A Trustworthy Authority
Mark 11:27-12:12
A Trustworthy Authority
Mark 11:27-12:12
Main Idea: We can build our life on Jesus because he has a trustworthy, heavenly authority over all things.
I. The Water (11:2-33):
The religious leaders reject Jesus for 3 reasons:
They are unwilling to acknowledge his authority (11:27-28)
They are unwilling to consider the evidence in good faith (11:29-31)
They fear man more than they fear God (11:32-33)
II. The Vineyard (12:1-9)
Hebrews 1:1-2: Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
Matthew 23:37-38: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate.
Romans 2:4: Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
His graciousness is as conspicuous as his glory. There was never such a one as he. None of us loves men as Christ loves them; and if the loves of all the tender-hearted in the world could be run together, they would make but a drop compared with the ocean of the compassion of Jesus… He hid not his face from shame and spitting, nor his body from the shedding of blood, nor his soul from deadly agony; but he loved the church, and gave himself for it. It is this lover of souls that becomes God’s advocate with us, and pleads with us that we would cease from our rebellion. Do not refuse him! If you reject him, he answers you with tears; if you wound him, he bleeds out cleansing; if you kill him, he dies to redeem; if you bury him, he rises again to bring us resurrection.
~ Charles Spurgeon, “The Pleading of the Last Messenger”
III. The Stone (12:10-12)
In Hebrew, the punch line involves a provocative pun: a story about a rejected son (‘ben’) becomes a lyric about a rejected stone (‘eben’), which then becomes the most foundational stone of all. For those with ears to hear, it is a parable about Jesus: the Son, and the Stone, who is cast aside, only to be vindicated and exalted to the place of highest honor.
~ Andrew Wilson, The God of All Things
The True Temple
Mark 11:1-25
The True Temple
Mark 11:1-25
Main Idea: Jesus’ messianic arrival invites us to exchange empty religious practice for faith and fruitfulness in him.
I. Parades and Palms (11:1-11)
The divine royalty of Jesus:
His sovereign authority to acquire a colt
The reception and praise of the people
The humility of Jesus:
The humility of a colt
The anti-climax of his arrival
Zechariah 9:9: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
“They believe that salvation means the Messiah will come and destroy the people oppressing them. They will be saved or liberated, and the oppressors will be destroyed. They expect Jesus to judge the nations and save them. They never would have expected that he would judge them and save the nations. What is missing in the story is a repentant people who realize that the true problem is not the Romans but themselves.”
~ Jason Meyer, Mark For You
II. Trees and Temples (11:12-21)
Jeremiah 7:3-11: Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’ “For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly execute justice one with another, if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever. “Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the Lord.
“In the temple you had all the leaves, you had all the externals of worship, but there was no true prayer, no belief in the great Lamb of God’s Passover, no truth, no righteousness, no love of men, no care for the glory of God; and so the temple, which had been a house of prayer, had become a den of thieves. You do not marvel that the temple was destroyed. You and I may become just like that temple. We may go on with all the externals of religions, nobody may miss us out of our seat at Tabernacle, nay, we may never miss our Christian engagements; we may be in all external matters more precise than we used to be, and yet for all that, we may have become in our hearts a den of thieves; the heart may be given to the world while external ceremonies are still kept up and maintained. Let us beware of this, for such a place cannot be long without a curse.”
~ Charles Spurgeon, Nothing But Leaves
III. Faith and Fruit (11:22-25)
John 15:5-7: I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
Entering the Kingdom
Mark 10:13-31
Entering the Kingdom
Mark 10:13-31
Main Idea: We can only enter the Kingdom of God by receiving Christ’s generosity empty-handed like a child.
I. The Dependency of a Child (10:13-16)
“Children are not blessed for their virtues but for what they lack: they come only as they are—small, powerless, without sophistication, as the overlooked and dispossessed of society. To receive the kingdom of God as a child is to receive it as one who has no credits, no clout, no claims. A little child has absolutely nothing to bring, and whatever a child receives, he or she receives by grace on the basis of sheer neediness rather than by any merit inherent in himself or herself. Little children are paradigmatic disciples, for only empty hands can be filled”
~ James Edwards
II. The Trap of Riches (10:17-22)
1 Timothy 6:9-10: But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
“How do you know that money isn't just money to you? Here are some of the signs: You can't give large amounts of it away. You get scared if you might have less than you're accustomed to having. You see people who are doing better than you, even though you might have worked harder or might be a better person, and it gets under your skin. And when that happens, you have one foot in the trap. Because then money is no longer just a tool; it's the scorecard. It's your essence, your identity. No matter how much money you have, though it's not intrinsically evil, it has incredible power to keep you from God.”
