Mark 7:14-23 And calling near all the crowd, He said to them,
“Listen to Me, every one of you, and understand. There is nothing from outside a man which entering into him can defile him; But the things which come out of him, those are the ones that defile the man. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
And when He had entered into the house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable. And He said to them,
“Are you also without understanding? Do you not perceive that whatever enters into the man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter into his heart, but into the belly, and goes out into the wastebowl, purifying all food? And He said, That which comes out of the man is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things pass out from inside and defile the man.”
Is rebellion a choice?
Where did my aversion to authority come from?
I didn’t grow up in a strict household, but as a teenager I couldn’t seem to conform to the expectations of school and church and citizenship. My parents asked me to attend Catholic services with them until the age of sixteen and I agreed, looking forward to walking through that Exit Door on my sixteenth birthday. When the time came, I could no longer sense the presence of God in the church at all. It seemed to me that the whole experience had been converted into a hollow system of ritual and obligation.
Imagine my surprise when I stumbled into this little scripture reading. I grew up not eating red meat on Friday (seafood was okay because Jesus was somehow associated with fish). Other faiths have other dietary restrictions.
Some don’t eat shellfish. Some don’t eat pork.
If I’m reading these verses correctly, Jesus is teaching us
not to worry as much about what goes INTO our mouths,
and to care more about what comes OUT of our mouths.
YES!
I had never heard that before. It made sense to me.
It gave me joy. So, we call this “The Bacon Picture”
I’ve realized something since then;
Following the Old Rules is MUCH easier
than Living this Newer Teaching!
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