Washington Irving said that “The tongue is the only tool that gets sharper with use.” Our mouths get us into more trouble than anything else. Jesus points that out in today’s verse. It’s what comes out of your mouth that is a sin, not what you put into it. He tells you to watch that tongue of yours.
Mark 7:15
Nothing that goes into a person from outside can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.
Keep it Under Control
Jesus is answering a question about traditions the Jews have been keeping. To defile yourself means that you are no longer clean to go into the temple and need to go through a consecration, or cleaning, process. Jesus is telling his followers that it wasn’t the type of food you ate but what rolls off of your tongue that makes you unclean. This was a shock to the religious system because so much emphasis was put on what was kosher. Jesus turns it upside down by telling you to control our tongue.
Can’t Take it Back
We all have said things we regretted and wished we could take back. Comments are like toothpaste. Once it comes out, it can’t go back in. World Wars have started with a war of words. The temptation to speak a zinger of a comeback, when someone has put you down, is sometimes too hard to pass up. There are so many avenues where your tongue can get you into trouble I can’t list them all. Needless to say, you will stand before God and give an account of all that we have said.
Build Other Up
Your words should be used to encourage, advise, and build up instead of tearing it down. It’s a choice on your part how you will use your tongue. You can
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