3,000...if You're Counting

 Peter has just preached the church’s first sermon.  He has deftly explained the coming of the Holy Spirit.  

He used the OT to tell how Jesus is both the divine Son of God and the long awaited Messiah.  And with the subtlety of a jackhammer, he accused his audience of murdering the Christ.

Scholars don’t hold up this message as an example of contextualization, but it really is.  Like Paul on Mars Hill, Pete knows and understands his listeners.  

They are Jewish.  They understand the Torah.  They know the OT Scriptures.  And he uses their cultural context and sacred literature to prove Jesus is Messiah and to preach the Gospel message.

I find it very interesting that Pete simply and bluntly ends his sermon by accusing them of crucifying Jesus.  No application.  Just a punch in the neck.  “Whom YOU crucified!”  

Not one hint of what to do with the information.  Was there a great silence?  Was there a gasp?  

We pick it up in verse 37 as the people are “cut to the heart.”  The Greek verb here is katanuasomai, which means to be cut, stabbed or pierced.  

Pete’s message had its intended effect.  He had stabbed them in the heart.  Today we might say he punched them in the gut.  

His sermon evoked an emotional response.  So much so, that they begged the apostles for what to do next.  “Brothers, what shall we do?”  

Rocky responds with the message of repentance.  “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (v38).  

“Repent” is one of those wonderful words that has been hijacked over the years.  It’s a word associated with legalism, religion and fanaticism.  

But the idea of repentance is a beautiful word that drips with the grace of God.  It’s a word that we must reclaim with love and tenderness of the Lord.

A look at the original language is helpful.  The Greek metanoeo means to repent, to have a change of hear and mind.  Literally it means to think (noeo) after or again (meta).  

It is the idea of taking a second thought of our sin after we understand how God sees it.  It is a turning from and a turning to.  In order to turn from my sin and I must turn to God.  

It is that wonderful 180.  John MacArthur describes repentance as a radical turning from sin that inevitably became manifest in the fruit of righteousness (Lk 3:8). 

When I’m faced with the realization that something is terribly wrong, I immediately want to make it right.  Sometimes I know what to do.  Sometimes I don’t. 

When it comes to my own sin and sinful behavior, I know what to do.  Repent.  Confess my sin to God.  Agree with Him about my sin.  Turn from my sin.  Turn to Him.  

Repentance is not a one time act.  It is not something I did once in 1970 at the summer revival at First Baptist Church in Farmington.  It is certainly that.  

But repentance is so much more.  It is a lifestyle.  And it is a gift to be used regularly.  God has granted me the gift of repentance so that I can continually turn back to Him.

Peter commands the crowd to repent and be baptized.  There is forgiveness of our sins offered by Jesus.  

But there is so much more.  We also receive the Holy Spirit.  His powerful presence in our lives enables us to obey God’s commands when we otherwise are powerless to do so.  

Preacher Pete tells the Pentecost congregation that they can enjoy and experience the gift of God’s Spirit just as the 120 have.

He tells them, “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself” (v39).  Once again, the Holy Spirit is referred to as the promise of God (Acts 1:4; 2:33).  

The Third Person of the Trinity is a vitally important part of the great benefit package of salvation.  And this salvation is available to EVERYONE!!!  You.  Your children.  All who are far off.  

Everyone whom the Lord calls to Himself.  Pete preaches a compelling Gospel.  If Jesus calls you, you are coming.  

And don’t miss the fact that Peter is apparently opening the door to Gentiles.  This very term “far off” is also used by Paul to describe non-Jews (Eph 2:11-13).  

This is a very important point of the Gospel of Jesus.  Previously, salvation was available only to and through the Jews.  

The other thing that makes this interesting is the fact that Peter continually struggles with the inclusion of Gentiles throughout the Book of Acts.

God’s offer of repentance, baptism, the Holy Spirit and salvation is made to ALL.  Every people group.  Every strata of society.  Every language.  Every nation.  Every person.  

And I have been granted the precious privilege of being His ambassador to carry this Gospel of grace to a lost and dying world (2Cor 5:20).  Lord Jesus, open my eyes and allow me to see others as You see them.