~ Tim Keller
III. The Economy of the Kingdom (10:23-31)
"The entrance fee to the Christian life is nothing at all, and the annual subscription is everything you have."
~ Dick Lucas
1 Timothy 6:17–19: As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
2 Corinthians 8:9: For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
Marriage & Divorce
Mark 10:1-12
Marriage & Divorce
Mark 10:1-12
Main Idea: Despite the world’s confusion and our own sin, Jesus calls us to honor God’s design for marriage
I. The Distortion of Marriage (10:1-5)
Matthew 19:3: And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?”
“You do not learn to fly an airplane by following the instructions for making a crash landing; you will not be successful in war if you train by the rules for beating a retreat. The same is true of marriage and divorce. The exceptional measures necessary when a marriage fails are of no help in discovering the meaning and intention of marriage. Jesus endeavors to recover God’s will for marriage, not to argue about possible exceptions to it. His opponents ask what is permissible; he points to what is commanded…The divine intention for marriage cannot be determined from a text about divorce.”
~James Edwards
II. The Design of Marriage (10:6-12)
Jesus quotes Genesis 1:27 and 2:24 to teach:
Marriage is God’s idea, not a human invention
“If the Bible is telling the truth about reality, then the universe we live in was created primarily with marital romance in mind. The heavens and the earth were created for the marriage of Adam & Eve. The new heavens & the new earth will be created for the marriage of Christ & his bride. The whole cosmic reality exists as the venue for the eternal honeymoon of the perfect husband with his perfect bride in marital bliss forever and ever. This is the breathtaking claim of the Bible.”
~ Ray Ortlund, Marriage and the Mystery of the GospelMarriage is between one man and one woman
Marriage is intended to be a covenant, permanent relationship
III. The Mystery of Marriage (cf. Eph. 5:32)
Ephesians 5:32: This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
“The cross shows us the permanence of marriage, in a covenant sealed with blood. The cross also shows us that the nature of marriage is the sacrifice of self. That means we give ourselves to each other. We do not wield the threat of divorce as a means of self-protection. Instead, we build marriages that, as best as we can, reflect the one-flesh union of Christ and his church. And then we run to that cross-shaped gospel even when we fail.”
~ Russell Moore, The Storm-Tossed Family
Faith and Doubt
Mark 9:14-29
Faith and Doubt
Mark 9:14-29
Main Idea: Jesus is our source of strength and hope, especially in times of doubt and unbelief.
I. The Posture of Faithlessness (9:14-19)
[17]… “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. [18] And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid…
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
II. The Power of Jesus (9:20-27)
Mark 9:22b (emphasis mine)
“But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
Mark 9:23
And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”
Deuteronomy 29:29
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and
to our children forever…
Mark 9:24
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
“Through Jesus we don’t need perfect righteousness, just repentant helplessness, to access the presence of God.”
-Tim Keller
III. The Path of Prayer (9:28-29)
Greatness and the Gospel
Mark 9:30-50
Greatness and the Gospel
Mark 9:30-50
I. How does a story like this make it into the Gospels?
I suggest that this story shows up because:
It exposes how desperate our situation truly is
It reveals the stunning beauty of Jesus and the gospel
It does so in the embarrassing context of the disciples’ childish argument about who is greatest on a walk to Capernaum one day. It hardly gets more ordinary than this!
II. Our Desperate Situation
We actually have no idea how the conversation on the road actually went down. What is not surprising is that it went down! This kind of thing happens all the time with human beings! Nor is it surprising that they argued about who was the greatest! When we get honest with ourselves, we are always arguing about who is the greatest (while secretly cherishing the fantasy that the answer is “ME”)
If that were not bad enough, the ways we choose to go about pursuing greatness not only damn our own souls, but they do damage to the souls of those around us. Nor should we miss that Jesus takes this very seriously. He paints a grim picture of what it is like for those who squander their lives “arguing about who is the greatest” on the walk through this life.
