Mark Worksheet - Chapter 7

Worksheet - Mark 7

Review of Chapter 6:

1) Jesus was not honored in His hometown or among His own relatives; they thought he was insane.  They only knew Him as the carpenter and His family.  We were told of His brothers and sisters. 2) Jesus sent His 12 disciples out in pairs to minister and preach the Gospel.  They were to stay in homes and not take any provision with them.  3) The beheading death of John the Baptist was explained; how Herod ordered it to make his sister-in-law happy after he told her daughter he would give her what she wanted after she danced at his party.  John had been put in prison for telling Herod he was in sin to have his brother's wife.  Herod did not want to have him killed but also wanted to please the crowd and keep his promise, so he did it. 4) Jesus had compassion for the multitude like sheep without a Shepherd.  We looked at Scripture of us being the sheep and He being the Shepherd, Jehovah Raah. 5) Because of His compassion for them in their hunger, He fed the 5000 with 5 loaves and 2 fish.  From this, we looked at Scripture of how He is Jehovah Jireh, our Provider - for salvation, for physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.  6) Jesus walked on the water to the disciple's boat.  They were thinking He was a ghost, but He told them not to be afraid.  When He got in, the winds calmed down.  7) Arriving onshore, the multitudes tried to touch the fringe of His garment.  All who did, were healed of their diseases.  We looked at Scripture to show that He is Jehovah Rapha, the Lord whom heals us - spiritually and in all ways to make us whole.

Mark, Chapter 7:

1.  The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Jesus when they had come from Jerusalem and has seen some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed. 

• What did the Pharisees and all the Jews do before eating as a tradition of the elders? vs. 3-4 - 

2.  They asked Jesus why His disciples did not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but ate with impure hands.   Jesus called them hypocrites and quoted a passage from Isaiah the prophet to them. 

• What Scripture did He quote to them from Isaiah? vs. 6-7 -

Ponder:  Can you think of a doctrine of men that is followed that has people honor God with their lips while their hearts are far away from Him?  How often do we do this through recited material in our church services I wonder?

3.  Jesus said they held to the tradition of men while they neglected the commandment of God. 

• What commandment were they failing to keep? vs. 10 -

Note: Jesus clearly contrasts the commandment of God from the tradition of men.  God's commands are found in the Scriptures and are binding; the traditions of the elders are not Biblical but things added to the law and are not authorative or binding.

• How did they justify themselves to the people? vs. 11-13 -

4.  Jesus called the crowd to Him and asked them to listen and understand.  He said that there was nothing outside of man that would defile him if it went into him, but it was the things that come out of a man that defile him.

When Jesus left the crowd, the disciples came to Him privately and asked Him about what the parable meant.  Jesus explained it to them.   

• Why did He say that things from the outside that go into the man does not defile the man? vs. 18-19 -
• What did Mark say Jesus was declaring with this statement? vs. 19 -

Read about Peter's revelation concerning this truth as well.

• Acts 10:9-16 -

5.  Jesus said it was the things from the heart that come out of the heart from within that defile the man.  What did He say come out of the heart from within that defile man?

List them:

• 1) vs. 21 -
• 2) vs. 21 -
• 3) vs. 21 -
• 4) vs. 21 -
• 5) vs. 21 -
• 6) vs. 22 -
• 7) vs. 22 -
• 8) vs. 22 -
• 9) vs. 22 -
• 10) vs. 22 -
• 11) vs. 22 -
• 12) vs. 22 -

Note:  Jesus replaced the normal Jewish understandings of defilement with the truth that defilement comes from an impure heart, not the violation of external rules.

Fellowship with God is not interrupted by unclean hands or food, but by sin.

6.  How can we cleanse our hearts from these things?

• First, we must have a new heart born of faith in believing in Jesus as the Son of God. 
• Then, we must obey God rather than the philosophies and traditions of men. 
• When our hearts become defiled through occasional sin now and then, we need to confess our sins so that we are completely cleansed again and restored to fellowship with the Father.

Comment on these verses: 

• John 3:3-8 -
• 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 -
• Colossians 2:8-10 -
• Colossians 2:13-14 -
• Colossians 2:16-23 -
• 2 Timothy 2:21-26 -
• 1 John 1:5-10 -

Back to Mark 7:

7.  Jesus went from there to the region of Tyre.  Although He did not want anyone to know He was there, He could not escape notice.  After hearing of Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit came and fell at His feet. 

• What race was this woman? 
• What did she continue asking Jesus to do for her daughter? vs. 26 -
• What was Jesus' answer to her? vs. 27 -

8.  How does Matthew remember Jesus saying this in his account of this story?

• Matthew 15:24-26 -

Note:  Jesus was making the point that He was sent to give the Gospel to the Jewish race first.  The woman understood His implication and was willing to settle for the 'crumbs' that will fall from His teachings and miracles.  Jesus rewards her faith.

9.  Basically Jesus was not answering her request even though she had asked over and over again.  

• What does she say to Him? vs. 28 -

10.  What did Jesus grant to her and why? vs. 29 -

• Also see Matthew 15:28 -

Back to Mark 7:

• What did the woman find when she returned home? vs. 30 -

Jesus came out of the region of Tyre and through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee within the region of Decapolis.  They brought a man to Jesus that was deaf and spoke with difficulty.  They implored Jesus to lay His hands on him. 

11.  What steps did Jesus take in bringing about this man's healing? vs. 33-34 -

• 1)
• 2)
• 3)
• 4)
• 5)
• 6)

12. What was the result of this?

• vs. 35 -

Jesus gave orders for them not to tell anyone, but the more He ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it.

13. What did they continually say in their astonishment? vs. 37 -

Ponder: What has Jesus done well in your life that you would like to share with others?

Review & Reflect:

• 1. Should we be more concerned about external religious tradition or things from the heart in areas that would defile us before God? 
• 2. What are some of the things that defile us that you particularly need to guard over that may be a weakness in your life? 
• 3. If we are born again, what are the steps we take to stay clean in our hearts and useful to the Lord's service?
• 4. What can we learn from the faith of the Gentile woman who would not take no for an answer from our Lord? 
• 5. Just like the deaf & dumb man who could hear & speak again because of the power of our Lord upon Him, what has the Lord done to help you hear His words and speak them to others? 
• 6. Do you feel that He does all things well? 
• 7. What can you testify to that He has done well in your life as of late?

Your summary and prayer today:

 

 

 

Written by B LeMoine for Heart & Home Bible Fellowship© with permission to use on RTB websites  only. For personal or ministry related use, please email Brenda for permission and conditions.