Peter continues teaching and explaining the Gospel (v40).  When he finished, there was a massive response.  Three thousand people were baptized and added to the 120 in the upper room.  

Not a bad first day of church.  And that was only the beginning.

©2011

Jay Jennings

Jesus, Deacon of Sin?

Paul explains to the Galatians that God doesn’t rule us as righteous based on our obedience, but through putting our faith in what Jesus has done for us (Gal 2:15-16).  It’s only because of His obedience to the law and trusting in what He has done on our behalf that we are justified (2Cor 5:21).  

A trade.  An exchange.  Let’s face it, God’s getting the raw end of the deal on this one.  But He gets all of the glory in the end.

But what if Paul’s made a huge mistake?  What if he’s got it all wrong?  What if what he’s taught the Galatians about Jesus is a horrible miscalculation?  

Well, that’s we examines next.  “But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin?” (v17).  What would it mean if Paul’s desire to be put his trust in what Jesus did on our behalf only resulted in our being sinners?  That’s the question on the table.

Remember, this goes back to Jews and non-Jews hanging out together.  God had knocked down all of the ethnic and racial walls wherever the message of Jesus was preached.  The risen Christ revealed a marvelous and mysterious new revelation of His Gospel to Paul.  

Gentiles could come to faith in Him AS GENTILES!  There are no more boundaries.  No more requirements.  No more rituals.  No more laws.  No insiders.  No outsiders.  Just one church.  One kingdom.  One family.

However, something happened in Antioch that threatened this mind-bending new reality.  The Apostle Peter was actually eating meals with Gentiles, something any Jew is his right mind would never.  It’s the new kosher!  

But when some Christian Jews hit town from Jerusalem, Pete freaked out.  He suddenly ignored his non-Jewish friends and only ate kosher meals with the Jewish posse.  This caused Paul to put his finger in Pete’s chest and call him on his hypocrisy (Gal 2:11-14).

This is the context when Paul asks the Galatians the question in verse 17.  You see, he’s been eating with Gentiles.  Hanging out in their homes.  Jesus knocked down those walls and the apostle was taking full advantage.  

But wait a second.  If these false teachers and their perverted gospel are right, then “we too were found to be sinners.”  If that’s the case, they’ve made a horrible, horrible mistake.

There’s just one problem.  Jesus personally let Paul in on His Gospel to the non-Jews (Gal 1:11-12).  If Paul’s wrong then Jesus is wrong.  Or as the apostle writes, “Is Christ then a servant of sin?”  Since Jesus did everything to tear down these barriers between  Jew and Gentile then He MUST be a servant of sin, right?  

First of all, we need to remember that Christ began chipping away at Jewish dietary restrictions during His time on earth.  Our Savior said that it’s not what we eat that makes us unclean but the filth that’s in our hearts.  Mark adds the note, “Thus He declared all foods clean” (Mk 7:18-19).  No more kosher food rules.  Later God gave Peter a vision on a rooftop in Joppa that let him know that there were no longer any difference between ethnic groups (Acts 10:9-16, 28).

So if Jesus took a bulldozer to racial walls and this was wrong there’s only one conclusion.  He’s “a servant of sin.”  Paul uses the Greek noun διακονος/diakonos.  It means a servant, helper or minister.  It’s actually the word from which we get our term deacon.  

The apostle says that if the false teachers are on target then Jesus is a deacon of sin.  I have to admit that I’ve been around some deacons that were less than godly.  But I can’t say I would call any of them a deacon of sin.  Okay, maybe a couple of them.  

Paul says that’s the only conclusion you can reach regarding if Jesus and Paul are wrong.  If Paul is wrong then Jesus is wrong.

So what’s the answer?  The Apostle Paul leaves no room for confusion.  “Certainly not!” (v17).  

End of discussion.

©2012 

Jay Jennings

Spiritual Amputation

 

Gory Enough for You?

An amputated hand. A severed foot. A gouged eye. Flesh-eating maggots. Unending  torture by fire.

