shows that sin includes what we do and what we want inside. God cares about “pride” and “deceit” just as much as actions that everyone notices.
- Food is not the main measure of holiness:
Jesus explains that food goes into the stomach, not the heart. This helps us focus on what matters most: a clean heart before God, not just external rules.
- We need God’s help for inner change:
Since these sins “come from within,” we cannot fix ourselves only by trying harder on the outside. We need God’s mercy, forgiveness, and strength to live a new way.
Verses 24-30: A Mother Keeps Asking Jesus for Help
24 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. 25 For a woman, whose little daughter had an unclean spirit, having heard of him, came and fell down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by race. She begged him that he would cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 But Jesus 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.” 28 But she answered him, “Yes, Lord. Yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 He said to her, “For this saying, go your way. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” 30 She went away to her house, and found the child having been laid on the bed, with the demon gone out.
- Jesus’ mercy reaches people outside Israel too:
Jesus goes to the area of Tyre and Sidon, and he helps a woman who is not Jewish. This shows that while Jesus came first for Israel, God’s compassion is not limited to one group of people—his mercy reaches everyone who comes to him.
- Real faith is humble and does not give up:
She falls at Jesus’ feet and keeps asking. She does not demand. She trusts Jesus as “Lord” and keeps going, even when the conversation is hard.
- Jesus has power over evil spirits:
Jesus simply says, “The demon has gone out of your daughter,” and it happens. His authority is real, and his help is strong.
- God’s gifts are received, not earned:
Jesus responds to her words, but her words are not a payment for the miracle. Her reply shows trust, and she receives mercy from Jesus.
Verses 31-37: Jesus Heals a Man Who Can’t Hear or Speak Well
31 Again he departed from the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and came to the sea of Galilee, through the middle of the region of Decapolis. 32 They brought to him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech. They begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 He took him aside from the multitude, privately, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat, and touched his tongue. 34 Looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!” 35 Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was released, and he spoke clearly. 36 He commanded them that they should tell no one, but the more he commanded them, so much the more widely they proclaimed it. 37 They were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He makes even the deaf hear, and the mute speak!”
- Jesus cares about the person, not just the crowd:
Jesus takes the man aside “privately” and looks up to heaven before he heals. This shows both gentle care for the person and trust in God’s power. Jesus is not too busy to give personal attention to someone who is suffering, and he heals through close communion with the Father.
- Jesus’ command brings real healing:
He says, “Be opened!” and “Immediately his ears were opened.” Jesus is not guessing or hoping—he has power to restore what is broken.
- This miracle matches the chapter’s message about “hearing”:
Earlier Jesus said, “Hear me… and understand.” Here he literally opens ears. It reminds us that we also need Jesus to help us truly hear God and speak truth clearly.
- People can’t stay quiet about what Jesus does:
Even when Jesus tells them not to spread it, they still talk about it because they are amazed. When God works, it often leads people to testify.
- Jesus is good and does what is right:
The crowd says, “He has done all things well.” This is a simple but strong truth: Jesus is trustworthy, kind, and powerful.
Conclusion: Mark 7 teaches that God wants our hearts, not just our habits. Jesus warns us not to let human rules replace God’s Word, and he shows that sin comes from within us. Then Jesus shows his kindness and power by helping people who are suffering. This chapter calls us to listen to Jesus, ask him for a clean heart, and come to him with humble, steady faith—trusting that “He has done all things well.”