III. The Stunning Beauty of Jesus and the Gospel.
The interesting thing to note is that Jesus does NOT rebuke them for pursuing greatness! Rather, he calls them to Himself and uses the embarrassing moment to equip them for pursuing true greatness. He is not discouraging their pursuit of greatness in favor of being bland and weak. Rather, He is encouraging their pursuit of greatness as if finally they are starting to hunger for something worth pursuing.
Jesus introduces them to the economy of the Trinity where each person of the Godhead endlessly and enthusiastically spends Himself celebrating and serving the greatness of the Other and none are diminished for doing so. Rather each is eternally magnified in the praises of the Others.
It has only and always been the lie of the snake that greatness is gained by grabbing, by transgressing, by trampling others.
In perhaps the most surprising turn of all, Jesus exalts the lowliest and most mundane occupation of the day - the job of the servant. The one who does for others what they ask. The one who provides for others what they need. The one nobody notices when they are doing their best work.
In the Roman world, the servants or slaves of the day were captive against their will. Poverty, conquest, or prejudice kept them in their places. It was much the same for the Jews, but the Jewish people did know of another Servant - the Servant of the LORD.
We know it changed them because everywhere they went they told this story on themselves - one of their most embarrassing days redeemed by the stunning beauty of Jesus and the gospel. We also know it from the way they referred to themselves from that day forward.
Peter, the Christ-rebuker, refers to himself as “Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ.”
John, the son of thunder, becomes John “the slave” of Jesus and brother of those being exiled and marginalized for proclaiming the gospel in Revelation.
Paul, the racist terrorist turned apostle to the Gentiles, whose writings undergird the entire Christian faith is always and only in all his letters “a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle.”
The Glory of Jesus
Mark 9:1-13
The Glory of Jesus
Mark 9:1-13
Main Idea: Jesus is the source of glory and the pinnacle of God’s revelation, who will share his glory with us.
I. The Source of Glory (9:1-8)
There are unmistakable parallels between this account and Mt. Sinai in the book of Exodus.
The timestamp of “6 days” (Ex. 24:16)
Traveling up a “high mountain” (Ex. 24:1)
Moses’ face “shining” after encountering God’s glory (Ex. 34:29)
The cloud of God’s presence and the voice of the Lord (Ex. 24:16)
Jesus was “transfigured” (to be ‘changed’ or ‘transformed’) before Peter, James, and John. The disciples are not seeing Jesus transform into something he wasn’t before, but rather seeing him as he truly is and how all will one day see him: glorious and “intensely white” (cf. Col. 2:9, John 1:14)
“Is this Mount Sinai all over again? No, because there is a head-snapping twist. Moses had reflected the glory of God. But Jesus produces the glory of God; it emanates from him. Jesus does not point to the glory of God as Elijah, Moses, and every other prophet has done; Jesus is the glory of God in human form.”
~ Tim Keller, Jesus the King
Hebrews 1:3: He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high
Moses and Elijah’s presence represent the Law and the Prophets in the Old Testament. They also had previous “mountain top” experiences on Sinai, and anticipated the coming of the Messiah (cf. Deut. 18:15, Mal. 4:4-6). Peter and the disciples' confusion is understandable, as an encounter like this would have been deadly in the Old Testament.
God’s presence then descends in a cloud, and the voice makes clear what Peter should have known: “This is my beloved Son; listen to him” (cf. 1:11) Then suddenly, everything else fades away “but Jesus only.” This is the point of the transfiguration: Jesus is not on the same level as Moses and Elijah. He is in a glorious class of his own, and therefore, we must listen to him.
II. The Surprise of Glory (9:9-13)
Coming down the mountain, Jesus commands his disciples one final time in Mark to remain “silent” about what they have seen. This time, however, he adds an “expiration” to his command: “until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.” The resurrection is the key to everything, and until it has occurred, the disciples' vision will be blurred and partial.
The disciples reveal again their misunderstanding surrounding the suffering of Christ (cf. 8:31-33). The disciples assume the presence of Elijah means the “day of the Lord” must be imminent (Mal. 4:4-5). But they see no way that Jesus’ suffering is compatible with this vision. Jesus affirms that Elijah has indeed come in the ministry of John the Baptist, but he suffered and died, just as Jesus will.
Hebrews 2:9: But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
“The Transfiguration serves to confirm that the suffering Jesus will endure is not incompatible with his glory. The scene functions like a hologram. For a brief moment, the disciples glimpse the truth as divine glory shines through the veil of suffering. It foreshadows the time when God will gloriously enthrone Jesus after the degradation on the cross. This white flash of the splendor to come brightens the dark cloud of tribulation that presently hangs over Mark’s first readers and confirms Jesus’ promise that those who follow and suffer for him will not have done so in vain.”
