"He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak." Mark 7:37

Mark 7

Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.

Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?

He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, 

This people honoureth me with their lips, 

but their heart is far from me.

Howbeit in vain do they worship me, 

teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.

If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?

And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth 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 come from within, and defile the man.

And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid. For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. 

But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. 

And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. 

And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.

And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.

And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him.

And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.

And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.

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"And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth 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 come from within, and defile the man." Mark 7:20-23

*Evil thoughts

Evil - Kakos:

    1. of a bad nature, not such as it ought to be, 

    

    2. of a mode of thinking, feeling, acting, 

       a. base, wrong, wicked, 

    

    3. troublesome, injurious, pernicious, destructive, baneful

Thoughts - Dialogismos:

    1. the thinking of a man deliberating with himself, 

       a. a thought, inward reasoning, 

       b. purpose, design, 

    2. a deliberating, questioning about what is true, 

       a. hesitation, doubting, 

       b. disputing, arguing

*Adulteries - Moicheia: 

    1. adultery

*Fornications - Porneia: 

    1. illicit sexual intercourse, 

       a. adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, intercourse with animals etc., 

       b. sexual intercourse with close relatives; Lev. 18, 

       c. sexual intercourse with a divorced man or woman; Mk. 10:11

    2. metaph. the worship of idols

       a. of the defilement of idolatry, as incurred by eating the sacrifices offered to idols

*Murders - Phonos: 

    1. murder, slaughter

*Thefts - Klope

    1. theft

*Covetousness - Pleonexia: 

    1. greedy desire to have more, covetousness, avarice

*Wickedness - Poneria: 

    1. depravity, iniquity, wickedness, 

    2. malice, 

    3. evil purposes and desires

*Deceit - Dolos:

    1. craft, deceit, guile

*Lasciviousness - Aselgeia:  

    1. unbridled lust, excess, licentiousness, lasciviousness, wantonness, outrageousness, shamelessness, insolence

*An Evil Eye - Poneros Ophthalmos:

    1. full of labours, annoyances, hardships, 

       a. pressed and harassed by labours

       b. bringing toils, annoyances, perils; of a time full of peril to Christian faith and steadfastness; causing pain and trouble

    2. bad, of a bad nature or condition 

       a. in a physical sense: diseased or blind, 

       b. in an ethical sense: evil wicked, bad 

The word is used in the nominative case in Mt. 6:13. This usually denotes a title in the Greek. Hence Christ is saying, deliver us from "The Evil", and is probably referring to Satan.

*Blasphemy - Blasphemia:  

    1. slander, detraction, speech injurious, to another's good name, 

    2. impious and reproachful speech injurious to divine majesty

*Pride - Huperephania: 

    1. pride, haughtiness, arrogance, 

    2. the character of one who, with a swollen estimate of his own powers or merits, looks down on others and even treats them with insolence and contempt

*Foolishness - Aphrosune:

    1. foolishness, folly, senselessness, 

    2. thoughtlessness, recklessness

From StudyLight, Book of Mark Chapter 7

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"And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. They understood not that he spake to them of the Father. Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. As he spake these words, many believed on him. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." John 8:23-36

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"Not only daring individuals here and there attack Scripture, but the nominal teachers and heads of the clergy combine to do it with comparative impunity, as if they were determined to concentrate the whole weight of their personal and official influence. This has a voice for us; if we have understanding of the times, let us take care that we stand firmly, conscientiously, and uncompromisingly, though humbly, on the foundation of Divine truth, caring for nothing else. We shall be counted harsh: this is always the portion of faithfulness. But the name of the Lord is our tower of strength for the last days, as from the beginning. So Paul warns Timothy in his last Epistle, as he looked at the perils of these days (which are still more emphatically true now than they were then); and what is the resource for them? Not tradition, but the written word of God.

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable," etc. (2 Tim. 3:16)

It is not teachers, nor godly men raised up, however precious both may be — nothing but Scripture can be a permanent standard of truth.

As to things that defile, they come out of the man. This is true in all things, and all acts of evil. They invariably spring from within, from the corrupt will of man .  . . In a word, we have the doctrine most plainly laid down here that man — i.e., man in his present state — is only the source of that which is evil. I require another absolutely perfect One, who is outside me, to be my life, and such a One I have in Christ. If I am a Christian at all Christ is my life, and the business for me thenceforth is to live on and according to that good which I have found in Christ. Therefore, the happy man is he who is always thinking of and delighting himself in Christ . . .

"He hath done all things well: He makes both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak."

It is still the service of love, the heart and the hand of the only perfect Servant. "He has done all things well" was their astonished testimony. May we ever and for all confide in Him! His right hand has not forgotten; His heart is unchanged; He Himself is the "same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever." (Hebrews 13:8) May we treasure up the look to heaven, the sigh over the earth, the gracious, interested handling of the sufferer, the word of delivering power, the manner and the measure of the cure! Truly "He has done all things well." 

William Kelly

Excerpt from An Exposition of the Gospel of Mark

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