Mark 7:15
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.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus is turning the concept of "defilement" completely inward, pointing out that true impurity doesn't come from breaking ritual laws about food or cleanliness, but from the actual thoughts and intentions harbored within the heart. This radically shifts the focus from external actions to the internal landscape of a person's being.
Jesus has just condemned the Pharisees for their hypocrisy and for prioritizing human traditions over God's commands. Now, he turns to address the crowd directly, declaring that true defilement doesn't come from what a person eats or from external practices, but from the wicked intentions and actions that originate within their own hearts. Following this public declaration, Jesus withdraws to explain this principle more fully to his disciples, who struggle to grasp its profound implications.
Ever feel like following rules or avoiding certain foods will make you 'good enough' for God? Jesus flips that idea on its head.
Jesus is drawing a radical distinction between outward actions and the inner state of the heart. He declares that nothing a person eats or takes into their body can make them unclean in God's sight.
The Problem with Externalism
For generations, religious leaders had focused heavily on rituals and regulations – like specific washing practices before eating – as the key to purity. But Jesus says these external things don't touch the core of a person's spiritual condition. They don't get to the heart of the matter.
The True Source of Defilement
Jesus points to the source of sin: the human heart. It's not what goes in, but what comes out – our thoughts, desires, words, and actions – that truly defiles us. This is where sin originates and where the real battle for purity lies.
Jesus didn't just say 'bad things come out of us.' He pinpointed exactly where they come from.
Jesus identifies the human heart as the root of all impurity. When He speaks of things 'coming out,' He's talking about the overflow of what's inside.
What's Inside?
The list Jesus gives in the parallel passage in Matthew (and implied here) is sobering: 'wicked thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slander' (Matthew 15:19). These aren't just isolated incidents; they are the natural products of an unrenewed heart.
A Spiritual Diagnosis
This isn't just about outward behavior; it's a deep diagnosis of the human condition. Defilement isn't a surface stain; it's a deep-seated corruption that originates from within. True purity, therefore, must be an internal transformation, not just an external adjustment.
Understand the original words
koinoo · Greek Verb
To make ceremonially or morally unclean or impure. In a biblical sense, it refers to something that separates a person from a right standing with a holy God.
This teaching was radical because it challenged the Pharisees' meticulous focus on external, ritual purity laws, which defined religious observance for many Jews. Jesus redirects the focus inward, to the heart, where true defilement originates, setting the stage for a new understanding of God's law and relationship with Him.
c. 20-30 AD— this verse
Jesus' Public Ministry
Jesus is actively teaching and healing throughout Galilee and Judea, attracting large crowds while also drawing the attention and criticism of religious leaders.
c. 26-36 AD
Pontius Pilate Governs Judea
As the Roman prefect, Pilate's rule represents the oppressive foreign power in Judea, creating a backdrop of political tension and potential unrest.
c. 28 AD
Jesus Encounters Pharisees and Scribes
Jesus frequently engages with and challenges the religious establishment, particularly the Pharisees and Scribes, whose strict interpretations of the Law often clash with Jesus' teachings and actions.
c. 30 AD
Jesus' Teaching on Purity
Jesus delivers teachings that directly address and often reinterpret or challenge the ceremonial and ritualistic purity laws emphasized by the religious leaders of the day.
This passage directly parallels Jesus' teaching, explicitly stating that it's not what goes into a person but what comes out of them that defiles them, linking it to the heart's condition.
Luke 6:45This verse emphasizes that a person's character is revealed by what they 'store up' in their heart, with good or evil overflowing from their words and actions, reinforcing the idea that the internal state dictates external expression.
Romans 14:14Paul echoes Jesus' teaching by declaring to the Romans that no food is inherently unclean, as nothing is unclean in itself, thereby separating ritual purity from true moral defilement.
1 Corinthians 10:25-26This passage further clarifies the concept of clean and unclean foods in the New Testament, affirming that believers can eat whatever is sold in the market without questioning its purity, as all things are from the Lord.
Jeremiah 17:9This Old Testament prophet declares the human heart to be deceitfully wicked and incurable, providing the theological backdrop for Jesus' emphasis on the internal source of defilement, rather than external practices.
pooleMark 7:15: "There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man."
Ver. 15,16. The addition of these words, If any man have ears to hear, let him hear, confirm what I observed before, that our Saviour looked upon what he said as a truth of very great moment, and withal as such a notion which carnal hearts and superstitious persons had no ears to hear. This great truth was, That a man in the sight of…
calvinMark 7:14-23: "And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:"
- And having called the multitudes to him, he said to them, Hear and understand. 11. What entereth into the mouth polluteth not the man, but what goes out of the mouth polluteth the man. 12. Then his disciples approaching said to him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended when they heard that saying? 13. But he answering, said, Every plant which my heave…
Jesus is turning the concept of "defilement" completely inward, pointing out that true impurity doesn't come from breaking ritual laws about food or cleanliness, but from the actual thoughts and intentions harbored within the heart. This radically shifts the focus from external actions to the internal landscape of a person's being.
Jesus has just condemned the Pharisees for their hypocrisy and for prioritizing human traditions over God's commands. Now, he turns to address the crowd directly, declaring that true defilement doesn't come from what a person eats or from external practices, but from the wicked intentions and actions that originate within their own hearts. Following this public declaration, Jesus withdraws to explain this principle more fully to his disciples, who struggle to grasp its profound implications.
Jesus has just condemned the Pharisees for their hypocrisy and for prioritizing human traditions over God's commands. Now, he turns to address the crowd directly, declaring that true defilement doesn't come from what a person eats or from external practices, but from the wicked intentions and actions that originate within their own hearts. Following this public declaration, Jesus withdraws to explain this principle more fully to his disciples, who struggle to grasp its profound implications.
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"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.”" — Jesus is turning the concept of "defilement" completely inward, pointing out that true impurity doesn't come from breaking ritual laws about food or cleanliness, but from the actual thoughts and inte…
