Mark 7 | The Wolfe Notes

In 2025, we're working our way through the gospels and invite you to join us as we seek to learn from Jesus. Find all our notes, from this year and past years, at the Faith Food tab. And if you'd like ideas for suggested pacing, download our May calendar. Welcome, friends, we're so glad you're journeying with us. Let's grow together!


Our notes on Mark 7 include:

  1. An Overview: Topic, Themes, and Summary.
  2. An Outline Of our thoughts and questions.
  3. Research On honoring your parents.
  4. A Reflection Of our concerns compared to God's concerns.
  5. An Invitation to Respond To God's fairness.

Mark 7

Overview

General Topic

Even though He's hunted, Jesus continues to speak unwanted truths and to perform scandalous miracles.

Key Themes

Caution. Purity. Inclusion.

Summary

The Pharisees attack His disciples for not following ceremonial traditions, but Jesus rebukes them for focusing on human traditions instead of God's commandments. He performs miracles in Gentile territory (casting out a demon and helping a blind man see) in secret. Then, asks that no one discusses it. 

Thoughts, Questions, and Connections

? Denotes a question, * a personal thought, x a cross reference, and ! a connection. Researched answers are in italics. Behold requires our attention; it marks our partnership with God.

On Human Traditions (Mark 7:1-23)

Read Matthew 15:1-20 for another perspective. (See our Matthew 15 notes.)
  1. The Pharisees, always looking to discredit Jesus, asked why His disciples did not follow the traditions for ceremonial washing before eating.
    1. Public opinion judged teachers by their disciples' behavior. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
  2. Jesus reiterated that God favors mercy to sacrifice. He wants your heart, not your vain repetition.
    1. x The Lord says, "These people say they are loyal to me; they say wonderful things about me. Their worship consists of nothing but man-made ritual. Isaiah 29:13 NET
    2. x For I delight in faithfulness, not simply in sacrifice; I delight in acknowledging God, not simply in whole burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6 NET
  3. You favor your own tradition to God's command.
    1. *We think, "If we just do x, y, and z, then of course we will get to heaven.” In so doing, we replace God's grace with our own effort.
    2. ! This reminds me of Martha and Mary's story. Martha thought preparing for the guests was more important, while Mary spent time with Jesus and was commended for it. And while what Martha chose was important, what Mary chose was eternal. (See Luke 10:38-42.) 
  4. Like how you twist the command to honor your father and mother so it favors how much money the temple receives.
    1. But you say to your aged parents, "I've decided that the support you were expecting from me will now be the holy offering set aside for God." After that he is not allowed to do anything for his parents. Mark 7:11-12 VOICE
    2. ? Why is this the commandment used as an example? How does it connect to handwashing? Perhaps to draw the connection that what is more important is to honor your Father in Heaven.
    3. ? Does that mean we can't talk about the pain incurred through our parents? Can we just honor our father and mother through godly life choices? *R
  5. A person is not defiled by what they take in, such as food eaten with unwashed hands, but by what comes out of their mouths.
    1. Some versions insert "All who have ears to hear, let them listen," as verse 16. VOICE
    2. *Like, for instance, these stupid, senseless rules.
  6. Food does not affect the heart, but the stomach, and God is concerned with our hearts.
    1. x In a dream, Peter sees a sheet filled will all kinds of animals God once deemed unclean. A heavenly voice beckons him to eat, but Peter refuses. The voice responds, "What God has made clean, you must not consider ritually unclean!" Acts 10:9-16 NET
  7. Our hearts' desires produce all kinds of evil that defile us.

On a Gentile Woman's Faith (Mark 7:24-30)

Read Matthew 15:21-28 for another perspective. (See our Matthew 15 notes.)
  1. Jesus attempted to traverse Gentile territory unnoticed.
    1. ? Why was He trying to hide? *So as not to draw attention. So many people were looking for a misstep, and His time to minister was not yet at an end.
  2. But a woman begged Him to free her daughter from possession.
  3. He told her He must see to the children (Jews) first.
    1. x For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16 NET
    2. x Jesus sent out these twelve, instructing them as follows: "Do not go on a road that leads to Gentile regions and do not enter any Samaritan town. Go instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Matthew 10:5-6 NET (See our Matthew 10 notes.)
    3. ? Why is there a sudden change here of who Jesus would help, when He's already helped so many Gentiles openly? *Perhaps because the threat is spreading and He must hone in on His mission.
  4. But, she argued that even dogs get crumbs from the children's table, which persuaded Jesus to free her daughter.
    1. *More proof that He listens to our prayers, to our reasoning.

