Mark 7:15 Meaning and Explanation
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Jesus declares that nothing entering a person from outside can defile him; what defiles comes from within and goes out.
What Does Mark 7:15 Mean?
This is the saying on which the whole chapter turns. Against a system absorbed with outward contamination — hands, cups, markets — Jesus locates defilement at its source. He states the principle in compact form for the crowd; the explanation will come indoors, when the disciples ask.
The verse moves the battlefield. Guarding what touches us can never by itself make us clean, because the spring of corruption rises within. This is why the work of Christ goes deeper than the reform of habits: he comes to cleanse the source itself — to create, as the psalmist prayed, a clean heart (Psalm 51:10).
Frequently Asked Questions About Mark 7:15
What does Mark 7:15 mean?
Jesus declares that nothing entering a person from outside can defile him; what defiles comes from within and goes out.