Hands or Heart: What Causes Defilement and What Brings Purification?

Introduction

Let me introduce you to a new student who started attending church a year ago. . . they are at every worship gathering on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. . . they never miss Sunday morning bible study. . . they are involved in a discipleship group. . . they attend all the special events. . . they go on evangelism and mission trips. . . they have a passion to reach the lost. . . they read their Bible daily and have numerous passages of Scripture memorized. . . they are sound in their doctrine. . . believe the Bible is God’s inspired word, and believe in heaven and hell. They don’t do drugs or alcohol, they do not access pornography, they never use cuss words, they honor and obey their parents. . . and their reputation in the church, their school, and their circles of influence are flawless.

If anyone earned a right to go to heaven. . . it would be this student. . . their external religion is flawless and their hands are clean. . . yet, sadly this person is headed for hell. . . because even though their external actions appear pure, the inner religion of their heart is dead and defiled.

I have just introduced you to a 21st century pharisee.

In Jesus’ day, a pharisee was not scorned as a legalist but was honored and looked up to as a model citizen.

Paul said in Romans 10:2 that they had a zeal for God but it was not according to knowledge.

Amazingly, we can have a passion for God and not know God. . . and those who have been raised in church are most vulnerable to fall in this deception.

In our pride, we often put more weight and trust in our religious practices and church traditions more than God’s word. . . and the result is that we are blind to our sinfulness and need for a savior.

We don’t think we are defiled because we check off the Christian boxes of church attendance, baptism, bible reading, and prayer. . . but Jesus will teach us tonight in Mark 7 that it is not what we touch that defiles us, but what comes from our hearts.

Thus, the Key Point we must know tonight is that Defilement comes not from Dirty hands, but a Dirty Heart. To be pure, we need Transformation from God, not Traditions from Men.

1. Defilement Does not Come from Dirty Hands: The Religion of the Pharisees-Purification is found in keeping the traditions of men. (v. 1-13)

Mark 7:1–5 “1 Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, 2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, 4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?””

The Pharisees say The Disciples have Defiled hands by not holding to the Tradition of the Elders (v. 1-5).

These comments from the Pharisees demonstrate that they think the authority is with men (and their commands/interpretations)

The tradition of the elders were the oral law and interpretation of the written law of Moses. This oral law was later written down in what became known as the “Mishna.”

It would be like how we use commentaries today.

The issue with the Pharisees is they were giving the same authority to commentaries and interpretations of the law to the written law itself.

In their pride, they thought their obedience to these human interpretations of the law made them righteous before God and anyone who did not follow their convictions were sinners.

Notice, they don’t say, why don’t your disciples obey the commands of God found in Leviticus. . . but, why don’t your disciples follow our traditions?

It would be like you saying to a friend, “why do you not follow the commands of John Piper, or Pastor Steve, or Pastor Andrew?”

The original intent of ritual washings was good, in that it helped the Jews be reminded that they were unclean before a holy God. But their impurity was not from dirty hands but from a dirty heart.

Since it is difficult to see someone’s heart, the pharisees created external actions in their interpretations of the law, because it was much easier to judge who was impure from the outward acts instead of the inner attitude of the heart.

Application:

Lures of Legalism

Do we think we are righteous from religious practices? Do we base our salvation on our spiritual disciplines or Christ’s death for our sins on the cross?

Do we define other people’s sin based on the text of Scripture or the traditions of in the church?

Simply drinking alcohol is sinful.

The Pharisees have Defiled hearts by making void the commands of God to obey their own tradition (v. 6-13)

Not all traditions, religious practices, or spiritual disciplines are bad. . . but they become bad when we give them the same priority and authority as God’s word.

It is like a Bible-plus ____ or Gospel-plus ____.

Anytime we add anything to the gospel for our salvation or righteousness before God, we distort the gospel. . . because we base the authority on our interpretations instead of God’s word.

In verses 6-8, Jesus clarifies the authority is with God’s commands (not men’s) and calls two witnesses to the stand.

First, he gives the witness of Isaiah (The Prophets) against them.

Mark 7:6–8 “6 And he said to 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 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ 8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.””

Jesus rebukes the Scribes and Pharisees for their question and compares them with the people of Israel when they were worshipping idols and questioning the ways of their creator (Isaiah 29:13).

They were coming and listening to the words of God, but they were not practicing them (Ezekiel 33:31).

