Mark 7:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,

NIV: For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder,

NASB: For from within, out of the hearts of people, come the evil thoughts, acts of sexual immorality, thefts, murders, acts of adultery,

CSB: For from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders,

NLT: For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder,

KJV: For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

NKJV: For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

In their zeal to keep the Mosaic Law, the scribes and Pharisees over-emphasize manmade traditions to the point that they nullify the law. They obsess over ceremonial uncleanness in fear that they may accidentally eat unclean food and, thereby, become unclean themselves. Jesus explains their foolishness; whether you are unclean as a person is dependent on your heart, not your diet.

"Heart" is from the Greek root word kardia. It is the core of our being from which our desires, thoughts, and judgments come. Our actions reveal the state of our hearts, they do not define our hearts. A hardened heart will cause a person to indulge in the evil deeds listed in this verse and the next.

"Evil" is from the Greek root word kakos and means inappropriate, harmful, or bad. "Thoughts," from the Greek dialogismos, doesn't mean flickering impulses but careful deliberations and machinations. When the scribes and Pharisees teach the people that it is more important to fulfill a rash oath than care for their parents, they do so after careful, but hard-headed, deliberation.

Most of the rest of the list is self-explanatory and several examples touch on the Ten Commandments. "Sexual immorality" means any improper sexual intercourse, whether it be adultery, fornication, homosexuality, incest, or bestiality.

This passage suggests a very important distinction between having an evil intent and being the victim of evil. A person is unclean if their heart pushes them into sexual sin. A person is not unclean if they are the victim of sexual assault. The shame of a victim of molestation, rape, or voyeurism is not from God. God does not see the person as damaged or sinful or unclean.

Mark 7:14–23 contains Jesus' rebuttal to the Pharisees' beliefs about cleanness (Mark 7:1–5), by condemning their habit of rejecting God's law for their own tradition (Mark 7:6–13). Here, He goes into more detail about what actually makes someone unclean. After, He will live out His teaching of love over tradition by healing a Gentile girl then remaining in a Gentile area to heal and feed four thousand (Mark 7:31–8:10). A parallel description can be found in Matthew 15:10–20.

Jesus counters another traditional error from the scribes and Pharisees, explaining that food in and of itself does not make a person unclean. Rather, it is the intent of the heart that matters to God. He specifically condemns traditions which effectively undo the original intent of God's commands. Jesus heals the daughter of a persistent Gentile woman, and a man suffering from deafness and a speech impediment.

After showing His authority over demons, death, and physics, Jesus asserts His superiority over manmade traditions. For generations, Jewish religious leaders have added to the Law in an attempt to keep the nation holy. Such traditions, however, serve to make the leaders look good but unnecessarily burden the people. Jesus argues in word and action that any law that dismisses love is either misinterpreted or manmade.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.