 

If this is how Netflix describes a movie, I can promise you one thing…I’m NOT watching! And if that’s not gory enough for you, each one of these mutilations is…gulp…self-inflicted!

But here’s the deal. This isn’t the latest in the “Saw” franchise or some Rob Zombie horror flick. We’ve ripped this grisly description right out of the pages of the Bible. And before you starting thinking this is one of those brutal OT passages, think again. These are the words of none other than Jesus Himself!

Shock Therapy

It all goes down during a teachable moment our Savior has with His closest followers in the village of Capernaum. He’s not simply telling them a scary story around a campfire. He’s trying to shock them to realize the seriousness of the sin in their lives.

“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet.

“If your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye that have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ‘where maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’” (Mk 9:43-48).

Rather Colorful Language

Let’s be clear about one thing from Jump Street. Christ isn’t talking about literally chopping off extremities or popping out an eyeball. He’s using…shall we say…rather colorful language to get our attention. It’s hyperbole.

The Lord makes His ridiculous overstatement because He wants us to know that our sin is serious business. It’s a cancer that wrecks relationships, steals peace, jacks up joy, and ultimately delivers death everywhere it goes.

Self-Inflicted Sin

Worst of all, according to what our Savior says here, is that a large percentage of our sin is actually self-inflicted. THAT’S why He recommends these radical removal methods. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Speaking of making radical cuts, you may notice that somebody has carved a couple of verses from this passage. Most of the older and more reliable versions of Mark’s Gospel don’t contain verses 46 and 48. Are you tracking with me? Cool.

The Hero from Heaven

Let’s zoom out a bit to get a little better view of what’s going on. A big chunk of Mark’s bio of Jesus to this point has been all about figuring out the identity of this radical Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth.

That all changes when Peter puts the pieces of the puzzle together and tells Jesus, “You are the Messiah” (Mk 8:29). This is the long-awaited Hero from heaven God has been promising to send to our rescue since our first parents took the bad advice of a satanic snake (Gen 3:15).

Not the Kind of Messiah They’re Expecting

Maybe you’re not all that familiar with the term Messiah. It’s the equivalent of the word Christ we see all throughout the NT. They mean exactly the same thing. In other words, Christ is NOT Jesus’ last name. It’s His title.

The Lord then goes on to tell His team that He’s NOT the kind of Messiah everybody’s expecting. Oh, He’s coming to our rescue and to righteously rule alright. But first He’s got a very specific job to do. He must suffer, be rejected and murdered by the religious leaders, and come strolling out of the cemetery three days later (Mk 8:31; 9:31).

A Mountaintop Meetup

Just to make sure the guys get the picture, Christ takes three of His disciples for a mountaintop meetup with Moses and Elijah (Mk 9:2-8). Not only does Jesus peel back the curtain of heaven and give them a glimpse of His glory, but God the Father drops the ultimate attaboy.

Our Savior and the Twelve travel back to the home office in Capernaum (Mk 9:33), a tiny fishing village on the north shore of Lake Galilee. There He gives them a lesson in God’s view of greatness. He flips the script to say first is last and servants are sit at the top of the org chart (Mk 9:35).

Let’s Play a Little Game

Jesus goes on to play a little game with the boys which we’ll call “Which Is Better?”. In other words, when you have a choice in certain situations, here’s the tip about which to pick. The first scenario is all about tripping up those with a tender trust in Him. He says it’s WAY better to go swimming with massive millstone necklace than let God get His hands on you (Mk 9:42).

Cut It off?!?!

Which brings us to our passage. If you think the Son of God went all gangster with the threat of cement shoes, check this out. “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off” (v43). What the WHAT?!? Cut it off?!? How ‘bout washing it really well with soap and water? Wouldn’t that do the trick?

Surely a closer look at the original language provides the loopholes we need, right? First of all, let’s check out that phrase the NLT translates “causes you to sin.” This is the Greek verb σκανδαλιζω/skandalizo. It’s the source of our word “scandal.”

A Spiritual IED

This term means causing someone to stumble or tricking them into doing something wrong. And not just a little bobble or small slip. This is enticing them to do act in a way that causes them to keel over and toss away their trust in Christ once and for all.

