Mark 7:21-25

Mark 7:21 (KJB)
For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

Jesus then gives some of the things which lies in the heart of a wicked person and shows how out of that wicked heart will come actions which are commensurate with that unregenerate heart:

Evil Thoughts - Evil thoughts or reasoning which begins in the mind. It is at this point when sinful thoughts eventually begin to turn into sinful actions.

Adulteries - The act of committing adultery and that may be physical adultery with someone who is not your spouse but is married to another. It may also refer to spiritual adultery such as what the Pharisees were doing by rejecting God’s word and elevating the words of man to the status of the word of God.

Fornications - This has to do with not only prostitution but also unchastity or immorality. It has to do with living an immoral life in all of its evil glory. We get the word “pornography” from the Greek word behind it.

Murders - This has to do with not only the physical murder of a person but also murdering their character through gossip or false stories.

Mark 7:22 (KJB)
Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

Thefts - This has to do with any type of stealing whether it is planned stealing or something one does out of habit such as take a pen from work. It also has to do with stealing the work of others or just stealing anything.

Covetousness - It has to do with greediness when we see something someone else has and we desire it, whether openly or secretly. It also denotes self-gratification by taking something or someone especially in sexual desire.

Wickedness - It has to do with acts of intentional maliciousness. It has to with depravity and sinfulness.

Deceit - It has to do with idea of lure or bait involving trickery and treachery. It is to deceive another while getting them to believe you when you know it is just the opposite.

Lasciviousness - It has to do with a person who gives in to depraved impulses.

Evil Eye - Has to do with one who is envious and rejoices at the misery of others. It also means a person has a single focus on something which is evil such as gaining riches without concern of doing it lawfully.

Blasphemy - Blasphemy is abusive or slanderous speech and is used against both God and man.

Pride - It has to do with arrogance and the belief that somehow you are better than everyone else.

Foolishness - It is the trait which the Bible uses to describe one who does not know God and has no desire to know Him. (Psa 53:1 KJV) The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.

Mark 7:23 (KJB)
All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Jesus goes beyond just evil thoughts and shows them how evil the heart of man really is. Man is so corrupted in his heart by sin that the range of sins goes from the evil thought right to the act of murder. Jesus gave some examples from the Ten Commandments. (Eccl 8:11 KJV) Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. (Jer 17:9 KJV) The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jesus is teaching the disciple how wicked the heart of man can be and why the necessity of the new birth. A person who has these types of sins in their hearts and the propensity to commit such sins, cannot be made righteous by means of a ceremony. This was the great error of the Pharisees. They emphasized the external facets of religion which could never take away an evil heart, all it could do was cover it up until it erupted again. Jesus wanted His disciples to know that sin is a matter of the heart and must be dealt with spiritually and not ritually.

Mark 7:24 (KJB)
And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid.

Since the opposition to Jesus was starting to grow, He apparently had withdrawn to the major ports of Tyre and Sidon which were in the land of Phoenicia which was northwest of Galilee. The two cities were about 18 miles (29 km) apart. Tyre was destroyed by the Babylonians but was rebuilt and captured by Alexander the Great. Other than Jesus being in Egypt as a child, this was His only trip outside the borders of Israel. Until the time of Jesus, Tyre was a very important center of trade. He entered into someone’s home and hoped that no one would know that He was there but as usual, someone had seen Him and the word spread rapidly that Jesus was present.

Mark 7:25 (KJB)
For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:

Since this area was previously inhabited by Canaanites, this woman is called a woman of Canaan. (Mat 15:22 KJV) And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. She must have known who Jesus was and that He was the promised Messiah because she called Him by a messianic title, “son of David.” There was great animosity between the Jews and the Canaanites but she knew exactly who He was, probably from the stories she heard about Jesus delivering people from possession by devils. She also calls Him “O Lord” which was His title of deity. She was coming to Him to have mercy on her since her daughter who was vexed with a devil. No doubt because of that possession, her house was probably dangerous to live in and was probably threatening her health with all the evil activity this devil had created.

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