Illusions we Hide Behind
Jesus knew the compulsive complexities of human nature so well, I find the subject fascinating and don’t believe it has changed much, if at all, in the last 2,000 years.
One of the things the Jewish leaders in the time of Jesus were obsessed with was food-related cleanliness rituals, which does not sound like a particularly bad personal trait to have.
But although I am sure Jesus also cared about food hygiene, he saw inner spiritual purification as the most important thing.
However, the Pharisees were fixated on the food purity rituals of the day; extensive hand washing, condemning some food types as unclean, and maintaining man-made traditions.
They told Jesus words to the effect of;
‘look at how we carefully obey all the religious cleanliness rituals, but you and your people are doing it all wrong, because you don’t comply with them.’
In Mark 7, we hear how he confronted those people head-on as they proudly displayed their self-righteousness.
He turned their world upside down with a radical truth, saying:
“Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” (Mark 7:15)
Which, let’s be honest, probably doesn’t make much sense to most people of today.
And this is what I want to unpack in this blog – where Jesus was coming from with this extraodinary statement.
Because he was speaking of spiritual purity, which is a private and gradual inner process.
A process that goes on quietly and unseen within the heart.
Modern Day Mirrors: Filters, False Features, and Fabricated Perfection
Human nature, I believe, is much the same today as in the times of Jesus.
Today, we might call the Pharisee’s self-righteous behaviour ‘virtue signalling’.
We all do it to some extent, more particularly on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, where people of all ages are invited to present their best selves, but which often turns out to be their altered selves.
Modern technology allows us to post up filtered photos, carefully crafted captions, and highlight positive occasions in our lives.
—not always out of joy, often out of fear; fear of being seen as we truly are.
Of course, there’s nothing inherently sinful or wrong about image refinement or social media.
But when our identity becomes too reliant on how we look, or how people perceive us to be, and how many ‘likes’ we are generating;
rather than who we really are, then we risk losing sight of our more natural spiritual development.
Because Jesus isn’t impressed by filters or features.
He doesn’t scroll through our social media accounts looking for perfection. He looks at our hearts.
But it is easy for us to mirror the religious leaders Jesus was speaking to, with their hand-washing rituals;
it is so easy for us today to care more about superficial appearance rather than genuine personal and spiritual growth.
The Love of Money: A Parallel Warning
This teaching reminds me of another example, something my dear old Catholic father sometimes said when people misquoted a certain scripture.
If someone said words to the effect of; ‘money is the root of all evil’, he would quite often respond with;
“no—it’s the ‘love’ of money that is a root of all evil.”
This was a lesson my father learnt from a letter St Paul wrote, 1 Timothy 6:10, and it’s a perfect parallel to Jesus’ message about spiritual priorities.
Because money itself isn’t evil.
Just like the religious leader’s excessive cleanliness procedures and today’s personal presentations on social media, these things are all neutral behaviours.
But the danger lies in the heart’s attachment to them; of how much importance they have in our lives.
Both Jesus and St Paul Taught Spiritual Purification;
– rather than ungracious thinking or virtue signalling.
Meaning the issue isn’t the neutral object itself—it’s our naturally inbuilt obsessive natures that can develop into an unhealthy relationship between a person and their passion.
Jesus must have been frustrated with the Jewish leaders of the day when He said;
“Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” (Mark 7:15)
Because he was confronting them over their self-perceived righteousness, demonstrated in their food-related rituals.
He was pointing out that food doesn’t touch the heart—it just passes through the body.
The real battle is when the heart is contaminated, is what he was driving at.
It’s what’s already inside of us; our private thoughts and desires—that need to be purified.
Because when we carry harmful opinions about ourselves and/or others within our hearts, they can grow out of proportion.
Unhealthy thoughts can take root creating an imbalance in our personal assumptions and desires;
our unique convictions can gradually evolve (unwittingly) into something ugly dwelling within us.
Eventually, these damaging patterns can run out of control and cause real contamination and untold eruptions in our lives, and those of others.
Jesus was saying; It doesn’t need to be like this.
Meaning the ways of the world train us to pose for praise, not purpose; but His ways unmask those acts and free our souls to grow.
Conclusion: From Ritual to Redemption
What Jesus said in Mark 7 was a wake-up call for the religious leaders and disciples of his time, and for us today too.
He reminded us that faith, without working on the inner construction of our minds, is empty.
And that social media likes and padded bank accounts don’t impress God.
Because true cleanliness begins unseen, beneath the surface – within the depths of a pure, faithful and gracious heart.
And in the end, it’s not what we post—it’s what we produce.
Not how we look—but how we love.
Not what we consume—but what we are developing within our soul.
Not what we own—but what we worship.
The Gospel of Mark (John Mark) is traditionally believed to be based on St Peter’s personal eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ teaching.
Because, although Mark was not one of the twelve disciples, he acted as a scribe for Peter’s preaching.
So while Mark authored the Gospel, it’s widely believed that he did so by drawing on Peter’s memories, making it, in many ways;
St Peter’s Gospel through Mark’s pen.