Interestingly, it comes from a root word (Gr. σκανδαλον/skandalon) that describes the trip wire of a booby trap. Think of the horrific damage a roadside bomb does to a soldier.  Jesus is talking about a spiritual IED.

The Knucklehead in the Mirror

But this isn’t some malicious enemy plotting a deadly ambush. Christ says in this case the one who’s out to get me is the knucklehead looking back at my in the mirror each morning. “If YOUR hand causes YOU to sin…” (v43 emphasis added). This is a self-inflicted injury!

A Nasty Face Plant

Recently I was out for a power walk (that’s just language that means I’m too old to go for a run). As I picked up the pace, I caught my foot on a crack in the sidewalk. On the bright side, I didn’t break my mother’s back. The downside is I went down and went down HARD!

SPLAT!!! I did a nasty face plant on cement. It hurt. I mean REALLY hurt! My hands. My elbow. My hip. My knee. For about 24 hours, I thought I had broken my wrist. And it was nobody’s fault but mine.

Taking Myself out

That’s nothing compared to self-inflicted injuries we suffer from our own rebellion and disobedience. I’m NOT saying that the devil and his satanic toadies aren’t a clear and present danger. They are.

But can we be honest for just a moment? There are a lot of times they don’t have to lift an evil finger against me because I’ll take myself out! Now I know that’s probably not the case for you. You’ve left those issues in the rearview mirror. Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Slicing, Dicing, and Lopping It off

We’ve all got hand issues on some level. Some of us have a bad case of sticky fingers. Others are quick to put up our dukes. Who hasn’t seen drivers tell fellow commuters that “you’re number one!” with the middle digit.

Jesus’ way of solving our problem with hand-to-hand combat with ourselves is simple. “Cut it off” (v43). The Greek verb here (Gr. αποκοπτω/apokopto) means just that. He’s talking about slicing, dicing and lopping it off.

Galilean Chainsaw Massacre

It’s how John describes the time Pete whacks off a dude’s ear with sword at Jesus’ arrest (Jn 18:10, 26). Paul uses the same word in sarcastic description of cutting off the family jewels (Gal 5:12). I’m not kidding. You REALLY need to read your Bible.

So yeah, Christ IS advocating amputating…only figuratively. How can we be sure? Do you REALLY think that going all Galilean Chainsaw Massacre on your harmful hand will stop the other one from eventually doing the same thing? Didn't think so.

Murdering My Sin

John Piper says this is what some theologians call the mortification of sin. That’s a five-dollar seminary word that describes the spiritual battle each follower of Jesus faces with his or her flesh. I have no choice but to murder my sin.

We’ve gotta stop trying to manage our sin. That’s just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. That’s a waste of time because this baby’s going down! Think of it as playing with a box of timber rattlers. It won’t be long until one of those suckers strikes you!!

Addition by Subtraction

This takes radical action. Ask God to show you what your core issue is. Chances are there’s a problem behind the problem. David pleads with his Creator for help, “Point out anything that offends You and lead me in the path of everlasting life” (Ps 139:24).

We can also ask fellow followers of Jesus what needs to go from your life. Hey, we’ve all got blind spots. Our true friends must be willing to honestly tell us the things in our lives that we need to hack off. Once we do, it’s addition by subtraction.

Spiritual Amputation

Jesus explains to the boys that, if we have to choose (and we do!), spiritual amputation is the way to go. “It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go to the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands” (v43).

The Most Wretched Place in the Universe

Before we dive deep into the Lord’s words, I want to give you a heads up. What you’re about to read isn’t for the faint of heart. He’s talking about the most vile, most nauseating, most wretched place in the universe. This sure ain’t Disney

World. It’s H-E-double-hockey-sticks.

I’ll be honest with you. I’d rather not talk about hell. Given the choice, I’d much rather chat it up about the eternal paradise God’s people will share with their Savior or even the possibility of a root canal. But the truth is, Jesus talks about hell more than anybody else in the entire Bible.