~ David Garland
III. Our Future Glory
The word for ‘transfigured’ is only used two other times in the New Testament outside of this account:
Romans 12:2: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
2 Corinthians 3:18a: And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.
We are right now being transformed into the glory of Jesus, though we do not always outwardly see it. And though our outer selves will “waste away” in this life (2 Cor. 4:16), we will one day be transformed into the same glory as Jesus, as we follow in his resurrection. Our future is truly “glorious” in Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:42–43, 49: “What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power… Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.”
“The New Testament writers speak as if Christ’s achievement in rising from the dead was the first event of its kind in the whole history of the universe. He is the ‘first fruits,’ the pioneer of life,’ He has forced open a door that has been locked since the death of the first man. He has met, fought, and beaten the King of Death. Everything is different because He has done so. This is the beginning of the New Creation: a new chapter in cosmic history has opened.”
~ C.S. Lewis
The Christ & The Cross
Mark 8:22-38
The Christ & The Cross
Mark 8:22-38
Main Idea: Jesus is the King who must be crucified, calling us to a cruciform life of discipleship.
I. The Concern of Blindness (8:22-26)
This healing introduces the theme of “seeing” and “blindness” that runs throughout Mark 8:22-10:52. This healing is unique, as it takes part in two-stages. This has nothing to do with the power of Jesus, but instead as a representation of the “partial” understanding of the disciples.
“In a single event Jesus is giving the blind man mercy and giving his disciples a mirror. Halfway through his healing, the blind man did not yet have 20/20 vision; halfway through Mark’s Gospel, the disciples do not yet have 20/20 vision. They understand Jesus’ mission, but only fuzzily.”
~ Dane Ortlund, Surprised by Jesus
II. The Confession of Christ (8:27-33)
These verses serve as the center point of the Gospel of Mark and the ‘hinge’ of the book. All of Mark has been building to the question: Who do you say that I am? Everything that comes after this moment will be a consequence of this interaction with the disciples.
While Peter rightly identifies that Jesus is indeed ‘the Christ’ (cf. 1:1), it was unthinkable in this context that the Christ would suffer and be crucified. Peter has supplied the proper title but has the wrong understanding of what this means. They did not realize that the glorious ‘Son of Man’ of Daniel 7 was also the suffering servant of Isaiah (Isa. 52-53).
Peter ‘rebukes’ Jesus (the language of exorcism), standing against him in the strongest possible terms. Peter calls him ‘Satan’ because this is precisely the thinking that Satan tempts Jesus in the wilderness, offering the crown without the cross (cf. Mt. 4:8-10). Jesus emphasizes that the Christ must go through all of these events (suffering, death, and resurrection); while Peter finds the cross inexplicable, Jesus teaches it is inevitable.
“One common reason we fail to leave sin behind is that we have a domesticated view of Jesus… Have we unintentionally reduced him to manageable predictable proportions? Have we been looking at a junior varsity, decaffeinated, one-dimensional Jesus of our own making, thinking we’re looking at the real Jesus? Have we snorkeled in the shallows thinking we’ve now hit bottom on the Pacific?”
~ Dane Ortlund, Deeper
III. The Cost of Discipleship (8:34-38)
Jesus will predict his suffering, death, and resurrection three times in Mark (8:31, 9:31, 10:32-34). After each of these predictions, he then immediately talks about the demands of discipleship. In our passage, Jesus outlines three components to discipleship:
Deny Yourself
Take Up Your Cross
Follow Me
“The cross is not only the source but also the shape of our salvation, and cross-shaped living means that all Christian virtues and practices are cruciform.”
~ Michael Gorman
In the “upside-down” life of the Kingdom of God, death is the way to life, loss is the way to gain, and humility is the way to glory. Following Jesus is an invitation to pick up our cross now while awaiting in faith a promised future glory (8:38), seeing that joy and satisfaction are found only in Jesus.
“The principle runs through all life from top to bottom. Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save It. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favorite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end: submit with every fiber of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.”~ C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Approaching Jesus
Mark 7:24-30
Approaching Jesus
Mark 7:24-30
Main Idea: Through bold faith Jesus receives and feeds the unworthy.
