Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023 – Mark 6:53-7:23
If you haven’t noticed yet, there is a lot of overlap between Matthew and Mark. For those of you nerdy people, check out the graphic on this webpage to see how they overlap. The short version is that almost everything in Mark is also in Matthew. As a teacher, there is nothing better than repetition! So as we read all four Gospels, we get to repeat Jesus’ lessons. This is valuable, and don’t be tempted to skim over it because it seems familiar. Every writer has a slightly different take on each story, similar to how each of us would have a different perspective if we wrote about worship last week. With that in mind, there is always something more to learn!
In this text, we hear again about this conversation with some Pharisees that we read in Matthew 15. Pharisees were part of the Jewish tradition, and they particularly emphasized following ritual tradition. Jesus here is trying to help them understand that it is much more important to worry about our hearts than the rituals of our bodies.
What comes from our hearts (often through our mouths, as stated in Matthew) defiles us in deep ways, because it is a glimpse into what has taken up room in our hearts. God wants there to only be room for him in your heart. Perhaps many of us read Matthew’s version of this story and were pleased with ourselves because we are not like the Pharisees.
That is much harder to do in this passage because Jesus goes on to name what may be in our hearts that shouldn’t be there: evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All of a sudden we realize that we are just like the Pharisees. We are pointing out the speck in our neighbor’s eye for not saying grace before eating, while we have the plank of greed and pride in our own.
The good news is that we are not condemned because of what we have allowed into our hearts. Jesus has saved us from that and seeks to build relationships. He can help us push those distractions out of our hearts. Praise God for that!
Questions for reflection:
- What is in your heart that is defiling you? Pray for God to remove these things from your heart and make room for God.
- What can you do to help keep your heart filled with God, and only God?