So gird up your loins, boys and girls. Whatever we think it’s like, it’s worse. WAY worse! That’s because hell is total separation from God and the punishment that goes along with His absence. Worst of all, the gates of this place are locked from the inside.

A Disgusting Dumpsite

There’s a pretty good chance your Bible will have a note at the bottom of the page that says something about “hell” actually being something called Gehenna. This was a disgusting dumpsite just outside the Jerusalem city gates.

Oh, but this isn’t your garden variety municipal landfill. Folks would chuck dead animal carcasses and even human corpses in Gehenna. Fires smoldered nonstop filling the air with the foul aroma of burning flesh. One whiff of that stench would turn your stomach.

A Churning Urn of Burning Funk

Let’s talk about those “unquenchable fires” (v43) for a minute. Just in case we gloss over them the first time, the Lord doubles down a little later when He paints a picture of the how the “fires never goes out” (v48).

Jesus also describes it as a place “where the maggots never die” (v48). I’ll bet His words make more than a few people throw up in their mouths just a little bit. He’s actually quoting from the very last written words of the prophet Isaiah (Is 66:24).

To borrow a lyric from Elvis, hell is a churning urn of burning funk. If that’s not bad enough. It. Never. Stops. And maggots. Don’t forget the maggots. Piper pulls no punches when it comes to the endlessness and hopelessness of this eternal nightmare. “Don’t think—don’t even let the thought linger in your head—that destruction means obliteration.”

Hell on Earth

On the other hand, some Bible experts believe Jesus isn’t actually talking about eternal punishment at all. He’s simply pointing to the garbage dump. Maybe they’re right. I kinda wish they were. But it sure seems like Christ uses it as a picture of hell on earth. Gehenna will seem like an all-inclusive resorts compared to the real deal.

Symbols of Something Worse

I can’t stand hell but I like how David Platt explains it. “You say, ‘Well, isn’t fire just an image in these passages? Aren’t these verses symbolic?’ Maybe. But if they are symbols, what are they symbols for? A wintry retreat or a summer vacation?

“No, these are symbols that stand for something so much worse. Surely burning fire and smoking sulfur are not symbols for a nice place to be. They are symbols for a terrifying place to be.”

When we take everything into consideration, Jesus tells the Twelve there’s really no choice. We’re better off heading to heaven with only one hand than spending the rest of time with both hands in the eternal broiler covered maggots. Yeah, I’m good with that.

Don’t Go to Those Places!

Ready for the next round of “Which Is Better”? Here we go. “If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off” (v45). I’m guessing you know how this goes now, right?

So how can my foot trip me up? Where do my tootsies take me that cause me big problems? Simply stated, where do I consistently go that trips me up and sends me down?

 

It reminds me of the old joke where the guy goes to the doctor.  The doc asks him to describe the problem. The patient says his arm hurts in two places. The doc’s response? “Don’t go to those places!”

Stop Playing Footsie

Stop playing footsie with stuff that you know is self-destructive. Make a 180 and get the heck outta Dodge! For instance, the Apostle Paul pulls no punches when it comes to anything that stokes the fires of your libido outside of marriage. “Run from sexual sin!” (1Cor 6:18).

If my feet are beating a path away from Christ, I need to make a change. And that change probably includes spiritual amputation. I can’t walk with Jesus if I’m walking in the opposite direction.

You’ll Shoot Your Eye out!

Time now for the final round our little game of “Which Is Better?” Sorry, but we don’t have any cool music like Final Jeopardy. That’s my bad.

The Lord warns against how what we look at can hurt us. “And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out” (v47). Anybody else immediately think of what Ralphie’s mom said to him in “A Christmas Story”?

What Steals Your Attention?

Forget the Red Ryder BB gun. My wandering eye is a much more dangerous weapon. What are you looking at? WHO are you looking at? What catches your eye and eventually steals your attention?

I’m not just talking about porn. But if that’s your deal, you need to stop. I hear stories almost every single day from both men and women of how this garbage destroys marriages.

