Mark Chapter 7
Showing all 37 verses for Mark Chapter 7.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. "
"Religious experts and legal scholars travelled all the way from Jerusalem to gather round Jesus and keep watch on him."
I know that when what you do matters, people in power start paying close attention - including people looking for reasons to find fault. Don't let that scrutiny make you flinch from doing what's right.
"And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. "
"They noticed some of Jesus's followers eating without doing the ritual hand-washing first, and criticised them for it."
I care less about whether you've ticked every ritual box than about what's actually happening in your heart. Don't let people judge your worth by surface-level compliance with rules that don't actually make you a better person.
"For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. "
"Mark explains for his non-Jewish readers: Jewish people generally didn't eat without ritually washing their hands first, following the customs passed down by their elders."
I want my story told plainly enough that anyone, whatever their background, can understand it - truth shouldn't need insider knowledge to access it.
"And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. "
"And when they came back from the marketplace, they wouldn't eat until they'd washed - and they kept many other traditions too, like ritually rinsing cups, jugs, kettles and even dining couches."
I don't want your life crowded out by endless rules about objects and surfaces while your heart goes unattended. Give your energy to what actually changes you, not to rituals that just keep you busy.
"Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? "
"So the religious leaders confronted Jesus directly: "Why don't your followers keep the tradition of the elders - why do they eat with unwashed hands?""
I won't let you be pressured into performing rules just to satisfy people who are watching for a slip-up. Live by what's true and good, not by what keeps critics quiet.
"He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. "
"Jesus replied, "Isaiah nailed it when he prophesied about people like you, hypocrites: 'These people honour me with their words, but their hearts are far away from me.'""
I care about what's real, not what's performed. If you find yourself going through the motions without your heart in it, that's the exact gap I want to close - not by trying harder to perform, but by becoming genuinely honest.
"Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. "
""It's pointless for them to worship me while teaching man-made rules as if they were God's laws.""
I want you to be able to tell the difference between rules that genuinely help you love people well and rules that just exist to control you. Question the second kind - I do too.
"For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. "
""You've dropped God's actual command and instead cling to human tradition - like these washing rituals for pots and cups - and you do plenty more like it.""
I'd rather you kept one real command from the heart than a hundred rituals from habit. Check regularly that what you're doing is actually love in action, not just tradition for its own sake.
"And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. "
"He went on, "You're experts at setting aside God's command so you can keep your own tradition instead!""
I notice when a rule protects the people enforcing it rather than the people it claims to serve. Have the courage to spot that pattern in institutions, and in yourself, and choose the deeper good instead.
"For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: "
""For Moses said, 'Honour your father and mother,' and, 'Anyone who curses father or mother is to be put to death.'""
I take care of the people who raised you seriously - it's one of the plainest ways love shows up in ordinary life. Don't let cleverness talk you out of a basic duty.
"But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. "
""But you say if someone tells their father or mother, 'Whatever support you might have received from me is Corban' - meaning, dedicated to God - that's allowed.""
I won't let you hide behind a technicality to avoid the harder, real obligation to care for someone. Genuine devotion always shows up as practical love, never as an excuse to withhold it.
"And ye him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
""So you no longer let that person do anything for their father or mother.""
I judge a rule by what it does to real people, not by how clever or official it sounds. If following a "principle" leaves someone you love unsupported, the principle has gone wrong.
"Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. "
""You cancel out God's word with the tradition you've handed down, and you do plenty of other things just like it.""
I want you to keep asking whether your habits and traditions are still serving the purpose they were meant for, or have quietly started working against it. Be willing to let go of the ones that have.
"And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: "
"Then Jesus called the whole crowd over and said, "Listen to me, all of you, and understand this.""
I don't keep the important things back for religious insiders only. What I have to say is for everyone, and I want you to actually understand it, not just hear it.
"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. "
""Nothing that goes into a person from outside can make them unclean. It's what comes out of a person that makes them unclean.""
I'm not interested in what you eat, wear, or ritually touch - I'm interested in what's growing in your heart, because that's what actually shapes how you treat people. Stop worrying about external purity and start paying attention to your inner life.
"If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. "
""If anyone is really listening, let them take this in.""
I say important things simply, but that doesn't mean they're simple to live out. Take time to actually absorb what matters, rather than rushing on.
"And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. "
"When Jesus had gone indoors, away from the crowd, his disciples asked him what this saying meant."
I don't mind you asking me to explain something again - confusion isn't failure, it's the start of actually learning. Come to me honestly with what you don't understand.
