Things that defile us
The other day I was reading the gospel of Mark. Jesus was being questioned by
the Pharisees about why some of his disciples were eating without first making a
big show of washing their hands. This was apparently one of those traditions the
elders instituted, and everyone went along with, assuming it had come from God.
But it didn’t. and as I was reading this, I had this thought: you should memorize
this. And something happens when you memorize instead of just reading: the
Word comes to life in you! So, here’s what I memorized:
‘He said to them, “Are you also as lacking in understanding? Don’t you realize that
nothing going into a person from the outside can defile him? For it doesn’t go into
his heart, but into the stomach and is eliminated” (thus he declared all foods
clean). And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from
within, out of people’s hearts come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts,
murders, adulteries, greed, evil actions, deceit, self-indulgence, envy, slander,
pride, and foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a person.”
(Mark 7:18-22)
When I memorized this, I broke up the list of things that defile into 3 parts to help
me. I did this accidentally, but I noticed that the 3 sections all started with
something that was going on inside of us that no one could see. And this is what I
noticed:
-Evil thoughts, greed, and envy. All sin starts in our minds. You probably already
know that, but maybe you’re not treating it as important as it really is! I know I
didn’t once when my world fell apart 7 or so years ago. I was a prime target for
the Enemy: I had put my trust in my husband, not in God. in fact, I was pretty sure
God didn’t even like me, and that He couldn’t be trusted. But nothing could be
further from the truth, I just didn’t know it yet! So, I tried to make myself happy
according to the ways of the world. It doesn’t work, and if you’re reading this, I
hope you are at a place where you can know that too!
But here’s what happens when we let the flesh control us: our evil thoughts turn
into our actions. The first part of the list includes the big sins. The obvious ones!
Maybe you haven’t murdered anyone, but have you ever had an immoral
thought? I have. Or action? I have. (I’m not saying any of this to make you feel bad
about yourself! We are all on this list at one time or another, but we will only find
freedom by learning from Jesus and letting it change us!) What about greed? do
we even consider that a sin? Maybe in someone else’s life, but not in our own.
But it shows up in the ways we deceive others and indulge ourselves. And envy:
well, when we are jealous of others, it comes out in the form of gossip. Slander.
Pride in how good we are by comparison. So, this is why we need to take every
thought captive to the obedience of Christ. We cannot control what comes into
our minds, but we do get to decide what we do with each dangerous thought. Do
we mull it over? Or do we reject it?
-we can choose to understand. The other day, when I was reviewing this in my
mind, it occurred to me that when Jesus said this to his disciples: ‘are you also as
lacking in understanding?’ He was implying that to understand is a choice that we
make! Our mind is an amazing, complicated thing, but God has given all of us the
ability to discern things. To understand. To come to a realization of truth! In
talking about unbelievers, Peter says this: “they deliberately overlook this: By the
word of God the heavens came into being long ago and the earth was brought
about from water and through water.’ (2 Peter 3:5). Did you notice that? If you
want to disregard God and His word to us, you have to deliberately forget that
this created world is a miracle, and also that you are a miracle! The Pharisees had
the same reasoning skills as the disciples, they just chose to close their eyes. Don’t
let that be your story! Humble yourself, return to God, and He will return to you.
-we are all in need of a Savior. This list of sins can seem a little depressing and
hopeless if you look at it wrong! But it is just like the law: it makes us aware of our
need for God. We simply cannot keep it perfectly! No one can: just Jesus. And
once we realize what He had to go through so that we can live forever with Him-
well, if that doesn’t change the way we live, then maybe we haven’t met Him yet.
Do you know what the sin of Sodom was? It showed up in extreme sexual
immorality but here’s how it started: ‘pride, plenty of food, comfortable security,
but didn’t support the poor and needy.’ (Ezekiel 16:49b).
To enjoy life is a gift from God, and He gives good gifts along the way, but if we
stop caring about others and meeting their needs, then maybe our hearts are
growing hard. Proud. When I first returned to the Lord after that time of falling
apart, something funny happened. I started to notice people! He does that in us,
He cares for the poor and needy, and He will show us ways to love if we are
keeping our eyes on Him. And here is His invitation:
‘Throw off all the transgressions you have committed and get yourselves a new
heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, house of Israel? For I take no pleasure
in anyone’s death. This is the declaration of the Lord God. So repent and live!’
(Ezekiel 18:31,32).
So, to summarize all this, we have to remember what we already know to be true
about God: we can’t take parts of the Bible; we have to take the whole thing. But
that’s the good news! We are loved and known by God already! He knows how
weak we are, after all, He created us! But He made a way for us to be at peace
with Him, and that is through His Son Jesus. So, no matter what you’ve done or
what I’ve done: we can still be at peace with God! Let today be the day you throw
off the old life and start a new one in Him.