There are so many other things we look at that, if we’re not careful, we turn into idols. Put your phone down. Close the laptop. Turn off the TV. Shut down Netflix. I’m not saying these are evil in and of themselves. But when they dominate our lives, we’ve got a problem.

The Bird Box Challenge

What does Jesus tell us to do? Let’s just say you get three guesses and the first two don’t count. “It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell” (v47). You probably saw that one coming…even if you just using one eye.

So what should be our focus instead? We can’t simply take the Bird Box Challenge 24/7. The writer of Hebrews has a great suggestion. Look at the Lord. “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the Champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (Heb 12:2).

Meditate on Christ. Think about Him. Flip open your Bible and look for passages that describe His love, His grace, and all He’s done for you. Fill your field of vision with the One who left the comforts of heaven and came to our rescue!

Spiritual Surgery

So what needs to be amputated from your life? Here’s another great point from Hebrews. Allow God to do the spiritual surgery necessary in our lives. God’s Spirit uses the scalpel of God’s Word to perfectly slice and dice our sin.

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires” (Heb 4:12).

An Elective Procedure

Through Scripture, the Lord does laser surgery on His followers. Don’t wait to make an appointment with the Great Physician. That happens when we open His Word so that He can open our hearts and minds.

A couple of things to know about these operations. First of all, spiritual surgery is an elective procedure. God only goes to work on us when we’re willing patients. Secondly, He’s already picked up your co-pay!

The Seriousness of Self-Destruction

All Jesus’ talk of severing limbs, gouging eyes, never-ending flames, and flesh-eating maggots is disturbing. But that’s EXACTLY His point. He wants to realize the seriousness of our self-destruction.

The Son of God has something so much better for us than all this. He came to bring us a life so amazing that we can’t wrap our heads around it (Jn 10:10). It’s everlasting life. But best of all, that life actually starts on this side of eternity!

In the meantime, let me ask you a question. Need to consider a little spiritual amputation?

©2019

Jay Jennings

It's Coming from Inside!!

A Sinister Voice

It’s a classic trick in scary movies. A teenage girl is alone in a house on a dark and stormy night. The phone rings. The sinister voice of the creepy caller sends shivers down your spine.

To get the full effect, we’re talking about a time when there were no cellphones or caller ID. Back in a previous millennium when all you had was a landline.

Tracing the Call

Back at the house, the babysitter (it’s ALWAYS a babysitter!) keeps getting threatening calls. Why she keeps answering, we have no idea. Eventually she calls the police. The cops trace the call. Everyone knows what they tell her…

The call is coming from inside the house!

Danger from Deep Inside

Did you know that a couple of thousand years before horror movies used this device, Jesus actually taught this same idea? No, not terrifying phone calls to teenage babysitters, but that the real danger comes from deep inside. Not inside the house, but inside our hearts.

Before we go any further, I need to give credit to Andy Stanley for a big chunk of this idea. I highly recommend his series called “It Came from Within.” He also wrote a book by the same name. Very good stuff about the very bad stuff we all carry deep inside.

In his bio of Jesus, Mark tells his readers about the time Jesus reveals the true source of our trouble (Mk 7:14-23). You see, He knows it doesn’t come from somewhere out there. Our Savior understands it comes from within.

The Hebrew Home Office

It helps to have a little context to what Christ says here. Just before this, He has a nasty confrontation with the religious police from the Hebrew home office in Jerusalem (Mk 7:1-13).

The Pharisees and scribes blow a gasket when they realize Jesus and His closest followers are completely ignoring Jewish rules of cleanliness. Understand, this has NOTHING to do with sanitation and EVERYTHING to do with ceremony. Not to mention these are man-made rules and not from God.

In essence, these religious experts are convinced externals are the problem. They think the icky stuff on the outside pollutes us on the inside. Jesus doesn’t just flip the script on these phonies, He uses it as an opportunity to make a teaching point.

Putting the Pieces Together

The Lord assembles people around Him. “And He called to the crowd to come and hear. ‘All of you listen,’ He said, ‘and try to understand’” (v14). Gather ‘round, folks. We need to chat about the location of your problems.