On Healing the Deaf Mute (Mark 7:31-37)

Read Matthew 15:29-31 for another perspective. (See our Matthew 15 notes.)
  1. Then, a deaf man was brought to Him. Jesus healed him privately and asked no one to speak of it.
    1. Jesus may have placed His fingers in the ear of the deaf and mute man to gently indicate intent. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
    2. ? Why use spit? Sometimes spit was used for medicinal, magical, and religious cures. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
  2. But the news spread like wildfire.
    1. ? This man was a Gentile. In a previously observed pattern (See our Mark 5 notes.), Jesus seemingly encouraged the Gentiles to talk. Why is it different here? *Because hostility was brewing even here?
    2. 🎶He made the lame walk, and the dumb talk / And He opened blinded eyes to see / That the sun rises on His time, / yet He knows our deepest desperate need / ... / I wonder what life would be like if we let Jesus live through you and me🎵 Lyrics from "What Life Would Be Like" performed by Big Daddy Weave

Research

What does honoring your parents look like? When parents are harmful, how do you continue to honor them? 

Verse of Reference

For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother, and, 'Whoever insults his father or mother must be put to death.' Mark 7:10 NET

Generally

  1. Honor means to regard with great respect or high esteem. Regarding the circumstance as a rare opportunity, with pride, pleasure, and privilege.
  2. We show honor by giving our parents respect, accepting their authority, obeying them, and appreciating them.

    Why Honoring Your Parents Matters to God

    • God is a god of relationships. He created family and chose your family for you.
    • Honoring our parents teaches us how to honor God and other authority figures.
    • It trains us to create strong bonds that can heal relationships and help us grow as the church to show God's love.

    How to Honor Harmful Parents

    • Forgive them. 
      • Then Peter came to him and said, "Lord, how many times must I forgive my [parent] who sins against me? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, I tell you, but seventy-seven times! Matthew 18:21-22 NET [*revision mine] (See our Matthew 18 notes.)
      • You must put away all bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and slanderous talk - indeed all malice. Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32
      • For more on forgiveness, see our Forgiveness Day post.
    • Pray for them. 
      • Verses to encourage praying.
        • First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people, even for [parents] and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. I Timothy 2:1-2 NET [*revision mine]
        • But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute [mistreat] you Matthew 5:44 NET [Luke 6:28] (See our Matthew 5 notes.)
      • Ask the Holy Spirit to help you honor them.
      • Ask for a heart change in them because that's what God wants
        • since he wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. I Timothy 2:4 NET
        • The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 NET
      • For more prayer resources and ideas, see our National Day of Prayer post.
    • Demonstrate Godly love toward them.
      • Honor their God appointed position as your parents, not their harmful choices. 
      • Do not treat them badly because they treat you badly. 
        • "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer. But whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well. Matthew 5:38-39 NET (See our Matthew 5 notes.)
        • Do not return evil for evil or insult for insult, but instead bless others because you were called to inherit a blessing. I Peter 3:9 NET
      • Seek to understand the hardship they endured.
      • Set healthy boundaries. Remove yourself from harmful situations and show concern from a distance.
        • If a place will not welcome you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them. Mark 6:11 NET (See our Mark 6 notes.)
        • But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who calls himself a Christian who is sexually immoral, or greedy, or an idolator, or verbally abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. I Corinthians 5:11 NET
        • How blessed is the one who does not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand in the pathway with sinners, or sit in the assembly of scoffers. Instead he finds pleasure in obeying the LORD'S commands; he meditates on his commands day and night. Psalm 1:1-2 NET
      • Connect with the struggle to love people better in our Love People Day post.
    • Learn from their mistakes. Break the cycle.

    Cross References

    • "Honor your father and your mother, that you may live a long time in the land the LORD your God is giving to you. Exodus 20:12 NET
    • The eye that mocks at a father and despises obeying a mother - the ravens of the valley will peck it out and the young vultures will eat it. Proverbs 30:17 NET
    • Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. Proverbs 23:22 NET
    • Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing in the Lord. Colossians 3:20 NET
    *Thoughts: We honor the positions our parents are given: We honor them as our parents. We recognize that God chose them for us, and even though that doesn't always make sense to us, we trust that God's plan is greater than ours. So, we ask God for understanding, healing, and change - both for ourselves and for them. We forgive, because God forgives us. We avoid putting ourselves in harmful situations, while still showing them God's love. It may not by easy, but it is the position God gave to you.

    Sources: 
    1. "Honor Your Father and Mother" at Focus on the Family
    2. "Honoring Hard-to-Honor Parents" at United Church of God

    Reflection

    We worry about the wrong things. We concern ourselves with staying clean and healthy, so we obsess over diet and sanitation. 