"And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; "
"He said to them, "Are you still not getting it either? Don't you see that nothing from outside a person can make them unclean?""
I get frustrated sometimes too, even with people I love and trust - that's honest, not a failure of patience. Don't be afraid of your own frustration; just keep explaining, keep trying.
"Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? "
""Because it doesn't go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body." (By saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)"
I care about setting people free from unnecessary burdens, even sacred ones, when they've stopped serving love and started serving fear or exclusion. Watch for rules in your own life that no longer connect to anything good.
"And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. "
"He continued, "It's what comes out of a person that makes them unclean.""
I'm asking you to take responsibility for what actually comes out of you - your words, your actions - rather than managing appearances. That's harder, but it's the only kind of change that's real.
"For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, "
""For it's from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come - sexual immorality, theft, murder...""
I want to help you at the root, not just trim the branches - real change starts with honestly noticing your own thoughts before they become actions. That's uncomfortable work, but it's where freedom actually begins.
"Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: "
""...theft, greed, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness.""
I'm not asking you to compare yourself to worse people and feel fine - I'm asking you to look honestly at your own envy, pride, and small deceits, because that's where the real work is for every one of us, including the people who think they're doing fine.
"All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. "
""All these evil things come from inside, and they are what make a person unclean.""
I judge you by what's genuinely in your heart, worked out in how you treat people - never by rituals, appearances, or rule-keeping. Focus your effort there and everything else follows.
"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. "
"From there Jesus set out for the region around Tyre and Sidon. He went into a house, wanting no one to know he was there - but he couldn't stay hidden."
I need rest too, and it's honest to seek it even when I know I might not fully get it. Don't feel guilty for needing to step back from constant demands on you - even I did.
"For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: "
"A woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him and came straight away, falling at his feet."
I respond to genuine, humble desperation, wherever it comes from and whoever brings it. Never think your need disqualifies you from asking for help.
"The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. "
"The woman was Greek, born in the Syrophoenician region. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter."
I don't let ethnicity, nationality or background decide who deserves compassion. Anyone who comes to me honestly is heard.
"But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. "
"Jesus told her, "Let the children eat first - it's not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.""
I don't pretend everything I say lands easily or comfortably - sometimes what looks like a closed door invites a bolder answer. Don't be afraid to push back on me with honest, persistent faith, as she does next.
"And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs. "
"But she replied, "Yes, Lord - but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.""
I honour someone who keeps asking with humility rather than giving up at the first "no." Your persistence, offered without bitterness, can open doors that seemed shut.
"And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. "
"Jesus said to her, "Because you answered like that, go home - the demon has left your daughter.""
I respond to real faith wherever I find it, and I don't make you wait longer than necessary once you've shown it. Your honest persistence matters to me.
"And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed. "
"She went home and found her daughter lying on the bed, the demon gone."
I can meet a need even when I'm not standing right in front of you - trust doesn't require me to be physically close for something real to change.
"And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. "
"Jesus then left the region of Tyre and Sidon and travelled, via Sidon, to the Sea of Galilee, going through the region of the Decapolis (the "Ten Cities")."
I go where people are, even out of my way, even into unfamiliar or foreign territory. Don't assume help or hope only exists close to home.
"And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. "
"People brought a deaf man who also had a speech impediment to Jesus, begging him to place his hand on him."
I notice when people bring their friends' needs to me, not just their own. Advocating for someone who struggles to ask for help themselves is a real act of love.
"And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; "
"Jesus took him away from the crowd, privately. He put his fingers in the man's ears, spat, and touched his tongue."
I meet you where you actually are, adapting how I reach you rather than expecting you to reach me on my terms. Real care pays attention to a person's specific situation, not a generic approach.
"And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. "
"Looking up to heaven, Jesus sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha" - which means, "Be opened.""
I feel the weight of suffering even while I'm in the middle of relieving it - compassion isn't distant or clinical for me. Let yourself feel deeply for people too; it doesn't make you less capable of helping them.
"And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. "
"Immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was freed, and he began to speak clearly."
I don't do things by halves - when I act, real, complete change is possible, however long you've struggled with something.
"And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; "
"Jesus ordered them to tell no one, but the more he told them not to, the more they spread the news."
I'm not chasing attention or applause - genuine goodness doesn't need to be broadcast to be real. Do good quietly when you can, and let it speak for itself.
"And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. "
"People were utterly amazed, saying, "He has done everything well - he even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.""
I want the good I do to speak for itself, in a way that makes even sceptical or unfamiliar onlookers pause and take notice. Let your actions, not your words, be what convinces people something good is happening.