The phrase in the NLT “try to understand” is actually the Greek verb συνιημι/sunimemi. It’s a compound word that describes bringing or joining together. Jesus wants them to put all the pieces of a puzzle together and figure this out.

It’s Not the Garbage Coming in But the Garbage Going out

In the next verse, Jesus lets us in on the big idea behind our big issues. “It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart” (v15). Forget about the garbage in. Concentrate on the garbage out.

For the first time, we see the key word in the passage: “defile” (Gr. κοινοω/koino’o). This is another one of those Greek words that means something very different depending on how the writer is using it.

Polluting the Pure

In the Greco-Roman world, the term can describe sharing something with somebody else. It comes from the same root word as κοινωνια/koinonia which means fellowship and participating in something together. Interestingly, of the fifteen times the term appears in the New Testament, it does NOT mean that.

Every time we see it in the NT, it’s used to paint a disgusting picture of stripping something of its special nature. Taking something holy and desecrating it. Imagine polluting and profaning anything pure.

The Threat from Inside

Turns out we see “defile” (Gr. κοινοω/koino’o) ten of those fifteen times in just the first two Gospels. And all of those occurrences are in Matthew and Mark’s different versions of this very same story! So wrapping our brains around the idea behind it is a kind of a big deal.

So let’s take another look at Jesus’ words to the crowd. He wants them (and us!) to understand that our biggest threat to sin doesn’t come from the outside, it’s coming from deep inside our own heart!

From Outside to Inside

Curiously, the scene shifts from outside to inside the house. He physically illustrates His point. I’m telling you, as a teacher, Jesus NEVER misses a trick! “Then Jesus went into a house to get away from the crowd, and His disciples asked Him what He meant by the parable He had just used” (v17).

Okay, many of you probably noticed we skipped right past verse 16. That’s because many of the oldest and most reliable versions of Mark’s Gospel don’t contain it. Most scholars believe someone added it later. Are we good?

The Disciples Ask a Question

Meanwhile back inside the house, the Dirty Dozen gets the opportunity to submit follow up questions to the Lord. Matthew tells us it was Peter who questions Jesus (Mt 15:15). It’s not the first time they ask Him to connect the dots. They do it all over the pages of the Gospels.

Pete and the boys want to know what in the world He’s talking about. They just don’t get it. Rabbis have been telling them since they were little kids that good boys don’t play with filthy things, only eat the kosher meal, and NEVER hang out with those nasty Gentiles.

The Pieces Don’t Fit

Our Savior answers their question with a question. “Don’t you understand either?” (v18). He uses that very same word (Gr. συνιημι/sunimemi) we saw back in verse 14. Apparently this puzzle is just too hard for them to put together. The pieces just don’t fit.

God’s Son Gets Graphic

Let’s just say Jesus gets down and dirty as He explains it to the boys. “Can’t you see that the food you put into your body cannot defile you? Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer” (v18-19).

Christ goes out of way to make it clear that what we put into ourselves has nothing to do with polluting us on the inside. He uses the specific example of food. The Son of God gets pretty graphic in the process.

Just Passing Through

He gives the guys a quick tour of the human digestive system. It doesn’t matter whether what you put in your mouth. A ribeye steak can’t make you sin…not even when it’s well done! Our food is just passing through. From chew to poo in the loo.

“Sewer” (Gr. ‘αφεδρων/aphedron) actually describes a first century toilet. A quick (and I mean VERY quick!) search of “ancient toilets” is pretty stinking gross. I’ll just cut to the chase to say it’s nothing like the piece of porcelain plumbing in your house.

A Potty Mouth?

Jesus isn’t like your average middle school boy looking for an excuse to use a potty mouth. He wants us to realize what happens on the outside isn’t the problem. He wants us to understand that what’s in our hearts is way more gross than what’s in the toilet.

Bacon Is Back on the Menu

Then Mark adds his own study notes in parentheses. “(By saying this, He declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes)” (v19). You don’t have to look to the bottom of the page of your Bible for an explanation. The author includes it smack-dab in the passage!