I. The Problem (7:24-26)
Relational/Cultural Strife
Jews and Gentiles
Men and Women
II. The Parable (7:27-28)
“In Jesus’s day the Jews often called the Gentiles dogs because they were ‘unclean’. Is what Jesus says to her just an insult, then? No it’s a parable. The word parable means ‘metaphor’ or ‘likeness,’ and that’s what this is. One key to understanding it is the very usual word Jesus uses for ‘dogs’ here. He uses a diminutive form, a word that really means ‘puppies’… Jesus is saying to her, ‘You know how families eat: First the children eat at the table, and then afterward their pets eat too. It is not right to violate that order. The puppies must not eat food from the table before the children do.’”
-Tim Keller
Acts 10:25-35 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.” And Cornelius said, “Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.” So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
Luke 18:13-14 “…‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
“We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” -Tim Keller
III. The Product (7:29-30)
This account impacts three different audiences: The woman, the child, and the disciples
The Woman
The Child
The Disciples
The Heart of the Matter
Mark 7:1-23
The Heart of the Matter
Mark 7:1-23
Main Idea: Jesus diagnoses the source of our sin and provides the solution to our uncleanness.
I. Outside-In Traditions (7:1-13)
The Pharisees and Scribes (cf. 3:6, 22) accuse Jesus’ disciples of “defiling” themselves by not washing their hands before eating. This is not an argument over hygiene but over ritual purity and how one can be clean before God.
There are two problems with the approach of the religious leaders:
They elevated the traditions of men with the word of God (7:1-5)
The Pharisees used the Mishnah (“the tradition of the elders”) to develop elaborate cleansing regulations. None of the ‘washing’ in these verses are actually prescribed in the Old Testament, however. The Mishnah was intended to be a “fence” around the Torah, but it led to the people treating the letter of the law as more important than the spirit of the law (cf. Mt. 23:27-28).They encouraged hypocrisy and vain worship (7:6-13)
Jesus quotes Isaiah 29:13 to show that the issue is not defiled hands but defiled hearts. The Pharisees and Scribes were engaged in practices (like “Corban”) to find loopholes to avoid obeying God’s Word, baptizing their disobedience in spiritual language.
“The Pharisees are described as hypocrites, but not in the sense that we usually use that term, meaning someone who says one thing but lives in a different way… they are hypocrites because they are not unified in heart and action; they actually do the right things, but they are not the right kind of people because their hearts are wrong… Because righteousness is whole-person virtuous living, for a religious community the most serious potential opposite to this is not blatant immorality but a skin-deep righteousness.”
~ Jonathan Pennington
Matthew 5:20: For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
II. Inside-Out Transformation (7:14-23)
Jesus and religious leaders agree on the problem of uncleanness, but they disagree on both the source and the solution.
1. The Source of Our Problem
Jesus graphically explains with an illustration/parable that it is not what is “out there” that defiles us, but what is “in here.” Sinful actions and attitudes come from within, not from the outside (cf. Sermon on the Mount, John 3)
“The heart is the center of life, the core of being, the place where manhood maintains its throne; and what a terrible statement this is, that out of the very center of life there proceed from man “evil thoughts, wickedness, blasphemy,” and the like! ... By the heart is meant mainly the affections, but it often includes the understanding and the will; it is, in fact, the man’s vital self. Sin is not a thing ‘ad extra’ that comes to us and afflicts us like robbers breaking into our house at night; but it is a tenant of the soul, dwelling within us as in its own house. This evil worm has penetrated into the kernel of our being, and there it abides. Sin has intertwisted itself with the warp and woof of our nature; and none can remove it but the Lord God himself. As long as the heart remains unchanged, out of it will proceed that which is sinful. “Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart is only evil continually. (Gen. 6:5)” ~ Charles Spurgeon
Hebrews 4:12–13: For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
2. The Solution to Our Problem (7:19)
Mark’s editorial note that Jesus “declared all foods clean” points to a far greater reality. Jesus has been breaking all sorts of ceremonial cleanliness regulations in the gospel of Mark, not because he disregards these laws, but because he has come to fulfill what they were pointing to all along (cf. Mt. 5:17).
Jesus touches unclean things and makes them clean, rather than becoming unclean himself. The ceremonial laws anticipated a complete and total cleansing that comes through the blood of Christ (1 Pet. 1:18-19, 1 Jn. 1:7)
Hebrews 9:13–14: For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh,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.