    But Jesus says not to worry about what we eat and that washing our hands and doing the dishes is vain repetition. Instead, we should worry about what is in our hearts, which we know by what comes out of our mouths. What we say indicates the state of our heart. Our focus must be on keeping our hearts pure, otherwise we will become morally ill by the impurities that come out of our mouths.

    Jesus wants us to use what we say as a gauge of the state of our hearts. When we say something evil, something life-taking, note the sin that reigns within and confess it. Then, wash your hands of it as a symbol that you are done with it. This likely will turn into a repeated, but not vain, process. The goal is to use an outward symbol, hand-washing, as a commitment to an inward change: a repentance of, or turning from, the confessed sin.

    We are also overly concerned with defining what right living looks like. We obsess over building and perfecting our own image and outcomes over honoring people - even our parents. We find reasonable excuses and invent moral-sounding workarounds for abiding by God's simple rules.

    But God says to follow His way, not our own. We think we know what is best for us, but we don't. We think we know how to treat others well, but we don't. We think we know better than God how to live correctly, but we don't. God knows exactly what we need. We can never do enough, give enough, or care enough to be righteous. Our righteousness is a gift. Our focus must be on learning His ways while turning from our own, otherwise, we'll never know Righteousness.

    God wants us to honor Him and others. When we honor others, we honor God. When we honor our parents, we honor their God-appointed position of authority and play our part well in the role God chose for us. With every interaction, we must ask ourselves if we stewarded the resources (time, treasure, talents, and troubles) God's given us to honor the other person in honor of God. When we do, we thank God for the opportunity and provision. When we don't, we must confess and find a way to do better.

    We get lost in our concerns. We make choices to force the outcome we desire, wrongly believing that we control our outcomes. We make allowances for doing what we want to do, wrongly believing that what we want matters. We make new sets of rules and routines to make our actions feel purposeful, wrongly believing that effort earns grace. We are lost.

    It's time to stop. We must turn from our own way and follow His. It's the only way to be found.

    Respond

    Connect

    God is fair.

    Reflect

    • The Pharisees believed that their tradition of hand washing was a good practice that everyone should be doing. They elevated their self-perceived righteousness above Jesus' disciples who did not wash their hands. But Jesus quickly corrected them. He told them that it is what is already inside of you that defiles you when it comes out instead of the other way around. What is a routine or tradition you perform that you think every Godly person should also be doing? One that, admittedly, you think showcases your righteousness? While good, what would God say is more important?
    • Jesus provides an example of a way the Pharisees defile a command for their own gain. We can determine what defiles us by what comes from our own mouths. What was the last hurtful, untrue, perverse, ungodly thing you said? What does this indicate about the sin you struggle with? 
    • Jesus knows He's being watched, yet considers the risk and heals two Gentiles. He does the same for you. He considers you worth the risk. He came to earth for you so you could be with Him eternally. What risk have you taken for another lately? What risk is weighing on your heart that you need to take next?

    Act

    • Arise! See how others are greater than you.
    • Arise! Confess your sin and work with God to turn from it.
    • Arise! Sacrifice your time, treasure, talents, and troubles for others.

    In Closing

    Father God, I am so thankful that You call me Yours. Though I judge others as less than myself, You humble me and show me how I am less than them. Though I have impurities within me that pour from my mouth and defile me, You graciously correct me and teach me how to change. Though I struggle with sacrificing my time, treasures, talents, and troubles for others, You gently guide me with examples and models through Your word and people who live by Your word. Thank you for teaching me Your ways. Thank you for never giving up on me. May I live to extend the same grace to others.


    Ready for Mark 8?

    Sample these related posts:

    Review Mark 6. Includes an outline of our thoughts, research on insight to be gained from the feeding of the five thousand, a reflection on opening my heart to Jesus, and an invitation to respond to God's work.

    If you struggle to forgive, you're not alone. Come read our thoughts on and commitment to learn forgiveness. Includes forgiveness facts, scripture, quotes, and activity suggestions.

    Enhance your prayer life with our thoughts (and struggles) with prayer. Includes prayer facts, scripture, quotes, and activity suggestions.

    Loving people is hard! We get it. Find encouragement to do better. Includes facts, scripture, quotes, and activity suggestions to encourage you to love others (even the ones you don't want to) better.

    God makes it simple; we overcomplicate things. Come back to simplicity with us. Includes facts, scripture, quotes, and activity suggestions to walk in a simpler life.


    Interested in more faith-related blogs? Then you're looking for Faith Food. At Faith Food, you'll find links to all our faith-related blogs and a short description of each.

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