He’s talking about the ancient food rules God gave Moses (Lev 11:1-47). The disciples clearly understand that the radical Rabbi/Carpenter is repealing the kosher food rules. And just like that, bacon is back on the menu!

Pete’s Crazy Daydream

This sure sounds a lot like Pete’s crazy daydream on a rooftop in the seaside city Joppa (Acts 10:9-16). Luke describes how God spreads out a picnic lunch with all sorts of critters on a blanket and tells Pete to dig in. The apostle politely declines because there’s nothing kosher on the supernatural buffet.

The voice of Jesus stops His apostle right there. “Do not call something unclean (Gr. κοινοω/koino’o) if God has made it clean” (Acts 10:15). Just so Pete understands, this happens not just once. Not just twice. But THREE times!

Interestingly, the disciple Jesus nicknames Rocky has trouble getting this idea through his skull in the following years. Paul tells us about the time he had to get in Pete’s grill over his issues with kosher eating in Antioch that resulted in racism and bigotry (Gal 2:11-14).

Monsters Inside Me

Once more, the Messiah drives home the big idea that our problem isn’t on the outside. “It is what comes from the inside that defiles you” (v20). It’s like that rather disgusting TV series “Monsters Inside Me.” The show looks at the parasites, bacteria, viruses, and other nastiness that we carry around in our bodies.

Our Savior wants us to stop being so hung up on the externals. If you really knew the crap you carry on the inside, you’d REALLY be scared! Oh, we’ve all got a monster deep in our core. And Jesus isn’t talking about a tapeworm either!!

A Churning Urn of Burning Funk

So just what is this pile of slime seething inside me? Allow the Lord to read the repulsive roster. “For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness” (v21-22).

That’s quite a heinous list, don’t you think? Maybe you’re not buying what Jesus is selling. There’s no way that churning urn of burning funk is bubbling inside you. If that’s you, you would be wrong.

Where Did THAT Come from?

Let me explain. Have you ever just blurted out words from that very special four-letter section of you vocabulary? Ever done something suddenly that seemed WAY out of character for you. You say to yourself something like “Where did THAT come from?!?”

Christ shines a bright light on the darkness of our hearts to let us know. And just like the babysitter in the horror flick, you’re shocked to find out it’s coming from inside of YOU!!!

A Second Look

Take a second look at that sinful cesspool again. Read it slowly. I mean, s-l-o-w-l-y. Evil thoughts. Sexual immorality. Theft. Murder. Adultery. Greed. Wickedness. Deceit. Lustful desires. Envy. Slander. Pride. Foolishness.

Before we can blame anyone or anything else, Jesus isn’t letting us off the hook. “All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you” (v23). Yup, He said all. Every. Single. One.

A Toxic Waste Dump

Through the prophet Jeremiah, God doubles down on the truth that we’re all rotten to the core. “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jer 17:9).

So what can we do when our hearts are a toxic waste dump of sinful slime? It’s not like the EPA can declare what’s inside us as a superfund cleanup site. Take a listen to King David’s cry for help. “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me” (Ps 51:10).

A Brand New Heart

The good news is that God doesn’t just diagnose our problem. He also promises to do what we could never do for ourselves. He promises to give His kids a brand new heart. And He promises it over and over and over.

“I will give them hearts that recognize Me as the LORD. They will be my people, I will be their God, for they will return to Me wholeheartedly” (Jer 24:7).

“I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, so they will obey My decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be My people, and I will be their God” (Ezek 11:19-20).

“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new Spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put My Spirit in you so that you will follow My decrees and be careful to obey My regulations…You will be My people, and I will be your God” (Ezek 36:26-27, 28).

Finishing What He Starts

If you’ve placed your trust in Jesus, He’s already started the process of your supernatural heart transplant. Until He’s done, some of our old crap will occasionally ooze out. But God assures us that He won’t leave us hanging. He will finish what He starts in each one of Christ’s followers (Phil 1:6).

So the next time your own sin blindsides you and the people you love, don’t point fingers. Don’t make excuses. You’re NOT the victim. Even worse, it’s coming from inside YOU!!

©2018 

Jay Jennings