Mark 7:14-23 The Problem of the Heart

The Problem of the Heart

Mark 7:14–23

Introduction

Imagine watching a home renovation show where contractors fix up a house that had bad work done before. Maybe they put in brand-new tiles in a bathroom but ignored the broken pipes underneath. Or they tore down a wall to make the living room bigger, but it was a load-bearing wall, and now the ceiling is sinking. The house might look nice on the outside, but underneath, the problems remain—and will only get worse.

Jesus used a similar idea to explain that true spiritual defilement isn’t about what’s on the outside. The Pharisees were focused on traditions and external rituals, thinking they made a person clean before God. But Jesus revealed that the real problem was deeper—it was a heart problem. Just like a house with hidden damage, a person might seem good on the surface, but if their heart is corrupt, their whole life is affected.

This passage is important because it challenges us to think about what really makes us unclean before God. It’s not about what we eat or external rituals—it’s about what’s in our hearts.

Background & Context

Jesus had just confronted the Pharisees for putting their traditions above God’s commands. They criticized His disciples for not following the ritual handwashing before eating (Mark 7:5). But Jesus pointed out that their concern was misplaced—they were more worried about human traditions than true obedience to God. Now, He turns to the crowd to teach a deeper truth:

“Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” (Mark 7:14–15)

This was shocking to many because Jewish laws included food restrictions meant to distinguish God’s people from the surrounding nations (Leviticus 11:1–47). But Jesus was explaining that food doesn’t change a person’s spiritual condition—what comes from the heart does. This teaching connects to the Old Testament, where God often rebuked Israel for focusing on outward appearances while their hearts remained corrupt (Isaiah 29:13).

The Main Point: The Heart of the Problem

After leaving the crowd, Jesus’ disciples asked Him to explain the parable. They still didn’t understand, so He clarified:

“Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Mark 7:18–19)

Here, Jesus makes a bold statement—He declares all foods clean. But the bigger issue isn’t food; it’s the condition of the heart. Sin doesn’t start with what we touch, eat, or see—it comes from within.

Jesus then gives a list of sins that flow from the heart:

“For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (Mark 7:21–23)

What Jesus highlights in these heart responses are immediate and reactionary. They need no physical action to be completed—they are desires we already want to act upon. Morality, training, or fear may stop us from following through, but the desire proves we are capable and even eager to commit the act.

That means we defile ourselves—not our circumstances. Our standing before God was never based on external appearances or performance. Even if we meet visible standards of “holiness,” if our desires are opposed to God, we remain guilty (Matthew 5:27–28). We are in need of grace.

It should stir within us a longing for the time that is coming, not the time that currently is—for we have the promise that we will be like Him (1 John 3:2). The knowledge of good and evil, which we so poorly handle now, will one day be removed from our struggle.

It’s easy to condemn someone engaging in public sin, but what about the desires of our own hearts? A man does not need to physically sleep with another woman to be guilty of adultery—he can desire it in his heart and already be condemned (Matthew 5:28). Pornography is not a “safe space” to act out sinful desire—it reveals a love for what God hates. The same is true of any other sin: if we desire evil, we oppose God.

The Solution: A New Heart

If the heart is the source of sin, how can we be made clean? The answer isn’t in human effort but in God’s promise. In Ezekiel, God declared:

“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean… And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.” (Ezekiel 36:25–27)

This promise is fulfilled in Jesus. Through His death and resurrection, we can be made new. We are not defined by our desires or past actions. We are made new from the inside out.

Someone once said, “We are beggars telling others where to find bread.” If that’s true, how can we look at someone and claim they are too far gone? What they do outwardly, we may have once desired to do—or did. God had mercy on us; can we not hope for His mercy on them (1 Corinthians 6:9–11)?

Conclusion

• We can’t boast in our own goodness – Our hearts were wicked before God changed us. Salvation is God’s work, not ours (Ephesians 2:8–9).
• For those who don’t know Christ – He offers mercy. No one is too defiled to be made clean by Jesus (Luke 5:31–32).
• We must not fall into legalism – True holiness flows from a changed heart, not a list of rules or traditions (Colossians 2:20–23).

Just like a house needs deep repairs, not just surface-level fixes, we need God to renovate our hearts. And through Jesus, He does exactly that.

Scripture References

1. Mark 7:5 – Pharisees judged Jesus’ disciples for not washing their hands according to tradition.
2. Mark 7:14–15 – Jesus teaches that defilement comes from within, not from what is eaten.
3. Leviticus 11:1–47 – God gave Israel food laws to separate them from other nations.
4. Isaiah 29:13 – Israel honored God with lips, but hearts were far from Him.
5. Mark 7:18–19 – Jesus declares all foods clean, shifting the focus to the heart.
6. Mark 7:21–23 – Jesus lists sins that come from within the heart.
7. Genesis 6:5 – Human hearts were full of evil before the flood.
8. Genesis 3:4–7 – Adam and Eve’s sin began with a desire for what God forbade.
9. James 1:14–15 – Sin begins with desire, grows into action, and ends in death.
10. Matthew 5:27–28 – Lust in the heart is adultery before God.
11. 1 John 3:2 – We will be like Christ when He appears in glory.
12. Ezekiel 36:25–27 – God promises to give His people new hearts and a new spirit.
13. 1 Corinthians 6:9–11 – Some were once sexually immoral, idolaters, etc., but were washed and justified.
14. Ephesians 2:8–9 – We are saved by grace through faith, not by our own doing.
15. Luke 5:31–32 – Jesus came not for the righteous, but for sinners to repentance.
16. Colossians 2:20–23 – Man-made religion has no power to stop the indulgence of the flesh.