Community Group Discussion Guide
Mark 7:14-23- The Heart of Man Icebreakers:
Scripture: After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man. 16[“If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”] 17 When he had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable. 18 And He said to them, “Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, 19because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.) 20And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. 21“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23“All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.” Mark 7:14-23 NASB Read Verses 14-16: After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man. 16[“If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”] 1. Jesus is confronting a popular religious and cultural concept by these statements He is making about how what we put into our physical bodies does not defile us. How important is it that the church address issues that are confronting the culture of today? 2. In verse 16, Jesus uses a phrase the He used often "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear". What do you think this means and why does Jesus use it so often? Read Verses 17-19: 17 When he had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable. 18 And He said to them, “Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, 19because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.) 1. Jesus provided the whole crowd with the principle that what comes from the heart is more important than what goes into the body. But now He is alone with His disciples and is providing the revelation of what those words fully meant. Why is it important for us as disciples to know the principles and teachings of Christ, but also have the revelation behind the principles? 2. How important is it that we just not "know" things but "experientially know" things? Use 2 Timothy 3:6-7 as an example/reference: For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, 7always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 3. Mark adds that Jesus was declaring all foods clean by these statements. Why is this a big deal for a Jewish community that Jesus is speaking to? Read Acts 10:9-16 where God confirms the same thing to Peter in a vision. Read Verses 20-23: 20And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. 21“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23“All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.” 1. Jesus says that what comes out of the heart of man is the primary issue. What does Jesus mean by our "heart"? What makes up our heart? Our heart is the descriptor of our souls; who we are and the "seat of affection". Our heart is the connecting point of our soul and our spirit. Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23 2. Jesus starts by saying that the first thing that comes from the heart of man is evil thoughts. Why does Jesus go from evil thoughts to very extreme cases of outward sins like theft and murder? What is Jesus teaching us hear about the power of our thougthlife?
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