What Comes From the Heart
Clean hands, unclean hearts
Two things you can tap
- A verse number shows the Bible’s exact words.
- An underlined word shows what it means.
Story
What happened?
Tap a verse number, like , to read the Bible’s exact words.
The whole story, in shortWhat happens, start to finish. Open it if you want the ending first.
Some Pharisees and scribes complained that Jesus's disciples ate without washing their hands the way tradition required. Jesus quoted Isaiah, "These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me," and said they set aside God's commands to keep their own traditions. He told the crowd that nothing going into a person from outside makes them unclean, because evil thoughts and actions come from within the heart.
Where it is in the Bible: Mark 7:1-23
Who’s who and what came beforePeople, places, and the story so far. Open it anytime.
Scene Card
Cast
- Jesus: The one the Gospels present as the promised Messiah and the Son of God.
- The Pharisees and scribes: Religious leaders, some from Jerusalem. They were careful about washing rules.
- The disciples: Jesus's closest followers.
- The crowd: People who had come to hear Jesus.
Setting
- Galilee, near the Sea of Galilee.
When
- About 2,000 years ago, during Jesus's work in Galilee.
Before the Story
Jesus had just fed five thousand people. He also walked on water (6:41-51).
Wherever he went, sick people were brought to him. Everyone who touched his cloak was healed (6:56).
Leaders came from Jerusalem to watch him. They had come before, and said he had the devil in him (3:22).
Map of the Story
| Scene | Verses | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Unwashed hands | 7:1-5 | The leaders complain about the disciples |
| 2. Lips and hearts | 7:6-13 | Jesus says they put their own rules above God's |
| 3. Outside and inside | 7:14-15 | Jesus teaches the crowd |
| 4. From the heart | 7:17-23 | Jesus explains to his disciples |
Plain Retelling
Scene 1 of 4Unwashed Hands
Some Pharisees and scribes came from Jerusalem and gathered around Jesus.
They saw some of his disciples eating with unwashed hands.
This wasn't about germs. The leaders followed old traditions about washing hands, cups, and pots in a special way before eating, to be "clean" before God.
They asked Jesus, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders? Instead, they eat with defiled hands" (7:5). Defiled means unclean.
Scene 2 of 4Lips and Hearts
Jesus answered with words from the prophet Isaiah.
"These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me" (7:6).
"You have disregarded the commandment of God to keep the tradition of men" (7:8).
Then he gave an example. God commands people to honor their father and mother.
But some people said, "This money was going to help my parents, but now I've promised it to God." Then they didn't have to help their parents.
They used a religious rule to get out of what God commanded.
Scene 3 of 4Outside and Inside
Jesus called the crowd over. "All of you, listen to Me and understand" (7:14).
"Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him; but the things that come out of a man, these are what defile him" (7:15).
Scene 4 of 4From the Heart
Later, in a house, the disciples asked Jesus what he meant.
"Are you still so dull?" he asked (7:18). Dull means slow to understand.
Food goes into the stomach, not the heart. So food can't make a person unclean before God.
"What comes out of a man, that is what defiles him" (7:20).
Jesus listed things that come from inside people's hearts: evil thoughts, stealing, murder, greed, lying, envy, pride, and more.
"All these evils come from within, and these are what defile a man" (7:23).
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "The tradition of the elders" (7:5) | Rules people added over time. They were not in God's law. |
| "Honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me" (7:6) | Saying the right words isn't the same as loving God. |
| "You have disregarded the commandment of God" (7:8) | Their rules got in the way of what God really asked. |
| "Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him" (7:15) | Food can't make you unclean before God. |
| "Thus all foods are clean" (7:19) | Mark explains what Jesus's words meant: no food is off limits before God. |
| "From within the hearts of men" (7:21) | Sin starts on the inside. |
Back Then
"Corban" meant a gift devoted to God. Saying "Corban" over money could set it aside for the temple.
Washing before eating was a religious ritual. Priests washed before serving in the temple. Some Pharisees did this at every meal, to be holy like priests.
God's law had rules about clean and unclean foods. They are in Leviticus 11. Mark says Jesus's words meant those food rules no longer divided people.
Literal Reader Alert
Does this mean I don't need to wash my hands? No. Washing your hands is good and healthy. This story isn't about germs. It's about religious rules for being "clean" before God.
Are traditions bad? No. Many traditions help us worship and remember. Jesus warned against traditions that get in the way of God's commands, like helping your parents.
If my heart has bad things in it, am I hopeless? No. Everyone's heart has these things. Jesus came to make hearts clean. "Create in me a clean heart, O God" is an old prayer you can pray (Psalm 51:10).
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The leaders | Critical | The disciples didn't wash the "right" way (7:5) |
| The leaders | Offended | Jesus called them hypocrites (7:6) |
| The disciples | Confused | They didn't understand what Jesus meant (7:17) |
| Jesus | Frustrated | His disciples were still so slow to understand (7:18) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
Where do you look for being "good"? Tap one.
Doing the right things
Good actions matter. But God looks at the heart first.
Following rules
God's commands are good. Jesus warns about rules that hide the heart.
My heart is a mess
Everyone's is. Jesus came to give you a clean heart.
I'm not sure
Start with Jesus. He makes hearts clean.
You Might Have Heard
"If you look good on the outside, you're good with God."
What's true: What we do matters. Our actions show what's inside.
What the story is mainly about: Jesus says evil comes from the heart, not from outside things like food. No ritual can clean a heart. Only God can. That's why Jesus came.
Where Jesus is: Telling the truth about our hearts, and on his way to the cross, where he would make us clean.
Good News
No washing can clean a heart. Jesus can.
"For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts" (7:21).
That's the hard truth. The good news is that Jesus came for people with hearts like that. He forgives, washes us clean in baptism, and gives us new hearts.
Evil comes from the heart. Jesus came to make hearts clean.
Big Idea
What makes us unclean comes from the heart, not from outside. Jesus came to make our hearts clean.
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
Luther warned against "human traditions" that made people think they could earn God's favor by rituals. He taught that we are made right with God by faith in Christ, not by rules people invent.
In Church
Many churches follow the Revised Common Lectionary. In Year B, it reads parts of Mark 7:1-23 in late August or early September (Lectionary 22).
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.
How did that feel?
You finished What Comes From the Heart.
Using this at church
Read in church on
- Lectionary 22 Year BGospel, Mark 7:1–8, 14–15, 21–23
For a newsletter or sermon notes
What Comes From the Heart, explained in plain words. The leaders complain about unwashed hands. Jesus says sin comes from the heart. About 7 minutes. https://freescripture.org/stories/what-comes-from-the-heart/
Lines for the next eight Sundays, on Digital Lutheran Church