Jeremiah 43-45
Hebrews 5
“Are you so dull?’ [Jesus] asked.” Mark 7:18
A good verse for us to memorize is a question that Jesus asked His disciples, “Are you so dull?” (Mark 7:18). We could reinterpret that question as “Are you still not getting it?” I (Brett McBride) have to confess, after being a Christian for almost a quarter of a century, the answer to Jesus’s question is a resounding “Yes. Yes, I am” because I am amazed at how often I have to hear Jesus not only tell me the same things over and over again but also learn the same lessons over and over again. No matter how long we have been a Christian for, we are all prone to wander off the clear and sometimes even simple teachings of Christ.
Jesus called out the conduct of the Pharisees in front of the crowd, saying, “Listen to Me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” After leaving the crowd, Jesus “entered the house, His disciples asked Him about this parable.” To this, Jesus asked, “Are you so dull?” (Mark 7:14-18). The Greek word for “dull” is asunetos, which carries the meaning of “unintelligent, dull, without understanding, foolish.” How was it that the disciples were missing what Jesus was saying about the Pharisees? Were they so blinded by the Pharisees’ position of power, influence and respectability that they did not see the heart was where the defilement was coming from?
Jesus explained, “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body….What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person” (Mark 7:18-23).
Jesus was basically saying, “Are you still missing it completely? Are you still looking on the outside? Are you caught up with the externals? Are you impressed by these Pharisees who have all kinds of rules and traditions and they go to great lengths to observe them, but do not deal with the real problem hidden deep in their hearts underneath the surface of their lives? It is what is going on inside that defiles.” We are often so easily blinded by external displays that we miss the true problem. We can be dulled to the point of not understanding even when told point blank.
What lessons may Jesus be trying to teach us lately?
Dear God, I confess that I am prone to wander away and be blind to Your truth that is right in front of me. Please help me bring to mind lessons in the past that I have learned so that I do not make the same mistakes again. Thank You, Lord.
Hebrews 5
“Are you so dull?’ [Jesus] asked.” Mark 7:18
A good verse for us to memorize is a question that Jesus asked His disciples, “Are you so dull?” (Mark 7:18). We could reinterpret that question as “Are you still not getting it?” I (Brett McBride) have to confess, after being a Christian for almost a quarter of a century, the answer to Jesus’s question is a resounding “Yes. Yes, I am” because I am amazed at how often I have to hear Jesus not only tell me the same things over and over again but also learn the same lessons over and over again. No matter how long we have been a Christian for, we are all prone to wander off the clear and sometimes even simple teachings of Christ.
Jesus called out the conduct of the Pharisees in front of the crowd, saying, “Listen to Me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” After leaving the crowd, Jesus “entered the house, His disciples asked Him about this parable.” To this, Jesus asked, “Are you so dull?” (Mark 7:14-18). The Greek word for “dull” is asunetos, which carries the meaning of “unintelligent, dull, without understanding, foolish.” How was it that the disciples were missing what Jesus was saying about the Pharisees? Were they so blinded by the Pharisees’ position of power, influence and respectability that they did not see the heart was where the defilement was coming from?
Jesus explained, “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body….What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person” (Mark 7:18-23).
Jesus was basically saying, “Are you still missing it completely? Are you still looking on the outside? Are you caught up with the externals? Are you impressed by these Pharisees who have all kinds of rules and traditions and they go to great lengths to observe them, but do not deal with the real problem hidden deep in their hearts underneath the surface of their lives? It is what is going on inside that defiles.” We are often so easily blinded by external displays that we miss the true problem. We can be dulled to the point of not understanding even when told point blank.
What lessons may Jesus be trying to teach us lately?
Dear God, I confess that I am prone to wander away and be blind to Your truth that is right in front of me. Please help me bring to mind lessons in the past that I have learned so that I do not make the same mistakes again. Thank You, Lord.
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