Big Idea: In this passage about spiritual hypocrisy Jesus teaches that God’s people must live their lives not by how they appear externally to others but how they really are within. It is not external codes of conduct but the inner life of the heart that really matters.

Understanding the Text

The theme of failure continues from 6:45–53, as the disciples’ hardened hearts (6:52) link them to the Pharisees (3:5; 10:5) in their inability to comprehend the reality of Jesus and the kingdom (see “The Text in Context” on 6:31–44). Now Mark turns to the Pharisees to demonstrate further their hardness. Thus this continues the theme of conflict with the leaders (see 2:1–3:6; 3:22–30). There are also subthemes of Jewish tradition (2:18, 23–26; 3:2) and purity issues (5:21–43).

Structure

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