HOST: Michael Whitworth
SPONSOR: Logos Bible Software
And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Most of us pay some attention to what we eat. Maybe you are on a special diet because of a health issue. Maybe you are trying to lose weight or just be healthier. Maybe there are certain foods or ingredients that you are allergic to and, therefore, must avoid. Regardless of the reason or motivation, many of us pay attention to the foods we eat and consequences of eating certain things. If you understand that concept, then you understand what Jesus is teaching in this passage. In contrasting the physical with the spiritual, He is saying that, in reality, the food that you eat does not defile you (i.e. make you spiritually unclean or impure). It is what you put into your heart and mind—the images, thoughts, attitudes and influences—that can defile you. Who you are and what comes from you in your life is a product of what you put into your heart. Therefore, we need to be very diligent, much more so than with our food, to guard our hearts against those things that would defile us.
What are some of the things that we need to beware of allowing into our hearts?
Don’t forget to pray and have a great day!
