Friday - The Gospel According To Mark
Welcome to Daily Prayer. Today we learn about the source and heart of what defiles and makes someone unclean. What Jesus says was paradigm shifting for those who had ears to hear.
As we begin our time together, let’s quiet our hearts and minds before the LORD.
Holy and Redeeming God, you search the heart.
You see what no one else can see.
Cleanse me from the inside out.
Have mercy on me. I want to honor you with my lips and my life.
I give everyone and everything to you.
O Lord, open my lips and my mouth will declare your praise.
A Scripture Reading from Mark 7:1-23
Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, 2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, 4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” 6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,
“‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
7 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”
9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!
10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 11 But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)— 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, 13 thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”
14 And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15 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.”
17 And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.)
20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
In this passage, Jesus exposes how human traditions can be used to avoid the weightier matters of God’s Word, especially love, justice, and mercy. Defilement is a heart issue. Sin springs from within, from thoughts, desires, and motives, and only Jesus can cleanse us at the source.
In the flow of Mark’s Gospel, this is not just about handwashing; it is about the authority of Jesus to define what truly separates people from God and show them the way of life. He is preparing his followers to see that entrance into the kingdom is not about boundary-marking traditions but about a cleansed heart that loves God and others.
A Prayer of Adoration
Lord Jesus, you are the Holy One of God. You see through our appearances and look straight into the heart. You are the One who fulfills the Law and reveals the true meaning of holiness.
You expose hypocrisy and you draw near to cleanse and restore. O Lord, we worship you as the One who declares what is truly clean and unclean and who alone can make our hearts new.
A Prayer of Confession
Lord, forgive us when we honor you with our lips while our hearts are far from you. Forgive us for hiding behind religious activity, spiritual language, or long histories in the church while neglecting love, mercy, and obedience. Forgive us for judging others by outward standards while ignoring the sin that flows from our own hearts. We confess that we have sometimes used traditions, preferences, or ‘the way we’ve always done it’ to avoid your clear commands. Cleanse us from the inside out.
A Prayer of Trust
Lord, we trust that you see our hearts more clearly than we do and you came to save us not to shame us.
You came as the doctor to bring us healing. We trust that your blood is sufficient to cleanse even the deepest stains.
Your Spirit can change what we could never fix on our own.
We believe that when you expose what is in us, you do it to restore, not condemn. We open our hearts to your searching light today.
A Prayer of Intercession
Lord, we pray for your church that you would free us from empty religion. Keep us from the leaven of the pharisees. Strip away the traditions and habits that keep us busy but don’t bring us closer to your heart.
Teach us to value what you value Lord. Mercy, justice faithfulness.
Lord, we ask that you reveal any place where we are making void your Word by our patterns or excuses.
Give us soft, responsive hearts that receive your Word with humility and bear fruit in love and obedience.
A Moment of Reflection
Lord, is there any specific attitude, or pattern, or hidden sin you want to bring into the light today?
As we listen to the passage again, let’s listen for a word or phrase that the Holy Spirit may want to say to us from today’s verses.
“‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
7 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”
9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!
14 And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15 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.”
17 And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
And now Our Weekly Passage to Memorize together:
Mark 6:34
“When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.”
Let’s pray the Lord’s Prayer together as we close:
Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and
Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil,
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.
amen