The Pharisees’ hearts are far from God because they don’t obey God. It does not matter what we do externally. . . lifting our hands in worship, coming to church each week, reading our Bibles. . . if we don’t trust in and obey God, our religion is worthless.

We see an example of this from Luke 11:38–40 “38 The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. 39 And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also?”

“It must not content us to take our bodies to church if we leave our hearts at home. . . It must not satisfy us to say good words if our heart and our lips do not go together.” -JC Ryle

Second, in verses 8-13, he brings in the witness of Moses (The Law) against them.

Mark 7:9–13 “9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 11 But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban” ’ (that is, given to God)— 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, 13 thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.””

They rejected the commands of God (honor your father and mother) to keep the commands of men (vow your possessions to God).

This would be like saying we don’t have enough money or time to care for our elderly parents because we have to give our monthly tithe to the Lord. . . but in reality, we spend more of our extra income on a new car, and we spend our extra time on personal hobbies.

Application:

Do we disobey God so that we can obey ourselves?

Do we take passages that are difficult to obey and interpret them in a way that takes us off the hook?

“Preach the gospel at all times, use words if necessary.”

Are we hypocrites?

“Hypocrisy is not only displayed by demanding of others what one does not do oneself but is found within the human heart when pretending to surrender to God when in fact the heart is throughly self-seeking.” -Hans Bayer

2. Defilement Comes from a Dirty Heart: The Religion of Jesus- purification is found in heart Transformation by the Spirit (v. 14-23)

Mark 7:14–23 ESV

14 And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15 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.” 17 And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 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, 19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

There are two truths from this passage. . . First, The issue is not outside but inside (v. 14-16). . . . and Second, Defilement comes not from what we eat or touch but from what comes out of our hearts (v. 17-23)

Illustration:

External Band-Aid of the Pharisees vs. Internal Surgery/Heart Transplant of Jesus.

The Pharisees kept emphasizing that a person is defiled if they do not participate in the external ceremonial washings. Yet, Jesus teaches that nothing outside a person can defile them, even if it goes into them, but what comes out of a person is what defiles them and makes them unclean.

Jesus emphasizes that the heart is what matters to God. This is why he said in verse 6 that even though the Pharisees and Scribes honored him with their lips, their hearts were far from him.

True worship comes from the heart, not external religious practices.

Jesus says that all evil things come out of the heart of man. Any sin, or evil thought, or evil deed comes out of one’s heart. This is why Jeremiah 17:9 says “the heart is deceitful above all things and is desperately sick, who can understand it?”

It is important to note that the word heart does not simply describe the emotions or feelings of a person, but also includes a person’s mind, volition (will), and understanding of right and wrong (conscience). It makes up our entire inner faculties.

This statement was completely contrary to what the Pharisees were teaching.

We are not defiled externally and cleansed by external practices, instead we are defiled internally from our hearts and can only be cleansed internally by washing our hearts.

This is why God said through the prophet Joel: “rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the Lord. . .” (Joel 2:13).

There are two ways we need to respond to God’s word tonight. . .

Response

Recognize the Root of our Defilement.

Jesus cares about the heart. Our issue is not on the outside, but on the inside.

We may do evil things “on the outside” with our bodies, but the root and reason for our evil actions come from the evil desires of our hearts and the lies we believe.

We are not corrupted by bad influences, temptations, or the snares of satan. We are corrupted by our own wicked hearts. . . We have within us the beginning of every sin under heaven.

The issue is not the bad fruit, of our sinful actions, but the bad roots of our sinful desires.

Seek Purification through the blood of Jesus and not the our own works and traditions.

Our attempts at obedience to the law or works righteousness cannot save us. . .

Galatians 3:10–12 “10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” 12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.””

Only through faith in the blood of Jesus can our hearts be purified and made clean. . .

Galatians 3:13–14 “13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”

Hebrews 9:14 “14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”

If we are defiled from the inside, there is nothing that we can do to cleanse ourselves of our defilement. We need God’s grace to transform our hearts and cleanse us from the inside.

We must not cut off the bad fruit (band-aid) but cut off the bad roots (surgery) of our evil desires and lies we believe.

What band-aids are we putting on to try and fix our heart problem?

Sexual Immorality: I am going to break up with my boyfriend/girlfriend. . . or stop scrolling on IG.

Greed: I am going to serve at a homeless shelter.

Evil Actions: I am going to serve on the leadership team.

Slander/Gossip: I am going to stop hanging around those friends.