<p>15:11&nbsp;<em>It is not what enters into the mouth which defiles the man</em>- The same words are found in the Lord&rsquo;s final message to us in Rev. 21:27- nothing will&nbsp;<em>go into</em>&nbsp;the Kingdom of God which&nbsp;<em>defiles</em>. Surely He had in mind the words He had spoken here 30 years previously. Nothing can go into and defile- but a&nbsp;<em>person</em>&nbsp;can. The Lord is showing that defilement is a personal matter, not a question of avoiding eating or touching &lsquo;unclean&rsquo; things. The whole discussion here about defilement is in the context of the Pharisees criticizing the disciples for eating &ldquo;with defiled, that is, unwashed, hands&rdquo; (Mk. 7:2 s.w.). Paul had meditated upon the Lord&rsquo;s teaching here deeply, because he clearly alludes to it in saying that he is &ldquo;persuaded by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean [s.w. &lsquo;defiled&rsquo;] in itself&rdquo; (Rom. 14:14). Again we see the nature of the living word- these black words on white paper, those shimmering images on our screens, become the Lord Jesus reasoning with us and persuading us over issues.&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>But what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man</em>- Here we see the huge importance placed by the Lord upon our words. He goes on to explain that it is what comes out of the&nbsp;<em>heart</em>&nbsp;which defiles (:18,19), but words are an expression of the heart. Therefore by them we shall be judged (Mt. 12:37). What comes out of the heart is what comes out of the mouth (:18)- ultimately, at least, after we have finished all the hypocritical games of trying to say one thing whilst thinking otherwise. And Mark adds that what comes out of&nbsp;<em>the man</em>, what comes out &ldquo;from&nbsp;<em>within</em>&rdquo;, is what defiles him (Mk. 7:15,23). A man is his heart and so he is his words, just as &ldquo;the word was [and is] God&rdquo;. We note that the same word is used about gracious words &lsquo;proceeding out of [the Lord&rsquo;s] mouth&rsquo; (Lk. 4:22). They were a reflection of the grace deep within Him, which&nbsp;<em>is</em>&nbsp;Him. And likewise ungracious words are not to &lsquo;proceed&rsquo; [s.w.] from&nbsp;<em>our</em>&nbsp;mouths, but only words that &ldquo;may minister grace to the hearers&rdquo; (Eph. 4:29).&nbsp;</p>